A Familiar Old Story

As Spurs dispense with yet another manager, the club must now look to bring in their 6th permanent manager in the space of just 10 years. Daniel Levy’s next move will be the most important the club has made in many years, and must not be hurried.

Last time I wrote on here, I was looking forward to the football we could look to expect under our new manager, and in a neat, roundabout and oh-so-Spurs way, I now find myself writing about finding his replacement. There was a certain inevitability surrounding today’s breaking news on the future of our Head Coach, with a crestfallen André Villas-Boas admitting after the record 5-0 defeat at home to Liverpool, with none of his usual self-assuredness, that a decision on the future of his job was “not mine” to make. While many in the press, and of course supporters of our closest rivals, were eager to see him fail, to pick at his remains like vultures circling a wounded animal, a sizeable majority of Spurs fans have been supportive of their manager throughout his tenure. That may largely have had to do with a burning desire to prove the fans of a certain club on the Fulham Road wrong – they surely would come to regret their decision to sack him after such little time, while all along it had been the result of some bruised egos amongst the Chelsea dressing room and lack of patience from a bored Russian oligarch. Certainly, AVB’s record at Porto is still hard to argue with, and despite belittling remarks as to the quality and competitiveness of the Portuguese SuperLiga, winning the triple in one’s first season is no fluke. Yet after an initial promising season at White Hart Lane, narrowly missing out on the Champions League on the last day of the season, the pervading opinion now is that we are seeing a repetition of his failings at Chelsea; mainly that of a stubbornness to change and lack of a “Plan B” should the game call for a decisive change in approach. More worryingly for Spurs fans is that we are seeing history repeating itself within our club.

Andre Villas-Boas’ tenure as Spurs manager ended today following a run of poor form and off the back of a crushing 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool.

It seems an age ago that we were last talking about Juande Ramos, there are many parallels to be drawn in these scenarios, played out over a 5-year gap in the club’s history. If we look back to Autumn 2007, when Spurs lost 2-1 at home to Getafe in the UEFA Cup, the club had seen a poor set of results following perceived complacency from manager Martin Jol, with rumours of Jelly Babies as after training-snacks being one such example. In our pre-AVB scenario some 5 years later, many saw Harry Redknapp as taking his eye off the ball, with the glossy allure of the England manager’s job somewhat distracting him from his work at Spurs and seeing the team’s form collapse and drop out of Champions League contention. In both these cases, there was a shining beacon on the horizon; a suave, cultured European coach who had achieved fantastic European and domestic success; Juande Ramos of Seville, UEFA Cup and Copa del Rey winner, and of course André Villas-Boas, winner of the Portuguese domestic double and Europa League. In both cases, despite optimism abound and early successes, Ramos winning the League Cup in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Chelsea, and Spurs, largely driven by the individual brilliance of one Gareth Bale, finding superb form in the second half of the 2012/13 season, there was to be disappointment to follow. A terrible start to the 2008/09 season under Ramos saw Spurs achieve, what a certain Mr Redknapp will remind anyone who cares to listen, a meagre 2 points from the first 8 games of the season. The rest, as they say is history.

Harry Redknapp was brought in as a steadying influence and to arrest the club’s alarming form under Juande Ramos. Villas-Boas’ replacement ultimately faces a tougher task – qualification for the Champions League is a must.

Harry Redknapp was brought in as a steadying figure – a man manager who would make the underachieving, confidence-low yet talented Spurs players regain their sense of pride and passion, and fight their way out of what was undeniably relegation form. Spurs climbed to 8^th place by May of 2010, despite their abysmal start, and Redknapp went on to lead the club to their astounding, yet one and only foray into the giddy heights of the Champions League. In this sense, Redknapp far exceeded what was expected of him. The successor to AVB has a far tougher task on their hands, however, with qualification for the Champions League and a return to swashbuckling, attacking and fluid football being the main demands of both Spurs fans and Chairman Daniel Levy. Spurs have yet to find a long-term managerial solution to appease fans and the expectations of a club competing near the top end of the table. With £100m having been spent this summer and a director of football willing to travel the world to find top talent, the pressure will be high, not just on the new manager, but on Daniel Levy to make the right choice, and bring stability to our club once more. The Spurs faithful will be watching and waiting.

