Like pulling on a woolly jumper as the shadows lengthen at the end of summer, it’s a shame the seasons change but there’s comfort to be found. It feel easy to slip back into the familiar cozy routine. Curse the trains and buses, as last year, the year before, the decades before that. The step quickens involuntarily to round the corner and catch the first glimpse of the stadium, looming above the north London terraces, just as when we were children. That enticing, unique smell of onions and fat without which football would not seem quite right, wherever you go to watch it. Away fans sporting shirts and accents mix in with our
I’m a little earlier than usual, just to take it all in. Stroll rather than rush from the station. Nod to Harry’s mural. The queue outside Chick-King. There’s space in the Corner Pin even this close to kick-off, noted, for another day. Curl a lip at the sign for the go-kart track. This is a football ground, to me, to the old school, to those of us who feel increasingly out of step with the way football is presented and promoted. That thought is for another day, but it won’t go away, and will be a theme on TOMM this season as this old man gets, and feels, older. And there’s something new, something we are unaccustomed to. Is that a whiff of optimism in the air?
Some things never change. Spurs are all shiny shiny now. The club wants to respect and get closer to fans. Shiny new comms. Shiny new players, expensive this, designer gear not knockoffs. Shiny turnstile tech. I can’t shift years of distrust though. Despite shiny club emails, my season ticket pass has been resolute all summer in showing a ticket for Spurs against Doncaster Rovers with the words DO NOT USE, just in case I didn’t realise we weren’t playing them. Based on seasons of experience, I assume this won’t work. My son went to the Charlton game and said that staff at the first contact point at the bottom of the stairs to the ground were searching for QR codes that no longer exist. But no problem. I’m in. Maybe things really are changing.
I bump into an old friend. We hug hallo. How are you, ok, but we both know what we mean is, what do you think about the new season? More handshakes and catch-ups in the ground. How are you? What do you think? What are we still doing here?
I’m getting on now. Next April, it will be 60 years since I first came to this corner of north London. Football’s very different, but to me, and this is how I deal with the contemporary game, it’s the same. I see 11 players in white shirts and navy blue shorts, and I support them with all my heart. It’s the rest of the game where I feel alienated and disconnected.
Here’s a for instance. I read, not only in social media but in the mainstream press, that Spurs fans are arrogant and entitled. Except the ones I speak to, and I speak to a lot, aren’t like that at all. Everyone I chat with today says the same thing. This is a new team under a new manager and it will take time to get it all together, but there’s confidence that we will. I agree, adding that there will be pain while we find the right way forward.
And so Spurs proceeded to prove us right. Trust Spurs to bring on the pain. I wish I had been wrong. In a dull, unadventurous first half, I saw shoots of promise in our spasmodic passing moves and occasional breaks. I felt duty bound to ignore the times we lost possession, or VDV’s desperate late tackle early on. That’s all consigned to the past now. See, I’m a Spurs fan. Self-deception comes naturally to me.
You know the ending. Certainly an improvement after Brentford but woefully weak up front. Our wide men neutered, little support in the box. We were the better side overall, they were decent but unexceptional. They had two shots on goal and scored from both, whereas their keeper made his first save in the 87th minute. Walking to the station with that losing feeling, head down. I know every crack of every paving stone.
It feels the same but this is different. We’re witnessing a seismic shift in Tottenham Hotspur’s identity as a football club, arguably the biggest change in a generation. Maybe we’re slow in coming to terms with the magnitude of change, partly because we’ve become accustomed to underachieving and our hopes being dashed, partly because many aspects are the same as before, including of course many players from previous squads, so it doesn’t appear that different, partly because we are just so sick of seeing us lose at home.
This time, though, the board are prepared to back their manager with funding for a series of high class players. Hardly a revolutionary approach if a club has ambitions but never before attempted by the previous regime. We have never seen such determination to overhaul the squad, ruthlessly move on those who don’t have a place here, and to invest in talent.
