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Lack of a coherent club strategy?
- Thread starter diego_maradona
- Start date
Gutter Boy
Tim Sherwood
I think the big problem is switching completely between technical and motivational coaches. Our successive coaches under ENIC have alternated from polar ends of that spectrum. And each clearly demands his type of players (and hence we turnover 15 players every 18 months).
Changing the coaching personnel isn't necessarily too bad, if you retain a strategy/direction. Swansea showed this under Martinez-Rodgers-Laudrupt. So if we'd gone straight from AVB to a LVG or FDB, things would have been fine. But shifting back to the (allegedly) motivational end of the spectrum again by appointing InterTim ruins everything.
For me the one saving grace of this season was that Timmeh was blocked from disassembling the squad during January and the new guy is going to get a chance to pick up the project again (although with some psychological damage to repair).
Changing the coaching personnel isn't necessarily too bad, if you retain a strategy/direction. Swansea showed this under Martinez-Rodgers-Laudrupt. So if we'd gone straight from AVB to a LVG or FDB, things would have been fine. But shifting back to the (allegedly) motivational end of the spectrum again by appointing InterTim ruins everything.
For me the one saving grace of this season was that Timmeh was blocked from disassembling the squad during January and the new guy is going to get a chance to pick up the project again (although with some psychological damage to repair).
mudshark
Chris Armstrong
Some of what he says might sound a bit hackneyed, but sometimes a cliché is just that for good reason. What's that saying about people who refuse to take lessons from history? I'm surprised you'd say what he says is wrong, though. What parts would you take issue with?
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BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
It really makes me laugh (and die a little inside because it's probably true) when I imagine the board meetings that take place at our club.
'This Jol doesn't have the tactical mind to take us into the Champions League! We need someone like that Ramos. It's much better to know tactics than to be someone's mate!'
'This Ramos doesn't know how to manage men! The players don't like him! David Bentley is annoyed he can't eat ketchup! We need a man that can get on with the players again! Would Harry Redknapp be up for it?'
'Harry just doesn't have the tactical mind for the modern game! He wanted the England job anyway so let's take our chance and get rid of him! AVB is available, he will know his tactics, won't he?'
'This AVB is a fraud! We are 8 points from the top of the league despite giving him 100M of premium foreign talent! We need someone that can be a mate to the players, who can keep it simple so we can understand what he is telling us. Tim talks a lot of sense'
and now 'Tim wasn't really very good was he? This Van Gaal chap seems to know his tactics...he must do because he manages Holland...'
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
I wish we would just decide what kind of club we want to be. If we want to pick up experienced bargains each season and let them play some nice football, and get top 6 every year, let's do that. If we really want to make a title challenge, and we want to sign top young foreign talent under the guidance of a technical coach that will need the time to put all the parts into place properly, let's give him the time to do that. And if we lose that manager, let's employ someone similar. Swansea really showed Levy up. You don't need a complicated and debilitating transfer committee if you have a clear strategy from the top down that begins with hiring the right manager for the club.
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
Agreed, but I just think this season has really brought home that Levy's choices can't be given the benefit of the doubt any more. Ramos was his first big experiment, and it failed. Fair enough, we move on. He got Harry in to save the club and Harry ended up doing better than expected, so questions about Levy's hiring are on the back burner for a bit. But as soon as Levy sees the opportunity, he goes for another experiment. He can't work with AVB so that goes tits up and we are now with Sherwood, who seems to be Levy's pet project. This season has really brought home to roost the shambolic decision making that has taken place at the top of the club ever since Jol was sacked mid-match. We should have known then. What kind of ****ing club does that to a man?
Millsy_Yiddo
Naybet
The thing about it is, if you looked back through the history of this forum, it's a fairly accurate representation of what has been said on here (and by Spurs fans all over the world) over our recent history rather than just within the confines of the Spurs board room.
Sigh..............................
In fairness, part of it is forced reaction, and relevant at the time.
Not sure you can really accuse Spurs of not have a club strategy, in the last 7-10 years we have
- Improved our player buying strategy (we used to overpay, let go on free/get fleeced, buy old), much better model today
- Improved our facilities/infrastructure (training ground, rumor on stadium)
- Compete in Europe
- Improve our global brand (US market is a good example)
- Improve our revenue streams
- Improve our on pitch results (which despite this season, we are on one of our more consistent runs in the history of the club)
The challenge is more of a on pitch model issue
- we outgrew Jol imo, a decision was made that in the end I believe was justified, even if the way it was done can never be
- Ramos was logical move to a more modern ideal
- When he train wrecked post the cup win, Harry was a get out of jail card vs. a strategic view, turned out he was highly successful
- When Harry left (first really wrong decision imo, both Levy/Harry should have acknowledged they made mistakes, but ultimately were bringing the club success), the revert to modern brought AVB
- TS is just a decision I could never understand/justify, should not have made the interview loop, too big a risk, always likely to alienate fans (Spurs fans like bigger names that we should realistically attract)
In my opinion Levy is trying to create a Ajax type model, wants the club to have a modern view, a culture/ethos that can be passed from manager to manager.
He has to pick the next person very carefully, I think we need a senior manager to start the process, we need patience and we need to back them with their type of signings even if it doesn't automatically fit our buy/sell model (Levy has shown he can do this with Harry at times)
To me, it shows how tough a football club can be to run, lots of good decisions, really two big mistakes (AVB/TS) and it puts everything in jeopardy ...