In a cruel twist of fate, as the dust settles following the club’s decision to sack our manager, the draw for the next round of the Europa League was made on the same day. Our opponents for the round of 32 stage of the competition? Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk of the Ukraine, managed by… Juande Ramos.

Match Preview: Must-Win at Reading?

Following what seemed like an endless international break with only the Spurs youth setup in the NextGen Series to satisfy fans’ craving (well worth a watch, by the way), Tottenham will resume their rather stop-start beginning to the season this Sunday with a short  trip west to Reading and the Madejski Stadium. Reading themselves have not had the most captivating start to the season, with their last league match at Sunderland being postponed, and coming on the back of a defeat at Stamford Bridge and a last-gasp draw against Stoke on the opening day. However, in the eyes of many, the pressure is already on Villas-Boas to deliver Spurs’ first win of the season after disappointing results against Norwich and West Brom, but is this game really a must-win, and should fans be expecting Spurs to take all three points?

Moussa Dembele had a near-instant impact with a debut goal 20 minutes into the second half against Norwich.

It is fair to say that Spurs’ results this season have been disappointing, if not for the quality of play on offer for long periods in these games. In their most recent fixture, Tottenham enjoyed a possession of 57% against Norwich, while against West Brom the previous weekend, Spurs had 10 shots on target, despite only finding the back of the net once through Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s deflected shot. These statistics are obviously meaningless without converting them into goals and points on the board, and that is precisely the task which Villas-Boas must address with some haste. Disappointingly, there were no starting berths for new signings Adebayor and Dembele, and the late signings of Dempsey and Lloris missing the registration deadline for the matchday squad list. The omissions were telling, as despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, there was little creativity in evidence from a central midfield pairing of Livermore and Sandro, and Defoe’s limited hold up play and aerial ability meaning there was little penetration into the final third of the pitch. The introduction of Dembele at half time in place of Sandro had an instant effect, the adept midfielder making effective, composed forward runs and finding the back of the net with a superb left-footed shot just 20 minutes into his White Hart Lane debut. Adebayor, we are led to believe, is still lacking match fitness following his summer in the wilderness training with the Manchester City youth squad, and has been on a high intensity program to prepare him for a return to first team football. It would be very surprising if Dembele and Adebayor were not to start the game on Sunday, and I for one am expecting this to be the case.

The return of Adebayor to first-team action would be an excellent tonic to Spurs’ poor early season form.

And what of Spurs’ other late summer signings? There was controversy recently as Hugo Lloris claimed Villas-Boas’ apparent assertion that the goalkeeper’s spot was Brad Friedel’s to lose was “not nice”, however given the American’s performance against Norwich, essential earning Spurs a point with some fantastic saves, it would be hard to disagree with this suggestion. Lloris is still young and will soon get his chance with a 41-year old player ahead of him, though after being first choice for club and country, his frustration is probably excusable at this early stage in his Spurs career. Clint Dempsey meanwhile, after being frozen out of the Fulham squad following his pursuit by Liverpool, may still be lacking match fitness, despite scoring for the USA just 36 seconds into their World Cup Qualifier against Jamaica last weekend. As a goal-scoring option off the bench, however, he would provide competition for Aaron Lennon should the game need turning in Tottenham’s favour late on. I would expect to see Lloris and Dempsey on the bench on Sunday.

Hugo Lloris faces a fight to oust Brad Friedel from the first-choice goalkeeper’s spot.

