Vital Spurs Debate Section

Tottenham: Victims Of Their Own Success

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When the immediate emotion-charged reaction to recent performances had returned to calm contemplation, I was able to find some perspective.

For many seasons we have been privileged to watch some of the best football Spurs have played since the sixties. Supporters have enjoyed high-class entertainment on the pitch and seen THFC’s world-wide profile climb to the point where we could all be justifiably proud of our club.

The ‘project’ that is THFC has been viewed by all as a huge success…not success in terms of trophies, but success in terms of the club’s development. We have witnessed the club’s growth with the addition of our training facility, state-of-the-art stadium, reputable manager, and various sponsorship contracts. All the groundwork for the club’s long-term future is in place.

The reality, in football terms, is that this was the easy part, the tangible part. Finding a squad of players that have the capacity to take the football world by storm is another matter…and far more difficult.

Every football club is embarked on a never ending journey of evolution which, by definition, means regular stages of transition. All of the so-called ‘top six’ clubs have demonstrated how the evolution of football works in recent seasons. The older generation of supporters have witnessed many such transitions no matter which club they follow.

It is beginning to look like Spurs are now in transition. Players have aged or not fulfilled their potential. New players have come in and some players have left. The squad is not the same one that delivered all of the stunning performances and glorious football we have witnessed for several seasons. And, believe me, there were many stunning performances creating many memories. Currently, the squad is not playing as the team, the unit, it once was. There is not the harmony or the understanding between players. Results and performances on the pitch have suffered since the start of last season.

It needs to change. But that change, that transition, will take some time. We still have a very talented squad of players. They are all parts of the jigsaw that completes a picture. Presently, the pieces are difficult to put together. There may even be a piece or two missing…but the foundation is there, as is the answer to completing the puzzle. It just has to be found and, personally, I believe that the manager and chairperson are capable of finding it…will find it. After all, they did get us to this point in the first place and neither of them would settle for it all ending here.

The periods of transition will not take so long if there is something real to start with and build on. There is much to build on at Tottenham. In a sense, Spurs are the victims of their own magnificent performances in recent seasons because ‘transition’ means there will be a lull, a backward step, and this is never acceptable to supporters who are emotionally connected to the club and demand never-ending success…which is never going to happen.

Evolution does not work that way in football.

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