Introspection
I’m going to caveat this article with the following; I’m still processing what has happened during the late stages of the international break. For once, I’m lost for words. Or rather I have words that appear to be in conflict with each other. Usually, in times of low ebb and unexpected news, I smash out an epic existential saga of emotion and philosophy. A cleansing. A therapeutic unloading of all the messy thoughts in my head. I’ve not really attempted that with this blog. I’m trying to work it all out.
I don’t know if this is the right thing or wrong thing for Spurs. But as a supporter, I have to move on and back everyone at the club to push for the high standards we’ve set under the previous manager. Damn, ‘previous’. It feels so strange to be talking about Poch in the past-tense.
This isn’t about being right or admitting I’m wrong or protecting myself from any future predictions gone wrong. I know this is an art-form for some, wanting to always look good, always be on the side of ‘I told you so’. It’s too abstract for my taste. I’m also not trying to be over-dramatic in the moment. I’m genuinely rocked by what’s happened at THFC. Even if, deep down, we all knew it was coming. Even if deep down, it might have been the only viable option to take.
This entire blog has been an ode to Pochettino over the past five and a half years. The articles I’ve written recently have been in favour of Spurs bucking the trend and backing our Argentine coach. Perhaps it’s easy to label this as heart over head rather than stone cold pragmatism. But that’s football. For me at least. I want to believe.
Where am I at now?
I’ll start with my reaction on Twitter after Pochettino’s departure was announced, for prosperity, as it highlights my confused mind processing raw thoughts on what was a crazy period in the clubs history.
After that, it’s still a bit of purgatory.
My Twitter reaction on the day of Poch sacking
For all we know, Spurs sacking Poch could be what Poch was waiting for. You can connect the dots, end up with an assortment of scribbles and still be none the wiser. Dressing room lost, end of a cycle. Whatever. It's a consequence of hitting highs we couldn't control.
The thing that truly irks me in the statement is Levy citing having a positive season for the fans. This finality is so over dramatised, it's ridiculous. By pundits, fans and boardrooms. Poch will end up at Old Trafford and he'll prove his worth. What we do next is massive.
Then again, hindsight will tell all. We could be in free-fall, Poch's head could have been long gone. So for the sake of the club & everyone involved, we have to make a decisive change. If so, as much as it f*cking hurts, we move on. But for all things grand, respect our history.
We'll see. Poch gave us a new culture, self belief, a backbone, a synergy and togetherness we only ever had in pockets here and there. He gave us a team. He redefined this club without sacrificing what Spurs is all about. Limbs. The occasional orgasmic oozing limbs.
No silverware? Yeah, that sucks. But I wouldn't swap the five years we had with him for a decade of football punctured with a single League Cup. Hope, belief and that bond we felt means more to me because it can be everlasting. Good times and bad. But it aint everlasting.
Boys from the Lane part II. Football aint the same, it's a bloated entity compared to what we had in the 80s. But there's no point looking back. Got to adapt. Got to find that edge. That costs £. Sadly, doing it the Poch way, was flawed. We're gonna need to sell out to make it.
Which brings me onto ENIC and back to how the short term seems to influence the long term. Poch was Levy's dream appointment. Didn't have to spend much. But the moment we become dark horses, the moment we pushed beyond expectations - we needed more. Levy opting for a quick fix?
Tell you this much, Spurs Twitter has gone up to v2. Watch how the next appointment polarises our fan-base. Poch brought us together. If Levy simply wants to salvage this season then our identity is up for rent. Which might work for some.
It's like comparing a relationship, working hard to fix things and then making tantric love versus just saying 'f*ck it' and paying a high class escort for a weekend of porno sex, spits and slaps and the lot. You're gonna come either way. But which is more satisfying?
The escort. You're going to say the escort aren't you? COYS
Thank you Poch. Love you. You gave me everything I wanted from belonging to this magnificently flawed football club.
Now for my attempt at digging deep…
Poch post-morterm
I heard a rumour that he’d be sacked and literally ten minutes after the bombshell was dropped, I was told Jose Mourinho would be appointed the following morning. A double smack to the face. It didn’t knock me out though. If I think back, it sort of woke me up. From a slumber. In fact now, it’s better described with the undeniable realisation that I felt - in those ten minutes - relieved. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. So I can only imagine the stress and uncertainty that Mauricio would have experienced waiting for something to change.