The remainder of the Spurs squad have had mixed performances so far. Friedel has arguably been fantastic in goal so far, earning Spurs the draw against Norwich, and defender Jan Vertonghen is looking to be settling in well, confident at the back as well as adept at playing up from the back. Kyle Walker, one of the star performers of the last season (my player of the season as well, for what it’s worth) hasn’t quite got up to speed yet, although an injury and quiet summer may have had something to do with this. Bale has been the key player for Spurs so far, providing a constant threat, looking composed and sharp, with Lennon on the opposite flank not providing the same goal threat, but always proving a challenge for opposition full backs to deal with. Midfield looks to be largely devoid of creativity, perhaps not surprising given the loss of Modric, and the competent but limited Livermore and Sandro in his place. Defoe again unfortunately looks to be a square peg in a round hole, poorly suited to leading a one man attack and holding up play at the top end of the pitch. It will be of little surprise if he sees out the rest of this season from the bench as an impact substitution. In my opinion, the building blocks for a fantastic squad are in place, but these players, and manager Villas-Boas, must be given time to allow the team gel. It shouldn’t be forgotten that this time last season, Spurs only had three points thanks to heavy defeats against the Manchester teams and a win at now-relegated 20th-place finishers Wolves – look how we did that season, pre-Harry-for-England debacle, obviously!

The team I’d expect to see is the one you see below. The defence, largely competent bar two silly late goals in the last two games, will remain the same. Dembele will come into midfield, replacing either Sigurdsson, or, more likely, Livemore. Adebayor will inevitably start the game, and is an absolute must. I think Lloris and Dempsey will have to sit it out on the bench for this one.

My predicted lineup for the game at Reading this Sunday. Dempsey may have to wait to get into the starting XI.

So, is this game really a must-win? I personally don’t think so. While a comprehensive victory would appease fans and show we have a fanastic set of players, at the minute, that is all they are. Villas-Boas must be given time to work with these players and forge the team and style of play he wants to see, which is no easy, overnight task. The season is still young, and as someone famously once said, “Don’t panic, Mr Mainwaring!”

Summer Transfers and Squad Overview

As the end of the transfer window draws close, it seems that Tottenham’s remaining transfer targets are becoming clear, and barring any unexpected twists and turns, all will hopefully be plying their trade at White Hart Lane by September 1st. I’ll be summarising the transfers made this summer, those still to come, and revisiting my previous article on AVB’s plans for Tottenham, and how these new transfers can fit into the system.

Ins and Outs so far

This summer has been one of significant transfer activity for Spurs, more than we have seen since perhaps the Ramos era. The first confirmed departures were that of Ryan Nelsen and Louis Saha, their short-term contracts expiring and being free to find other clubs (QPR and Sunderland respectively). Our Croatian contingent have all now left the club, with Niko Kranjcar moving to Dinamo Kiev for a fee reportedly in the region of £5m, Vedran Corluka following national coach Slaven Bilic to Lokomotiv Moscow, and of course, the protracted transfer of Luka Modric to Real Madrid finally being completed in the last week. Modric’s transfer fee is believed to be in the region of approximately £30-35m, including add-ons and performance bonuses, and will inevitably help to fund some of the more extravagant transfers that Daniel Levy had seemingly denied Redknapp of in his last year at the club. It must be said, however, that Modric was a stunningly good player – in my opinion, the most technically gifted I have ever personally seen – and replacing him will not be easy.

Club Captain and Legend Ledley King announced his expected retirement due to his ongoing injury troubles this summer, leaving the door open for a new central defensive partnership to be formed. To replace the outgoing King, Jan Vertonghen was signed from Ajax after being present at the Lane for the final game of the season. With one year left on his Ajax contract, the transfer fee is thought to be in the region of just £10m, and Spurs have surely made a shrewd acquisition of one of the most cultured and skilful defenders in European football. Defender Sebastien Bassong also left the club, signing for Norwich, and Steven Pienaar completed his return to Everton following a highly successful loan spell. Finally, attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson was snatched away from Liverpool after it looked like he would be reunited with ex-Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers, and Emmanuel Adebayor’s complicated move from Manchester City was completed, with his previous club thought to be part financing the deal to allow Spurs to afford his wages.

New signing Gylfi Sigurdsson in action against West Brom.

