It is what it is…one last moan about the transfer window

I discuss the summer transfer window, the Europa League and Carabao cup draws, and pray for a better performance in our latest trip to Tyneside.

‘It is what it is,’ is a shit term, isn’t it?

You just spew it out to make yourself feel better about a situation that you can’t possibly change but still affects you emotionally.

So much so that you spend too much of your mental capacity thinking about how it could have been different.

As a Tottenham supporter, our summer transfer window feels like that. The club hasn’t really done enough.

Talented prodigies like Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall are all well and good but where are the established stars that can propel the club to where we want to be?

Has Daniel Levy and the club left another manager short once again? The fear of injuries that could derail another season still lingers.

There is also a natural tendency to look enviously at our rivals signing the likes of Raheem Sterling and Federico Chiesa on deadline day.

Could these types of players have sprinkled a bit of stardust on what is a young squad?

The caveat is we all have different opinions of how to rebuild this squad. But then you must remember that our version of rebuilding Tottenham differs from Ange Postecoglou and Johan Lange.

For them, It is using data to identify young players and then considering if they’re a fit for the manager’s style of play and philosophy.

A Moneyball approach perhaps - A slow slog of spending money wisely on development rather than the sexy or traditional approach of splurging cash on big names with big wages.

But Spurs fans have also been angered at the club’s inability to catch the stars of the future before becoming big names – think Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze or Jack Grealish, to name a few.

Of course, Spurs should be able to do a bit of both with a billion-pound stadium, record profits and the highest ticket prices in the league.

But philosophies such as Chelsea’s go against Levy and Postecoglou’s more conservative approach.

Our Australian manager was content when he was asked by Jack Pitt-Brooke and Alasdair Gold if he had been backed in the summer window.

“Yeah, yeah (I’ve been backed). It was definitely part of my plan to sign younger players.”

“Look, all managers hope they're there for the long-term, but the reality is that you don't know how long you'll be there, but I've always tried to build teams that will last over a cycle which is, you know, three, four, five years.”

“It's just a natural consequence of that. You're looking at a younger demographic, a team that will grow, that will improve, that will adapt to the challenges ahead.”

“So, like I said, when I got here it was a team that, even from a demographic point of view, looked like it was at the end of a cycle.”

“A lot of players who had had great careers but were either ready to move on or getting to the end of it. So that combination with a different approach for me, it was definitely part of it to go younger.”

So, with the transfer window now closed, we are going to have to accept it for what is. It may not be our version of a successful window – with supporters it never is.

But there is a plan, and if that painful rebuild is ever going to come to fruition, then we at least must have the patience to see it through.

IN OTHER NEWS...

The Europa League and Carabao cup draws took place this week and has thrown up some enticing ties.

Spurs will play Coventry City away in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Whilst it is an ideal tie - on paper - those old enough will remember they have been quite the bogey team down the years.

The most famous match was the 1987 FA Cup Final when Spurs surprisingly lost 3-2 in extra time after an own goal from Gary Mabbutt secured the Sky Blues’ first and only major cup win.

In the Europa League, Spurs will host AZ Alkmaar, Qarabağ, Elfsborg as well as an exciting match against AS Roma at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

A British derby against Rangers and a trip to Istanbul to face Galatasaray, will be Tottenham’s most difficult away fixtures. We also travel to Hungary and Germany to face Ferencváros and Hoffenheim.

Spurs will have to finish in the top eight of the new format to avoid a play-off match in the new year.

TEAM NEWS

Spurs travel to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon having secured four points from their first two fixtures.

However, St James’ Park has been far from a happy hunting ground in recent years after being thrashed 4-0 and 6-1 in their last two meetings on Tyneside.

Tottenham wilted in both fixtures and will have to handle the atmosphere and the expected onslaught that will happen early on.

Spurs getting through the first twenty minutes without self-destructing or making defensive mistakes will be key to taking points back to London.

Ange Postecoglou told reporters that new signing Dominik Solanke will miss the trip to Tyneside but should return after the international break.

Richarlison will also miss the game after “pulling up sore,” with a muscle injury.

Toffee stuffed balloons

Son Heung-Min leads Tottenham to a comprehensive 4-0 win against Everton and Yves Bissouma’s redemption arc begins.

“I am going to ban him next week and bring him back,” Ange Postecoglou jokingly said of Yves Bissouma on Match of the Day.

The Ivorian was caught inhaling laughing gas in the build up to Tottenham’s opening game of the season at Leicester.

Postecoglou then suspended Bissouma for the game which was one of the many frustrating talking points surrounding the 1-1 draw.

With Rodrigo Bentacur and Dominik Solanke suffering from injuries, Bissouma was trusted to make amends in the 4-0 stuffing of the Toffees.

Dejan Kulusevski and new signing Wilson Odobert also made their first starts in an attacking line-up designed to overwhelm Everton from kick off.

Son Heung-Min, Odobert and Kulusevski stretched their opponents early on, pinning Everton into their 18-yard box and preventing any chance of a counter attack.

Jordan Pickford made two fine stops in the first ten minutes. First from Christian Romero and then from a long-range effort from Son.

But in the 14th minute Spurs found the breakthrough. Brennan Johnson and Kulusevski combined down the right before the ball fell to James Maddison.

A short pass back to the Swede started a mazey run that took several Everton defenders out of contention.

He then laid the ball back to Bissouma on the edge of the area who unleashed a stunning drive that hit the underside of the cross bar before crashing into the net.

It was the perfect answer to a week of criticism for the midfielder.

Spurs continued to press, and in the 25th minute they had their second thanks to an uncharacteristic mistake by the Everton and England number one.

A harmless Everton throw in on the halfway line ended with the ball being passed back to Pickford.

However, Son quickly chased the ball down and when Pickford miscontrolled, the Korean pounced on the opportunity to give Tottenham a 2-0 lead.

It was a terrible mistake from an Everton perspective, but Tottenham had earned some good fortune after their dominance wasn’t rewarded against Leicester.

Everton improved in the second half and may have got back into the game had Guglielmo Vicario not been equal to a thumping shot from Jesper Lindstrøm.

But Spurs eventually put the game beyond doubt in the 71st minute.  

An in-swinging corner from Maddison was met by Romero inside of the six-yard box. The Argentinian’s header hit the underside of the bar and bounced into the net to make it 3-0.

Bissouma was then given a standing ovation from the Spurs crowd after being substituted moments later.

Tottenham completed the rout 13 minutes from time when Micky Van der Ven intercepted an Everton attack.

The Dutchman stormed up the pitch before laying the ball off to Son on the edge of Everton’s box.

Son then superbly fired his shot in between Pickford’s legs to score his second goal of the game and secure Tottenham’s first win of the season.

There will be those who will point out that Everton were dreadful - and that is true.

However, this performance will calm the nerves of Spurs supporters who have been unhappy with the lack of further signings and the team’s failure take their chances against Leicester.

Son will undoubtedly take the plaudits for his man of the match display, but it is Bissouma’s potential redemption that will be spoken about in the days ahead.

Postecoglou was happy with his performance in his post-match comments with BBC Sport.

But he was also wary that this wasn’t the first time Bissouma has had disciplinary issues.

