Spurs Online

Category: Ownership

  • A job well done!

    A job well done!

    We have reached the end of another successful season at Tottenham Hotspur so it’s a good time to take a recap on all our achievements.

    Wow, well let’s start with the financial statements which confirmed we are the 9th richest club in the world and all those fans that happily oblige with overpriced tickets did a fantastic job in contributing to this effort.

    On the sports side, last October the 2024 NFL London Games came to Tottenham where we hosted the New York Jets, the Minnesota Vikings,  Jacksonville Jaguars and the Chicago Bears, where victories were enjoyed by all. But it didn’t stop there, in March the Saracens took on the Harlequins in Rugby on another afternoon and victory to remember at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. More recently Tottenham have entertained prime boxing fights like Eubank Jr versus Conor Benn where fans witnessed a real fighting spirit.

    It’s not just sport where Tottenham have smashed it this year, the stadium has also attracted some of the biggest music artists including Pink and Declan McKenna. In fact this club has been so successful this year it hasn’t even had time to name the stadium yet leaving it with the catchiest name in football.

    Talking of football, we’ve been smashing it there too of course, reaching the semi final of the worthless cup and only narrowly missing out on the final by a 3 goal margin. Of course the European venture was fantastic too with some truly memorable nights against AZ and Elfsborg. Defeating the mighty Bodo in the semi finals on their soil (well astro turf) will certainly go down in the history books. And finally beating Utd in the final with only a single shot required, beating them for a record 5th time in one season.

    The Premiership action has been packed with action too this season, scoring over 60 goals and reaching double figures with 11 victories. 6 of those victories were at home so that was a real treat for the season ticket holders.

    But none of these achievements could have happened without the hard work of Tottenham’s owners Enic and the visionary Daniel Levy. The Tottenham fans deserve credit too, the fans that just keep on giving!

    And giving they certainly have because Mr Levy was rewarded with a salary of £6.58million in the last year which again smashes the other clubs in the division with most Premiership chairman receiving less than £2m per year.  I know, laughable right, COYS!

    In fact, thousands of those proud fans gathered outside the stadium before several of the matches to sing the chairman’s name and highlight all of his success over the last 25 years. How many clubs can boast that!

    But despite all this success there are still critics believe it or not, some have had the cheek to ridicule this club with its empty trophy cabinet. But I want to clear this up right now for all those critics that think this trophy cabinet has been just sitting there collecting dust. We have a proud history of winning trophies, this was taken from the official Tottenham Website, just look at all these awards…

    • Southern League Champions: 1899/1900
    • Western League Champions: 1903/1904
    • London League Premier Division Champions: 1902/1903
    • Football League South ‘C’ Division Champions: 1939/1940
    • Football League South Champions: 1943/1944, 1944/1945
    • Southern District Charity Cup Winners: 1901/1902, 1904/1905 (joint), 1906/1907
    • Dewar Shield Winners: 1901/1902, 1933/1934
    • London Challenge Cup Winners: 1910/1911, 1928/1929
    • Anglo-Italian League Cup-Winners Cup Winners: 1971/1972
    • Norwich Charity Cup Winners: 1919/1920
    • Norwich Hospital Charity Cup Winners: 1946/1947, 1949/1950 (joint)
    • Ipswich Hospital Charity Cup Winners: 1951/1952 (joint)
    • Costa Del Sol Tournament Winners: 1965, 1966
    • Nolia Cup (Sweden) Winners: 1977
    • Japan Cup Winners: 1979
    • Sun International Challenge Trophy (Swaziland) Winners: 1983
    • Peace Cup (Korea) Winners: 2005
    • Vodacom Challenge (South Africa) Winners: 2007
    • Feyenoord Jubileum Tournament (Holland) Winners: 2008
    • Barclays Asia Trophy (China) Winners: 2009

    Well I think we have put that myth to bed!

    So again, congratulations on another successful year at Spurs, a tremendous effort from all. However even a victory in the UEFA Europa League final wasn’t enough to keep Ange in a job (surprise surprise) but I am sure we have not seen the last of him! Unfortunately we must end this on a very sad note as one of our shareholders suffocated on a pound coin. Sources close to them say they went out like their idol, Scrooge McDuck.

    COYS!

    #timeforchange

    #changefortottenham

  • How Levy blew it 

    How Levy blew it 

    For years we have heard the stories of how world class coaches were approached by Daniel Levy only for them to turn the job down. I’m talking about coaches like Van Gaal, Slot, Rodgers, Nagelsmann, Allegri, Ten Hag, the list goes on.

    It took Levy almost 20 years but following a champions league final and the completion of a brand spanking new stadium, Levy finally managed to convince a top class manager to join Spurs and take on the almighty challenge of turning this club into winners again. 

    Unfortunately, once Levy attained one of these managers he had absolutely no idea what to do with him. In simple terms, he blew it! When Jose Mourihno reached a cup final in just his first full season in charge Levy spat his dummy and sent him packing. It was a decision that was to prove costly and Spurs have felt the repercussions of these actions to this day.