Jermaine Jenas, David Bentley, and Michael Dawson are all free to leave the club this summer, although the latter appears reluctant to leave. Tom Huddlestone has also been linked with a loan move to regain match fitness following his long-term injury last season. The arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor appears to have cast Jermain Defoe’s future into doubt, and fans’ favourite Rafael Van der Vaart continues to be linked with a return to Hamburg, and while a move doesn’t seem likely, there has been plenty of speculation that for the right money, the club would be willing to accept an offer.

Further incomings

Transfers for more big names appear to have been coming to the fore within the last week. Lyon have confirmed they have accepted an offer for 25-year old goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who has been pursued by Spurs throughout the summer. First choice for both club and country, signing Lloris would be a major coup for Tottenham, and would also be perfectly timed to allow Brad Friedel to see out his final year at Spurs before retirement. Also near completion is a deal for Fulham’s Belgian midfielder Moussa Dembele, with Fulham also confirming an offer from Tottenham being accepted. Dembele, while not a direct Modric replacement, has all the qualities to shine at Spurs, having great skill on the ball, a fair bit of pace about him, as well as possessing good defensive traits and closing down opposition players well. Finally, it appears that Shakhtar Donetsk forward Willian is close to a move to White Hart Lane, with the clubs currently thought to be close on a transfer figure for the Brazilian international. Skilful with both feet and on either flank, Willian would provide essential backup and competition for Lennon and Bale on the wings, as well as adding an additional goal threat.

Moussa Dembele in action for Fulham against Manchester United last weekend.

The System

So, what have we seen so far at Spurs under AVB? In preseason, it appeared to very much be a case of experimentation, information gathering and giving all the players a chance to prove their worth. Most interestingly, there appeared to be a clear pattern of using a 4-2-3-1 type formation, with two of the central midfielders dropping deep, and the third playing in behind a striker. This is a contrast from the more orthodox 4-3-3 system used by AVB at Porto which I discussed previously. With Jermain Defoe playing alone up front, this was clearly never going to be particularly successful, as preseason results showed, but seemed a system tailor made for a player in the Adebayor mould. Another interesting point was that these positions were not fixed, with players changing positions and roles between and during games. Sigurdsson in particular showed a real versatility in playing both deep and attacking midfield roles. In the first two fixtures of the season against Newcastle and West Brom, we have seen a more familiar setup, with Sandro and Livermore playing deep, and one of Van der Vaart or Sigurdsson playing in the attacking midfielder’s position. In the absence of Luka Modric, there was no out-and-out playmaker in the squad, as often favoured by AVB, although Sigurdsson did show a wide range of passing and attacking play. While impressive in defence and possession, it was in hold-up play at the top end of the field, and creativity in the centre of midfield that were ultimately lacking and prevented Spurs converting their control of the games into goals. The introduction of Adebayor and Dembele into the lineup would undoubtedly inject these qualities into the team, and the way the squad lines up against Norwich this weekend could be very interesting indeed. The 4-2-3-1 system looks to be the favoured approach this season, although as in preseason, I think we could expect less strict roles for the midfield players and a lot of rotation.

Jan Vertonghen nearly scores a late winner against West Brom.

What can we look forward to?

The signings of Vertonghen, Sigurdsson, Adebayor, Dembele, Lloris and Willian completely change the complexion of the Spurs team. A young and highly talented central defensive partnership of Vertonghen and Kaboul can start to mature, with both already international standard players. Vertonghen’s ball-playing qualities in particular will hopefully mean we see a lot less of the “hoofing it” approach to defensive play. Adebayor has shown his abilities and value to the team last season with his 17 goals and 11 assists in the league, and will provide the essential hold up play and draw opposition defenders out of position, in turn allowing the creativity of Sigurdsson and Dembele to provide further goal scoring chances. Hugo Lloris can make the number 1 shirt his own for many years to come, and Willian providing the backup for Lennon and Bale will mean Spurs are still dangerous down the wings when either of these two are injured. In general, despite the odd doubter, many fans are pleased with how the “AVB system” has worked. Our defence our playing the high line well, with possession being retained well all the way from the back four. Our midfield has looked exciting and dynamic, with the opposition not being given any time or space on the ball thanks to the pressing tactics employed by AVB, and the prospect of their link up play with Adebayor still to come. Although an oft-overused phrase, we all know the importance of playing the “Tottenham Way”, and few could deny that our football has been very easy on the eye so far this season, despite results not going our way.

