As a longstanding supporter of Tottenham Hotspur (approaching 60 years in fact), I seem to have spent much more time being disappointed and frustrated than in any form of celebration. Certainly since the advent of the Premier League, successes have been rare, to say the elast, and even good seasons can really be counted on the fingers of not much more than one hand.
This is not to say that the team hasn't had it's moments, such as it's 'nearly' years of 2015/16 and, particularly, 2016/17 when it produced ut's best league performance since the 1960s. However, the good years have been surrounded by far too many mediocre ones and stringing good years together has proved problematic. Few managers have lasted very long, with 14 permanent appointees and caretakers filling the post since 1992 alone and now they're looking for yet another. Pochettino nearly achieved 2 league titles on a shoestring budget and with the development of numerous youngsters, not least of whom is Harry Kane.
Pochettino developed a side that played good, attractive football but also had a solid defence; Mourinho's approach is to defend and counter attack, a system for which the Tottenham squad was ill equipped. Deprived of his customary spending power, Mourinho's time at Tottenham turned out to be even less good than Pochettino's swansong season and close to a disaster. Getting rid of him was the best thing that Daniel Levy could have done although why he appointed the man in the first place is something of a mystery to me.
Having dumped the 'Special One', Levy eventually embarked on a search for a replacement, a search that has been nothing but chaotic. Favoured candidates have taken other jobs in droves and it seems that the only man who wants the job is Pochettino, whose present club, PSG, are either not willing to let him go or are looking for massive compensation if they do. Almost in desperation it seems, Levy turned to the out of work Antonio Conte who, having got very close to accepting the job, has now decided against it, Tottenham also apparently deciding that they didn't really want him anyway.
Just what are Levy and Tottenham playing at ? Managerless since 19th April they appear to have no idea about what to do next. Mourinho was a mistake and Conte, a manager out of the same mould, would have been at least as bad. Like Mourinho, Conte never stays long anywhere and like Mourinho he has no interest in bringing on new talent, only in buying a team of ready made 'stars'. Tottenham do not work like that so why, oh why, were they ever interested in either ?
Shockingly, having made an almighty bollocks of things they now have little in the way of options. Can they convince Pochettino to return and PSG to let him go ? Might Pochettino return to Tottenham and Conte replace him at PSG ? Not if the PSG players have their way, it's reported, with them rejecting the idea of being under a man who is renowned for being 'difficult'.
Failing that, could it be Roberto Martinez, currently manager of the Belgian national side but who has reportedly expressed an interest in the Tottenham job ? Another previously favoured candidate was Erik ten Hag of Ajax who is, apparently, the new leading contender despite him having recently agreed an extension to his current role. Who else is there ? Graham Potter, currently of Brighton, or Eddie Howe, formerly of Bournemouth ?
Perhaps I should put in for the job. Any other takers ?
Update :
Well, it seemed to be all set for Paulo Fonseca, previously manager of Roma where Mourinho is now ensconced, to take over in the Tottenham hot seat, but wait !
Apparently talks have broken down, after at least a couple of weeks of supposedly positive talks, and now the new favoured candidate is Gennaro Gattuso. Considering that at one time, Pochettino was an odds on favourite, around 1/5 at least, Conte reached something like 1/20, and Fonseca was also in the region of 1/5, what should we make of SkyBet's current 1/2 for Gattuso ? Doesn't seem that they're really all that confident.
What price Tottenham to be relegated in May 2022, still without a manager ?
Another update !
Little more than 24 hours after ending their efforts to land Fonseca in favour of pursuing Gattuso, now Gattuso is off the radar too. It seems that there was such a negative response from the club's supporters that there will be no further pursuit of the Italian.
Where next for this now utterly farcical saga ? There are now few, if any, obvious candidates who have any real experience or favour the style of play that Tottenham fans want to see.
It's a mess that is now a huge embarrassment for the club and its fans. Will Fabio Paratici actually take up his new role at the club on 1st July as planned ? Can Daniel Levy survive ? Jose Mourinho must be laughing all the way to the bank.
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