Villas-Boas Opus: Beginnings
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 8:07PM
And so it begins. A new error. Sorry, era. Damn it. I forgot myself there for a moment. Thought I was sat behind a desk staring at a Sky Sports News camera reading an auto-cue. Or walking around N17 aimlessly searching for an armchair. Or perhaps even picking up the phone and calling into talk radio to complain. What was that famous line about idiots? I need to choose my media outlets more carefully in future, avoid the confusion. Okay, so let's try this again.
Welcome Andre Villas-Boas to the Lane.
Finally, the worst kept secret is out, done and dusted. Even though we knew it was coming it still managed to pack a punch by knocking out the server the official Tottenham Hotspur site sits on. Only Spurs could make an announcement but not physically share the statement. The traffic bulldozing its way through bandwidth like Harry Redknapp seeking a working microphone after a round of golf. Relentless, such was the anticipation of all the speculation. We've been expecting this news for a while so you can't blame us for foaming at the mouth just to hear it from the only source that matters. Having it finally confirmed by Daniel Levy allows us to get on with things, with pre-season training and working towards consolidating the current transfer sagas we're involved in and targeting new players for that new era.
Villas-Boas is now part of the family. Kitted out in a curious Under Armour training top (with the crest on the opposite side it usually sits proudly on) and shown around the Lodge in Chigwell - no doubt already getting involved in tactics, appointing a sweeper to clean up all the chalk pieces used up by the previous regime. Someone no doubt busy wiping that board clean. I'm thinking we don't have to worry about the Portuguese for ‘run around a bit and kick the ball’.
Pull up a chair. Thoughts in response to Levy’s statement on the OS:
> The Club is delighted to announce that Andre Villas-Boas has joined as our new Head Coach on a 3 year contract.
Standard contract. Probably a clause in there to renew. If he’s a success, he stays and continues to build or he packs up and moves on. Club wins. If he doesn’t go well and he’s 'let go', we don’t want to be forking out masses of compensation. Modern football is all about the short-termism with players, with managerial appoints and with expectations. There is no seasoned patience. You get a bedding in period and then you’re thrown to the dogs if you don’t produce the results. I don’t want to keep referring back to Harry Redknapp (here I go again) as I’ve covered practically everything there is to say on his tenure in previous articles. What we’ve been left with, his legacy, is consistency and stability and in some ways the potential to be better. Redknapp is already talking up how Villas-Boas and Tottenham (to be more specific) have the squad to challenge for the title.
Yes, it’s more Redknappology from the great man, applying the right measure of pressure on his replacement and allowing the media to build up their portfolio of disparaging evidence if we find ourselves in the midst of a transition. The fact is, Redknapp has left us with some very tasty looking stats. But no side dish to complement them, therefore the belly is left rambling with food for thought. He had us believing then adapted his ambitions based on where the team sat in the league. The squad was, in Redknapp’s own words, ‘good enough’ but yet fell short for a variety of reasons. Depth in key areas, lack of rotation, lack of shrewd calculated preparation and so forth. So although in relative terms, based on our Prem history, we have excelled we have also failed to maximise the resources in our possession – that’s based on the very same logic Redknapp preaches. But he contradicts to his heart content. Stripping him (perish the thought) and the rest of the ideology behind ‘this is as good as we’ve ever had it’ – the fact remains, it can be better. Harry lost the opportunity to have another go at it. Villas-Boas is now that man. So is he under pressure?
Please, someone point me in the direction of a football manager that isn’t under pressure? There is no easy job in football. Equally so, managing Spurs is hardly the easiest of tasks. Mainly due to a combination of entitlement, ambition, delusion, heart on sleeves, fickleness, impatience and traditions and ethics of football we expect to see played out. We’re not an easy lot to cater for. In the past it was a poison chalice. Mid-table and struggling for consistency we aimed upwards via yet another rebirth only to spiral back down once more. Then from Jol to Ramos to Redknapp we’ve found prolonged form. The club now has the players and the fortitude to be contenders, as proven. We’re just not quite experienced enough. For all the swashbuckle and swagger we still get kneed in the balls too often.
Villas-Boas is no different from the Redknapp appointment in terms of risk. Harry came in to steady the ship. Did we expect or hope for more? With so many failed experiments, back to basics was the winning formula all along. But it’s not robust. It’s not perfect. Does a club and its fans accept it all because it’s a vast improvement on a decade of disappointment or does it look to progress, evolve further in order to truly consolidate its new founded stature and work towards the next level? Why should we tag ourselves with being the perpetual pretenders and just embrace stability at the risk of it going stale? You take risks all the time. Audere est Facere. Is that not at the very core of our footballing DNA? For years we’ve endeavoured but we’ve simply not been good enough. Now we are, we should continue to aim higher. Daring is achieving.