“He's still got work to do. I'm not doubting his footballing quality. We want to make him the best version of himself. That starts off the field as much as on it.”

“We know Biss is a good footballer. It's about him being the best version of himself and he will only get there if - as we've spoken a few times - discipline is a big thing for him, and I thought it was a disciplined performance for him today.”

Tottenham’s next match is away to Newcastle United on Sunday.

Reminiscent

Spurs played well for 45 minutes but a poor second half performance let Leicester back into the game. Are there positives to take from this result or is it too reminiscent of past failures?

It’s amazing how football fans can blindly trick their minds to be optimistic at the beginning of a new season.

After all, it’s like New Year’s Day.

You’ve gorged yourself on food and alcohol for two weeks – probably longer - and then promise yourself you’re going to hit the gym and get in shape.

You have a new purpose, new garms, new signings, and a fresh perspective.

But then, something happens that you aren’t in control of.

Like, eleven blokes pulling on a top you have idolised your whole life and then don’t quite perform to the expectations you have set.

So, at the first sign of trouble, you revert to the tropes and behaviours that are reminiscent of the past.

The opening game against Leicester was a bit like that.

Spurs were in control for much of the first half. Solid at the back and playing nice football. Dominik Solanke was pressing from the front and James Maddison was creating chances from midfield.

Chance after chance then came and went.

We were finally rewarded for our efforts when Pedro Porro headed in Maddison’s free kick in the 29th minute. The mythical vision of ‘Ange ball’ looked like it had come to fruition.

Spurs eventually went into half time only 1-0 up. We should have been out of sight.

But as the adage goes you must bury your chances, and Leicester - for all their troubles – were never going to play that badly in the second half of their first home game back in the Premier League.

It was our old foe, Jamie Vardy, who equalised in the 57th minute after Christian Romero left him unmarked for the simplest of headers.

You just can’t escape the symbolism of that goal.

Not only did it hark back to a time when we couldn’t take advantage of our rivals shitting the bed, but it was reminiscent of much of last season.

Spurs just can’t put together a full 90 minutes of ‘Ange ball’ without giving their supporters an anxiety attack.

Leicester pushed for a winner, and if it wasn’t for a superb save from Guglielmo Vicario there would have been a lot worse memes to wake up to this morning.

Spurs did eventually recover from the equaliser thirty minutes later when Richarlison missed a golden chance late on. But the reality is that we shouldn’t have been here in the first place.

If I am to put a positive spin on this game, then this is a talented young squad that needs a lot of coaching before reaching its full potential.

There is no need to dive down every YouTube, Twitter and Talksport rabbit hole just to confirm that this result was underwhelming.

But such is the nature of life and football that there will always be the need to peer over the neighbour’s fence to see how good they have it and demand the same.

Unfortunately, that long road to success is often painful and full of roadblocks that will drag you back down into old habits.

But it is not impossible if you hold course and ignore the noise. We, as Spurs fans, need to be mindful of this.

Accept this result.

There is always next week.

Let’s get back home and beat Everton.

Are Spurs ready?

Spurs haven’t addressed every problem this summer but now that the academy are producing players, is there still hope we can end our trophy drought? Or do we need to spend big in the last weeks of the transfer window? As ever with Spurs, expect the unexpected.

I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve enjoyed the summer break away from Spurs.

The Euros and the Olympics have been a welcome distraction, and I have managed to avoid the social media meltdowns that normally dominate transfer windows.

This is because the back end of last season was exhausting for a Spurs fan.

Early season optimism was extinguished by that Chelsea game in November. When the likes of James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentacur did return, they never regained their form.

The expected push for Champions League football then fizzled out after a series of awful results and there was the indignity of hoping Spurs lost against Manchester City to deny Woolwich the title.

The loss was necessary to avoid years of abuse from friends and family, but nobody associated with the club came out of the episode well.

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs eventually finished in 5th place and qualified for the Europa League playing ultra attacking football – even if it was suicidal at times.

Overall, it was a good first season under the Australian. But there was still much to be done in the summer.

Spurs needed to sell players that are past their sell-by-date and replace them with the quality that will help us compete on multiple fronts.

So, has this happened?

Well, not yet.

The club have done well to clear the decks. Emerson Royal, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Troy Parrott and Joe Rodon were sold.

Dane Scarlett, Alejo Veliz and Bryan Gil were sent out on loan and Japhet Tanganga, Eric Dier and Ryan Sessegnon were given free transfers after their contracts expired.

However, recruitment has been a slow and frustrating process.

Timo Werner renewed his loan to much controversy in July before 18-year-olds Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray were signed on permanent deals.

Then, the club flew out to the pre-season tour of South Korea without further movement in the market.

I enjoyed the videos of Sonny taking his team mates to high end restaurants and the players attempting to cook Korean barbeque.

The performances of several academy products in friendlies also provided much hope for the future.

But there was still a need to sprinkle these prodigies with Premier League quality and experience.

As the tour ended and another week went by, some Spurs fans understandably became restless at the lack of signings.

Was there going to be enough time to complete business before the start of the season?

Dominik Solanke was then signed from Bournemouth for a fee of £65m.

Expensive, perhaps, but a fee that Solanke was always going to command having scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season and qualifying for that dreaded ‘English tax.’

Spurs have also been desperate for a finisher since losing Harry Kane. Richarlison certainly works hard but he has not managed to become the prolific goal scorer we need.

However, Solanke, Richarlison, Werner, Son and Will Lankshear should provide enough cover up front with the increase of matches this season.

On Friday – out of the blue - Spurs announced the signing of Wilson Odobert for £25m. The French winger made 33 appearances for Burnley last season, scoring four goals.   

I’m not going to pretend I remember his time at Burnley. Like most, I have been reliant on Twitter and YouTube compilations.

Spurs seem to have signed a pacey winger with a bag of tricks and an eye for a long-range shot.

However, we have been a graveyard for young French wingers in recent times. Clinton N’jie and Georges-Kévin Nkoudou looked like certified ballers in their compilation videos before we struggled to sell them two years later.

The good news is that you can tell how popular a player is by the reaction of a selling club’s supporters.

Burnley fans have largely praised Odobert with some suggesting the Paris St-Germain graduate will develop into a quality player.

For now, it’s a guessing game. The Spurs fanbase will have to give the club the benefit of the doubt and wait to see Odebert in a lillywhite shirt before demonising him.

Going forward, Spurs need a defensive midfielder. Somone who will protect the defence from counter-attacks whilst starting our own possession.

This has become more important now that Højbjerg has been moved on and that Yves Bissouma is in the doghouse after being caught inhaling balloons.

I also thought we needed cover in both full back positions. But with Djed Spence back in Postecoglou’s good books and Ben Davies trusted at left back that may no longer be the case.

An attacking midfielder would also be ideal to keep Maddison on his toes.

But a lot of what I’ve spouted is based out of anxiety. Some of it is based on playing Football Manager or Fifa where negotiations will take 2 minutes at most if the agent is being an arse.

The reality is that negotiations are complex when real money and people are involved.

Sure, other clubs do it better than Spurs but then teams like Chelsea seem to do it without any distinguishable plan.

Despite my annoyance at the many poor decisions that Daniel Levy and ENIC have made down the years there has to be a point where supporters separate those failures from those now in charge of scouting and transfers.