Grays_1890
Colin Calderwood
For me this is the strongest squad we have had in a while but weakest at the same time. Weird theory I know but I will tell you why and I won't be reinventing the wheel with my view.
We have good cover in a number of areas but not in the area that can change the face of a game. We have too many defensive minded midfielders and not enough creative threat and I think that's a given, and then whats happening is not only are we not creating chances OR provide a balanced side we are alienating the players we are heavy on because of having to operate a squad rotation policy to the spine of our side which for me should be settled. We desperately lack in wide areas an area ironically that needs squad rotation also.
We have good cover in a number of areas but not in the area that can change the face of a game. We have too many defensive minded midfielders and not enough creative threat and I think that's a given, and then whats happening is not only are we not creating chances OR provide a balanced side we are alienating the players we are heavy on because of having to operate a squad rotation policy to the spine of our side which for me should be settled. We desperately lack in wide areas an area ironically that needs squad rotation also.
chancer
Gudni Bergsson
Generally agree with that, although I think the Ramos appointment was very poor - his CV wasn't nearly compelling enough. Right idea, wrong guy.
On Sherwood's appointment, I think people are forgetting just how quickly the AVB regime fell. I went from being supportive to being glad he was out the door pretty much overnight. It was only in hindsight that I saw there were serious underlying problems that meant it was doomed all along.
I think there's strong evidence Levy and the board were caught out in the same way - they didn't really see it coming. It was only at that post-Liverpool meeting that they realised AVB's head was gone, and the parting came with AVB walking out as much as being sacked. Moreso maybe. A textbook untenable situation, and pretty much out of the blue.
At that point, Levy's options were hideous. No coach worth his salt would either leave his current club mid season (de Boer, Poccetinho), leave their national team before the WC (LvG, Prandelli) or would want to come into a circus half way through a season (whoever else was out there). That left a bunch of 2nd raters who wouldn't be worth appointing with so many worldies available in the summer, or people like Glenn who would have been as great a risk as Sherwood.
I have sympathy with Levy for the way things panned out on the Sherwood appointment.
clownfoot
Goran Bunjevcevic
I agree with everything you say, but the highlighted part got me wondering, what was Levy really expecting from Sherwood?
Cochise
Steve Carr
I think if we had said from the beginning that Sherwood was just an interim things would be going quite smoothly, but the man came out all guns blazing after his first couple of games stating he wanted the job and wouldn't do it on the part time which is why Levy gave him the 18 month contract. With all other options exhausted, Levy knew that there was no one else who would take such a short term contract in the knowledge that come the Summer a bigger name would be signed up. Sherwood put himself in the spotlight, demanded the vacancy and assumed he could do better than AVB. The question is does Levy believe in Tim or are the media reports just sources giving the papers what they want? Not too long ago TS was quoted saying "the silence is deafening" regarding the backing from the board, forcing a statement out of the heirarchy. I doubt there would have been any noise even now if not for Sherwood asking for public backing.
So far as coherent structure goes I was under the impression (based on various reports) that we do already play a 433 throughout the various age groups within our youth system. I think someone said ages ago that AVB requested that that be done a couple of years ago.
So far as coherent structure goes I was under the impression (based on various reports) that we do already play a 433 throughout the various age groups within our youth system. I think someone said ages ago that AVB requested that that be done a couple of years ago.
chancer
Gudni Bergsson
I think he was expecting exactly what's he's getting, just a bit better.
And the difference might come down to Rosicky's once-in-a-career shot not going in and Jan Vertonghen not wearing the wrong fukking studs.
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
Why do you think AVB's head went?
milo
Jack L. Jones
It didn't start with Ramos every coach/manager we have had under Levy has been a reaction to their predecessor and the two most successful (Jol and Redknapp) were panic appointments or ones that Levy had previously refused to make.
lurker of old
Wilson Palacios
For me this is the strongest squad we have had in a while but weakest at the same time.
Couldn't agree more. No pace apart from Townsend, who is a **** poor footballer. Then we have Holtby, Siggy, Paulinho and Eriksen who all play in the same position. As the twunty one says, we don't have a clue which is our best team. And the man whose job it is to coach the players and select the first 11, has even less of a clue than the rest of us.
Couldn't agree more. No pace apart from Townsend, who is a **** poor footballer. Then we have Holtby, Siggy, Paulinho and Eriksen who all play in the same position. As the twunty one says, we don't have a clue which is our best team. And the man whose job it is to coach the players and select the first 11, has even less of a clue than the rest of us.
NaijaSpurs
Rafael Van Der Vaart
We are obviously doing something seriously wrong when you consider the tens of millions of pounds spent on midfield/attacking players over the last few years and a team that starts without Kane, Mason and Bentaleb is regarded as a weakened team
Or..........................we are obviously doing something seriously right when you consider the tens of millions of pounds spent on midfield/attacking players over the last few years and a team that starts with three academy graduates - Kane, Mason and Bentaleb - is regarded as a stengthenened team.
Or..........................we are obviously doing something seriously right when you consider the tens of millions of pounds spent on midfield/attacking players over the last few years and a team that starts with three academy graduates - Kane, Mason and Bentaleb - is regarded as a stengthenened team.