In my footballing fantasy I wanted Villas-Boas at Spurs when he was at Porto and was gutted he went to Chelsea. The guidance undertaken with Robson and Mourinho, can’t be ignored. His achievements at Porto were amazing. I bet we all fall in love with the Europa League this season because we take it seriously and attempt to win it. Don’t underestimate the power a manager can have on the supporters and how the team approaches the challenges ahead of us. The simplest things can be reinvented, the meaningless become meaningful.
He made mistakes at the Stamford Bridge club and appeared to drown in all the dressing room conspiracies and tabloid backlash. He was waterboarded out of a job. So the hottest thing in football management is what, suddenly not that very good? Chelsea is hardly the most comfortable chair to sit in. There was a feeling he tried to do too much too quickly with the wrong set of players and ideas that simply did not fit his template. Look at some of their previous appointments and how they suffered at the hands of player power and boardroom baying. Some of his selections and tactics appeared erratic but even with best intentions they won’t play out if the players hearts are not in it (Ramos and Spurs the perfect illustration).
Lessons learnt? We hope. But let’s not patronise the man for being thirty-four years of age. He’s no idiot and he’ll have taken his hellish baptism and had a quiet word with himself, hopefully exorcising any lingering demons. It was a rush, botched up job by all concerned because of the ill-fated variables festering at that club. It’s a different challenge at Spurs altogether. Chelsea are expected (by Roman) to dominate every season. Even managers that win trophies are shown the door. Even the special one was made to feel not so special.
Fact is, he has the balls to come back to the Prem, to a London rival and be up against the same people that loved to watch him fail. He's back even with the added bonus of all the Redknapp-worshippers already piecing together their obituaries which they probably won’t be able to hold back from previewing come the first defeat we suffer. With any luck Villas-Boas has worked on his deliver a little in prep for future post-match interviews. No point making a difficult job even harder. Humility can be a vital characteristic. Not just in public, but also on the training pitch.
We have not a clue how things will pan out. All we can be is positive. All we can do is back him. And more importantly, the chairman – the key to unlocking the preverbal door to that next level – has to back him unequivocally. The players also have a duty to the shirt and the supporters. Massive difference between Redknapp and Villas-Boas. They need to also be unequivocal in their trust of their new coach.
> Andre was previously at Porto and led them to an undefeated season in the league, winning four trophies and becoming the youngest manager ever to win a European title in the process, before joining Chelsea and extending his run to 39 games undefeated.
This alone excites me. He hasn’t suddenly forgotten how to manage successfully at the top level. The players at Porto adore him. Okay, managing a club in your home country is going to be more agreeable with all concerned than managing one abroad. Blanc was the only other preferable choice out there in terms of experience. Rodgers would have been a risk as big as any other appointment. We have tried all sorts of coaches and systems and it feels right that this appointment ties in with the clubs future. We need to be progressive. Villas-Boas is a modern manager and rather than say allowing him to use Tottenham as a blank canvas to create a vision, we have given him a chance to share our own. The training ground, youth development, the quality of our first team. This has been ongoing for some time – it simply needs a football philosophy to bring it altogether. Our last manager worked wonders for the team. The new one might work wonders for the club.
> Commenting on the appointment, Chairman, Daniel Levy said: “I am delighted that Andre has agreed to become our new Head Coach. He has an outstanding reputation for his technical knowledge of the game and for creating well-organised teams capable of playing football in an attractive and attacking style. Andre shares our long-term ambitions and ethos of developing players and nurturing young talent, and he will be able to do so now at a new world class Training Centre.”
One or two of you (discussed on social media) have found concerns with that last sentence in the above quote. You’ve seen it as some formal acceptance that we’ve unofficially returned to the ‘director of football’ science of running a club. Firstly, earlier in the quote Levy refers to Villas-Boas as ‘head coach’. Not manager. It’s all the same thing. Wasn’t Martin Jol head coach? VB will have agreed the setup and vision outlined by Levy so he’s hardly going to accept a job where he feels he will be undermined. I’m not going to entertain the suggestion that Levy’s ego can’t take being second best to the person running the football team. His relationship with Redknapp was not working. Hopefully what we’ll have here is Levy acting like a general manager (as he has been doing since the DoF system was discarded). VB will want to sign his own players, Levy will handle that. Support the coach. I don’t see an issue with this unless Levy and VB do not agree on transfer targets. Which is how the previous relationship suffered. The fact we have players ‘in talks’ might even be a gentle nod towards VB’s approval during talks between club and coach before a contract was agreed upon.