Johan Lange and his data led style of recruitment hasn’t made the costly mistakes that are anathema to this manager’s philosophy.

Talented players from the academy have also found a pathway to the first team without seeking pastures new.

However, while the club is internally aligned, they’re yet to convince all their supporters. Inevitably, that will only come with positive performances and results.

Spurs aren’t ready to start the season, but this club has a habit of falling on its arse before quickly finding its feet again.

It’s just whether Spurs can keep standing long enough to deliver that elusive trophy.

As ever, expect the unexpected.

The hope that kills: A defence of Ange Postecoglou

“Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” Morgan Freeman warns during a poignant scene in the Shawshank Redemption.

Supporting Tottenham is a bit like that, after Sunday’s painful north London derby defeat. It brings our great rivals, Arsenal, closer to the promised land and stalls our own rehabilitation.

However, what followed on social media was akin to Spurs supporters swimming in the proverbial shit whilst under the influence of five pints of Neck Oil.

It certainly didn’t help your sudden urge to beat your Arsenal supporting friends and relatives with your smartphone.

Perhaps that would have prevented you from consuming every outlet’s analysis of those VAR and Michael Oliver decisions to the point of imagining throwing them off the skywalk.

Perhaps that would have prevented you from reading those comments about sacking the manager and starting again.

Stop. Now that you’re sober, take a step back.

Ange Postecoglou had a mountain to climb at the beginning of the season. A squad to reshape and a new philosophy to instill with no Harry Kane.

For the most part Postecoglou has excelled. In the face of click-bait preseason predictions and condescending comments about his career, Spurs went undefeated in their first ten games.

There was hope that the rebuild that we had harped on about for four years, may not be so painful.

Perhaps we could exceed the aim of getting ourselves back into Europe. Spurs fans could dream again.

However, there is that fear of reality coming to slap you in the face. It came in the form of a spectacular loss to Chelsea in November, under a cloud of injuries and red cards.

Suspensions and international competitions also hindered the squad in those winter months. But to his credit Postecoglou got the team through it by reinforcing his attacking style without tumbling down the league, as predicted by many.

A mixture of results followed. Enough wins to keep us in contention for the Champions League but some awful defeats that really exposed the frailties of Postecoglou’s tactics when the players available couldn’t perform them.

There was a hope that once everyone was fit, Spurs would return to the form they showed in those early months.

The 4-0 win at Villa in March should have set us on course to finish the season strongly. However, returning players still out of form have hampered that charge. Also, a complete inability to deal with set pieces has continually cost us games like the north London derby.

I believe that these flaws will be fixed in time. After all, Postecoglou hasn’t had the career he has had by being unaware or incompetent.

With hope, Spurs will finish the season strongly with Europa League qualification and then it’s up to the board to back Postecoglou in the summer.

That hope does sound like insanity when you consider Daniel Levy’s charge sheet.

Despite enjoying a period of unity, the board recently infuriated the supporters by hiking ticket prices and removing concession seats.

As a result, keeping a club united when the board is unpopular with a fan base with high expectations, is a difficult task.

But then Postecoglou is not a superhero.

Despite his early season achievements, it was unrealistic to have expectations of fixing every problem at the club after our mid-season struggles.

It would also be foolish – as a minority suggest – to abandon his tenure at the first sign of difficulty.

Historically, the club has always chosen quick fixes, wandering from one type of manager to another without having the patience or guts to crawl through the sewer when results weren’t going our way.

On Thursday, we travel to Chelsea with the hope of avenging that damaging defeat in November. History shows that fate has not been kind to us at Stamford Bridge regardless of the state of the home team.

Nonetheless, Spurs supporters must trust that we are on the right path despite the inevitable bumps in the road.

A New Hope

“Wins in football is a wonderful thing,” says Humphreys Ker, in the latest episode of ‘We are Wrexham.’

“It wipes the slate clean, changes the agenda and changes the topic of conversation.”

The greatest example of this – in this six-game old Premier League season – is Ange Postecoglou.

Despite having the Spurs reigns for a short time, the no nonsense, Australian orator has managed to seduce the press to say and write something positive about the club.

Afterall, he has a fascinating story to tell.

A Greek immigrant who arrived in Australia on a boat, lived as a working-class lad and saw football as a way of connecting with his dad.

This isn’t too dissimilar from us all but then Melbourne isn’t the footballing enclave that London or Manchester is.

The Australian sporting arena is dominated by Aussie rules football (AFL) and Rugby. It makes his journey to the Premier League more impressive when you consider that there was no clear pathway.

Most of Postecoglou’s playing career was spent at South Melbourne, where he was later coached by Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás.

He would also manage the club and won the 1999 OFC Champions League before managing Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.

In October 2013, Postecoglou became manager of the Australian national team but were swiftly eliminated from the 2014 World Cup after three entertaining defeats against Chile, Netherlands and Spain.

Despite the disappointment, Postecoglou galvanised Australia and won the 2015 Asian Cup by beating Son Heung-Min’s South Korea in the final.

He was successful in Japan - managing Yokohama - before arriving at Celtic after Eddie Howe decided not to take the role in June 2021.

It was good fortune. Especially when most pundits view Europe and South America as the only bastions of footballing significance.

Postecoglou’s appointment was met with scepticism amongst the media and his own players. Despite a rough start he won five trophies in Scotland with a great blend of optimism, coaching and unearthing talent from his time in Asia.

He was again met with derision when he agreed to become Spurs manager. After all, anyone who has played Football Manager or has a healthy social media following could win the SPL with Celtic #amirite

In fairness, you can’t blame them. Such has been Tottenham's lust to break that trophy drought that we lurched from our traditions and appointed conservative managers like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte (We don’t talk about Nuno..oh no no no).

Postecoglou had found a club that had lost its identity but one that was desperate to return to its roots. A club that would be welcoming of his style but in dire need of a statesman to communicate to the fanbase and beyond.

No longer are there those press conferences that you have to ‘read between the lines’ in. Quotes that were molded into negative articles and cast a shadow over the club.

With Postecoglou you know what to expect and his intensions for the North London Derby couldn’t have been clearer.

The first thirty minutes were not an easy watch. Spurs rode their luck at times. Destiny Udogie and James Maddison were both caught in possession, which Arsenal really should have capitalised on.

From my perspective it felt that I was reincarnating every trauma of previous visits to the Emirates.

Almost expecting the Spurs midfield to buckle followed by a calamitous mistake from the goalkeeper or defence.

However, the mistakes we did make went unpunished and the predicted consequences – from the likes of Paul Merson - of playing openly at Arsenal never came to pass.

Spurs continued to play the Postecoglou way regardless. We grew into the game ten minutes before half time, and its solely down to the manager.

The messaging was clear. If a player makes a mistake, then it’s on the coach who asked them to play that way and not the individual itself. “We don't stop.”

A 2-2 draw was the fair result despite being dominant for most of the second half. Perhaps, we could have won if Son and Maddison hadn’t withdrawn with injuries.

Now wanting more, it felt that Spurs let them off the hook. Yet it signified something different.

The prospect of a Spurs that doesn’t fall apart at the first sign of trouble.

