Next Manager?

[monkeybarry]

The thing I’m struggling with is whilst I try not to pay too much attention to media reports without quotes there were several links to other candidates pre a DoF.

I guess it’s possible that we managed to have a secret agreement in principle with Patirici before the Conte link, that we always planned to get a DoF before we hired a manager and many of the other links were tentative enquiries to disguise the fact we had been talking to Fonseca throughout the process.

I know we’ll never be privy to the real goings on internally and whilst it may be that this works out to be the best choice for us, the time it has taken to be linked with let alone announce these potential two appointments makes me think it wasn’t the original plan at all.

On a side note is it me or does it always feel that any announcement from us is always after it’s been widely reported, or is that just the way of the world that there is so much opportunity to share information and rumour nowadays that no one can keep a secret?!

We announce things once they are signed and sealed - that's different to being done and dusted. As we know, football has a habit of last minute gazumping and talk is constant.

Even in the non football world, when you taking a new job you quite often talk about things that could be in place and aspirations etc. Especially if it's towards year end.
But officially it's only when the contract is signed that you are bound. Basically the same thing in football - just on a more murky scale and way.

 

[Mr Gogolak]

The biggest mistake the club made was not denying the Pochettino links as soon as they surfaced. In some people's mind, very few managers can withstand the comparison with him, let alone someone like Fonseca. Getting people's up so high, it was always going to end in tears.

I have zero opinion about him, haven't watched Serie A in a long time so he starts with a clean slate. He could be the new Villas Boas or the new Pochettino. We'll have to wait and see what kind of tools he's given and how far he goes. There's no point in being angry at this stage - I'm sure there will be plenty of reasons later on!

Personally, I wanted the guy from Dortmund and I voted Ten Hag but I don't mind him. Twitter never disappoints though: 'He's a yes man. I don't know anything about him.' What kind of a jackass writes something like that? If you don't know anything about him, how do you know he's a yes man. The world really is in a sad state...

 

[Raziel]

To people saying this looks like Levy had no plan, I really disagree. I think it smacks of a plan. He is a manager really well suited to where we are as a club. He is if anything more proven than Poch was when he joined, as he has more experience competing in Europe.

The key thing for us is strategic alignment. Hiring someone who fits in with our constraints is more likely to see us be relatively successful. Hiring someone that will always need a little bit more than we can offer just won’t work.

Similarly, with Paratici I feel that he can work too. Juve is a different club to us but I feel he has a strong enough record of signing good players that would suit our budget too, he has network, people will take his call, he knows the standards of a huge club.

I agree with a point that was made that it looks like we are at the start of a journey again. All of the stuff about us maturing and getting closer after failing in a cup is a really good point. I don’t want to go right back to the start. I hope that if players like Dele and Winks and Sanchez stay, they are more mature and can get it done, so overall as a club we are further along than when Poch joined. And again, short of new owners I don’t think we have any other choice.

I don't think we are at the beginning

- There is a core of a team here -> Lloris, Reguilon, Tanganga, PEH, Ndombele, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Son
- It doesn't have to be 5-7 years, the difference now is we will (based on stadium) have more money, therefore new build should be quicker

p.s. I really hope Dele (little less insistent here), Winks, Sanchez and Dier are no part of the future Spurs ..

 

[scaramanga]

to what percentage of the fan base is ticket prices relevant?

I'm guessing somewhere around half of those who buy tickets, at most.

 

[DTA]

Come on mate, here's how this is going

- He doesn't have an impressive record
- Well, actually he's won 9 trophies, played in CL & Europa, beat City (with real tactics, see video above) & Ajax
- Oh' well those trophies don't count and he lost to United (the side that finished 2nd in PL and made finals of Europa)

Please explain how a young manager
- Who plays attacking football
- Who's managed in multiple leagues
- Who has works with young players
- Who has experience in Europa & CL
- Who is likely a recommendation of our DoF

How is this guy "obviously a wrong appointment?"

I did qualify that by saying "from the outside" and by that I mean judging him on his record.

Now he may come in and be a great success, and there is loads of information about him that we simply are not privy to which would have hopefully influenced our decision to get him and the new DOF.