In terms of short-termism, it’s still relevant. We have to sustain a top four challenge. But already you can imagine VB being ambitious in wanting to win every competition he’s involved in. This should be about tweaking and improving the side, making sure that the best players fit the best formation and tactics to lead the club forward. Redknapp was brilliant at getting the players playing in their best positions but there has to be another dimension to how you approach games. You only have to look at the truly successful clubs in football to understand that you can't always just go out there and attempt to out play the opposition.
In terms of the long term vision, why should we not want to make the most of our new Enfield training ground and make sure that in the years to come we actually have a youth academy that is producing first team players. Another bugbear of modern football, one that we’ve been guilty of ignoring for years and just splashing out on big money signings all the time. Although when we have produced a good player, they’ve been world class (Campbell, King). Our current development squad and youth teams are also impressive (at their level) but time will tell if they are good enough to break into first team football.
Not suggesting we are in any position to recreate La Masia in North London, but do you think Manchester City aren’t thinking of something similar when they build their £50M state of the art training facility? Having the facilities is great but there’s a mindset and a sense of pride, ethos and identity that also needs to be instilled. That might still remain a function of Tim Sherwood’s and I’m probably getting way ahead of myself. Mainly because this won’t be the priority, but I already sense there’s a master-plan behind this particular part of the clubs vision. We have to be ambitious at every level. We have a tradition at Spurs. If the academy are worked towards adhering to it and players are signed based on a style of football...perhaps I'm over-dramatising this, but grass-roots is criminal to ignore.
> Speaking as the new Head Coach, Andre Villas-Boas said, “Tottenham Hotspur is a great club with a strong tradition and fantastic support, both at home and throughout the world. I feel privileged to be its coach. For me, this is one of the most exciting coaching positions in the Premier League. I have had several discussions with the Chairman and the Board and I share their vision for the future progress of the Club. This is a squad any coach would love to work with and together I believe we can bring success in the seasons ahead."
It’s what you want to hear from the new man. Back of the net. We’ve got ourselves a hungry football manager that has a massive point to prove. As long as he keeps that determination contained and channelled, getting the very best out of Spurs then we’re going to enjoy seeing a very good side mature into a beast.
> Andre brings with him two members of his coaching staff - First Team fitness coach Jose Mario Rocha and Daniel Sousa, head of opposition scouting.
Already, I’m smiling. ‘Head of opposition scouting’. Fitness coaches. I’ll take a guess that our set-pieces and pre-match preparation will be unrecognisable to what we’ve been used to in the past several years. Redknapp gave us entertaining football, the style of which we come to expect at Spurs, but he also gave us substance and backbone. We had heart and grit to go with the free flowing football. But there was still an apparent lack of cutting edge, on the pitch and from the bench. There was no acceptance that we actually under-achieved – not compared to the past (it’s hardly a difficult task to better it when you improve tenfold) but compared with the untapped potential it's arguably wasted in the present. Unless the harsh reality is the reason we lost that ten point gap was because we are not good enough on all levels required to retain such a gap. In other words, as good as we can be its not quite good enough if 3rd or 2nd place is the target you wish to embrace.
A truly focused manager would demand more from himself to be able to inspire. What Villas-Boas has to do is introduce the mind-set but also retain the togetherness and avoid trying to mix things up too quickly. Our squad is far more adaptable to his tactics than his previous one. More youth, more pace.
By mind-set, I'd point towards our failings last season. Say the lack of coverage in the box when attacking leading to loss of clinical finishing in front of goal. Misuse of certain players. If you fine-tune the side and we continue to create but also score and improve on performances from last season - then we're going to win more games. It's logic you can scribble on the back of a handkerchief. Far more difficult to deploy from training to dressing room to the pitch - but then that's why we've upgraded our manager.
Redknapp’s strongest ability was man-management of players he favoured. If VB can retain the unity - we are onto a winner. It’s the area he was scrutinised for at Chelsea. Failure of managing the players (although one or two did not appear to want to be managed). It will be very interesting to see which of our players find themselves in favour with VB in terms of being allowed a chance to prove themselves again. Equally so how much other players will improve with more disciplined responsibilities.
