Waving a mangerial magic wand won't fix Tottenham

Prolific Spurs goalscorer  and former coach Clive Allen seems to have a lot to say for himself at the moment forever popping up in the media with quotes it seems. Today it's Daniel Levy.

"He's a businessman, an incredible businessman, but no, I don't think he is a football man in all honesty.

"Those decisions have come back time and time again to haunt him. It's a very expensive squad and someone has to be answerable for that.

"It's so bitterly disappointing the squad has finished sixth this season and the squad of players in all honesty, are not competitive with the top four teams. A decision was made that a new direction had to be found and I just wonder what that direction is."

Everyone is looking round for answers, reasons, excuses why Tottenham have gone backwards and could only finish a remote 6th.

Do you blame the strategy, do you blame the managers. Is it as bad as it looks or is this a blip? Are the players average or are they quality?

There can be no one reason for failure but looking for scapegoats is not the answer, it would achieve nothing. The only thing that matters is how we go forward, how do we turn this situation around?

To replace a world class player we bought one who we thought had the potential to be a world class player, yet he had reportedly been injured virtually the whole season it seems.

Is Erik Lamela's problem that he can't speak the language well enough, is it that he feels lonely, is it that he isn't ready for a faster league than he is used to, is he as good as we thought or with Italian football in sharp decline did he just stand out in a poor league.

A sportsman who is a winner is single minded. He does what it takes to be successful, he trains to improve himself everyday regardless of the situation around him because his long term goal is to be the best he can be. That takes a mental determination that not everyone has, it takes a winning mentality.

We have had and we have players with that mentality but crucially, we don't have enough of them. If you are a quality player with that winning mentality you surround yourself with like minded people. If you want to be a success you associate with successful people.


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Players come to Spurs and they don't see that mentality, at least not in enough players. Until that changes they are only ever going to stay for a short period before they move to a club they feel has more of the right type of player to give themselves the best chance of winning things.

How many of our players have conducted themselves in a manner that says I'm a winner, how many have put the everyday effort in on the training field, how many have run to the media looking for excuses and trying to blame someone else for their own failings?

A winner doesn't make excuses, they change things themselves. If they are not in the team for instance they work extra hard in training to show they should be in the starting XI, crying to the media simply says I'm not a winner. it's not my fault, blame someone else.

Tottenham need to seriously look at their recruitment systems. It is utterly essential that a player is analysed mentally before being bought. You need to know how they will react to adversity, will it make them stronger or weaker?

Berbatov, Modric, Bale, they all left Spurs because Spurs didn't have enough winners in their ranks. They weren't surrounded by people who would do what it takes to be the best they can be and be successful so they left.

Had we had the right recruitment policy and gathered a group of winners then we wouldn't have lost all of them, they could have fulfilled their goals with us, except for Bale's desire to play for Real Madrid that is.

But that tells you a story itself, that tells you the difference between a winner and a loser. Joining Real Madrid didn't just fall into his lap by accident. He has worked his whole life to achieve it. He has trained to acquire skills others don't have. There are countless players who can run at speed but very few who can do what he can do and put in a high quality cross along the 6 yard line while still sprinting.

That doesn't come about by luck, that takes determined practice, moving the ball both ways from a free-kick takes practice, nobody else could do it. Why would someone with that mental strength, that mental desire to win, to be the best they can be, to constantly improve to achieve their personal goals, stay at Spurs with a bunch of players who expect someone else to drag them along to winning something?

Christian Eriksen is displaying that same desire at the moment, having to be dragged off the training field, married to football, at Tim Sherwood put it. A few players need to take a good long hard look in the mirror. The skills to become a winner can be acquired but only by people who truly decide they want to be the best they can be, it won't work for those playing lip service to it.

The club needs players with that attitude, with Bale's attitude, if it doesn't sort that problem out then we won't be winning anything any time soon.

Criticise Sherwood's style all you want but working with the players day to day he could see the winners from the losers, now we start all over again, a new manager, a new approach, new ideas, new system, looking for the quick fix.

Unfortunately the quick fix approach is just the attitude we don't need, papering over cracks doesn't make cracks go away.

Daniel Levy does have a plan, a strategy, a long term goal he is working towards to make this club successful. He has to find the right man to do that, that hasn't happened yet and is unlikely to happen unless we improve our recruitment policy.

We have just got rid of a winner and the favourite to take over, Mauricio Pottechino has never won a thing as a manager, all he has done is improve sides to mid table. Word is that Joe Lewis wants him though, I just wonder how many of these managerial selections have been down to Joe Lewis, I doubt they have all been Daniel Levy's choice.

What the new man is effectively being asked to do is, here take these bunch of talented players who can't be bothered and win something with them, if you can't I'll sack you.

It's an appealing offer!

Roll up, roll up, who wants to try their luck, you sir, three shots and you win the lady a prize. Unlucky, sorry sir better luck next time.

Should we really continue trying to turn ourselves into winners by treating it as a fairground game. It's not about having fun, it's about winning, Tottenham haven't grasped that yet.

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