Potential lineup for this season following the conclusion of all transfer activity.

This needn’t be all that happens as regards transfer activity. As Spurs fans know, Daniel Levy is a canny businessman who has often made surprise signings from the blue on deadline day, with Van der Vaart’s transfer in the summer of 2010 being a fine example. Even with the addition of Adebayor, Spurs still look a little light upfront. It has been suggested in some quarters that the likes of a late move for AVB’s star striker at Porto, Radamel Falcao, could still happen, or a potential resurrection of the stalled deal to bring Internacional striker Leandro Damiao. One thing is for sure, the next couple of games could be very interesting indeed…

AVB’s Tottenham

With the formal announcement yesterday of Andre Villas-Boas’ installation as Spurs’ new Head Coach (raising the likelihood of a return to the continental system, incidentally), many supporters’ thoughts have turned to what sort of style of play and line-ups we can expect to see next season. While never really that successful at Chelsea (see my previous post), the “AVB system” at Porto was a brilliant success, and one which made him one of the hottest properties in football just 12 months ago. So what is this system, how was it implemented at Porto and Chelsea, and how might it work at Spurs?

Andre Villas-Boas was officially unveiled as Spurs manager yesterday.

The basics

Villas-Boas is a big advocate of possession football, in the most basic terms. He expects his sides to retain possession, in order to frustrate the opposition and make them resort to route one-type play. Creative midfielders that can orchestrate the play and pick out key passes are central to this system, and can be seen in his two biggest and most protracted signings (or attempts) in Moutinho for Porto, and Tottenham’s own Modric at Chelsea. The 4-3-3 system is used, with three midfielders, typically one ballwinning, one creative, one “box-to-box”, two pacy wingers with a good shot on them, and a single goal poaching striker up front. Attacking fullbacks will often overlap and get forwards with the reduced playing area ahead of them working in their favour.

When not in possession, the back line is pushed forwards and high up the pitch. This literally makes the playing area of the pitch smaller for the opposition, with all team members expected to then press the players in possession to regain control of the ball. This is a key aspect, and obviously requires two main attributes – players with a lot of stamina who can carry on this high-tempo style for the full 90 minutes, and quick defenders who can make up a lot of ground should a ball be played through into the space behind them. This last point is arguably one of the main factors in his failures at Chelsea.

At Porto

AVB had just one season at Porto but won three trophies, an amazing achievement for any manager. There were some players of immense quality already in the squad when Villas-Boas arrived, Radamel Falcao being a prime example, but the Portuguese wasted no time in bringing in players who he believed were essential for his system. Moutinho, mentioned above, was identified by AVB as his midfield playmaker, despite being an established player at Lisbon giants Sporting. A protracted and bitter transfer saga erupted, which led to Moutinho eventually forcing through a €10m move and being described as a “rotten apple” by the Sporting top brass. While not the most pleasant of stories, it shows how important AVB saw this role, and how clear he must have made his desire to get his top transfer target to those in charge of the finances at Porto.

Creative midfielder Joao Moutinho was key to AVB’s system at Porto.

The AVB system paid dividends, and within 12 months of his arrival Porto had won the Portuguese League and Cup double, as well as the Europa League, with striker Falcao the tournament’s top goalscorer. It was little surprise, therefore, when he was snapped up by Chelsea as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement.

