I do enjoy a good episode of Dad's Army
I do enjoy a good episode of Dad's Army
I do enjoy a good episode of Dad's Army but do our fans seriously have to impersonate Lance Corporal Jones?
For those of you who have not seen the classic British Comedy, Lance Corporal Jones runs around in circles, twisting and turning shouting, "Don't Panic, Don't Panic" while panicking in any stressful situation.
That sums up our fanbase to me.
Tottenham are on an upward curve, but like any periodic climb, it isn't a smooth continual upward curve. There were always going to be dips along the way. Take the random example below, something to do with Japan and chocolate.
The trend is upward, but it isn't a smooth line.
Should you panic at every down point?
Should you change things at every dip?
No.
You have a plan and you follow your plan, some dips you ride, some you tweak because you are constantly assessing.
BUT, you don't start making wholesale changes and start again, you naturally evolve.
The major issue at Tottenham at the moment is the same as it has always been, mentality. The Tottenham squad are not winners, mentally, they are aspiring winners and that isn't the same.
Throw into that mix that Serge Aurier and Christian Eriksen wanted to leave in the summer and are not committed to Pochettino's project, thus can't give their best consistently.
Throw in Jan Vertonghen in the last year of his contract and in dispute over the length of a new one, Toby Alderweireld in the last year of his too and you have two more players, who, to a lesser extent than the aforementioned pair, are not totally committed thus can't give their ultimate best, the subconscious doesn't allow it.
Throw in Victor Wanyama (responsible for the defeat by Leicester City) who we couldn't shift who isn't good enough, plus the injuries we have had, have (Giovani Lo Celso) and players returning from injury of medium to long-term length and there are plenty of factors that affect our current performance.
Then there is Danny Rose who looked to leave because he wants more money, but nobody would pay it, nobody would pay what Alderweireld asked, indeed they all wanted to pay him less than he is getting now and it is he who has refused to double his wages, not Tottenham refusing to offer him increases.
For a guy to be outside the ground selling Poch Out banners is just plain stupid. People on social media think they have no affect on clubs and players, again, a plain stupid notion, clearly they do.
Poch out stems from so-called supporters, who are really clueless fans not club supporters, they aren't supporting the club at all, they are actively working against it. The media now is full of lazy journalists and click hungry website throe out any content for advertising revenue, thus spread the word of idiots on Twitter as news.
What happens, all the mainstream press read blogs related to that field and rework and repost such nonsense. The big nationals then pick up information from there are run it, it gets discussed on TV and we are back to everyone talking on Twitter and social media.
Social media matters today.
If you support the club, it is your responsibility to act in support of the club. Helpful advice rather than constant criticism is the order of the day. You are not in the pub, you are shouting to the world.
If you want change, then exactly what change do you want?
What do you want it changed for, to whom?
To simply shout for change for the sake of it is pretty dumb and no Levy Out shouter can tell you what they want him changed for, none of them know!
What do you want it changed for, to whom?
To simply shout for change for the sake of it is pretty dumb and no Levy Out shouter can tell you what they want him changed for, none of them know!
The only offer they make (Sugar Daddy) is illegal in today's game under Financial Fair Play regulations.
But back to Pochettino and the tam.
We are ahead of schedule by a couple of years, reaching a Champions League Final was never on the agenda this early, yet just a few months later you are all panicking and some fools calling for change!
It's nuts.
What Pochettino called for was a new medium to long-term project, given four years of Champions League football and the added kudos of a Champions League final.
We are embarked on that, the purchases Pochettino wanted were made, only one has really played yet, the other two have never been fully fit.
A couple of months into that people want to panic and make wholesale changes. No.
We have to continue to evolve and work out how to best manage the difficulty of Eriksen, Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Aurier and the knock-on effect that has on the squad.
We need Foyth back to develop at right-back, we need Lo Celso fit and integrated into the team. We are not a million miles away from being the side who can rack up win after win.
We showed against Crystal Palace that it is there, we showed against Bayern Munich we can live at that level, if you look at the game.
We showed against Crystal Palace that it is there, we showed against Bayern Munich we can live at that level, if you look at the game.
Yes, I know the scoreline but 3 of those were after players had stopped and we had all attackers on the field rather than a balanced side. We chased and it backfired, so what, it's just three points. It is a blip, a ake up call to some. The scoreline revolved around 5 minutes and us continuing to play open that's all.
Perhaps those wanting away and in dispute will be embarrassed, perhaps it will stir them to look at themselves, I don't know, but a psychologist would find out!
People don't sell players in January so it will be next summer before we can bring in further players, but then they will have to learn our system just as this summers new recruits have to. Instant integration and performing at their best from the word go is the utopia that rarely happens.
Spurs are in the Top 6, above Chelsea, above Manchester United, one point off fourth and three points off third. We are still one of the two favourites to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League.
The world hasn't ended people.
Chill out a little and get behind the club, get behind the manager. Now is the time to show what a true supporter you are.
Individual errors are costing us at the moment.
I wrote this article this morning and have just listened to Mauricio Pochettino's press conference in which he had to fend off the expected idiotic questions about his future and keep telling the press that there is no drama.
The press and fans are simply overreacting, the professionals are not.
It was rather insulting to Brighton that they weren't asked about at all and indeed there was only one real question about the game and even that was more about certain players having to show the world they are behind the manager.
That shows the press agenda, they are only interested in creating false stories and blowing everything out of proportion to give them something to write about and earn off.
Thre is no drama, there is no crisis.
I wrote this article this morning and have just listened to Mauricio Pochettino's press conference in which he had to fend off the expected idiotic questions about his future and keep telling the press that there is no drama.
The press and fans are simply overreacting, the professionals are not.
It was rather insulting to Brighton that they weren't asked about at all and indeed there was only one real question about the game and even that was more about certain players having to show the world they are behind the manager.
That shows the press agenda, they are only interested in creating false stories and blowing everything out of proportion to give them something to write about and earn off.
Thre is no drama, there is no crisis.
COYS
5 comments
Nice to see you back btw. You were missed, and positive healing thoughts continue to be sent your way.
COYS!!
Seriously though, I do find both performances worrying. I think Clive is right that we should recognise it as an issue rather than the end of the club as we know it, but nevertheless it is a serious issue that needs to be redressed, and soon.
I believe Poch is the man to do it, and I further think Clive's often repeated advice to bring in professional mentality coaches is certainly called for, but it is a problem and just that. I don't see it being the beginning of the end. Simply a very poor chapter that I hope is a short one and a prelude to better things to come.
COYS!!