But The fact is that

- this guy has comprehensively failed at two similar sized clubs to us.
- He plays attacking football but his sides have a reputation for being defensively weak... and that's the area of our squad that is lacking the most.
- His record in Europe is actually not great at all, just compare his record to someone like Emery for example.
- he has no experience of the Premier league.
- we are at a point where the fans are starting to turn on Levy (I don't agree they should at all), and this appointment buys no good will at all.

Like I said he could and I hope (if he comes) be brilliant abut from "the Outside" the optics are not great at all.

And this is not me just throwing a tantrum because we didn't get Conte or poch back. I would be happy and excited with Potter for example and my personal first choice would have been Julen Lopetegui.

Another thing that does worry me about this is the fact that he is so obviously not near our first choice. If information that we are not privy to, has lead us to the decision that this is our guy, then why wasn't he appointed as soon as Roma let him go?

 

[scaramanga]

- he has no experience of the Premier league.

Would you like some egg with that gammon?

 

[Reece]

I did qualify that by saying "from the outside" and by that I mean judging him on his record.

Now he may come in and be a great success, and there is loads of information about him that we simply are not privy to which would have hopefully influenced our decision to get him and the new DOF.

But The fact is that

- this guy has comprehensively failed at two similar sized clubs to us.
- He plays attacking football but his sides have a reputation for being defensively weak... and that's the area of our squad that is lacking the most.
- His record in Europe is actually not great at all, just compare his record to someone like Emery for example.
- he has no experience of the Premier league.
- we are at a point where the fans are starting to turn on Levy (I don't agree they should at all), and this appointment buys no good will at all.

Like I said he could and I hope (if he comes) be brilliant abut from "the Outside" the optics are not great at all.

And this is not me just throwing a tantrum because we didn't get Conte or poch back. I would be happy and excited with Potter for example and my personal first choice would have been Julen Lopetegui.

Another thing that does worry me about this is the fact that he is so obviously not near our first choice. If information that we are not privy to, has lead us to the decision that this is our guy, then why wasn't he appointed as soon as Roma let him go?

Agree with that and just to add Why didn't the UK's Portuguese outfit Wolves snap him up?

 

[DTA]

Would you like some egg with that gammon?

You are going to have to explain that one to me??

 

[Yiddo]

You are going to have to explain that one to me??

I’m abit baffled by that aswell, the only thing i can think of is Gammon is salty?

 

[Reece]

I don't think we are at the beginning

- There is a core of a team here -> Lloris, Reguilon, Tanganga, PEH, Ndombele, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Son
- It doesn't have to be 5-7 years, the difference now is we will (based on stadium) have more money, therefore new build should be quicker

p.s. I really hope Dele (little less insistent here), Winks, Sanchez and Dier are no part of the future Spurs ..

I would have to say the jury is very much out on Ndombele, i'm not convinced about Bergwijn or Lo Celso yet, and I'm not 100% PEH will fit into a dynamic possession based team

 

[BrainOfLevy]

I don't think we are at the beginning

- There is a core of a team here -> Lloris, Reguilon, Tanganga, PEH, Ndombele, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Son
- It doesn't have to be 5-7 years, the difference now is we will (based on stadium) have more money, therefore new build should be quicker

p.s. I really hope Dele (little less insistent here), Winks, Sanchez and Dier are no part of the future Spurs ..

I agree, and I hope we aren’t straight back to 2014. I think it is likely we are starting from a ‘higher base’, but the key will be relatively speaking whether that base is higher compared to our competitors.

Like - is N’Dombele just the Dembele? Is GLC the Eriksen? Do these players still need to make the same mental leaps? No doubt there is more quality in the squad that when Poch joined, I just hope we are a little bit further along ‘mentality wise’ too.

 

[BrainOfLevy]

The biggest mistake the club made was not denying the Pochettino links as soon as they surfaced. In some people's mind, very few managers can withstand the comparison with him, let alone someone like Fonseca. Getting people's up so high, it was always going to end in tears.

I have zero opinion about him, haven't watched Serie A in a long time so he starts with a clean slate. He could be the new Villas Boas or the new Pochettino. We'll have to wait and see what kind of tools he's given and how far he goes. There's no point in being angry at this stage - I'm sure there will be plenty of reasons later on!

Personally, I wanted the guy from Dortmund and I voted Ten Hag but I don't mind him. Twitter never disappoints though: 'He's a yes man. I don't know anything about him.' What kind of a jackass writes something like that? If you don't know anything about him, how do you know he's a yes man. The world really is in a sad state...