    Despite Levy making such an amateur mistake, Levy was extremely fortunate to get a second bite at the cherry, thanks only to Paraticis’ close relationship with Antonio Conte. It was a stroke of luck and if Levy had learnt his lesson from his failings of dealing with a world class manager on his first attempt, then maybe there was hope. The lesson was quite simple, listen to what these managers have to say and follow their instructions to the letter if you want this football club to succeed. 

    Unfortunately Levy hadn’t learnt his lesson, far from it in fact and so when Conte had his outburst Levy spat his dummy again! With two world class managers treated like a turd on a shoe, we are now back to square one. No top manager will ever want to join Spurs so long as Levy is running this club. With all the talk turning to who will take over the reins from Ange Postecoglu, the sad fact is we can only expect another average yes man to replace him. 

    Following victory in the Europa league final –

    • Are we better off sticking with Ange?
    • The players appear to be backing him still?
    • There has been some evidence recently that Ange can and is willing to change his methods, if this is the case, maybe it can work?
    • Even Pep Guardiola admitted to needing a season to learn the Premiership and adapt his methods. Maybe it has taken Ange a little longer but with a weaker squad and severe injuries that hasn’t helped so can he progress?
    • Arguably, we need to give a manager more than 2 seasons to see true progression.
    • Does he deserve another season? 
    • What is the alternative?

    A new coach may be required following this dismal season, but even with another average coach and more mediocre signings over the summer, we can only expect to see Spurs continue their sideways venture on the road to nowhere. 

    Thankfully and miraculously lol, not only have we qualified for Europe next season but we are even in the Champions League. This is a huge boost for 2 reasons, one it should increase the transfer budget (not getting any hopes up there) and secondly it may help attract a better manager.

    However, until the structure of ownership changes at the club I don’t expect any major changes next season. Honestly, relegation might have been the only way out of this mess and had it been any other season we may well have been looking at that reality. It’s going to take something pretty horrendous like an unimaginable relegation to force the hands at Tottenham’s board to make some drastic changes. Whilst Enic can maintain the status quo the board appears more than happy to count their pennies.

    As it stands Levy will simply replace the coaches, scouts, medical staff, the players and anyone else he can use as a scapegoat as Levy’s dictatorship lives on.

    When will the Spurs fans stand up and say enough is enough?

    Time for Change!

  • Sucked in by Ange’s bullshit?

    Sucked in by Ange’s bullshit?

    Has Daniel Levy actually been sucked in by Anges bullshit or is he just too afraid to pull the trigger?

    It’s not like Levy to be afraid to pull the trigger (he never has been before), that’s one thing we can say about him whether we agree with those decisions or not. But either Levy is stalling on the inevitable sacking of Ange because he’s running out of options, or there is another factor at play here.

    Has Levy actually allowed himself to be brainwashed by this narcissist lunatic? It was Harry Hotspur (The Boy Hotspur) who first pointed out this flaw in Ange and at first I didn’t make much of it. However, the more I listened to Anges post match nonsense it made sense, the three wise men were onto something. 

    It’s not uncommon for managers to defend their team, their tactics and performances but for a manager who’s on course to go down as the worst manager in Spurs history, this guy goes on like his shit doesn’t stink! 

    Despite each loss Ange comes out to the press with ridiculous claims that the team “played well”, the “tactics were good” and we actually “deserved to win”, but we just made “a few mistakes”. Oh boy, this guy has no shame and can only come from an narcissistic individual. 

    The problem is these narcissistic people actually believe their own bullshit and even when the truth is staring us in the face for all the world to see, people like Ange will still maintain their bullshit claims that black is white and white is black. 

    Unfortunately some people are unable to open their eyes and see the truth that is in front of them. You only have to look at the Trump show in the US for another example of a narcissistic mad man. So the question is, has Levy fallen for a mad man? Or is he simply holding off on what he knows will be another hellish search for a replacement? 

    I would like to give Levy the benefit and suspect it is the latter but in the meantime that is allowing this mad man to make a mockery of our club. If Levy could defend the sackings of top coaches of Mourihno, Conte and Nuno, then why can’t he justify it now? 

    Maybe Levy knows he’s also running out of lives. Afterall, a few more seasons like this one and we’ll be more than protesting outside the ground, we’ll be ripping his f%$#ing stadium down (joking of course). 

    It’s not just Levy that has been potentially sucked in, we are also hearing it from some of the players at the club as well they are still buying his shit, including Kulusevski, Johnson and more recently Bissouma all coming out publicly backing their manager. Maybe you think it’s admirable that this bond and belief is still there, but for me I think it’s incredible that the chairman, players and some fans are still buying this conveyor belt of excuses after 25 defeats in one season.

    Lets face it, we’ve heard them all over this last two seasons:

    • Squad needs a rebuild
    • The squad is young
    • Not enough games
    • Too many games
    • Injuries
    • Fatigue
    • Difficult grounds
    • Difficult conditions
    • Poor preparations
    • The list goes on….

    Yet this manager is still somehow pulling it off, he deserves salesman of the year in my opinion, this guy certainly has talent, it’s just a shame it doesn’t include football. The fan base is clearly divided between Ange in and Ange out, there’s still a lot of fans under his spell, I suspect there is a divide amongst the players too but we won’t see that publicly. The question is, where is Levy? Is he under the spell or is he just biding his time? 