At Chelsea

In a replication of his major transfer saga on joining Porto, Chelsea soon made moves to sign Tottenham’s Luka Modric as the playmaker in Villas-Boas’ system. Despite a lengthy, public and rather bitter struggle, Spurs chairman Levy held his nerve and rebuffed all approaches for Modric. Frank Lampard, more often playing in a role further forward for Chelsea, was often shoehorned into this position instead, with little success. Also brought in by Villas-Boas with the now-huge funds at his disposal were the creative and hugely talented Juan Mata, powerful and pacy forward Romelu Lukaku, and midfielder Raul Meireles, formerly of Porto himself. Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge were employed as AVB’s wide forwards, often with limited effect as neither were out-and-out wingers. As it became apparent that John Terry’s physical abilities were somewhat lacking and very prone to expoitation from balls being played into the space behind him (as realised by Terry himself as he started playing further back and therefore crippling AVB’s system), Gary Cahill was quickly snapped up in the January transfer window, but by then, most of the damage had been done, and Villas-Boas was out of a job by March.

At Spurs

So, the question now is, how will this system work at Spurs? We have already seen fleeting glances of the 4-3-3 last season, with Van der Vaart and Bale playing alongside Adebayor upfront in the absence of Lennon through injury, with Parker, Sandro and Modric as the midfield three. However, Van der Vaart may be forced to drop deeper in AVB’s system and sit with the midfield as he does for the Dutch national side. With the expected retirement of Ledley King and arrival of cultured centre back Jan Vertonghen from Ajax, we could expect to see a young, defensive pairing of Kaboul and Vertonghen establish themselves this season. Lennon and Bale would be the obvious choice for wingers in this system, though the potential arrival of Loic Remy from Marseille or Hulk from Porto could see Lennon’s position under threat. Parker and Sandro should see plenty of game time, and even the likes of the returning Huddlestone and Jenas could well see themselves in Villas-Boas’ plans. Assou-Ekotto and especially Walker are ideal attacking fullbacks for the system, with Naughton and Smith highly touted players for the future in these positions. The striker situation is less clear, with Defoe lacking in form and game time of late, Adebayor’s future still not certain, and no other strikers currently on Tottenham’s books. Hugo Lloris remains a possibility as a long-term replacement for the ageing Brad Friedel, and while Luka Modric’s exit is looking increasingly likely this summer, past form has told us that Villas-Boas will move heaven and Earth to get his man in midfield, with previous Porto signing Joao Moutinho looking a distinct possibility. With Spurs chairman Levy reportedly ready to open the chequebook to the tune of £50m, AVB should certainly have the resources to implement his system this season. How he will fare regarding results remains to be seen.

How Spurs may line up next season should Vertonghen, Moutinho and Lloris sign for the club.

Redknapp, Villas-Boas and the Future

If one was to believe what a lot of the British sports press are currently writing about Spurs, you’d think the club was in crisis, and our chairman was about to follow up one disastrous managerial decision with another. I am, of course, referring to the sacking of Harry Redknapp, and the expected imminent announcement of Andre Villas-Boas as his replacement. The club’s senior management has been accused of expecting too much and having ideas well above their station, being dissatisified with the club’s 4th, 5th and 4th place finishes under Redknapp’s tenure. Fair enough, you might say, Harry did do very well given the limited spending power Tottenham have compared to the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs. True, Daniel Levy is a very ambitious chairman, and recent successes in the league have similarly raised fans’ expectation. But is this the whole story?

While many Spurs supporters were left shocked or surprised by the decision to sack Redknapp, there has, over the last year, been a growing contingent of supporters who have grown unhappy with Redknapp and positively welcomed the news. Some were never satisfied with him – he was seen as not ready for a big club, had won nothing but one FA Cup with Portsmouth, and dogged by the rather unfair “wheeler dealer” tag that seemed to follow him everywhere. While helping Tottenham avoid relegation in his first season was a necessity, achieving Champions League qualification with the fantastic run of games at the end of the 09/10 season was by no means the work of a chancer who struck it lucky. Additionally, the marvellous start to this season was nothing short of brilliant, with arguably Redknapp’s best signing in Scott Parker playing a pivotal role in this period. It quickly became apparent, however, that this run was drawing the attention of a number of commentators who quickly crowned Redknapp as Fabio Capello’s natural successor to the England job. Following the rather uncanny timing of Capello’s sacking and Redknapp’s being cleared of tax evasion on one crazy day in February, many Spurs fans expected their manager to be gone by the summer, with Redknapp refusing to rule himself out, but promising his focus would remain on Spurs. Any doubters seemed to be quickly silenced by a crushing 5-0 victory over Newcastle. Unfortunately, any optimism in the Spurs camp quickly evaporated, as the team then went on a terrible run that saw just two wins in the league before Redknapp watched his dream job get handed to Roy Hodgson in early May. Redknapp refused to accept his attentions had been drawn away from Spurs by the prospect of this job, or that the team had suffered as a result of the ambiguity around his future. Others were not as convinced. A horrible evening in Munich meant that Spurs had once again failed to get an invite to Europe’s top table, and the fans were left to ponder on what could possibly have happened, with their side at one stage holding a 13-point lead in 3rd place over their rivals from the other end of the Seven Sisters Road, who eventually leapfrogged Spurs to the final Champions League spot.

