Frank Spencer may have made the phrase and programme ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’ famous, but when it comes to football, all clubs certainly do and Tottenham Hotspur are no different.
Following a fantastic rearguard action with the job already largely done against Borussia Dortmund in our midweek clash, dare to comment the match wasn’t a classic when it came to our attacking performance and you can already sense computers being fired up by those who can’t stand a single presumed negative being spoken about the club.
There is a counter side to those fans who tend to read what they think has been written, rather than what was actually said, and there are those fans who are incredibly negative in the face of immense positives.
Tuesday evening’s action was certainly a case of the latter and typically Talksport revelled in giving one particular call a greater moment in the sun.
“Everyone’s getting wrapped up in this result Pochettino’s had but I’m telling you boys, that man is not for my club. He is just Daniel Levy’s puppet – he says the things that Daniel wants him to say and when a man comes out and says the club won’t do nothing for the next ten years, he’s telling you that the squad’s not good enough and he’s not being backed by the chairman. I HATE Daniel Levy. He’s ruining Tottenham Hotspur and I hope he’s listening to this. I cannot stand the man. Harry Kane – asset. Pochettino – asset. Dele Alli – asset. Toby Alderweireld – asset. Jan Vertonghen – asset. Christian Eriksen – asset. We are being run by a businessman, not somebody that is prepared to put money in. At the end of the day Spurs are where they are. We’ve got a big stadium but will all these players be here next year? Hopefully we get Ajax in the next round and we see a football team give another football team a lesson. Pochettino is fantastic at coaching young players but tactically inept at coaching a Premier League side. Until Daniel Levy decides to go, Tottenham will not move forward at all.”
Now everyone has their own thoughts on both Levy and Poch. It’s a flip of a coin and certainly in the case of Poch, he’s a manager…mistakes are made, he’s only human. But I’m not really sure where to start with the above diatribe.
A puppet who only says what Levy wants him to say, but someone who before the end of the sentence is speaking about against Levy for not backing him?
Ruining Tottenham, yet this is our best Premier League season since God knows when, and we’re through to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2011?
I presume the Ajax crack is based on their unexpected victory over Real Madrid and the fact Spurs are no longer free flowing, but have learnt how to win ugly. I don’t know? But what fan wants their side to lose to prove a point?
As for Pochettino being tactically inept, he had great success at Southampton and he’s had great success at Spurs – we wobbled recently, it happens to all clubs across a season – but we’re only ten points off Manchester City and Liverpool, I’m not sure I need to say comparable spending.
If an inept manager can use youngsters and get us as an established top four club, then all things being equal, has the word inept taken on a new meaning that I’ve missed?
As for not moving forward – the domestic Cups were a major disappointment – but I wouldn’t define not moving forward as sitting in third place in the table, through to the CL quarters given we spent diddlysquat over the season on new players, and also had to contend with injuries to Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and we’ve had constant short term problems ruling players out that had to be coped with as well.
Does everyone wish we were more advanced this year and doing even better, absolutely. But when do you decide to throw the baby out with the bathwater and not appreciate the reality of modern day football and the steps the club are making?
By no means does that mean questions shouldn’t be asked, it also doesn’t mean fans shouldn’t demand more in an effort to drive the club on to greater successes – but perspective can be a wonderful thing.