    I’ve heard fans from other clubs accuse Spurs fans of being spoiled, ungrateful and how fortunate we are to have a chairman like Levy. But that is all nonsense of course, our fans have been loyal and supportive as any fans can be, despite 25 years of failures. Spurs fans deserve a lot of credit in fact, you only have to look at the away support, but everyone has their limits.

    Time for Change!

    #changefortottenham

  • Spurs fans are frustrated

    Spurs fans are frustrated

    Listen to Audio on Spotify

    As the season goes on the fans frustration has understandably grown and this has spilled over towards the players too.

    But the players have their own frustrations, after all they are the ones going out there week in week out working there arse’s off only to be humiliated with this ridiculous football we have all been served up this season. 

    The players get hurt by the public criticism towards them and consequently we have players like Brennan Johnson coming out publicly to explain that he plays for his teammates now and ignores the critics (the fans). 

    Recently, Romero has hinted he wants to leave Spurs at the end of the season and many fans are naturally unhappy with this statement, especially with the timing of it. But should we be critical? My opinion is we must be fair to the players, they joined Tottenham under false promises by the club and they feel cheated, just like the fans do.

    The only difference is the players have the opportunity to leave, as fans we are stuck with our club for life. A footballer’s career is short, I think we need to accept that and remind ourselves who’s fault it really is that our best players always want to leave.

    He’s not the first player to want to leave to find success and as it stands he won’t be the last. Let’s face it, all those that did move on proved to be right in their decision and that is now a worrying trend, going all the way back to Modric, Bale, Walker, Ericksen and even a reluctant Kane. They all left and they’ve all gone on to win majors. Congratulations to Kane!

    If Romero does leave the truth is he has made the right call, in fact, it would be interesting if all the team made the same request! It’s not just the fans who want to see change at Tottenham, the players are desperate for success too. It’s understandable we are all frustrated but we need to remember where the blame really lies.

    The players give their all (for the most part) but they are restricted by two huge factors, firstly their ability (or lack of) and secondly the team’s tactics in which they have no option but to follow no matter how ludicrous. I think most will agree that many of these players are not playing to their full potential, whilst some of them are just not able to do it at this level.

    Then we have the manager of course who’s been under the flack for most of the season. The manager has limitations too, firstly he is restricted by the cubs budget and transfer policy and I’m sure we can agree he’s been given more than a couple of duds to work with, especially in the forwards department. Whether he actually approved all these signings I’m not sure. Secondly he is restricted by his own lack of skills because if you hire a school PE teacher for a top flight manager job then what can you expect.

    Let’s be fair, the guy is just not a great manager, his CV tells you so and NO world class manager would dare to claim his side played well after a defeat to a bottom of the table team, not to mention if they had just conceded four goals in that defeat! Only a raving lunatic would try to defend their position after 19 defeats and sitting 16th in the table. But this man does, because he’s a moron. So you cannot blame him entirely, he’s simply not qualified or even fit to hold such a job.

    Finally we have Mr Levy and the club’s ownership under Enic, with Levy owning 30% of the club himself! So as a major shareholder of the 9th richest club in the world, what is Levy restricted by? Judging by his rare interviews I would say he is largely restricted by his own arrogance and lack of football knowledge. The fact that he has been trying to figure out a winning formula for 25 years and still can’t figure it out (despite unlimited resources) not only makes him incredibly stubborn but it’s also become a bit sad!  It’s like watching a child struggle with the puzzle ‘join the dots’ and you want to help him but he insists on figuring it out for himself even if he has to sit at the table all night.

    If we keep on venting our frustrations at the players we are not helping them or ourselves. We need to vent our frustrations at the club as only the club can fix this mess they have created. They need to stop treating this football team like it’s a division 4 club and stop buying on the cheap because it doesn’t work and you just end up buying twice (or more).

    For all the money Levy has wasted on the likes of Richarlison, Solanke, Johnson, Odobert and even loan deals of Tel and Werner, he could have gone out and bought a world class striker to replace Kane. Kane was never properly replaced and it’s been 2 seasons now. The same thing happened when we lost Ericksen, we struggled for years without a creative midfielder in his absence. Going even further back, the money from the sale of Bale was wasted on 7 players instead of seeking a world class player that could actually make the team better. 

    Levy never learns, he makes the same mistakes over and over, he’s still that little boy who insists on trying to make the square piece fit in the circle no matter how many people tell him it’s wrong! Levy has to do things his way and the rest of us suffer in the meantime as we painfully watch him screw it up time after time.

    I don’t care how many fall guys Levy hires and the list is becoming embarrassingly long, from Scott Munn, Vinai Venkatesham, Fabio Paratici to Johan Lange (and they are just the recent muppets to be lured in), the buck will always stop at Levy, it always has and always will so long as Levy is in charge. Levy just cant help himself bless him, he needs to be restrained for his own good! He probably needed mittens just to stop fiddling!

    So, what can we do about it?

    Well first of all you can subscribe to ChangeforTottenham if you haven’t already. They are organising protests and are demanding major changes at the club. Personally speaking my opinion is it’s going to take something huge and for this we must be united, that goes for the players too.