A Spurs that won’t arch from being ultra defensive to that ‘oh shit we need to attack the opposition if we want to get anything from today’ attitude.

It is the prospect of a Spurs that will stick to a fundamental belief that playing with an attacking mindset will guild more wins and help us overcome difficult periods.

This weekend we welcome Liverpool for another litmus test of Postecoglou’s Tottenham. Another boil in recent years that Spurs fans would like to lance.

It may or may not happen this Saturday at the Lane. But at least under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou there is a new hope.

Not just in one great individual player but in a squad and a manager that works in unity. One that pays homage to a forgotten identity and makes you proud to be Spurs again.

If this Postecoglou ‘vibe’ continues beyond its infancy then we can start to dream again, mate.

Deep Impact.

“Hello, America,” says Morgan Freeman, playing President Beck in Deep Impact. “It is my unhappy duty to report to you that the Messiah has failed.”

The consequences are bleak. A comet hurtles towards the Earth threatening to wipe out civilisation as we know it.

Those of us who survive the devastation will be faced with the impossible task of rebuilding what was and if that is even possible.

Ok… I’m being a bit dramatic.

However, it is the doomsday scenario that Spurs fans have been dreading for the last four years.

Harry Kane was a generational talent for Spurs. He was symbolic. A local lad, playing for his local club. He was fulfilling all our childhood dreams when we first kicked a ball in our local park.

His story is one of resilience. Despite being rejected at a young age he worked hard to overcome every barrier that has ever been put in front of him.

It was this dedication and desire to achieve that we all loved about him when he wore a Spurs shirt. With Harry, Spurs always had hope regardless of the shit tactics we have had to put up with under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.

It is hard to choose a goal that I enjoyed more out of the 280 in a Lillywhite shirt. Obviously, any goal against Arsenal or Chelsea rates highly.

There was New Years Day 2015. There was that spectacular goal at White Hart Lane that for a short time made us believe we were going to win the league.

There was that winner against Manchester City in an epic 3-2 win at the Etihad, Champions league goals and that time he kicked a Coca-Cola bottle into the night sky at the AMEX (I’m sure you all have your favourites).

There were great moments in an England shirt. But also, massive disappointments.

However, whenever those disappointments arrived, Spurs fans threw a protective wall around him because he was Spurs.

Of course, none of this changes as he leaves for Bayern Munich for a reported £100 million (depending on who you read).

He will still be the greatest Spurs player I have ever seen. With respect to legends like Jimmy Greaves and Glenn Hoddle – and those old enough to have witnessed them in the flesh – I wasn’t fortunate enough to have watched them play.

Once the fallout and dust settles, these are memories we will remember fondly.

However, that won’t stop us questioning how this generational player leaves Spurs without a single trophy to his name.

It won’t stop us from analysing the failure of Daniel Levy and the board for not capitalising on a golden opportunity falling into their laps.

Those outside of the club will describe this as Spurs being perennial bottle jobs. Some will describe those many near misses as ‘Spursy.’

But with respect, it’s too simplistic. It’s too clickbait.

Spurs had their best team in a generation under Mauricio Pochettino, swashbuckling football that was aligned to an identity that was passed down through generations.

The timing of moving to Wembley whilst building a new stadium stagnated that team. There was either a lack of money or ambition to reward players with new contracts and sign top quality players to replace those that began to wane.

Then came two transfer windows when there was no transfer activity at all. A historic mistake that I believe we have only started to recover from.

Then, the inevitable happened. After months of poor form – which was largely ignored because of the run to the Champions League Final – Pochettino was sacked.

Mourinho was appointed to build a winning team without spending winning money. Much the same can be said of Conte.

But despite Kane enjoying working with those historical managers, their styles didn’t fit the identity of the club, nor were they able to coach players who weren’t the finished article.

For the sake of your mental health, I won’t go into the last six months of last season. Simply because we have spent most of the summer trying to recover from it.

The priority this summer was to continue that ‘painful rebuild.’ A positive and progressive manager in Ange Postecoglou joined from Celtic.

We finally had a manager who had good things to say about Spurs whilst being committed to playing that attacking style of play that we all identify with. We had the beginnings of a plan.

The performances in pre-season were encouraging. As was the signing of James Maddison. An exciting English international, Premier League proven player who is about to enter his prime years.

Other members of the squad – like Giovanni Lo Celso and Yves Bissouma – woefully disregarded by those previous managers – were given a new lease of life by Postecoglou.

But of course, the Harry Kane saga was never far from Tottenham minds. Postecoglou handled the situation superbly with his straight-talking, no-nonsense style in his press conferences.

Despite negotiations, there were reports Harry was open to staying for one more year having enjoyed the new style of play and Postecoglou’s training sessions.

If he could score 30 plus goals in an ultra defensive set up, what could he do in an ultra-attacking one?

Would this be enough to fire us back up the league and in the contention for trophies? Maybe, if all went well, Harry would sign that 400k a week contract to keep him at Spurs for life.

In the end it was blind hope. But that’s what it means to be Spurs.

Three days before the beginning of the season, Bayern had finally reached Daniel Levy’s secret valuation.

If you take out context and emotion and replace them with the financial numbers that businessmen deal in, then I get it.

£100m plus for a 30-year-old in the last year of his contract is a good deal. Perhaps in time, history will show this deal to be the right one. I’m not sure any of us could fathom Harry playing in a rival shirt.

But for Spurs fans, it’s not their money.

There is no number that can compensate the devastation of losing a club legend.

Especially when there is no faith that this board will spend the funds wisely on a rebuild. At this moment it feels like they have handicapped Postecoglou before a ball has been kicked.

By the time you read this, Harry will be part of an exciting new journey for him and his family.

I expect that he will deservedly lift his first trophy if Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup on Saturday night.

Of course, he was part of a team that failed to get across the line when it mattered. But we must remember that the messiah didn’t fail Tottenham.

Daniel Levy and ENIC failed him.

For now…we must find a new hope. But regardless of what happens next, Harry Kane always made us proud to be Spurs.

He will always be ‘one of our own.’

Dakota

I’m sure there are many songs that Spurs fans could attribute to this season.

However, the club’s choice of playing ‘Dakota’ by the Stereophonics after yet another collapse in Tottenham’s last home game of the season really got to me.

It isn’t just the new stadium’s state of the art sound system that is used more nowadays to drown out dissent towards ENIC.

It made me reflect on a time and a place when I was more rounded as a human being.

The song was originally released when I was in my early twenties and just coming out of university.

I had the time of my life, was confident, forward thinking and met a wonderful woman who is now my wife. I had the whole world to look forward to.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club was my release. As someone who isn’t brought up as religious, Spurs are the closest thing I have to that kind of experience.

My family home backed Silver Street Station in Edmonton, a mere ten-minute walk to White Hart Lane.

My mates and I would regularly drink in the surrounding pubs to catch up, moan about work or whatever stupid disagreement we had had with our partners.

Conversations would inevitably turn towards the game the closer you got to kick-off. But for the most part, the football was secondary. Spurs winning was a welcome bonus.

If Spurs lost, well that’s football. We would commiserate into a post-match pint for a bit and then get back to hanging out.

However, in the last few years it’s all felt a bit different. I can attribute this to a few things.