> Daniel Levy continued: "We are constantly looking to move the Club forward. It is important that we now look to develop the potential within the squads at all levels, whilst strengthening the First Team in the summer in key positions with players who will become part of the future success of the Club.”
Levy has his hands full with the stadium. There are rumours of investments, naming rights. We’re also about to find out how much money we have in the War Chest. Which might tell us plenty more about the Levy/Redknapp transfer relationship. If we suddenly spend big, was it because Redknapp wasn’t interested in the big money signings Levy wanted or did Levy simply not make the funds available to him?
Modric will be sold if we fail to trick him into staying (won’t sell to an English club so La Liga beckons). So expect a major signing to replace him. VB might look towards his former club, Porto and Moutinho (or the Brazilian Oscar). We've got the new boy Sigurdsson, an attacking midfielder who plays further up the pitch rather than sitting deep. At some point we might even see Vertonghen in a Spurs shirt. VB will possibly look to mould us into a dashing 433 with over-lapping fullbacks, high intensity inside forwards, high line. Bale on the left, cutting in with effect rather than roaming aimlessly. Where does van der Vaart fit into it if at all? One (Parker) holding midfielder or two (+ Sandro)? Is Defoe good enough to lead the line? Are we planning on going back in for Adebayor on a permanent basis or look for a blockbuster striker elsewhere? We’re also going to need another winger for the right-hand side to assist Lennon over the course of the season. That's if we play 433 and if Lennon can fit into the forward three. All rather wonderful questions that need to be answered in time for Newcastle away. These are good problems to have.
Levy understands we need to improve the squad. Not only because of Villas-Boas requirements but because we were left wanting last season by not rotating. Possibly because Redknapp did not trust or did not manage the players on the bench with enough astuteness. The league – no matter the arguments over what truly matters in football (i.e. winning silverware) is where VB will be judged because of the prioritising of Champions League qualification. We need to be Trojans, we need to last a long time. The whole course of the season.
This will be a monumental summer. It can’t be anything else. It's started well. Bale contract, Villas-Boas, Sig. Levy knows we are 5 years or so away from having the revenue to compete at the same level as the other clubs in the top tier of the Prem, financially. That’s when the Northumberland Development Project finally gets under way. Balancing everything – it’s no walk in the park. We have to compete in Europe every season until the NDP is complete. Ideally it would be the Champions League we're competing in. Which is why short-term and long-term has to become one and the same thing. Regardless of ENIC’s end game (to sell the club to keep their shareholders happy), to get there they know the club has to be successful on the pitch as well as continuing to bolster the bank account.
We have to retain faith. Levy has to retain faith. We have to have faith in Andre Villas-Boas. It’s a team game. With traits of redemption.
In terms of us, the supporters, it’s worth noting that even with the success we’ve had in recent years (aside from the Carling Cup) we haven’t actually won anything. 4th, 5th and 4th have simply given us a foundation to build on. For me, the team I watch has to be a Spurs team. You know what I mean by that so I won’t explain it. We’ve got ourselves a new architect now. One that we might all find ourselves enjoying his work more so as a collective than the previous builder who at times didn't bother to plaster over the cracks in the wall preferring to stand outside enjoying the sunshine.
The future is always bright because it’s no way to follow your team worrying about negatives that have not played out and might never play out. Being Spurs means you are in the eye of the storm of the greatest footballing soap opera there is. We’re made of stern stuff, suffering all the dramatics, year after year. Hopefully with this appointment the team will be made of equally stern stuff with a plethora of sexy coated on.
COYS.
Reader Comments (67)
The Goons are hurting.
Mate I might have to read this article in manageable pieces over the next few nights :-) there's a lot going on to be fair
Great article. Never wanted Redknapp sacked but now that AVB is here, will get may 100% backing and hope he proves a lot of people (in particular Chavski fans) wrong. COYS, exciting times ahead!!
Nailed it.
I await the rest of the summe and the next season with mounting anticipation....................................
he leaves when he wants, he leaves when he wants, RVP he leaves when he wants
AVB is favourite with the bookies for first PL manager to be sacked. I think that's unfair, he'll be the second.
I am a life long Spurs fan but I am sorry I just don't get AVB. How can a guy fail at Chelsea who on paper have a much better team than ours ( FA Cup ,European Cup not to mention the Wembley thrashing they gave us) and then expect to come to us and be a success. Surely the long list of failed foreign managers we have had ( remember Christian Gross, Jaques Santini , and Ramos , even martin Jol bless him) should have pointed us in the British direction.