    It’s radical but can you imagine if all the fans boycotted the home games? How long would it take for sponsorships to dry up and force the hand of Enic? Protests outside the stadium are a great starting place but hopefully it can progress to the next level as the fans support grows for ChangeforTottenham. I know they have mentioned boycotting the second half of the next home fixture against Crystal Palace so that will be interesting to see.

    Even more radical perhaps, can you imagine if all the players put in transfer requests? This would be a massive statement to Enic that neither the players or fans are here just to make up their numbers!

    Sure it sounds unrealistic but it’s going to take something drastic to force the hands of Enic because the simple fact is, they don’t want to change, they are very happy as the situation stands, so long as they keep on making their profits each year.

    We have to start somewhere and changefortottenham seems like a pretty good starting place! Good luck guys, keep up the great work and please fans, get behind them any way you can.

    Time for Change!

  • Support Change for Tottenham

    Support Change for Tottenham

    Listen to Audio / Video:

    Spotify – Listen to Episode 1

    YouTube – Watch Video

    TikTok – Watch Video

    For anyone that doesn’t know who CFT are (where have you been) they are a Tottenham supporters group who have dedicated their time to demand changes for Tottenham.

    Their demands are excessive and extreme that’s for sure. There’s absolutely no holding back with them following 25 years of frustration but we all know the saying ‘reach for the stars’ so fair play to them. CFT are responsible for the recently organised peaceful protests that have been held outside the Tottenham stadium alongside thousands of disgruntled Spurs fans.

    So what are their demands? 

    Here are some of the demands but it is not the full list, the full manifesto can be found here.

    • A fan-led approach to club governance. 
    • Establish structured, regular and transparent dialogue between the club and supporters. 
    • Football first, commercial interests second.
    • Commit to appointing top-tier footballing leadership and implementing a long-term sporting strategy.
    • Daniel Levy to step aside as Chairman. 
    • Pushing for a new owner.
    • Seek new ownership that aligns with our values and ambitions for Tottenham Hotspur.

    There’s no question this is a full on list of demands and this is a result of 25 years of poor club management. These fans have had enough and let’s be honest, who hasn’t!

    You only have to go on the youtube channels and podcasts to see these feelings are shared by thousands of Spurs fans around the globe. There’s really not too many fans left who dare to defend Levy and Enics’ appalling club record. But to be honest I am a little concerned. I have been puzzled by the numbers I am seeing following CFT so far from the Tottenham community. 

    Let’s look at some of these numbers, popular youtube channels such as WeareTottenham boast 179k subscribers, Last word on Spurs have 28k subscribers, Chris Cowlin has 164k subscribers, Tottenham Away have 34k subscribers, Expressions Oozing has 402k subscribers (holy shit), you get the picture. The Tottenham community is clearly big and very active on social media.

    So why is it that a group who are dedicating their spare time in helping Tottenham fans see changes at our club, only have 371 subscribers on YouTube. No I haven’t missed the k, that’s 371 subscribers on youtube. Wtf? 

    The numbers on Facebook are a little better but still low in comparison to other Spurs fan groups with CFT at 2.4k, whereas some other Spurs groups have over 100k. It is a similar thing on X, CFT have 18k followers whilst WeAreTottenhamTV have 38k followers and Lilywhite Rose have 115k followers. Of course CFT is a newer group and these things take time so let’s hope these numbers increase asap.

    I don’t want to sound critical of Spurs fans but I hope a lot more people get behind them in the near future. Come on guys, where’s the support? Do you not want to see changes at the club or are you seriously happy with the last 25 years that Enic has dished out?

    In my opinion more fans need to speak up and support the CFT movement. Whether that’s by subscribing to their groups and channels or by joining them on their protests, that’s up to you but we need to see Spurs fans united on this cause if it’s ever going to be effective.

    I would like to see the Spurs youtube channels pushing the CFT movement a bit more too. As a Spurs fan I subscribe to all the Tottenham channels I come across and whilst I see many channels venting their frustrations over the clubs affairs, I don’t hear enough calls from them in getting fans to join the CFT movement.

    Now I am not having a go at Spurs fans or these youtube channels, far from it. We should be united as fans and many of these youtube channels are doing a great job. I appreciate some of these channels are already pretty vocal on their feelings towards the situation at Spurs, I just think more could be pushing CFT to help bring the fans together.

    Of course we are not all going to agree on every Spurs debate and I would be surprised if we agreed on every one of CFT’s demands. But we don’t have to agree on every specific demand, we just need to be united as fans and I think we can all agree changes are required. If you are still on the fence re Levy in/out or Enic in/out that really doesn’t matter either. What’s important is the fans’ shared desire to see changes for the better of this club and as fans we need to try and help get the ball rolling so to speak.

    I don’t believe even the most pro Levy and ENIC lovers out there would disagree that the last 25 years have not exactly gone to plan. The standard of football has seriously deteriorated over the last few seasons and we have not looked like a proper team since Mauricio Pochettino left. That’s before we even go into the trophy cabinet, no one would have believed we would have gone this long without a trophy. 