Firstly, I suffered the first loss in my life when my Spurs-supporting grandad passed away. If I couldn’t get to White Hart Lane, I would visit the family home and watch the matches with him and my dad on television in his downstairs front room.

He told his grandkids stories about how Jimmy Greaves was the greatest player he had seen. How he saw Spurs win the double in 1961 and took my mum on his shoulders to watch the parade down Tottenham High Road.

His most outrageous story is when he went to watch Spurs play Preston North End at White Hart Lane hours after my nan gave birth to my mum. Maybe it was just a sign of the times but I’m not sure how he or his fandom would have survived in today’s world!

Towards the end of his life, my visits became a bit more painful. Whether it was forgetting family members’ names or asking who was playing every two minutes, it became clear that his illness saw him become less of the person we knew and loved.

Two months after he died, my oldest son was born. Despite a traumatic birth and a five-day stay in hospital, it felt at the time life had rebalanced itself.

A new Spurs fan in the family for me to mould. “The lord giveth and the lord taketh away,” so to speak.

18 months later, we welcomed twin boys to the family. Two bundles of joy and energy who have continued to shock, awe, and tire us out three years later.

They were born the day before Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking as Spurs manager and perhaps fired the gun towards Spurs’ decline and by coincidence the decline in my personal and mental health.

Shortly after, the world was turned upside down by the global pandemic. Covid robbed us of interactions, going to football and socialising with friends.

I spent most of it bringing up three under-fives after being furloughed and later leaving the job of thirteen years to become a stay-at-home dad. Despite having good friends whom I still talk to on a regular basis, I hated the job, particularly the management.

Week after week, they made appalling decision, after appalling decision to the detriment of good people and workers who were doing their best to support the company (does this sound familiar?)

In the end, I could no longer wait for an imaginary redundancy package, so I made the leap. It was of course the right decision for my family.

Naturally, having three young kids – one later diagnosed with autism – meant that there was little time or money available to go on wild nights out or spending 60 plus quid on watching football once the world opened.

Other things happened as well. My nan died, disappearing much the same way my grandad did and an issue that had previously plagued my 19-year relationship with my wife remerged.

I’m not too sure why I didn’t allow myself to grieve. I think I just convinced myself that there was too much going on.

Football was still a welcome distraction. It was just that I consumed it in other ways. I began to watch it through the lens of television, podcasts, and social media where opinions and tribalism were on tap.

If the children or my wife were giving me a hard time, I was always just a few clicks away from the Dopamine hit that would take my mind elsewhere for a bit.

I stopped exercising for a time. Piled on weight. I started drinking too much, on my own mostly, writing or scrolling through feeds with different takes on how badly Spurs had messed it up this week.

I engaged in an addictive culture war between different factions of the Spurs fanbase who were at odds with each other and the board.

But it wasn’t just a bit. According to my phone usage report, I spend an average of 14 hours on Twitter, 7 hours on WhatsApp and 7 hours on my browser a week.

Not all of this is football related of course. Some of it I am chatting to friends or doing research for my sports journalism course that I am halfway through.

However, I would wager that most of that was on football opinions that I thought would just take my mind off what I deemed to be mundane.

Except, it wasn’t mundane. My ability to suppress real feelings of depression, grief or self-loathing in consuming social media or news content was now severely affecting my mood and relationships.

I would wake up the mornings in a bad mood and inevitably take it out on my wife or the kids.

Any slight hint of negativity or criticism towards myself was met with a prime Mourinho defensive wall that I had built up over years to repeal any further damage or pain.

Why was I getting so much shit when I believed myself to be a nice guy? The problem was that I wasn’t and hadn’t been that guy for a long time.

Finally, at her wits end, my wife threatened me with divorce unless I sought help in some way. I haven’t quite gathered up the ‘bottle’ to seek counselling yet, although talking to those who have, it has changed their lives.

However, being an avid listener of podcasts - sometimes to my detriment - I have been getting into self-help audio books. “This is how your marriage ends” by Matthew Fray was the first.

A provocative title that had me screaming, “oh, fuck off” at first glance. But once I realised how destructive the habits and behaviours I had constructed were as a defence mechanism to suppress real feelings of pain, my eyes had opened.

David Hillier’s article in the Guardian and appearance on the Fighting Cock podcast discussing how he quit watching and consuming football media for six weeks was also an important moment of reflection for me.

Where would I be now if I had taken the time to look after myself? To consult close friends and loved ones about feeling grief for the first time in my life or a collapse in my identity or self-worth?

I would hope people aren’t mad at me for writing this. I don’t really know why I retreated. I guess most men pretend to shrug it off and bury our heads in the sand at any sign of weakness or vulnerability.

I guess going to football teaches you that. It’s a vehicle to get away from everyday life. It seems to be the one bastion of society where men are comfortable at expressing themselves emotionally.

Unfortunately for Spurs fans, that anger is normally then aimed at the ref, Daniel Levy or an inept defence.

Perhaps it’s why they still turn up in their thousands each week despite the state the club is in because ultimately, you just want to go see your mates and have a laugh or a moan.

So, in the now immortal words of the Stereophonics, where do we go from here? For the club, who knows?

The old me was an optimist so I will say that football has a funny way of turning itself round very quickly if we can get key decisions right.

Now that the season has ended, I am going to attempt to turn most of the noise off for the summer. This is somewhat problematic for someone studying sports journalism.

And let’s face it, I will still dip back in when we finally appoint a manager and make some signings.

However, I have long needed to ‘take a look at me now.’ That means being more open with my wife and my parents, giving more attention to my kids, reconnecting with my mates, listening to songs that I have long forgotten and enjoying the sun.

As for my club, like me, they just need to get back to basics.

Annus Horribilis

Audere est facere? Annus horribilis is what should be slapped on everything in the Spurs shop right now.

Two big derby wins against West Ham and Chelsea should have been another springboard to have a successful season.

Sigh.

Under the bright lights of a midweek FA Cup game at Bramall Lane - attended by 5,000 Spurs fans for our biggest game of the season - the management and players served up a car crash against a promotion chasing Championship team who started their own fringe players.

There can be no excuses for not taking this game seriously considering we haven’t won a trophy for what will be 16 years next February.

If injuries and fatigue were a reason, then many Spurs fans would have preferred to have won this game to set up a home quarter final tie against Blackburn Rovers.

It would have been a golden opportunity to get to a Semi-Final at Wembley.

Of course, we would eventually run into one of the Manchester clubs. But at least we would have had something to look forward to in the business end of the season.

The Sheffield United game was simply thrown. Again, a mixture of arrogantly looking past our opponents, and looking towards financially bigger games against Wolves and Milan.

Despite a spirited 45 minutes against Wolves we again failed to score, hitting the crossbar twice. Then, from the 55th minute onwards it was clear that Spurs had run out of ideas.

To his credit Julian Lopetegui introduced five substitutes that changed the game before Spurs inexplicably realised the game was going away from them.

Then the inevitable happened. Adama Traore – once linked with Spurs – scored in the 82nd minute to condemn us to our 9th Premier League defeat.

Despite the apathy, we still followed the club on social media with keen interest. Perhaps it would be better for our sanity if we just deleted Elon’s app.

I hoped that those big words and statements would spur us into a special performance in that all-white kit for yet another big European night at what we call White Hart Lane.