This is the bit where I could list all the defining moments of his tenure. The foundation building of the first season. The unexpected ascendancy of the second. The press. The record breaking points tally and that final season at the Lane. And so on. Champions League journey included. Harry Kane became a phenom. We finished top four, four seasons running. We transitioned from Wembley to the new stadium. Smashed teams in Europe. Played arguably - certifiably - the best football in the land and were lauded as potential future Champions of the Premier League. I could now run through the darker reflection as a parallel to all of the above highlighting the soul crushing disappointment of that night in Madrid against Liverpool. The night where perhaps the Pochettino era ended. Where it should have ended.
I could go deep into our domestic collapse, away from home and our eroding identity and style. The loss of the swarming press. That humble brag about not spending any money in two transfer windows now looked destined to drown us like a chuck of concrete tied to our legs. This downward spiral, this mental and physical implosion still remains a distorted head scratch. We sort of know and can sort of guess at what’s happened. The stagnation, the failure to reboot and refresh. The wantaway players that remained. Five and a half years is a very long cycle for a single side that went from one of the youngest squads to a more mature, experienced but ultimately tired and stale one.
This is a team that deserved to win something. Had they done, had we won in Madrid, then perhaps everything we achieved in terms of progression and ideals and ethos and club culture…everything we as supporters had with our belief in the manager and players…it would have been solidified in history forever. But equally so, it shouldn’t be forgotten because we failed.
The bond, the togetherness. This is now a benchmark for a club in the present rather than one we have to keep looking back in time for. The 80s and 60s produced the silverware but comparisons are unfair. It ended because…because we allowed it too.
Because we’re a brand with Amazon cameras everywhere within the club. Because we needed to be cutthroat ruthless off the field to inspire a new momentum on it. Because football cycles have to produce sustained success in league form. Because the short termisms are favoured ahead of long term. Because we’re at a stage in our financial evolution where we have the base to compete and it’s a case of reaching out to grab that opportunity ahead of a 5-10 year waiting game project. It’s a bit of everything.
Poch built the foundations and turned us from pretenders to contenders and did so with loyalty and stubbornness to his methodology (with constraints) for the best part of five years. But something changed and Poch getting the sack was what we all didn’t want but all knew it might be the right way forward. Even if Daniel Levy always appears to be the one correcting mistakes he’s responsible for in the first place.
Judging by some of the player comments post-Poch, I still struggle to believe he lost the dressing room but it’s obvious he lost faith with certain players and thus lost them in terms of application and discipline. The team has been a fragmented antithesis for a long time. 25 points from 24 games is shocking. It simply wasn’t working and as the owner do you stick or twist when gambling with a billion pound entity?
In an ideal world, Poch stays, pushes v2 of his project through over a two or three year rebuild and we go again. But football has no patience for such romantic levels of loyalty and longevity. I’ve often debated the desire to win something (a domestic League Cup) over the importance of Champions League qualification. I’ll repeat myself with this, I’d rather the journey we undertook with Poch in Europe over a day out at Wembley. But it’s easy to say this when we haven’t won something.
Still, I often forget that George Graham secured a League Cup. Remember the football played under him? Remember how disheartening it was following Spurs back then? Identity is more than a bit of silverware, especially if belonging is sacrificed. Still, we all have to find a middle ground with all of this. Winning is the essence of the game and consolidating your place in history is truly achieved by lifting a trophy with your clubs ribbons attached to it.
We gave it everything. We fell short. Revisionist historians amongst us will underplay what Pochettino did for this club, but I can’t. I won’t. Rumours are still doing the rounds. Poch is devastated. Harry Kane spent a couple of hours with his former gaffer. It appears he wanted to stay, to fix things. Sometimes you love the person in your relationship but loving them means letting them go because staying together won’t bring things back to where you want them to be. The real strength is in admitting it’s over.
Sometimes the good times, the memories, should be just that.
I’m still in the same frame of mind now that I was then (when Poch left). However, I’m more accepting of the decisions made, even though I’m still shifting uncomfortably with it all. You’ll always be magic to me Mauricio.
Jose
You know how this works. For most supporters. You idolise a player or coach. He leaves. You move on. You then dislike him when he signs for a rival. If he was never associated with your club, you might hate him for many reasons. Smug arrogance, overbearing hypocrisy, whatever. There’s a long list. The fact is, he’s not wearing your colours so you might have to grudgingly accept that person and his special talents when he does. We are fickle, there is no doubt. We are being tested. This is the spine of the mental conundrum I’m struggling with.