    Demanding change means demanding success on the football pitch and what Spurs fan doesn’t want to see that? 

    If CFT achieves just 1% of their goals it will be a step in the right direction but they cannot achieve this without the support from ALL of us. No matter where you are in the world we can all do our bit to support CFT. Hopefully sooner than later we will be adding a k to that number of subscribers!

    You know what they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day but after 25 years it seems clear to me that the fans need to be united and give this club the final push it needs to become the top club it aspires to be.

    CFT are doing a fantastic job and I believe the protests have already increased to several thousand fans which was a step up from the first one so well done to everyone involved. But doesn’t the Tottenham stadium hold 60 thousand fans? Why only a few thousand outside protesting? Come on guys, where are the rest of you? It’s going to take time, it’s also going to take fans, so next time stand up and be counted!

    Time for Change!

    Support Change for Tottenham, support Tottenham!

    CFT are planning another round of protests at the next home game versus Crystal Palace on Sunday 11th May.

    For more details on Change for Tottenham:

    Website: https://changefortottenham.com/

    Full Manifesto: https://changefortottenham.com/manifesto/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/601260894384067/

    X: https://x.com/ChangeForSpurs

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@changeforspurs

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changeforspurs/

  • Levy’s Reputation will be the death of us

    Levy’s Reputation will be the death of us

    A new manager through Tottenhams doors is imminent but what kind of manager can we expect?

    What kind of manager would be willing to degrade themselves?

    What kind of manager would turn a blind eye to the clubs lack of ambition on the pitch?

    Levy’s reputation in the football world has never been great but in the last five years he has achieved new lows.

    First he sacked a manager who took us to the champions league final and only fell short of a premier league title due to the clubs lack of support in the transfer market.

    Second, he fired one of the most successful managers in modern football a week before the cup final that would have ended Spurs trophy drought. A manager who had NEVER failed to win a trophy at a club before or since Spurs.

    Third, Levy shamelessly fires a man after only 17 games, despite being awarded manager of the month in his first month in charge. He was told he was no longer required simply because Levy thought he had a better option available.

    Fourth, we have another proven manager in top flight football fired after just 16 months because Levy doesn’t like to hear some hard truths about the clubs lack of ambition and weak mentality. Another manager that has moved on and continued his success.

    Despite boasting a state of the art 60,000 plus stadium, Levy’s actions have left us desperate and rejected by both managers and players around the world. After multiple rejections Levy was forced to appoint an unproven manager in top flight football and even made outrageous claims we had our Tottenham back. What Tottenham he is talking about I don’t know but it proved to be a gamble that seriously backfired. It has been such a disaster that this unproven manager is likely to go down in history as our worse manager ever. 

    Yet it is Levy who needs to stand up and be held accountable for this shambolic series of mistakes.

    When will Levy step down as chairman? When will we really get our Tottenham back?

    The lies and betrayals must end. Only with new club management can we restore our reputation in the world of football. Only then can we move forward and let the last 25 years be an important lesson. Whatever side projects a club ownership may want to peruse, football should always remain the priority at the club as ultimately that is the industry they are in. That is what the fans pay for, that is what the fans expect to get first and foremost.

    Daniel Levy is too stubborn to resign, he is going to need a push there’s no doubt about it but the board is clearly too weak and Levy’s grip too strong.

    That is why we need the protests organised by Change for Tottenham to mount the pressure on Tottenham’s hierarchy and let them know changes in the club are essential.

    Whether Levy likes it or not he has failed to deliver what Spurs fans want (what any fans want) and he will go down as one of the worst chairmen that English football has seen. Congrats!

    Time for change!

  • We must be sustainable says Levy

    Tottenham’s Daniel Levy preaches the same message again to the fans, which I am sure has gone down well 🙂

  • Are we losing our identity ?

    Are we losing our identity ?

    Maybe I should be thanking Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou. 

    After so many defeats this season I’ve stopped counting and for the first time in my life I don’t feel anything after a loss. I no longer feel that anger, frustration or disappointment when the final whistle goes, I’m completely cured (well, almost:)

    True I can’t remember the last time I felt excitement in a game either, or the last time I could share the envision of this club. Is this what the club has come to? Has this club lost its identity? 

    Or has Enic created a new fan base that is no longer results based but instead focussed on sharing a football experience for tourists at premium rates?

    Are team selections now based on popularity rather than performances? Just how far down the list of priorities has the football results become?

    Many fans expressed their bewilderment on transfer day deadline as fans remained glued to their phones waiting for those announcements of much needed players to try salvage the season. Instead they were notified by Tottenham Hotspur of the announcement of a four day Beyonce concert this year. Not the kind of news you would expect to be announced on such an important day you would think, but that appears to be the new direction of this club.

    Maybe old skool fans like myself need to learn to change with the times and just enjoy the experience of being a Tottenham Hotspur fan and sleep peacefully knowing how fat the Spurs shareholders are all getting in this remodelled Tottenham envision. No, f@%k that!

    We have seen an increasing number of protests recently for “Levy Out”, I know I’m not the only one that is questioning the direction of this club! But this new global fan base may have given the club the power and freedom to completely ignore the loyal and long standing fan base that has helped build this club over the last 24 years under Enic.