Harry Redknapp was a perfect fit for Spurs and we were certainly heading in the right direction with him , Why ? because the players wanted to work for him will they want to work for AVB I don't think so .
I'm behind the guy 100%. Good luck AVB. Fuck the goons, fuck cheatski, fuck Arry. Lets have it. COYFS.
I agree with most of that except the "fine tuning" or "tweaking".
Owing to the short term planning during the last regime, and the fact that we've got a new manager with completely new ideas, it's going to take a lot more than a bit of tweaking. A bit of patience will probably be required too.
Another masterpiece Spooky
THFC should hire you to write in the match day program !
That would be worth the price alone :)
Lets ride this optimism baby
I feel we are entering a new and exiting era
Bring it on
Coys
Spot on, Sir! I'm already getting thoroughly p***ed off with all the AVB-haters out there; he's one smart cookie, and as one Spurs Legend has suggested (thank you Mr. Miller!), we just might have the New Special One at the helm. Let's get right behind him & give him a really warm welcome next month.
Fantastic article, I can't wait to see the new look team under AVB, I'm sure he will prove all his doubters wrong
Gooner's get-out-of-jail card just decided to get up and go
You've captured everything it is to be a spurs fan in one Brilliant article. Well done. AVB just needs a good start.
I know every player looks good on YouTube. But, seriously, this guy Oscar looks the business. Hope we sign him.
An exceptional piece! Always the first blog I look for. AVB is destined to take us to the next level and beyond!!! COYS!!!
Well written article and great read ,i really think its going to be a good season and cant wait for it to kick off there will be big changes lets hope we buy well and the team bonds and clicks quickly.
all the top 5 have bought or will be buying new players who to say that they will all work out ,,how many have we seen fail ??.
On the R.V.P news most Arsenal fans i know would sell now and get the money taking in contract/age etc but the main reason is they think he will get injured this season .
I also think it would be good to get rid of V.D.V for a decent price he is not my sort of player very selfish [set pieces/corners, all crap], he only likes playing in the one position only,cant last 90 mins in prem and really could be the only player to start throwing his dummy out of his pram etc.I know all of you wont agree with that but ,,well lets see what you say .
COYS
Nice one. Thanks for agreat read.
AVB and no RVP can it get any better
Love it! Actually gave me goosegogs reading that!!!!
COYS!!!!!!!
I have been following your blog for years now, and this post may very well be one of your best in terms of thought laid out.
As with any new manager, we the fans owe them our support from the day they sign. We must believe in AVB and his ability to take us to the next level. Positive thinking y'all!
I'm quietly optimistic with the signing of AVB. He needs to be given time. Now the goooners know how it feels with Rip Van
Winkle deciding not to re-new his contract. Shades of Campbell when he played for Spurs. What comes around, goes around.
Nice one Spooky, as usual. Jees that was some opus, epic even! I want to believe that this manager will take us to where we want to be and that as you rightly say, is winning stuff. I'm far too old to be one of the 'Top 4' brigade. For me, being at Wembley and feeling pride as successive captains lifted trophies is what it's about. I've been hoping to win the league for well over 50 years, but I know it isn't gonna happen. (Maybe)
Good luck to the man and to us.
COYFS.
Reasons to be hopeful:
1) No more 4-4-2
2) No more 'just run around a bit'
3) Squad rotation
4) No more Modric[1] on the wing
5) Younger players and actual squad development
6) No more playing of favourite players regardless of fitness/fatigue
Well, hopefully, anyway.
Assuming he's learned his lessons from Chelsea... and if he hasn't, then the board hasn't done their job during their hiring process.
[1] insert replacement or other flare player here
Mr Levy has choosen AVB to take over and build on Harrys great work !
AVB is now our new Head Coach and I welcome him to our beloved club and wish him all the best of luck.
Love The Shirt Love The Spurs !
Spot on and inspiring.cant understand the negativity surrounding AVB.Its a stunning appointment and a leap forward in technical awareness.Couple that with the team spirit and ability already at the Lane with several improvements coming in and we should be on for a cracking season.Just maybe we will even give the europa cup and the fans who travel to see it some respect this term too.
a top top appointment for sure....... as one ex manager may say,but i doubt it!
WOW !!! do you know how to write or what, and the subject that you write on is about the team i love and adore.
It took me while to get through that but it was well worth it, like the Spanish play football a pure master-class in writing you are without a doubt an extremely talented writer.