The timing of Capello’s sacking and the conclusion of Redknapp’s court case could not have been more coincidental or contentious.

Redknapp’s failure to hold on to the now-infamous “Mind The” 13-point gap was a catastrophic event in itself, but his actions at the end of the season would be even more destructive. Redknapp realised his job was not secure, with only one year remaining on his contract, and many in Spurs’ hierarchy growing tired of his public demands to enter contract talks. Redknapp’s claim that a lack of clarity on his future could affect the Spurs players was met with more than a few raised eyebrows, given that only months earlier he dismissed the idea that the speculation linking him with the England job would affect his team as “the biggest load of nonsense I have ever heard”. Paul Stretford, Wayne Rooney’s agent who negotiated his reported £250,000-a-year contract in the most acrimonious circumstances, was brought in by Redknapp, presumably to put the squeeze on the Spurs chairman, demanding a pay rise and a new 3-year deal. In the same week that one of the most tough-negotiating chairmen in football buried his mother, the timing could not have been worse. Deadlock ensued, Redknapp was quickly dismissed, and, all things considered, understandably so.

This brings us round to the expected appointment of Villas-Boas as Spurs manager sometime this week. The press, being fans of Redknapp, also reserve a lot of criticism for his probable replacement thanks to his brief spell in charge at Chelsea. This hardly seems fair, given the considerable success he enjoyed while in charge at Porto, and the significant endorsement he receives from another press favourite and ex-Chelsea man, Jose Mourinho. Roman Abramovitch has never been noted for his patience, and AVB seemed no exception to this rule, being sacked after less than a season in which the widely touted “project” was given such little time to succeed. In fact, Villas-Boas left Chelsea in 5th place – they dropped a place and eventually finished the league in 6th place under Di Matteo. Of course, the other figures Villas-Boas had to contend with were his own players – the triumvirate of Lampard, Terry and Drogba who appeared to be poorly-suited for Villas-Boas’ system of play, and very sceptical of its merits. Also, despite protestations to its validity by many in the Chelsea camp, one can imagine that Villas-Boas’ age rankled with these more experienced members of his squad.

Harry Redknapp and his likely successor at White Hart Lane, Andre Villas-Boas.

Would AVB face these issues at Spurs? Many outsiders and detractors believe so, with a number of Spurs fans extremely wary of another decorated European manager after the disaster that was the Ramos era. But a look at Spurs’ squad in the most basic aspects would suggest otherwise. Are Spurs a young team? The likes of Bale and Walker certainly are, with most of the squad still well under the age of 30, so AVB’s age needn’t an issue. What about the style of play of our side? Again, the likes of Bale, Lennon, Parker, Van der Vaart and Sandro are all highly energetic players who could press opposition players fantastically well high up the pitch. Finally, returning to Redknapp, a frequent criticism from supporters was his perceived lack of tactical nous and attention to detail. Villas-Boas is, in this sense, the antithesis of Redknapp’s management style, and I for one look forward to seeing our players receiving this sort of tactical discipline.

Exciting times are ahead this summer for Spurs fans. Have faith, back AVB, support the team, and enjoy the ride. I’ll see you at the Lane.