    The fan base has changed in modern football, that is for sure, the big clubs (and Spurs) have been working on their global brands for many years now. With summer tours in Asia and round the world trips for a single friendly in Australia, Spurs are no exception to these marketing games and it seems just as much effort goes into the off season these days.

    In fact the global following is so involved now through social media we even see them online criticising other Spurs fans, if they dare to criticise the clubs methods or the managers style! But perhaps these people should check our club motto again.

    After all it’s the fans that should define a club’s identity and if we don’t live by our own motto, then what can we expect from the team and staff at Spurs?

    ‘To dare is to do’ does not mean stay quiet and it does not mean settle for second best, we didn’t win over 20 trophies because we were afraid to dare.

    Fans shouldn’t be afraid to question the club’s direction, nor should they be ridiculed for pointing out the simple facts of the team’s failures. It’s important the fans are not afraid to speak out, everyone at the club needs to be held accountable and if it’s time for change then so be it, ‘to dare is to do’. 

    The mentality at Spurs needs to change, the players have to demand better from themselves and the fans need to demand success from their club because that’s what it’s all about. 

    We need players on the pitch like the Roy Keanes of the world who are not afraid to criticise their own teammates when they are below par. And we need fans that are not afraid to confront their club and demand better, because if you want to be the best then you have to act like it, on and off the pitch. 

    If you think it’s ok to criticise our fans because they demand more from their club then you do not understand. I am guessing you took the blue pill.

    But for the rest of us we are wide awake and we see how it really is, this isn’t kindergarten soccer, it’s not about taking part, it’s about winning!

    We dare to criticise.

    We dare to change.

    We dare to dream.

    To dare is to do, don’t forget it!

  • Levy out? ENIC Out?

    Levy out? ENIC Out?

    With growing unrest amongst Tottenham fans and recent protests organised by such groups as Change for Tottenham, what changes do we want at Spurs and are these changes realistic? I think one thing we can all agree on is a change to our 17 year trophy drought because the Audi Cup just doesn’t cut it I’m afraid.

    The debate among Spurs fans on who they want to run this club has been ongoing for some time. On more than one occasion it has been argued that Levy must get it right this time or he could be the next one out of the door. 

    We have all seen the banners on match day and heard the calls from the stands “Levy Out!”. However, 24 years later I would say both Levy and Enic are standing pretty strong. But that hasn’t stopped the debate from remerging each time Spurs have on field troubles and questions are raised again like a long running soap opera that just refuses to call it a day. 

    When Enic took over Spurs in 2001 it appeared to be a fantastic move following Alan Sugar’s era, in which Mr Sugar had formed a solid base after saving Spurs from liquidation. Daniel Levy was already managing director of Enic and he soon became our new chairman at Spurs. A new owner, a new era, the only way was up, right?

    Despite transforming this club into a global brand that can compete with any football club in the world in terms of revenues, there is still so much discontent within the fan base. The reason for this is quite simple, a lack of trophies is plain for anyone to see and for all their efforts and achievements off the pitch, the majority of fans will judge a club’s success according to that trophy cabinet. 

    Now of course there is always a divide, with some Spurs fans quite content to play the ‘long game’ with Enic. For some fans just the match day experience alone at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium is enough to put a smile on their face as they marvel at all the facilities and if you are really lucky, enjoy some fine cheeses in the virtual cheese room!

    Perhaps that’s what the modern football experience is now all about and those of us that are still obsessed with winning trophies are simply from a different era, a dying breed maybe? For a lot of fans, the modern match day experience is about more than just watching a football game, it’s a full day activity that can be enjoyed in a safe environment with all the trimmings. And for others it is simply another tourist attraction they can tick off the list while sightseeing in London.

    It’s not just on matchday that Enic can entertain you, they offer stadium tours, the Dare Skywalk, Legend tours and now the F1 Drive for racing fans. The stadium has held concerts including top artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few. There are frequent NFL games being held at the stadium, not to mention Box office fights with the likes of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua involved.

    It’s all pretty impressive and is why in 2024, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club was estimated to be worth a staggering £2.6 billion. That’s not a bad return on an initial investment of £22 million paid to Alan Sugar back in 2000. 

    So why do so many fans want Levy and Enic out? 

    Well I guess there is the old saying “money doesn’t buy you happiness”, at least not for many of the Spurs fans.

    Daniel Levy has faced much criticism down the line, largely down to transfer policies and manager appointments which are two of the biggest things in football, especially from a fans point of view. Criticism for hiring the manager, criticism for not backing the manager, criticism for not sacking the manager sooner, it’s tough being the boss! But should a chairman of such a big club be even making these huge footballing decisions? Is Levy even qualified to make such calls? Some would argue not and maybe that’s where much of the problem lies.

    As a lifelong Spurs fan I’ve been following Spurs matches for some time and one thing I have noticed is Daniel Levy is a frequent participant of Tottenham’s games both home and away. You don’t follow this amount of games if you don’t have the passion for it, he is more than passionate, he is dedicated to Spurs, for those close to him may even say he is obsessed. As a lifelong fan himself he bleeds Tottenham and I imagine this trophy drought is hurting him just as much, surely?