AVB is a great appointment and i am sure he is going to succeed as our manager, he did not have a prayer at the Chavs they needed instant success and he had the unenviable task of man managing the likes of JT, Arse hole cole , Lamps Drogba etc he was in a no win situation. This guy has learned his trade from the likes of Bobby Robson and the special one and i can't wait for him to lead us in to the new campaign, and yes he will take the Europa League seriously and want to win it. I love the fact that he is young and hungry... he shows passion when he's crouched down by the dug out punches the air with delight when goals are scored, always lookis like he is trying to motivate the team, totally unlike our previous manager who on many occasions just sat there slumped in the chair with the look of a beaten man.
These are really exciting times for our team and this will be a defining season COYS !!!!!
Spot on and inspiring.cant understand the negativity surrounding AVB.Its a stunning appointment and a leap forward in technical awareness.Couple that with the team spirit and ability already at the Lane with several improvements coming in and we should be on for a cracking season.Just maybe we will even give the europa cup and the fans who travel to see it some respect this term too.
a top top appointment for sure....... as one ex manager may say,but i doubt it!
great read spooky.
Is there any truth in the rumour that L`arse are seriously considering downsizing to Upton Park once the Pikeys have set up camp in Stratford?
AVB? RVP?................RIP AFC!
Fantastic article thanks so much COYS
Ten years from now, as we polish our Europa Cup and CL trophies we will think back fondly on this moment. A new stadium, several League titles and a smattering of cups in the trophy case. It all started so brilliantly in the summer of 2012 with everyone's hand against us and the doubters screaming in the trees like the crows they are.
Great piece, Spooky. It's all to play for and this is the opening gambit...
Great post Spooky, 100% concur (mind you I rarely seem to not concur with your blog's!) . I really couldn't wait for last season to finish, after the thrashing at Woolwich and the downward spiral that followed. Harry certainly did do a great job for us in his three and a bit year stint, but due to his limitations he had to go. Hodd' reckons that AVB's appointment is 'risky", No Shit Sherlock Glenda! ALL managerial appointments are risky...wasn't Harry's? Or Wenger's, or Mourino's or Ferguson's? They either work out, or they don't. Rocket science it ain't. Had Harry stayed, would he have managed a top four place again? We'll never know, but I think not. He had lost the plot, and his luck had run its course. Too many players playing out of position didn't help. And his clueless 'We had to move Bale to the middle as he was double marked on the wing's' just about summed up his tactical ineptitude. Don't get me started on that Villa game away.........
AVB HAS inherited a great squad of players, getting rid of the deadwood has begun..a few more to go, and that leaves spaces for the Carroll's, Kanes, Coubilays. Add to that the new war chest purchases and who knows? AND! Here's a thought,,,...we just can't get rid of Gio......maybe he'll get a chance under AVB? Maybe Karma has dictated that we've kept him this long for a reason! There MUST be a reason!
We will certainly show the Europa League the respect it deserves (since when were we too big for that competition?), Embrace the culture and use it as a learning curve on how to play midweek games in Eastern Europe and winning the following weekend. Proper squad rotation.....AIN'T putting a team of youngsters with a few bench warmers in the firing line on a Thursday night on TV, its nurturing, teasing and empowering...if you're good enough, age shouldn't be a real problem.
I'm REALLY looking forward to August now! Lots to look forward to . AND, just in case its another false dawn - well we're Spurs after all.....nothing new eh?
The best piece i have read anywhere,all points "nail on the head"echos everything i have said and thought,kudos to you top notch.COYS
"We've upgraded our manager" nailed it again spooks enough said.
wenger 2007-to present day: I'm confident [Ashley][Robin][Cesc][Gael][Samir] will stay. they owe a lot to arsenal and i believe they want to stay. we have a great future here.
[Robin][Cesc][Gael][Samir][Ashley]..i love arsenal and have so much respect for Wenger..the fans are great and this club will ALWAYS be in my heart..but we differ on what we want for the future..ciao/au revoir/laterrz biatches
lmfao
Perspective time.
This is the only move we could have made... We ar snot going to get Pep or Jose so who? Martinez or Rogers???. No we went for a manager who had the best stock in the world 12 money paths ago...
Some of the best managers in the world have lasted no time at all at Chelsea... He was never going to win " hey Andre, do me a favour dump those wanker Chelsea heroes and build a team of flair and excitement". " no worries boss I have a 3 year plan" " Andre you have to drop them today"
I read that the most successfully Chelsea manager in recent history is Avram Grant...
All I am trying to say is that we heave a team of players that suit the AVB way, we will strengthen and we will move forwards.
