Article by @ginolasleftfootFor those in search of a worthy deconstruction of the mess whipped up by Monsieur Sherwood and his merry cohorts of bafflement this weekend at Carrow Road; look no further than the excellent Micheal Cox’s (of Zonalmarking.net and @ZonalMarking) body of work pertaining to the aforementioned lack of game plan, via the Guardian site and Twitter feeds.
The wider implications of Sunday’s performance ask questions about the overall state of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
From a macro view point, Tottenham’s season now appears to be heading for utter obscurity barring a Europa League trophy or unlikelier still, a Liverpool collapse. Even if Fortune briefly batted her eyes in the direction of White Hart Lane, it would still require Spurs to attain that cohesive, dynamic and winning level of performance that has proved elusive all season.
The window of opportunity, that gaped so wide at the start of the season appears to be now firmly bolted, leaving Spurs to gape through the pane of glass towards Pellegrini, Rodgers, Wenger and Mourinho, supping brandy, snuggled into comfy chairs with a roaring fire ablaze.
If the word on the grapevine is to be believed, Spurs might just be looking to appoint the kind of chap, who rather than bother with any window voyeurism would be more likely to arrive late and well oiled courtesy of some expensive Cognac, who upon thrusting himself through the door, starts by berating Mourinho for his lack of knowledge of the game, ridicules Wenger’s fitness approach, eye balls Pellegrini and takes Rodgers for a waiter and orders another bottle of Cognac.
Louis Van Gaal is making noises. Come and get me noises. If Louis and Daniel were in high school, they’d be passing secret notes to each other under the table.
Having carved out a managerial career littered with success and silverware, Van Gaal has made his intention of experiencing the English Premier League paramount, as his reign of the Netherlands coach will come to a close after this year’s World Cup in Brazil.
With Spurs now looking at fifth or perhaps sixth, with the gradual; albeit slow, resurgence of Manchester Utd, the prominent players within the squad will be looking for confirmation from the upper level of the Tottenham board that this is a club with serious competitive intentions.
If the board opts to pass on the appointment of Van Gaal, siding with the Sherwood approach, then one must begin to see parallels with the Ashley regime currently being plied at St James’ Park. A principle of ownership with focus being firmly placed on financial growth rather than on field success.
For Sherwood to achieve the current aims of the THFC board it would take a sustained period of unheard of, fairytale performances. He simply hasn’t amassed enough hours within the framework of an elite coaching environment to compete with his fellow peers.
He is currently the outlier, surrounded by clubs who employ coaches with far greater experience and evidence of success at previous clubs.
Lest we forget, Sherwood is not an interim coach. He has been given an 18-month contract by Levy. But with what mandate?
One wonders if Sherwood has knowingly accepted the poisoned chalice thrust upon him, for surely the attainment of a Champion’s League football remains the expectation of Tottenham Hotspur.
Sunday was evidence that to compete with the current leaders of the Premier League, coaches need to effect change within the course of a match. It is simply not sufficient to send out players with a shape and let them get on with it.
What we saw against Norwich was speculative football. A group of 11 professional footballers without any clear direction, who may or may not, at some point scrape together a brief moment of collective work and score.
One can be certain, with the appointment of Van Gaal, this approach would not be entertained.
If Levy is to elevate Tottenham to the next level, he needs to once again call on his shrewd business acumen and acknowledge that Sherwood is not a coach who can generate elite performances from his team, Van Gaal should be approached with a pre contract agreement for the 2014-2015 season. This action would placate players such as Vertonghen, Lloris, Paulino and Dembele who understandably have the talent and desire to compete in the Champions League, and will undoubtedly be courted during the close of season.
Now watch Spurs go on an unheralded run and qualify for the Champions League in 3rd place…..I’ve jinxed our jinx.
Until next time.
@ginolasleftfoot
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Having listened to today's match that jinx you speak of looks very safe indeed ! It would be great to have a manager like Van Gaal come in but would the current set up and personell allow him to thrive or would he end up just being frustrated?I fear the latter.Thanks for the article.
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