Good afternoon to you.
Good game, good game last night. Nothing to do with supporting England rather I think we’re getting to see what an excellent coach Roy Hodgson is. The Carrol goal and indeed his entire shift will have left most Bindippers feeling all squidgy inside.
Elsewhere, Levy & Co has beaten the Queen’s Hoours List to the press and awarded the Royal Order Of The Tin Tack to Bondy, Joe and Clive.
This prompts such immediate thoughts such as why is Sir Les still here and what did Clive do to get himself wrapped up in the Madness Of King Arry?
The short answer is ‘we’re unlikely to ever know’, but on Allen it’s a concern as he’s been a part of the Club for so very long. Therein is a possibilty; Hughton survived so many exiting managers but as BMG’s official sidekick it he was always lined up to share any rewards or recriminations. Alas and farewell then Clive our little Lilywhite Icarus, he who flew too close to the Sun …columnist.
Tim Sherwood survived and I’m now wondering if there is a coldness about him which is to be respected. I didn’t like him talking about Spurs in the third person, nor I didn’t warm to a rake of negative comments he made about us when he was a pundit on Setanta. Maybe I got it wrong. Maybe …he’s just very professional.
My last thought for the day is on Levy & Co. and the issue of a Director Of Football.
As those reading my top of the range drivel for more than a fortnight will know, I am a fan of our chairman. I’ve no time for the hair-brained pseudo communist claptrap about him only being in it for a fast buck. After eleven years at it he’s either a rubbish asset stripper or he and ENIC will only sell at a figure so vast that no Tottenham fan in the world could complain.
It was suggested almost minutes after the demise of Arry that a return of Damien Comolli was on the cards. And my only response to this was, ‘why?’
His salary when he was with us last time was mooted to only be a million pounds per annum which in the crazy kaleidoscopic world of football finances doesn’t amount to a hill of beans – my point being how a vital a cog in the machine was he thought to actually be?
What did Comolli actually do that anyone with a half decent grasp of football couldn’t? I acknowledge he’s not responsible for how players are coached after they sign, but the chap appeared to point and shoot at players like sports desks do, based upon form and contract lengths; that sort of thing.
We’ve watched Levy & Co. increasingly take up the reigns in this wing of the business and I have to question the value in them hiring a middle man again. We don’t need agents ‘cosying up’ to managers filling their heads with spiel and their pockets with brown envelopes.
We need a Chairman who will barter like a hostage negotiator and ultimately have the strength to say, ‘Not for us today, but thank you very much for the coffee.’ And I think we have one of those.
Louis van gaal . Get ya money on . Each way of course
Why not make Harry Redknapp director of football? Just look at his recent history of transfer targets. He had a great link up with all the old folks homes for players and all the players he brings in could keep the bench warm and just leach all the funds the club has. The long drive he has from Sandbanks he must pass a few retirement homes. I think he would be great and apparently he is out of work now and looking for work.
AVB 4/7 Moyes 7/1 Martinez 8/1 Horny
AlanHelen 10,000/1Sorry…..Moyes 6/1 Martinez 7/1
Moyes has drifted to 10/1 and AVB down to 1/3 now. Looks a done thing alright. I do hope that they know what they are doing. I have “serious reservations” about him.
Just came across this:
http://es.pn/LP0ceb
John Henry’s comments on a new stadium for Liverpool – some interesting parallels and cautions for the Tottenham and those who want new stadium at all costs. Believe it somewhat similar to what resident land economic expert jfdit was saying not so long ago.
First time I’ve gone public about Spurs since I wrote a letter to the Sunday People in 1979 criticizing Keith Burkinshaw (shows how much I know!) but I can’t believe the faith people still have in Levy’s judgement, despite all evidence to the contrary. He sacked George Graham just before our FA cup semi against Arsenal, and thereby blew our best /only chance of victory, appointed Hoddle, who completely demoralized the team over the next two years, sacked hapless Glenn just into the 2003/4 season and took until the following summer to snap-up Santini (who only took the job as a two-fingers to the French FA, and soon quit when he realized his mistake). Martin Jol then stumbled into the job by default, was canned when Levy became besotted by Ramos, and Redknapp’s arrival was an act of total desperation on Daniel’s part when he found that he’d cocked-up yet again! Clearly HR was out of his depth in anything but a relegation battle, but ‘In Levy we trust’? Come off it – he hasn’t got a clue (and as for the financial management that he gets so much praise for – well it’s the Spurs supporters money that puts the club in the top 20 richest, and if you compare the ratio of season ticket prices to trophies won in the ENIC era, ours must be the priciest in football, by a country mile).
I used to rate levy til I read that ! I just don’t know what to think anymore. Has it stopped raining at the cricket?
Well one can look at his appointments like that. One can also look at it differently.
GG was very unpopular due to playing style and Arsenal ties. New owner want to please the fans and sack him and replace him with a fan favorite and icon who at the time did really well at club level (Southampton) and previously with England. Not the first and not the last time new owners do something like that.
But Hoddle did not work out for various reasons. So he got Santini who built up the Lyon who later on dominated French football, he won the league as manager with them to. And he had experience as a DoF and was the current head coach of France. It was a prestige signing for Levy, but it did not work out.
Then Jol with his jovial approach get the team playing and we see some on pitch success but Levy still feel that another manager could get out more of the team. The players start to become unfit and the tactics is not exactly top notch all the time. So he hire Ramos who had done really well in Spain, so good that Sevilla hired him. Sevilla is a club about the same size as us so Levy hoped he could replicate his success with us. But he couldn’t. The players looked fit under his regime but not inspired.
So Harry with his boyish old school charm is brought in to steady the ship, and he does and more then that. He get the team playing, almost to its potential. And I say almost seeing as there is more to get out of a lot of the players. And that along with the court case, his age, him flirting with the England job when he had a golden opportunity to win it all, but also his constant talking to the media.
I do think Levy, as usual have a plan even this time. And even do neither of his decisions have turned in to titles yet (other then a league cup) I do think he have made the right choices.