We’ve become used to Harry Redknapp claiming who he wanted to buy and who he was looking to sell, while denying that he was looking to offload Gareth Bale to Birmingham City. Harry has never been short of a word but until now, Andre Villas-Boas has been quiet about his spell in charge at Tottenham.
Now, however a year after his departure, the Portuguese has made some damning comments which, if true, tend to sum up the view that most of us hold in regard to the Chairman.
“Tottenham set a points and victories record in my first season, and missed out on the Champions League by one point and had a great run in the Europa League. In the second season, at the time I left we had more points than in the previous season,” AVB told Portuguese TV.
“I ended up leaving by mutual agreement – it wasn’t a sacking – because I gave full support to the football director Franco Baldini who meanwhile had other ambitions, meaning that I ended up with players that did not fit the profile I wanted.
“The chairman proposed a challenge to increase Tottenham’s competitive level, but immediately Modric left and we didn’t get any of the targets I had identified, such as João Moutinho, Willian, Óscar or Leandro Damião. These were promises that were not kept. I had a group of players I had not chosen. In two years I lost Van der Vaart, Modric, Bale, and all the promises made were unfulfilled. In any event I don’t look at my time at Tottenham as a negative experience. It was an experience I needed to have.”
There’s not much to add really: Elsewhere, isolated reports of takeovers continue…
Says it all really. If what AVB says is true, the people to blame behind Spurs current situation are the same ones who have mismanaged transfer dealings for the last few seasons and all Spurs fans know who they are.
If you appoint a manager you must take into consideration the way he likes to play, give him control over who the club go after in the transfer market and then call him to blame when things go wrong. If you appoint a manager and the players who are brought in don’t fit his way and can’t or don’t perform then the ones bringing in the players should be called to book. It’s not a difficult concept.
This is where Spurs have repeatedly gone wrong, selling top quality players and buying average ones who do not fit the style the manager wanted to play. Poch has inherited average players who do not fit his style and don’t appear to be able to adapt to his thinking. Spurs normal style would be to sack him and bring in someone else to try and make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
It cannot go on if Spurs have any ambition to become a top club. If ENIC and their board are only interested in making money with no progression or ambition to be successful, then carry on Mr Levy et al.
Who wants to sit in a brand new state of the art stadium and watch dismal football with no chance of progression or success?
There is no point in sacking Poch until he has been given a couple of transfer windows to get his style of players and to play the football he believes in. There is no quick fit, only a long term policy.
Let’s hope we have the patience and can make a start on getting a couple of players in during the mid season window and go from there.
It is heartening to read that Mr Levy is taking a back seat in the transfer dealings. All we have to do now is to get Mr Baldini to do the same. I suppose that would mean he has no job. His track record is poor to say the least. Let’s hope the new appointment of the ex Southampton talent spotter will improve what has been a very dismal last few years in regards to the introduction of new players and we are able to start watching the football we all love to watch and the success that comes with it.