Chelsea are a different animal, they play negative yet effective football and let's face it Di Mateo got lucky Drogba had 4 amazing games and lifted the team ( he's gone hasn't he!!! I give shiny suits less time than AVB.
I feel that AVB despite his tender years is tactically aware and that a good start will build momentum and if I were a Spurs player I would love to stick it up Chelsea players arse and show them up for what they are.
On a lighter note RVP hahahahaha Liverpool ( in general) hahahahaha I think 2nd is realistic unless fergie gets gng in the transfer tavern.
I don't see you endorsing AVB, rather you have just accepted the choice made by Levy. I am not holding out hope for a spectacular season so that way I won't be disappointed at the end of the season. Until I see how we lineup for the first few matches I am going to reserve my judgement on him however based on the first signing and the potentials lined up, I will say he is heading in the right direction.
Really do not understand the "he failed at chelsea, so how can he succeed anywhere else?" argument. He also absolutely bossed it at porto, taking a team that finished 3rd the season before (which is practically relegation equivalent in that league) and going on a huge unbeaten run, breaking records for goals scored and getting the treble. So could he "not fail" at chelsea then? Are you only as good as your last job, or is one failure enough to destroy you? are Scolari and Huudink now tainted forever? The job he was given at Chelsea was to transition them to attacking football, and by all accounts they refused. Any odd selections make sense from the perspective that some players were refusing to follow his leadership. Its worth remembering also that they players that were brought in for him to make this transition were based around the Torres signing...and Torres was awful...[Forget it, I can't be bothered to rehash this every time. If you don't like AVB, fine, but you better be F****** cheering and if we lose the first two in a row you still better be F******* cheering on the team, because I am sick of the fans being the teams worst enemy. Blackburn would not have gone down if their fans had got behind the team. remember that. And stop reading the sun/express/star; if we're top at christmas they'll stil be predicting a player exodus/revolt/misquoting the tea lady]
Also if you still miss Harry (and he gave us a lot, and was brilliant in many, many ways), think about this:
Last season was the best Harry could ever do for us. Why? because he refused to rotate. The collapse at the end was inevitable, because players were not rested. We had a relatively good season injury wise, we had a top striker that as a club we can't actually afford to buy, and the teams around us faltered. Cannot ask for more than that, but by playing favourites over systems and favourites over fitness he guaranteed a drop in form in the last third. AVB is a gamble, any change in stable management is. Could all implode. Could also take us to the mythical next level.
screw the newspapers esp the sun which i used to like and the express. the cack ive read over the past few days has turned me off them forever. a 10 year old would struggle to think up as many lies as those papers.
AVB in the job 18 hours and we sign sought after midfielder in Siggi who says he chose us over the scouse coz we are a club going places, quality! meanwhile wenger says he's confident rvp will stay and then 5 mins later rvp says hes outahere coz arsenal are a club not going anywhere! perfect day.
just scouted the goon blogs and on Le Grove RVP is getting an absolute pounding! lmfao
Enthralling piece Spooky I really enjoyed reading what can only be described as one of your best ever blogs, you nailed it mate. AVB is a fantastic appointment and is most certainly a step in the right direction for our club, and quite frankly I've been performing cartwheels ever since I heard the news that he joined. Now we can all look forward to the new campaign with a true sense of excitement, optimism and genuine expectation. When interviewed AVB comes across as a very sincere and knowledgable man and he seems more than capable of delivering the goods. He seems to understand the remit at hand and I for one will commend DL on taking such a proactive stance in order to allow THFC to realise our full potential. Audere est Facere. COYS!!!
@Bill C- Very good post.
i just saw a clip on youtube were i was looking at videos of avb press confrences and listening to people in the game managers pundits and ex players b4 his stint at chelsea and can honestly say im so excited that this appointment has bin made. i also read that he was in brazil and argentina after he got sacked scouting young and up coming players i.e ganso, oscar, damiao. also every player he has worked with including the racist captain from the chavs said how training sessions were unbeliveable and the ideas that come from avb are visionary and hopes he would be there manager for years to come but obviously he and the rest of the old guard were too old and slow to keep up with the managers attacking philosphy and quick playing style so i really do believe it was the wrong club for the brightest up and coming manager in world football. last of all i came across of a clip of mourinho telling the liverpool fans to shhh and couldnt help but smile and laugh it also made me close my eyes and invision avb doing the exact same thing when we beat the chavs. this summer looks like its gna be a good 1 and just cant wait for pre season watching the new spurs grow and bond then kick of the new campaign. the future is bright the future is lilly white with a hint of ginger. COYS
'the previous builder who at times didn't bother to plaster over the cracks in the wall preferring to stand outside enjoying the sunshine'
Thats poetry Spooks - thankyou for a heart felt article that nails every enlightened Yids feelings about our glorious club's future.
