A fine outcome to the City game soothed our troubled emotions, a welcome relief from recent struggles. A point! A home point! Yes, it has come to this, but I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get behind the team. The fans’ effort matched that of the players and most of the South Stand stayed to applaud them off.
It was heartening to see spirit, guts and taking the game to our opponents pays dividends. Xavi arrives as proper Spurs. He’s taken stock, inhaled deeply and told himself, right, this is what the Premier League is all about and I’m up for it. I’m Xavi Simons and I will show them all how good I am. And he is. Solanke ran himself senseless for the team, he’s a focal point, target man and finisher. The whole shape looks better with him in the team. I like his close control and ability to nick a fraction ahead of his marker.
Gallagher I like a lot too. He drives the team forwards, makes himself available, is fearless and shows the others the way. His assist was a template for the games ahead, winning the ball through sheer determination then delivering a sweet centre. More please.
The TOMM mantra is always enjoy a win, or in this case a vitally important comeback that hopefully injects some much needed momentum into the tricky games ahead. Optimism has been in short supply lately so let’s take it where we can. However, let nobody pretend this addresses the chronic problems facing the club. My last piece articulated my assessment of the situation so I won’t go over well-trodden ground again but the relative inaction during the transfer window may provide further clues to the short-term future.
Thomas Frank came with a reputation for sound organisation, tactical nouse and as a man-motivator. We’ve seen none of this at Spurs, where he seems out of his depth. The Burnley match served as a further indictment of his methods. Once again, he took an overly cautious approach to a game against the bottom side but to be fair, three at the back doesn’t have to be negative and in the first half, it enabled us to get forward frequently. Once under pressure, however, the tactics crumbled and the defensive unit appeared to have not been introduced to each other, let alone work together. Frank’s adjustments to tactics don’t work because the side are not clear about their basic approach in the first place, unlike his time at Brentford where he had years to instil his methods into his players.
To be fair to him, the injury toll would be nigh on impossible for any coach to manage. Much criticism has been directed at the medical staff, most recently by Romero at least by implication. Yet I thought we totally revamped this side of our operations this season. We will probably never know what’s been going on behind the scenes but the medics don’t work in isolation. They treat problems, caused variously by bad luck, over-playing and/or coming back too soon when not fully recovered from an injury.
Which brings us back to the squad and the transfer window. If most players are fit, we can select a decent side but the lack of cover in certain areas, such as full-back, leads to overwork and the lack of alternatives creates real problems. Porro has been run into the ground. However, the window has brought little cover or comfort. The club appear unwilling to invest in premier league ready players at this point. They have been busy hoovering up teenage talent from other clubs, including Wilson from Hearts and youngsters from West Ham and Chelsea, but this neglects the here, now and next season for that matter. The club hierarchy stated their aim to be competing on all fronts but this laudable intention isn’t supported by the reality of our recruitment policy, in a context where our league position and form is dire. It feels like the hierarchy are in denial, pretending our lousy form is just a blip, not a structural fault.
Legitimate questions follow. One, why can’t our vaunted revamped recruitment team, stuffed with analysts high on data and led by Lange find any players? Two, why sell our top goalscorer without securing a replacement? Three, that £150m pumped into the club last year – what exactly is that for, because it does not seem to be available for players. History tells us the answer is that Tottenham owners first and foremost safeguard their investment. I hope I’m wrong.
And of course, four, how long can the manager stay in his position? Again, the team’s league position and form do not appear to be the key factors in this decision. My interpretation is the board, including the owners and Venai, counted on this season being one of consolidation. In this scenario, Frank is seen as a safe pair of hands, a force for stability, and maybe we’d get a decent run in the cups. By May 2026, the board would have a better idea of what they needed to do, their preference being to help Frank build his side gradually and allow him to come to terms with the demands of managing Spurs. Essentially this is how Venai approached his work at Arsenal, and look where they are now.
But this is Tottenham. However much the board would wish to turn a deaf ear, the hoofbeats of history thunder up on the inside track and they have been overtaken by a series of unanticipated problems. The manager’s not up to it, the squad are weak in key areas and injuries have taken their toll. Team morale falls as fast as our league position. Players didn’t sign up for a relegation battle. The board are unprepared. If they wish to sack Frank, there are no ready made caretakers within the club or approachable outside candidates. Also, a sacking so soon after his appointment means the owners and CEO would lose face. Further, Lange and Frank are close, so there is a big investment there.
I suspect their current plan is to see this through to the end of the season. They do not wish to invest large sums on players at this point because they are already thinking ahead to the summer and what a new man could bring, a summer when Pochettino, Alonso and Ariola, to name but three, could be available. Given our league form, there are inherent risks in that strategy that do not bear thinking about, except I do think about them, every time our defence evaporates, our keeper flaps or when Solanke or VDV go down injured. Fine margins protect us.