Jose Mourinho is our coach.
It’s surreal.
We had no time to get over Poch going. Perhaps this was tactical from our esteemed chairman, planned with precision, ready to be implemented if needed. It must have been. You just don’t appoint one of the most successful modern day football coaches in the time span of eight hours. It was a contingency and one with favourable odds of being activated. Regardless of this - what was our alternate choice? Aside from retaining Poch. There wasn’t one. Just a special one. Or not so special?
I’ve often questioned his relevance in the modern game. His ability to one day coach a side where he can’t spend hundreds of millions. His time at Manchester United is tainted. His ego damaged. Yet here he is, all smooth talking, humble and saying all the right things. I understand how the United fans, that despised him, grew to support and defend him. That’s until it all unravelled. Listening to him talk about Spurs is the ASMR I never knew I wanted. I’m getting a perverse kick out of watching him. His mannerisms, knowledge. It’s unnerving. There is simply no denying his magnetism but let’s not pretend how utterly vile he can be when under pressure - even if it is simply a persona. A successful one but equally destructive.
He does not have the sincerity of Mauricio but does he have the edge our favourite Argentine lacked? Remember when we slapped Chelsea 5-3 at the Lane? Remember how we then lost the League Cup final to them. Jose suffocating space, containing and countering to seal a victory above and beyond style. Substance here might not have been attractive on the eye but it was effective. Jose learnt and adapted and got the last word in. That edge, that difference is what Poch was required to find. He ran out of time.
One thing is for certain, he has a certain degree of measured vibrancy and energy which is exactly what we need right now. Add to it the global impact his name carries (which can also be detrimental as Jose has tendencies and the uncanny ability to make himself bigger than the actual club he manages). Yet his reinvention, thus far, is low-key compared the brashness of the past. His new three man coaching team appears to be carefully selected (and poached) to assist him with new methods in developing a less rigid system. Nobody doubts his skills as a man manager but he’s been scrutinised for his on-field astuteness in recent seasons. It’s fascinatingly risky this.
His respect for Poch, his respect towards the fans. Talking up his envy for our supporters as a visiting coach. Sure, there are micro-aggressions in amongst it all. Little subtle ‘me me me’ statements about his success. But that’s him showing off his CV. Stating the facts about our predicament. Outlining his ambition and the tasks ahead. The PR team is working in his favour. But here we are. Placing trust in the devil. Accepting a man I’ve been disparaging about (haven’t we all?) even though he has undeniable presence and proven pedigree. A man manager of huge players. A master of deflection. But tactically, is he forward thinking enough?
At what cost are you prepared to pay for silverware?
So far, he claims the football will respect our identity but once Jose settles in and gets comfortable will Jose do as Jose wants?
He’s learnt from his mistakes, he says. Does he have anything to lose here? I guess there’s no pressure, aside from his ego being hurt again. This is a man that has managed Real Madrid and not a man that wants to manage them. Ego is his weapon and firing blanks is hardly going to showcase the relevance he craves.
But Spurs, with no track record for consistent trophy hauls, will give him a challenge that will push towards his rebirth and another reincarnation for us. We wanted Poch v2. We got Jose v2. If it all goes wrong, he can blame Levy like the rest of us.
My angst is…do I trust him?
I have to. But all the recent criticisms all of us have had about him can’t be ignored. Though, if I wanted Poch to stay and prove he can turn things around and fix mistakes he made and not inherited, then surely I should offer the same ilk of patience to our new manager?
I just can’t quite tune into the frequency at the moment. He’s our manager. Am I being self-centred here? Should this be more monumental for me than it is? World football has eaten itself in anticipation of his return. Our players will get a buzz from working with a new coach but working with this one could be defining. Whether it’s a final push for this ageing squad or a strategic play by Levy for the brand - perhaps this is where I need to kiss goodbye to the long term blueprint and embrace the short term immediate impact.
Honestly, I’d be fibbing if I didn’t say I wasn’t impressed with his press conferences and his body language on the training field. The players have to react to this. Of all the new manager bounces we could have hoped for, this was the one the players would have wanted.
It’s a bold and brave and a balls deep appointment for Spurs. It’s one that might just give us further clout as a football club (BRAND !!!11) and elevate our stature further. I just feel dirty. It still hasn’t sunk in. I’m not being entitled here either. I want what’s best for my club might not be best for me. Football is a gamble. This is a gamble. Will it pay off? That ain’t the moneyshot. Living every moment between now and then, that’s the moneyshot.
