The Merry-go-round of Tottenham Management: Is Laudrup Really an Option?

Article by Nathan Durec

Apparently 17 out of a possible 24 points are not acceptable. For those of us who enjoy watching and cheering for a freewheeling and attacking side, Tim Sherwood has managed to deliver exactly that. He may have seemed like a temporary fix, and for club’s part, he was kind of sold to us as that. An 18 month contract that looked like it would not go past the end of this season was what was offered to him.

Back when AVB was turfed, one of the names that immediately sprang up in the media was Michael Laudrup. At the time, the former Swans boss said that he would never leave a club mid-season. Well, it looks like the Swansea top boys didn’t share the same mentality. Laudrup’s firing a few days ago has reignited rumours of a Hotspur managerial change.

But why? Has Sherwood been so abysmal that Levy sees the need to replace him already? Or is it a matter of prestige in wanting to get a manager with a more recognisable pedigree? In 8 league matches, he has brought a return of 5W-2D-1L, a 62.3% win ratio. Yes, there were losses in the League and FA cups, but the league — and a top four finish — is what matters. Even factoring these in would give him 50%.

Swansea City has almost as many losses as Tottenham have wins so far this season. Assuredly, Laudrup has had to work with a much smaller budget, but he has shown himself more than capable before. However, he suffers from the same inability to adapt that AVB did. It is rare to see anything but one man up front. In picking Laudrup up and out of the mud, Spurs would be asking for more of what we already had and decided that we didn’t like.

There are no honeymoons in professional sports. As one manager famously stated, “You are only as good as your last game.” Fans and critics alike constantly ask the same questions: What’s next? We are an impatient lot, but sometimes it pays to step back and examine the whole board.

Let’s take the fairly smart assumption that Sherwood will finish out the season. Sherwood wasn’t hired to be a caretaker manager, so let’s not treat him as one. If Laudrup is still available in the summer, then he becomes a possibility. But he is not the best alternative out there. Several reports have linked Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal to Tottenham, a shrewd pick up if it can happen. Some have stated that it’s already a done deal, that both parties are just waiting for the summer to finalise the signing.

But what happens if Sherwood leads the club into a Champions League spot? So long and thanks for all the fish? That would be a harsh exit indeed for someone who has been part of the coaching staff since 2008.

We need and want the best possible people in charge of the club. Sherwood may not have been the first choice, but he was given the job and his run to the end of the season should factor into any decision of letting him have the final season on his contract. What is good is that there are options, so long as they are only used if necessary and not because they are simply there.

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