And so we stagger on through another set of problems. Nothing changes, especially the promise of changes. Prefacing this with a big for what it’s worth, I saw Vivienne Lewis recently at a performance of The Ghost of White Hart Lane, a play by Martin Murphy intertwining the life of John White with his son’s search for his father’s character, based on the book by Rob White and Julie Welch. I didn’t speak with her, but a couple of fans who did, like me fellow sceptics, said she understood and valued the club’s history, and has a genuine feeling for the club. The previous regime would never have appeared in a small public gathering like this and sat chatting amongst the punters in a cosy bar.
I try to remain optimistic, but like you, I remember the days, not so long along go, when we cut teams apart with two or three passes, just like City did in the first half. A world away now, as the best we can hope for is staggering on.
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TOTTENHAM ON MY MIND 
Brilliant insights and writing. So sad but regretfully so true…….
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fact is same team struggled last season so no matter what manager comes in this squad not good enough or not care. Seem to lack motivation, to perform for 90 minutes each game apart from CL, so do many players have the same mentality as last season at this point, forget the league, do just enough to survive and focus solely on Europe?? Until we get knocked out we hope we not fighting relegation by then. Anyone would think the Lewis family, Lange, Frank and Vinai were Arse supporters the way the lack of ambition past two windows. Lange needs to go, Villa fans were pleased to see him leave as he works too slow and only on one player at a time apparently. He had since May of last year to get Son replacement into squad but still nobody even mentioned this window, unless Semenyo was the only choice but he stated very early he wanted City or Liverpool. No idea why Paratici stayed if we were not buying anyone. Frank needs time, we conceded too much last year so trying to prevent that this year, although failing, was first and foremost, although we have kept more clean sheets at this point, but if you are not given tools to do a job, makes it a lot tougher. We argue we not playing our free flowing footy that THFC adheres to, but how can we without attacking players, no creativity as either injured or sold/not replaced. I do believe a lot is mentality of these players, can it be coincidence that we have only won one game were the other team scored, 2-1 v Leeds, every other victory was clean sheets, including cup wins. Is there a block there that if opponent scores some players don’t believe they can win, best get a draw? We also start too slow or can’t play good for 90 mins, how many good or better halfs have we seen this season, especially second half but we chasing two goal deficit by then. Also 3 seasons in a row, THREE, that we have badly struggled with injuries to main players in main positions, again coincidence or due to lack of depth due to bad recruitment. Any team get as many injuries as we have and will struggle. Any manager would too.
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Keep repeating the same actions and expecting different outcomes is a definition of madness but lets do it anyway. That seems to be the guts of the piece. After replacing Mourinho, Conte and Postecoglou and still ending up in much the same place firing yet another manager seems pointless and useless. If that’s your answer it must be a pretty stupid question.
There’s a repeating pattern when fans or sports writers talk about transfer windows. Every piece should start “Let’s pretend there are lots of players out there who are available, affordable, fit our system and are desperate to play for Spurs. We won’t name any of them of course.” Obviously that’s not how the stuff is written, but that’s the reality.
I do get fed up with the “I want my Tottenham back” mantra. I’ve been regularly going to games since the late 70s. In that time we’ve never won the league. I want a team that does more than win the occasional cup, I want to go forwards, evolve into something better, not back.
One improvement this time is you seem to actually acknowledge the seriousness of the injury crisis after pretty much dismissing it last time.
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Hard to disagree with any of that. The second half on Sunday was a welcome surprise and the crowd more than played their part in responding to and then rousing on the effort from the players.
It was nice to be able to watch spirited performance again. We were definitely helped by a more than lacklustre Man City performance after half time, which they have often seemed to have turned out against us in recent years, but great to see some reward for everyone’s efforts.
The amount of injuries over the last couple of seasons is incredible. But it obviously has a lot to do with the overworking of a number of key players with limited squad men to replace them and as we saw with Bergvall recently, an ignorance in sheltering a player with a slight injury which soon became far worse by getting him to play on.
It seems that the rest of the Prem teams, barring the obvious stragglers, have largely sorted themselves sufficiently to turning in decent performances on a regular basis and it’s difficult to see where wins are going to come from in the remaining games unless we start on the front foot and maintain a decent level through a whole game. It seems the spirit is there amongst the squad, but like last season they feed off of each others negative vibes as much as the positive ones. The upshot being a collective failure as well as a less regular collective success.
We are desperate to keep key players like VDV, Porro, Simons and Solanke fit. But hopefully Gallagher, who I think will be a good signing, Sarr and Spence whose attacking play and delivery I believe has improved this season and obviously Udogie if he stays fit, will bolster the ranks and deliver the results to keep us safely in the Prem this season.
