As a decades-long supporter of Tottenham Hotspur, I have to say that the departure of Mauricio Pochettino saddens me. Over the last 5 or 6 years Pochettino has transformed the club into one challenging for the highest honours year after year, something which hasn't happened since the heady days of Bill Nicholson's long reign, which ended some 45 years ago.
For the last 12 months or so, something has clearly gone wrong and results, the Champions' League apart, have been disappointing; the team has failed to perform. Whether this decline was down to the manager, the players or the managerial hierarchy we may never know, but something had to be done. In the end, the manager, Pochettino, has been sacrificed despite his incredible achievements.
It is obvious that a replacement had already been lined up and that replacement is the self-styled "special one", Jose Mourinho. Mourinho's approach could hardly be any more different from Pochettino's and whether he's the right man for Tottenham we will have to wait to see; personally, I very much doubt it and I'll be very surprised if he's still around in 18 months time. Mourinho spends vast amounts of money wherever he goes and Tottenham don't do that; Mourinho likes to buy expensive, experienced players, Tottenham like to develop their own. Simply put, the philosophies are like chalk and cheese.
Pochettino may have reached the end of the road at Tottenham for reasons of which we are unaware but he will always be considered one of the club's greatest managers. Daniel Levy has done his own standing little good with the club's vast army of supporters by his action and should Mourinho prove to be a failure, his own position may well be called into question.
The next 6 months will be pivotal.
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