After all, the boss was back from his forced medical hiatus. Apparently, re-galvanised for being close to his family after an ‘annus horribilis’ of his own.

60,000 people parted with well-earned money with the expectation that Spurs would overturn the deficit against what was a beatable Milan side.

What we got served up was yet another drab 90 minutes where the management failed to recognise that we were 1-0 down from the first leg instead of 1-0 up.

Harry Kane’s headed effort in the dying minutes of the game was our only real chance. As a result, we limped out of another competition without a fight. A penny for his thoughts.

However, this game will be remembered for Antonio Conte’s bizarre decision to take off Dejan Kulusevski for Davinson Sanchez rather than an another attacking player.

Regardless of Christian Romero’s stupid red card and the thought process behind the substitution, it felt like Spurs threw the towel in.

There was no ‘to dare is to do’ or that ‘echoes of glory’ mentality that the club like to eulogise about. It felt like the management and players had just surrendered under the weight of a physically and mentally exhausting season.

Then came the aftermath.

The players were booed off the pitch much akin to the dying moments of Nuno Espirito Santo’s reign.

Conte would then exacerbate the frustrations by going back to his trusted method of telling the media that his squad are not sufficient to compete with bigger clubs.

To be fair to the manager, this kind of capitulation (except for the miracle of Amsterdam) has been the modern history of Tottenham Hotspur.

It should also be said that I have appreciated Conte putting pressure on ENIC to do more to fix the plethora of issues that weigh down the footballing side of the club.

However, it is obvious to anyone with eyes that this manager’s criticisms have weighed heavily on these players. Especially when Conte continues to trust in a system that is unworkable for the squad he does have.

Richarlison’s post-match outburst to Brazilian TV seems to indicate that the player’s patience with him is also thin.

However, his thoughts should have stayed in the locker room rather than being expressed in the heat of the moment after another woeful defeat.

Instead, his quotes have been purposely lost in translation and used out of context by some in the press and online to be used as click bait.

Nonetheless, it feels like the end is near for Conte. After all, it is plainly obvious now that he wants to leave.

Regardless of his contract expiring in June, it is no good for any party for this impasse to continue.

Particularly for supporters who continue to attend matches in large numbers just to watch a style that is now unwatchable. To do so will only continue the apathy.

Now, this is not just Conte’s fault because there are several players in that squad who are well past their sell by date.

I have no doubt that the ones who are leaking stories to the media about being unhappy with training and working 13 hour days are still the same poor little lambs that saw off Pochettino, Mourinho and Nuno.

I don’t want to rant but when I read those articles it should come with a small violin playing in the background.

After all, I’m sure the fanbase that has watched consistent awful performances from the same suspects have worked more than 40 plus hours every week to fund supporting the club they love.

I digress….

With Fabio Paratici’s future also in question, what happens next is ultimately on the board and Daniel Levy.

With any hope he is now back from the Bahrain Grand Prix and figuring out where Spurs go from here rather than making deals with Formula One executives (one for another time).

With Conte wanting out, now should be the time to abide him. Is this hypocritical? Of course.

Spurs fans desperately wanted and believed he would bring success to Tottenham. However, accusations of impatience amongst the fan base would hold more weight if he signed a long-term deal rather than feeling he is doing Spurs a favour.

I would love to watch Spurs play Champions League football again next season. But perhaps the bigger need is the need to hire a progressive forward-thinking manager who can shape this club from top to bottom.

Di Zerbi, Poch and Luis Enrique have all been mentioned so far. Whoever it is, we should also look to link the academy to the first team and be consistent with style of play throughout.

Any coach or manager who is hired should represent these values. After all, Spurs have this amazing training ground that we should be getting more out of than we are now.

I probably sound like one of those football hipsters but should Spurs not be trying to build their own La Masia?

Any rebuild with a new manager will be painful in the short term but if we aren’t going to win much then I would at least prefer to go to White Hart Lane and watch Spurs have a go.

With any hope, the new manager can clear the underperforming players out - even if it is at a financial loss - and replace them with fresh legs that we would be excited to watch develop.

My worry is the board opting for the status quo. To appoint another cheque book manager, who will demand players on cheque book wages and transfer fees. Inevitably one who used to manage Chelsea.

Reports of new investment or takeovers have gone cold. As a result, Daniel Levy cannot waste another two years pretending to be something we’re not and magically hope the new financial fair play rules equal the playing field in 2025.

To do so will mean there will be more ‘annus horribilis’ to come.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.

After three wins and three clean sheets, it appeared that spurs had drawn a line under a turbulent start to the new year.

As ever, it was short lived. Saturday’s awful defeat at Leicester reopened long-term wounds that the club have failed to fix.

Where to start?

Tensions amongst the fanbase and the board reignited as soon as the transfer window reopened.

The prolonged pursuit of Pedro Porro from Sporting was finally secured on deadline day. However, that doesn’t tell half the story.

Porro was our number one target for right wing back. A position so important in Antonio Conte’s system.

Sporting were reluctant to sell one of their best players. Despite the various changes in the deal, the £44m agreed deal wasn’t unreasonable considering it was near the price that was set at the beginning of negotiations.

Arnaut Danjuma arrived on loan from Villarreal and made an immediate impact in our FA Cup win over Preston. Time will tell if hijacking him from Everton was worth it.

Another attacking player was certainly welcome after loaning Bryan Gil to Sevilla and terminating Matt Doherty’s contract.

Back on the pitch, Tottenham’s centre backs were the biggest issue that was exposed by Leicester. Without Christian Romero, spurs are lost.

Eric Dier, impressive against the win against City, returned to the norm by being at fault for at least two of the Foxes’ goals.

Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal was particularly depressing. Strolling from the halfway line, he made Dier look like he had future on Strictly before slotting past Fraser Forster.

Perhaps I’m being harsh. However, the reality is that our failure to improve a defence that have cost us on a regular basis is grinding.

Whatever happens this season, centre backs must be a priority this summer. This of course is complicated by the future of Fabio Paratici.

Having been implicated and banned in another Juventus scandal in Italy, Spurs are faced with losing a sporting director that was brought in to relieve Daniel Levy’s involvement in transfers.

Paratici’s impact has been positive. Rodrigo Bentacur and Dejan Kulusevski were inspired signings last January. I still believe Richarlison will be, given time.

In a season that has been decimated by injuries, it is unfortunate that we have lost all three at various stages.

The most heartbreaking moment of the Leicester defeat came when Bentacur ruptured his ACL - An injury that will keep him out between 6-9 months.

In some ways losing Bentacur was worse than losing to Leicester. Having been an integral part of the team since his arrival, you might have wondered who can keep us competitive in the midfield for the rest of the season.

With Yves Bissouma also out for two months, it will fall upon Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr. Spurs will pray that the youngsters can continue to embrace opportunities like they did against Milan.

Despite another defeat, they were Tottenham’s best performers. They enjoyed the cauldron of the San Siro rather than shrinking under pressure.

If Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg can rediscover his consistency, then it may not be all doom and gloom.

Amid the drama, we have the ongoing saga of Conte’s future. Conte not being himself can be forgiven considering he is recovering from surgery and having lost three close friends in the last year.