Jose appears to be self-aware enough to not be treating us like another vehicle for his circus. But then, it’s too early to state this with conviction. It’s way too early to strip off and get into bed with him. Some have already woken up the next morning, spooning before breakfast. The whores.
Levy
Had we spent money in those two transfer windows…who knows. Levy gonna Levy. There’s something I’ve had in my drafts for almost a year that I wanted to share on here but haven’t. Anecdotes that will not come as a surprise but will further cement our chairman’s legacy in the Marmite Hall of Infamy. There’s no doubt he’s delivered the best stadium and arguably one of the best training centres in world football. All the haters that want to deny the importance of both are forgetting how powerful these two things are with inciting new players to the club. And, yeah, how great it looks on the portfolio when ENIC finally sell us to an American investment company.
I’ll share the anecdotes at some point in the future.
We’ve tried practically everything at Tottenham in terms of managerial appointments. Jose speaks highly of Levy. I would too on £15M a year. Transfer funds wise, I do wonder what was discussed. It would be sickening if we go on a massive spree now. Maddening. But this is Spurs so expect the polar opposite of what you’re thinking. Perhaps the memo is simply ‘win something to shut them up’ and Jose, even struggling Jose, can still win cups.
The suggestion Jose would work under a Director of Football is interesting. The politics at Real Madrid and the persistent warfare was ugly. The DoF system as Spurs hasn’t exactly been a success, at least in terms of sustainability. It’s sad how the intimate friendship between Levy and Poch crumbled away like a collapsing Park Lane bulldozed for something more robust and glam.
If Levy knew in his heart the trust was gone, then there’s no doubt Poch knew it too. Spurs have gone global. Not just with the new stadium and the NFL but the Amazon documentary and the continued suggestion that some day soon ENIC will sell us to an American based conglomerate for a tidy billion or so. They’ve gone global with the most famous manager on the planet.
The last roll of the dice for our chairman? Probably not. We’ll revert back to the long term strategy once Jose is gone. The club is now too big in size and potential to suffer true indignity. Our failure is no longer mid-table mediocrity. It’s losing a Champions League final. In spite of all the internal obstacles in place. Daring is doing.
West Ham United away
We got Harry Kane, biting with a little spite. We got Dele and his magical improvisation. When we went 0-3 it was a thing of forgotten beauty. No away win since January when Winks stole three points at Craven Cottage. No nut November has ended abruptly with messy delight. Sure, the two late conceded goals were avoidable but then Spurs were always closer to a 4-0 win rather than a close fought 2-3. Mainly because it wasn’t a contest.
Jose and his charm initiative will have you quoting how much credit he gives to Poch. But what was grand to see was sense of urgency. Players playing in positions of comfort. 4231 with one fullback going forward and the other staying back. Direct, quick paced football. An abundance of opportunities in front of goal. If we steady the defence and over time settle for a pragmatic midfield that functions to protect and serve, then our attacking might will find the type of rejuvenation they require to reignite.
Our new gaffer (still haven’t taken it in, seeing him celebrate Spurs goals on the touchline) and his is newly formed backroom staff all looked bright and confident, matched by the players effort and output on the field. West Ham were shocking. For a club that obsesses over this fixture, they failed miserably on the day to muster up a challenge.
I loved the ‘Are you Dele Alli or Dele Alli’s brother?’ from Jose in preparation for the game. The direct yet protective words relating to Eriksen’s head (that’s protecting the player and the clubs investment in him). It’s little things like this and that aforementioned buzz our players will get from working with a legend (it’s hard to write this, believe me). But to quote the world, he’s a serial winner and ‘our bastard now’. I just, well, need a bit more time before I get under the sheets with him.
I’m not going deeper into the formation or selection. He had two days to get the players playing and the Mourinho effect worked. Champs League next. A home game. Another good stage for Spurs to deliver another upbeat performance and get us into the knock-out stages.
A new era begins. Era not error. We hope.
Jose made said that getting to the Champions League final was an achievement but it wasn’t history. History is winning. Poch made us proud of our club. Can Jose cement this team in the record books?
I’m happy but sad. I’m hopeful but fearful. But I’m Tottenham. Always. And being Spurs to me is accepting the magic and the flaws and not dismissing them with careful clinical selection. As a supporter, you belong to it all. And I belonged to Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur. And now I belong to Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs will forever Spurs. Love ‘em for it.
COYS