    Despite this lack of trophies Levy has shown much restraint from panic buying and has not swayed from his beliefs that this club must be run in a sustainable way for the future of this club. Whilst other owners of football clubs like Jack Walker at Blackburn Rovers and Roman Abramovich of Chelsea were like kids in a sweet shop buying everything they could get their hands on, Levy has been cool and calm like Charlie Bucket, just biding his time!

    Last year Scott Munn was brought in at Tottenham as Chief Football Officer, which technically makes him number two in the club hierarchy behind chairman Daniel Levy. Is this evidence of Levy and Enic trying to make changes, some improvements to the set up at Tottenham to prevent a repeat of mistakes we have seen before. Or will Scott Munn merely be used as a sacrificial lamb when the going gets too hot for Mr Levy? I don’t know if this Scott Munn is even qualified himself to make football decisions that involve the appointment of a manager or player. What I do think is essential for change is for Mr Levy to stop interfering with on field football matters and just concentrate on the global brand of Tottenham Hotspur that he is clearly passionate about. 

    So do we really want Levy and Enic out? Or do we just need to see a bit of tweaking to get it right? 

    You know, Spurs, Brighton and Brentford are the only three Premier League clubs that are entirely English-owned now. Just three of us left, it would be a shame to see another club sold to foreign investors. Sometimes we have to appreciate what we have, “the grass is not always greener on the other side” they say and right now we have a 100% English owned club with a chairman that claims to love Tottenham Hotspur. What more could you ask for from an owner? Well, obviously a few trophies would be nice lol.

    Clubs like Spurs saw the future, they looked at other countries and other sports such as the American sports and they knew where football was heading. Whether we like it or not (and alot of us won’t), football has grown into something bigger and the club is no longer about just supporting its local fans, this commercial brand has gone global and they have been preparing for this for years. Of course there are always pros and cons, Tottenham has financial security that we could never have imagined 20 years ago, but as we become increasingly commercial, it does feel like we are losing part of our identity.

    As an old skool fan it is difficult to appreciate everything that modern football has brought us and perhaps I will never fully understand, but it would be good to see a clear distinction between Tottenham the football club and Tottenham the global brand because at the moment the two seem very muddled. 

    Do I want Levy and Enic out? Whilst I’m a believer it is “better the devil you know”, I accept that if we don’t see changes at the club, that Trophy cabinet will remain empty! A ‘break-up’ is never easy, but sometimes you have to accept it is for the best.

    I just hope we don’t end up with some numpty on the rebound 🙂

  • ENIC’s Transfer Stance

    ENIC’s Transfer Stance

    In the January transfer window Spurs signed 3 first team players and 3 academy players too. Keeping it brief, for Danso I’ve already read reports from the fan base, “he did ok” or “not too bad”. I think this is where we are at now with our expectations, as he has done little to impress me so far and why would he considering he was a third choice signing after the other defenders rejected us. For Tel, if you get past all the hype, he was just an out of favour youngster who nobody else was willing to take a gamble on. Maybe he will come good but I am not buying into the hype and will believe it when I see it. And then there’s Kinsky, well his erratic performances so far have certainly been entertaining, he fits in well doesn’t he!

    So as another transfer window closes let’s take a look at Enic’s transfer stance.

    It’s no secret Enic has not been interested in those big name signings we all dream of. With over 20 years of transfers the data is very clear on that. In fact Levy himself has always admitted Tottenham would not break their wage structure to bring in any superstars.

    So where has that left us? 
    I doubt any Spurs manager under Enic will say they were ever fully backed in the transfer market yet Spurs have always maintained their aspirations of European qualification each year. Some may argue Enic has enlisted new players to achieve just that and nothing more. In the 24 years since Enic’s reign began we have managed a top four finish 8 times and qualified for Europe a total of 16 times. 16 out of 23 doesn’t sound too bad but at the same time Spurs have never looked capable of achieving anything greater than that if we’re honest.

    Over the years we have become accustomed to signing mediocre players from unknown teams from a land far far away. I believe it was Danny Rose who pointed out that you needed to Google these players names who Enic were signing just to find out who they were. More recently Romero has also spoken out of his frustrations on Spurs transfer policy and we all remember Contes speech in regards to the clubs lack of ambition. In fact both Conte and Mourinho suffered the same fate after questioning the quality of players in the Tottenham squad.

    So what is the logic behind Enic’s transfer policy? 
    Well if we say a world class player would cost in excess of 100 million, Enic have opted instead to buy 4 or 5 average players for the same kind of value combined. You might ask why would they buy 4 or 5 average players if they can buy a superstar for the same price. Well, the key difference between these players is the superstars wage demands.

    Even with 4 or 5 of these average players on the books it still costs considerably less on the wage bill compared to that of a world class player. Whether you agree with Enic or not, that is their policy and not even the brand spanking new stadium with its incredible additional revenues seem to make any difference when it comes to Enic’s transfer stance. You would be a brave man to argue against Levy when it comes to finances and clearly he has built a sustainable model. 