However, with more results and performances like Leicester and Milan, you must wonder how sustainable this is.

Does Daniel Levy muddle through to the summer and hope Conte rediscovers his passion despite such personal loss?

Nobody wants Conte to walk away, of course. However, it is starting to feel that dealing with his personal issues while managing this club will be too much in the end.

With Conte taking more time to recover in Italy, the responsibility of first team duties again falls to Christian Stellini.

Stellini has been exemplary as caretaker. Not only is there an improvement in performances, but he seems to lift the mood of the club from the players to the handling of the media.

You must wonder whether Stellini is beginning to feel the itch of stepping up as manager. Perhaps - out of respect for his friend – Stellini will also leave if Conte does.

However, I wouldn’t be disappointed if Stellini does take the reins if the seemingly inevitable happens.

Mauricio Pochettino could also reunite the club. However, I will still hate the circus and upheaval that another managerial change will cause.

Coaches have failed at this club because of poor decisions and neglect at board level. Yes, the football is bland now, but I’m not sure hiring another poor soul to fix historic problems won’t resemble anything other than putting a plaster on a gaping wound.

If Conte does leave, the blame will be laid squarely at ENIC’s door. Fans have been crying out for direction from the club’s board. If Conte’s time at Spurs achieves anything, it is his ability to expose where ENIC have gone wrong.

Unfortunately, the club’s recent financial statement and response to The Supporters Trust’s request for communication was largely tone deaf.

The club being in a decent financial position is a good thing. ENIC have done well in dragging us from mid-table mediocrity to what the club is today.

It is also admirable that Levy wants to grow the club organically and wait for proposed financial fair play rules that come into force in 2025.

In the meantime, what happens if Manchester City avoid punishment? What is the plan if Chelsea continues to find loopholes to gamble spending vast sums of money?

As mentioned on several Spurs podcasts this week, the reality is that ENIC are either unwilling or unable (depending on which side of the debate you’re on) to fund a sustained push to challenge the clubs above us.

The financial outlay to challenge the sovereign and state-owned clubs on a regular basis will be substantial.

While transfer spending has risen in recent times, expensive flops have cost the club dearly. There is also a gulf in spending on wages between Spurs and the rest of the ‘big six.’

Regardless of regular Champions League football or not, the fact is that true world class players available on the market will always choose to be paid handsomely by the financial powerhouses than join Spurs.

Clubs can be clever with good recruitment. Brighton have built a very good team by picking gems out of markets that most seem to ignore.

You would have read reports that Paratici is in the process of developing a scouting network. The problem is that the board keep hiring big name managers who have little interest in developing young talent.

The stadium and the training ground were labelled as game changers. Maybe they will be in time.

However, you still sense that as soon as any manager get Spurs to the edge of glory, the board won’t reward them with the tools to finally get over the line.

Despite all the good ENIC have done since the 90s, there is a sense that they have taken the club as far as they can.  

Recent reports that investment from the Qataris and Jahm Najafi have been welcoming to many. Granted, any potential bids will have to be properly analysed and will likely throw up ethical issues amongst the media and the fanbase.

ENIC have since briefed the press that they have no intention of selling the club at this time. Whether this is to get potential suitors to raise their price is up for debate. With any hope it is the starting point for what is likely to be a drawn-out process.

On a more positive note, Harry Kane scored his 267th goal against Manchester City to overtake the great Jimmy Greaves and become the club’s all time goal scorer.

Much debate has been amongst pundits on television and online about how much of an achievement this really is.

Sure, he’s failed to win a trophy, but the reality is that only three players in Premier League history have scored more than 200 goals.

More importantly to Spurs fans, he is living out most of our dreams. A local lad playing for the team he supports. Has he stayed here too long? Maybe.

But if he signs a new contract, he should get a statue and the right to herd sheep down the high street in Tottenham and Chingford regardless of what anyone else thinks.

So, what’s next for Spurs? Well, they say a week in football is a long time. Consider how we felt about the win against City to how we feel now.

Two huge London derbies against West Ham and Chelsea at home await. Those of you who suffer with anxiety know that despite their own troubles this season, they generally turn into prime Barca when they play Tottenham.

However, winning these games will lift the mood. It wouldn’t feel like this season is destined for failure like it was after being thrashed by Leicester.

After that, we have two big cup ties against Sheffield United and Milan. The FA Cup 5th round will be tricky but this is a competition that is winnable with so many Premier League clubs eliminated so early.

Milan at home will be a showpiece event. They are not the team of old and with the away goals rule being abolished, there’s no excuse not to utilise our attacking talent and get at Milan under the lights at White Hart Lane.

A good run of results can hopefully keep the focus on things on the pitch, regardless of the future of Daniel Levy and Antonio Conte. For now, we just need to ride the waves of this shark-infested water and pray we aren’t devoured.

Groundhog Day

Well, it’s Groundhog Day, again. For Spurs fans this is all too familiar.

The break for the World Cup should have been invigorating for the club. A chance for Antonio Conte and the board to discuss plans for the transfer window and his future.

While we were all enjoying the drama and romance on the pitch in Qatar, something had changed at Hotspur Way.

Whether or not the board had reneged on promises of signing established players has caused much speculation.

However, the public return of a ‘buy young and develop’ model certainly riled the manager in his press conferences.

It is a model that was certainly successful for ENIC in their early tenure. Coaches such as Harry Redknapp, Martin Jol and Mauricio Pochettino were able to develop talent and sell them on at a profit.

It is a successful model for clubs such as Brighton and Brentford, who simply do not have the spending power to compete with richer or state-owned clubs.

While the same can be said for Spurs, ENIC no longer own the same club they bought for £22m in the early 2000s.

Rapid financial growth, regular Champions League appearances and massive infrastructure investment into the stadium and training ground have helped shape the club into contenders.

The issue the club now faces is how to become winners. The reality is that this model is totally incompatible with the likes of a Jose Mourinho or Conte.

As ever, ENIC have reached that familiar impasse with their more successful managers.

Too willing to keep cheaper players past their sell by date but unwilling to invest the funds that can take on the behemoths.

While nobody expects them to outspend Manchester City, it is not unreasonable in today’s market to spend £40m on a player that will be a significant upgrade in a problem position.

As Conte said recently, Spurs are currently competing with a “little gun compared to their bazooka.”

ENIC’s model is also incompatible with a fanbase that are desperate for silverware. We were told the building of the new stadium – which I love – was our ticket to success.

Anyone who has been to Spurs, Boxing or NFL matches in the last few years can see there is money being made everywhere in that stadium.

For a fanbase who haven’t won anything since 2008, how much longer is it sustainable for ENIC to charge £60 a ticket and £6.90 per pint to watch a poor imitation of Moneyball?

So, the question rightly being asked is where is the money going?

It should be commended that Spurs are heavily involved in the community and development projects. Tottenham, as an area, needs it after years of neglect.

However, for every good they do there is a significant charge sheet. These are headlined by failed attempts of moving the club to Stratford and inclusion in the European Super League.

If ENIC gave the first team the attention to detail that they do in other areas, then Spurs would be flying.

The academy is also another department that seems out of sync with its ENIC’s model and choice of manager.