I absolutely brimming with enthusiasm right now. I think AVB will produce the goods, and soo antsy to see who he brings in. I wait in anticipation also for the pre-season games.
On a completely irrelevant but yet entertaining note.. Robin "No" Van Persie refuses to extend his contract with the cunts, because the cunts have no ambition. Something to that effect really. Never the less as I said before, it's fairly irrelevant considering big things are happening down at the Lane. Coys!
Spooky, this is an exceptional piece, amazing writing pal. This blog is an essential visit for any football fan. Can only say I wish there was a proper United blog like this.
If he cuts out the raincoats and the crouching, you've just hired the man that'll get you to that next level.
Whilst I'm here I'll ask for Modric too. Please? We'll give you Anderson...
Harry did a great job, but his time was up because
1. He has health problems.
2. The court case was a big distraction, Harry wasn't proven guilty court
but did he prove his innocence, I don't think so. It was embarrassing for Levy and
Spurs.
3. England job was a distraction. There was also if you were not good enough for England
you are not good enough for us.
4. Arsenal finishing a lucky 3rd on the last day. Harry couldn't close out a ten point advantage.
5. His relationship with the press was getting him into trouble. We were title contender on Monday,
lucky to finish forth on Tuesday. Sometimes he just needed to keep his mouth shut.
6. As a wheeler/dealer he was over rated, I think he can rate a premiership player, but the globally
I do not believe he was a manager who would attract big name players to the club.
7. He was tactically poor and he maximize his squad. He played his mates a little too much. He liked good older
players (Parker, Gallas) who are reliable and experienced, but with no resale value and with no long term planning.
8. He ran out of ideas, he brought spurs as far as he could, I thinks Spurs and Harry needed freshen up.
9. He had a good relationship with the players but not with Levy.
Harry did a great job, Spurs played great football, he made it interesting, in the end it was got too interesting and the football suffered. All the best Harry, You did it YOUR way. Thank you.
I hope AVB gets the time to do it his way.
avb won the europa league with porto, let's hope he can replicate that with us, we were the first english team to win the old cup winners cup and we can be the first english team to win the europa; that'll keep us in the history books forever and will far outweigh the revenue that we might have had froM another stint in the cl; afterall it's about the glory and not the money! COYS
AVB will do all hi did not do at chavski, think this is great by levy. i dont know what spurs will get, but he did things with porto, and he is not suddenly become a bad manager. i wished for him last year, but we opted for arry, and i almost wept. now 2 things, some one on here mentioned that arse was going to move to upton?? please dont say it is a bad joke. i hate that team so mutch, that it would be like x-mas x 2!!! and this lovely RVP news???? makes me smile all day long. oh and one off the best thing i have read from you, i still think "the 4 horsemen of the accopolyse"?? was better, i laughed in months of that. can you post it again, so i can copy it and hang it on my wall?? again this is great writing!!!
Great article spooks!!
The key for me at the outset is Levy.
He needs to sit the players down and remind them that they are professionals and that they shouldn't need to "play' for the manager but that they should just..play.
He needs to emphasize his commitment to AVB and the future direction of the club and coax the players to give the manager's new and likely radical regime a proper chance. As you pointed out, we already have a very talented squad of players. Adding fitness, tactical acumen and co-ordination will make them a better, more effective unit.
I always felt that Ramos brought these qualities with him but the lack of communication and possibly an adverse reaction to the strictness and high discipline that such methods require was by and large unpalatable to the players.
When Wenger first arrived at Arsenal, he went about changing the culture of the club and successfully managed to do so without alienating the senior players. He was helped by the influx of foreign players who were more amenable and used to such changes.
I really hope that that AVB is able to achieve the same. And as I pointed out at the outset, DL is the key to getting the players to stick with the program and give AVB a fair go.
thanks again spooky, well thought out piece. fully behind AVB as I would be with any new manager.
My only worry lies in whether those who go over the top with their expectations about next season, don't start calling for his head if / when the going gets tough. Hopefully we aim for 1st and a cup or two (privately) and also realise wherever we finish in the top six with european football again in season13/14, that, that is the key to long term growth. European football year after year.