    However, my only counter argument would be the commercial value that comes with a world class player, does that not counter the players additional wage demands? I really don’t know the answer to that but you only have to look at Sonny to see what a player can be worth to the club globally. When you sign a Ronaldo or a Beckham, that commercial value with merchandise and sponsorships etc must be worth a fortune and so I wonder why Enic have not been a little bit braver in the transfer market now that they have the resources to pursue these options if they wish.

    Regardless of what I think we have continued to see relatively unknown and unproven players that offer potential to develop into something greater. Sure, sometimes this works, if you buy 20 unknown players eventually one of them is going to come good. I wouldn’t call that good scouting or particularly useful if you are trying to build a successful football team. But every now and then you are going to get lucky.

    So what happens when we do get lucky? 
    Well we sell them of course for a tidy little profit.  Now in all fairness Levy doesn’t necessarily want to sell these players and more often than not he has no choice but to cash in before losing them on a freebie (his wallet is still stinging from Sol Campbell). The problem we face is that when we do find ourselves with a world class player, they want to win things in their career and unfortunately that just doesn’t match with Enics current model. Any top player knows that if they want to win things they have no alternative but to leave Spurs because you’re not going to win trophies with 20 average players who you need to google. 

    We have seen these top players come and go over the years as they do their best to carry a bunch of nobody’s but their efforts always come to nothing as the cavalry never arrives to back them up. Kulusevski is the latest victim to this since Kane passed on the ‘baton’. Eventually these players grow weary of Enic’s long term plan and seek a move away as let’s be fair, a footballer’s career is relatively short and so you can understand why a player may not be so patient to wait for this long term plan that Enic have adopted for the last 24 years.

    There are several players on that list who chose to leave Spurs to achieve their dreams, Walker, Carrick, Berbatov, Bale, Modric, Eriksen and of course last but not least Harry Kane. With the exception of Kane (let’s hope that changes this season for him) they have all gone on to win majors including league titles and even champions league success whilst Spurs of course have won none, so their moves were justified they could argue. You cannot begrudge a player for having ambition and if Tottenham don’t match this ambition the inevitable will keep on repeating.

    So with such a transfer model how can we expect to ever build anything? 
    I would say after 24 years it is clear we cannot. This could be one of the reasons why we are now seeing Levy back Ange and provide additional time to turn things around (beyond what we’ve previously seen with other managers) and promote more of our academy players. This appears to be a change in strategy from the top and we have seen several signings in recent seasons to build a stronger academy. 

    Players including Archie Gray (paid 40 million aged just 18 years), Lucas Bergvall (paid 8.5 million at just 17 years old), Min-hyeok Yang (paid 4 million aged 18 years), Ashley Phillips (2.3 million aged 18 years), Alfie Devine (500k when aged only 16 years), Vuskovic (paid 11 million when he was just 16 years old). 

    In the latest transfer window we have seen the acquisition of 3 more academy players in the names of Dan Batty, Luca Furnell-Gill and Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny which emphasises the ongoing strengthening of the youth setup.

    We know clubs like Chelsea and Man City have achieved great success by acquiring world class players but it doesn’t have to be the only way to achieve a successful team. Clubs such as Ajax have been famous for developing young players and maintaining high levels over the decades. If it’s done correctly it can work there’s no doubt. 

    The question is, are Levy and Ange the right men for the job?
    It’s ok buying these young players but if they are not developed correctly we may never see the rewards on the pitch, at least not in a Spurs shirt. Lets use Alfie Devine as an example, he signed for us back in 2020 aged just 16. Like a lot of youngsters there was much hype and excitement around him but the most I have probably seen of him has been in an England shirt U19/20. Despite becoming the youngest player to have played for Tottenham in a senior game at the age of 16, we have seen very little of him since. 

    However, he is now on his 3rd loan spell and currently enjoying his football in the Belgian Pro league. These 3 loan spells have brought in approx 10 million to Spurs which is a pretty good return on the transfer of 500k when he was signed from Wigan. So in Enic’s eyes, does this make Alfie Devine a success story? This is my concern, are we being led up the garden path once again or is this investment in youth players a genuine attempt to build something long term on the football pitch?

    Sure, at the moment we are seeing the likes of Gray and Bergvall getting a very good run out but don’t forget, before all the injuries they were both sitting on the bench week in week out getting very few minutes. We have seen so many young players join us in recent years but they have all struggled to get game time in a Spurs shirt, with most being loaned out before finally offloaded for good. At present we have the likes of Bryan Gill and Alejo Veliz loaned out because they couldn’t get game time at Spurs. Jack Clarke was another young player that had to leave Spurs to get an opportunity in a first team, resurrecting his career now at Ipswich. Juan Foyth struggled for opportunities too but that 10 million investment gave Enic a return of over 30 million in loans and a transfer. So is this youth development really a new and improved football model to bring us more stability on the pitch for years to come? Or is it simply another business model that Enic are more than happy to profit from?

    With our current injury list our younger players are getting a lot more opportunities but how much will they learn and develop under Ange’s current system. Will they benefit in future years from this time under Ange or will it do more harm than good? It is frustrating because we know Spurs have the resources and foundations to achieve great things in the world of football, not just off it but potentially on it too. But under Enic’s current transfer strategy we may never see these come to fruition.