For every bright talent like Alfie Devine, Jamie Donley, or Dane Scarlett that could make it, you have a Marcus Edwards or Noni Madueke who have chosen to move to European clubs due to a lack of a pathway to the first team.

Now, that isn’t a criticism of managers but of ENIC’s muddled thinking.

Will these issues improve unless the club chooses a path where the manager, board, supporters and academy are aligned and going in the same direction?

We hate to admit it, but the mob down the road have spent time and money in the last couple of years to improve similar issues and are now reaping the rewards.

ENIC must now choose what club they want Spurs to be. If as expected, they stay on the same path, it will only result in more poor results and inconsistent performances like we have seen against Brentford and Aston Villa.

It will result in the loss of another manager before another poor soul is hired only to revisit Groundhog Day in two or three years’ time.

Perhaps the board and Daniel Levy’s thoughts are to rehire Pochettino in the summer. A move that is likely to buy himself some time with the fanbase whilst ushering in the ‘painful rebuild 2.0.’

It will certainly trigger the long goodbye for the likes of Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris and Son Heung Min.

Regardless of what happens next or what road ENIC take, there is a feeling they have taken the club as far as they can.

When ENIC decide to sell, it is likely to be a drawn-out process. Nonetheless, Spurs fans will have to debate what kind of owners we would want next.

Do we want to be state owned with a bottomless pit of money? Are we willing to overlook human rights abuses? Is that compatible with a club with historic links to the Jewish community?

Perhaps, the most realistic option is an American NFL owner? The stadium and the naming rights would certainly be an attractive option for them.

Still, for every success like John Henry at Liverpool, there is the Glazers at Manchester United. Nonetheless, this seems like the most likely option.

On the pitch, Tottenham’s 4-0 win away at Crystal Palace is likely to calm a few nerves in the fanbase and in the boardroom.

However, we now reach a critical point in the season. The beginning of the FA Cup- a trophy we haven’t lifted since 1991- should be a target.

The North London Derby and two games against Manchester City will also be critical in the short term.

At the very least Spurs need to have improved performances against the top sides otherwise the anger from the fanbase will grow again.

With ongoing injuries to Rodrigo Bentacur, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski, it will be a tough ask. Investment into key positions this January would go some way to ease this.

The Spurs Half Term Report

It’s half term and you have just had parents evening. You sit in your classroom listening to the teacher tell your parents that your grades are decent, but you could do better.

Fourth place, above Liverpool, Chelsea and United. Third top goal scorers in the Premier League and through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

On the face of it, we would have taken it heading into the World Cup. As ever with Spurs, stats aren’t a barometer of success.

First half performances have generally been poor, giving us a mountain to climb in the second half of games.

While that may be possible against lower and mid table clubs, you just can’t afford to do it against the ‘big six’ and in derbies. We simply haven’t shown up in these games.

This of course has been exacerbated by several unfortunate events. The death of Gian Piero Ventrone hit Antonio Conte and the players hard.

After the Brighton game in October, Conte made a heartfelt speech about what Gian Piero meant to him. He was obviously more than just a member of staff. He was a friend and a mentor to many at the club.

Those of you who have lost a significant part of their lives will know that grief can affect everything you do. It also takes time to get over.

On the pitch, it hasn’t helped that our wing backs are unsuited to a system that is dependent on them. While we built a larger squad in the summer transfer window, we failed to sign quality players in key areas.

Now, I have walked along Copacabana beach and watched the average Brazilian play. I also fondly remember the great 2002 World Cup winning squad. At times it’s hard to believe Emerson Royal is from the same country.

Spurs have form for this. How in a country of 214 million people have we ended up with Emerson, Gilberto and Paulinho down the years? My apologies to Sandro and Richarlison.

To be fair to Emerson, it is the manager who keeps putting him in a situation where he is getting targeted by the opposition and his own supporters.

It has been frustrating that Djed Spence – an exciting young player when I have seen him – has barely had an opportunity to show what he can do.

Whether this is down to Conte feeling that Emerson is the best we have remains to be seen. However, I suspect it is down to stubbornness having already disclosed that signing Spence was a club decision.

Son Heung Min’s drop in form, combined with injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison has undoubtably influenced our ability to create opportunities.

Our inability to do so has at times left Harry Kane isolated and our midfield overrun. This in turn has heaped pressure on a creaking defense that suffer from a lack of concentration at the best of times.

Christian Romero’s lack of fitness is a concern. If you believe the conspiracy theorists, this is down to saving himself for the World Cup. The irony being that he is another bad performance away from an early return to Hotspur Way.

I don’t really believe this of course. However, there’s no doubt that Spurs are a better team with him in the side.

I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that Eric Dier’s form has dropped off a cliff once he’d been asked to be the main man in the back three.

The current style of play has been designed to protect these frailties, but it just simply hasn’t worked, particularly in the last month before the break.

This has led to unrest in the fanbase. Further exacerbated by the fear that evil is once again stirring in the land of Mordor.

I’m not sure that the booing helps the team at times but who am I to criticize a fanbase that regularly pay £60 a ticket to watch us consistently shoot ourselves in the foot?

If you believe in ‘Spurs DNA’ then I get you want to watch the team play the style the club have been accustomed to down the years.

Personally, I’m not against Conte’s counter attacking style. Our ability to break forward quickly saw us dismantle teams towards the end of last season. We have just got to cut the mistakes that have plagued our season.

Now, if you’re reading this piece and thinking I’m one of those supporters that moan the whole way through the match, then please know I think there’s plenty to look forward to after the restart.

On paper, the second half of the season should be kinder to us than the first. We play four of the ‘big six’ at home. With Kulusevski rested and returning from injury, we should see more positive performances and results.

We must of course pray that our players come back from the World Cup in one piece. With any hope Richarlison and Son can play themselves into form.

Then we have the January transfer window. Fabio Paratici certainly earned his salary last year when he was able to sign Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentacur on cut price deals from Juventus.

It was the kind of shrewd business that propelled us up the table and into the Champions League. Don’t get me wrong I love big money signings, but they must be able to walk into the first team and fit into Conte’s system.

We simply can’t afford to get deals wrong like we did with Giovanni Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombélé, to name a few.

Perhaps our best signing last summer was a set piece coach. Gianni Vio has finally made Spurs a threat from corners and free kicks. It is an area we have been ineffective for years.

I don’t think Paratici will fix every problem position in January but upgrades at centre back and wing back would improve the first team massively.

We must also think about a long-term successor to Hugo Lloris. The French captain has been brilliant for us down the years. He should have the respect of every fan when you consider he has given us a decade of service.

However, there is a sense that he is now rapidly declining and perhaps it is time to find a younger, more consistent shot stopper who is also comfortable with the ball at his feet.

So as ever with Spurs, we range from the sublime to the ordinary. We remain optimistic for the rest of the season but wary that disaster is never far away.

Although it may seem that I have been critical of the manager in this piece, you can’t argue with the improvements we have seen in the last 12 months.

He has challenged ENIC with uncomfortable truths, urged the supporters to get behind the team when things aren’t going well and his methods have got the best out of many of our talented players.

For the most part, Conte has acted like the experienced educator that he is. The heights we reach in this next period will be dependent on what kind of club we want to be.

Signor Conte sees the potential. We must see it in ourselves.