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.