We know this season is largely a write off, as I can’t see us winning the Champions League, but if we can finish in the top ten with a few decent results starting this weekend then hopefully we can finally get some of the long term injured back in harness. But I feel that Thomas Frank may only be around till the summer even if we stay up and the reappointment of Poch becomes ever more likely.
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Thanks, as ever, for the reflective piece and decent writing….but I have buts. (I like big buts and I cannot lie).
You mention the injury crisis that has dogged Frank’s entire tenure. You mention the lack of investment in this window and the selling of Johnson with no replacement. You mention how thin the squad is beyond the first XI. You acknowledge that, given the above, no coach could really be expected to turn this around…and yet you criticise Frank roundly for failing to do exactly that in record time. Fair enough. But is it? I think the senior players also bear some of the responsibility; they’re the continuity, after all, between this terrible season and last.
Spurs’ fans are keen on whipping boys. Levy, Frank etc. Now and again we’ll get on a player for no good reason (Johnson). However, to imply that the defensive unit is entirely the fault of Frank’s systems to me is wrong. Romero is a key issue. Repeatedly this season he’s failed to do the basics. while continuing with his juvenile lack of discipline. He is the captain of the club. He should be marshalling the defence and enforcing the directives from the manager. Are we seriously expected to believe that he doesn’t know his tasks, given his experience? Vicario is a key issue. He’s a good shot-stopper and that’s it. These two should be the beating heart of the defence, communicating, leading, shepherding. That’s not what I see. Cuti is a cult favourite. I’d take Ledley over him any day of the week. Or Toby, or Super Jan, or Mabbs etc. When Davies was briefly back, I was reminded of what a captain really looks like and how a seasoned professional conducts themself: he never stopped talking to those around him and guiding the younger players.
I read so many assumptions online about what Frank is doing wrong, how defensive he is, and why he won’t just unleash the attack. All I know is that last season we had a manager who makes Frank look like a genius, and yet Ange is still popular because he won us a cup. Yet this was in spite of his management, not because of it. Angeball was naive. reckless and sent us into a tailspin that we’re still trying to pull out of. This season when we do well in the Champions League it’s because they’re all shit, not because actually Frank pulled off some decent performances with a skeleton squad. Still, he won’t win anything this season so there’s no redemption for him. He’s lost the fanbase.
Undeniably our stats reveal that we’re improving. It was a low bar, yes, but we are starting to show in flashes that we can play. Solanke was always going to make a massive difference to us, and I’d be happy never to see Richarlison play for us again…although he will. Kudus and Kulu will both bring more when they return. Xavi was exceptional against City. Gallagher, for all those who moaned he was a pointless buy, demonstrated why he wasn’t: he won the ball and made the assist for Solanke’s goal and constantly disrupted City’s flow. Top attitude, top commitment.
Frank’s run out of time and will probably go in summer. I suspect he’ll thrive somewhere that he’s actually given the opportunity to build, without fans who expect him to be the second coming. We bury managers at Tottenham.
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Yes, let’s blame the manager, and some of the players, but the more I think about it the club management structure has utterly failed us in this transfer window and they should be ashamed at hanging Frank and the team out to twist in the wind. I am astonished that no new forward cover was brought in. Not only did we ship out Johnson, but we also sent our Dane Scarlett on loan. Who else is available to cover for injuries and suspensions, etc.? Is the new plan to make Romero play in two positions?
Frank must be utterly fed up at being let down again. He’s spent the past month making optimistic noises about new signings and now he has been made to look foolish. He must feel like jacking it in. Even he admits that he feels he’s been cursed by unforeseen events. But with our Director of Football and CEO as your friends, who needs enemies?
Our transfer policy has been pants for years. Clubs like Brighton and Bournemouth and several more surprise us with successful new signings from outside the Prem. Yet our transfer policy appears broken what with N’Dombele and Lo Celso (sorry to harp on about them, but..really!) leading to the recent acquisitions of young Jack Clarke and Djed Spence whose careers were badly affected by signing for us. And we have still not heard about the bizarre arrangement of giving Lo Celso to Real Betis for a guarantee of taking Johnny Cardoso – who is still in Spain!
I realise there is a rotten common denominator in all of this being Daniel Levy. But the comedy of errors continued with Morgan Gibbs-White and Eze. Good riddance to Levy, but the new structure appears equally unprepared to compete at even the middle level of our league.
We pretend to compete with the best clubs in the Premier League who scout and sign the best players in Europe. But Tottenham? – we balls it up in our own back yard and look for raw untested talent in Scotland and the Championship and expect the fans to be excited. The club’s transfer policy is a joke and we will spend the rest of the season looking at the relegation places.
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Great piece as always
Like most I loved Ange for delivering a trophy but can’t forgive him for allowing a culture of “it’s ok to lose league games in pursuit of the holy grail of a trophy” to prevail. Dangerous business for most clubs but suicide for one as mentally brittle as our lot.
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