In a sense, I agree with @Raziel ’s points on this. I don’t think the club really cares whether the fans think Fonseca is good in the fans eyes compared to Poch or not. I think they’ve made the right decision for them, and if Fons wins 4-5 games in a row early into his tenure, the fans move on.

I’m also firming up in my belief that the Poch links were very suspicious and served some other purpose.

 

[BrainOfLevy]

The thing I’m struggling with is whilst I try not to pay too much attention to media reports without quotes there were several links to other candidates pre a DoF.

I guess it’s possible that we managed to have a secret agreement in principle with Patirici before the Conte link, that we always planned to get a DoF before we hired a manager and many of the other links were tentative enquiries to disguise the fact we had been talking to Fonseca throughout the process.

I know we’ll never be privy to the real goings on internally and whilst it may be that this works out to be the best choice for us, the time it has taken to be linked with let alone announce these potential two appointments makes me think it wasn’t the original plan at all.

On a side note is it me or does it always feel that any announcement from us is always after it’s been widely reported, or is that just the way of the world that there is so much opportunity to share information and rumour nowadays that no one can keep a secret?!

I think it’s quite likely we genuinely wanted Nagelsmann, Hansi, and probably did genuinely want to speak to people like Poch and Conte to see if they’d be interested. I don’t think was necessarily the plan all along, but I do think it’s a decision that denotes strategic alignment at the club. Recognising where we are in the landscape, recognising our constraints and our advantages, and choosing someone that fits. In that sense, I think it makes sense.

 

[scaramanga]

You are going to have to explain that one to me??

This belief that the PL is in some way special is a particularly "Little Englander" way to think.

 

[MKSpur]

Come on.... Making 6 subs is an easy mistake to make..... I mean a man only has 5 fingers on one hand!

 

[MKSpur]

This belief that the PL is in some way special is a particularly "Little Englander" way to think.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say being new to a league is a potential disadvantage for a coach, whether it’s PL or any league? Even just for the first hand knowledge of the other players and systems we will come up against / may want to sign?

 

[JerusalemMan]

It didn't have to be this way. This is all down to Levy and his gross mis-management of squad turnover and managerial appointments.

Most expensive tickets in the league, shiny new stadium and now the message is that we're going for a long-term rebuild - don't expect too much too soon.

Where have you seen that message? You've made a definitive statement there.
Nothing formal from the club.

Isn't it just hypotheticals that are being twisted into a cudgel?

 

[Mr Gogolak]

In a sense, I agree with @Raziel ’s points on this. I don’t think the club really cares whether the fans think Fonseca is good in the fans eyes compared to Poch or not. I think they’ve made the right decision for them, and if Fons wins 4-5 games in a row early into his tenure, the fans move on.

I’m also firming up in my belief that the Poch links were very suspicious and served some other purpose.

Evidently, but what happens if he goes 4-5 games without a win, early in his tenure? Usually, the fans to be forgiving with a new manager... unless they're very upset before a ball has been kicked. I'm sure the owners couldn't care less about the milk cows/fans, as long as they keep buying their season tickets and their Kane shirts. Also, a couple of quality signings and all will be forgiven.

But if Fonseca's reign starts slowly, letting people dream about a Pochettino return is going to bite them in the arse. Nobody cares about the fans but I don't think Levy likes bad press either and if people turn on the team after a couple of dodgy performances, there will be plenty of that.

It's a bit of a cliché but he should have hoped for the best and prepared for the worse. Saying straight away that we wouldn't get Pochettino might have lowered some people's expectations and it wouldn't have cost a penny. In any case, it doesn't really matter now. What's done is done. We'll see in a couple of months whether fans have a long or short memory...

 

[DTA]

This belief that the PL is in some way special is a particularly "Little Englander" way to think.

It may or may not be special (the level of World wide interest it generates suggest it may be). But it is different and present its own unique challenges.

 

[scaramanga]

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say being new to a league is a potential disadvantage for a coach, whether it’s PL or any league? Even just for the first hand knowledge of the other players and systems we will come up against / may want to sign?

That's what scouts are for.

If a manager can't prepare us for matches against any team at any time then he's not at the level we require.