This radical overhaul addresses the chronic lack of purpose and direction that has bedevilled this club for a decade or more. Perhaps like me, over the summer you thought we’d see a few good players come in, maybe a marquee signing to appease us. But this is the new Spurs, attempting something more fundamental. De Zerbi is the board’s man, this is what he wants and we’ll go out and get it. Good players have left, because we’re impatient now, can’t wait to see if they might get better – Sarr, Vuskovic, Lankshear. Danso can’t wait as fourth choice, Richarlison good but not good enough. Spence had a good World Cup with the world watching but he’s not first choice so we take the money. Decision-taking that is quick and clean.
The board have seized their moment. They have levered the advantages available to them, using the new PSR rules, exploiting the returns from the stadium and the relatively (compared with other PL sides) low salary to income ratio bequeathed to them. Players are keen to come because we’re paying competitive salaries, they will be first choice, it’s a London club and for the present at least, they are joining an ambitious, upwardly mobile team.
All of which does not provide an answer to the key question: will it work? I don’t know, but I do feel positive despite losing our first two league games. The manager has a huge task ahead, not only totally rebuilding a team but also to overcome the culture of underachievement that is embedded in the club’s psyche.
The many familiar names in the squad obscure the extent of change required. We don’t have any established system to settle the new players. Not so much a squad of footballers as a bunch of lab rats compelled against their will to take part in a variety of fiendish experiments. Even leaving mad scientists Nuno, JM and Conte to one side, in the last 18 months we’ve had all-out Ange, ultra defensive Ange, Frank pretending he was still managing Brentford, Tudor imposing his methods only to look weak, plus RDZ. Compare that with Brentford who overwhelmed us in the season opener, slotting new buys into their tried and tested system.
Good teams rely on effective partnerships. We don’t have these and it will take time to create them. The manager has already tried a few options and at least the defeats will accelerate his assessments. I suspect he has already discovered what and who works. His selection on Saturday was unduly cautious, in particular playing Porro as right midfield, a sign perhaps of his lack of confidence in his team at present. That didn’t work, so hopefully won’t be repeated. Similarly, after a bright pre-season, Tel earned a starting place only to display his limitations at this level. The skill is there but it’s all in the mind – he hesitates when action is required. Trudging disconsolately past the south stand after he was substituted, as he went shedding bits of tape and sock-ties but not his bitterness, Tel reminded me of Ricky Villa’s long walk to the dressing room after his substitution in the 1981 Cup Final. His classic redemption story that followed is unlikely to be told about Tel.
Partnerships can build. VDV and Van Hecke can form a strong centre back unit, with Porro on the right and Robertson or Udogie on the left. Gray remains a fine prospect but his talents are not fully exploited at full-back. I’d like to see Tonali and Fernandes combine in midfield and our new players could create exciting options up front, where the partnerships will be about movement, rotation and shifting positions, but this complex business all takes time. Our three best 10s are injured, for now maybe add Gallagher to the central midfield and encourage players to again move and shift as the space and pace of the game evolves.
Regular readers will know I’ve been exceedingly critical of the way the club has been run in the past, but this is a sound approach. And the club seeks to build an attacking side with several players with skill and flair, something fans have been crying out for. There will be short-term pain, undoubtedly but give it time.
TOTTENHAM ON MY MIND 
well if we don’t get a win in 6 games in the league it will be sayanora R B.Z
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don t think at ANY game my ticket has scanned first time
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Great article, cheers Al!
On a minor point you mentioned, that smell of burgers and onions is so wonderful that I’ve long imagined actually eating one couldn’t live up to the imaginary experience. No doubt there’s a metaphor there.😅
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ps. Signed, Rich
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Agree we must give this process time , however even with all these new players RDZ needs to get some early results to avoid any pressure building, realistically if after 10 games we are still bottom of the league it would be neglectful of the board to allow it to continue like they did with Frank. hoping we start clicking soon and RDZ gets the team playing
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We’ve tried bulk buying several times (foreign players).hopefully this time with premier league players it works.
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“whereas their keeper made his first save in the 87th minute” – I am sure he made a very good save before that. Everyone is going on about how great Newcastle were, but they were not. 2 shots on target, 2 goals. Another day – Spurs get that penalty and van Hecke’s header flies into the back. the funny bit – last year Spurs won their first games , 3-0 and 2-0. So hopefully things get better. We clearly need some players who can make a difference. Overall not that disappointed as I was with Brentford. The main disappointment was Tonali.
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Beautifully written Alan, as always. As an Arsenal fan I always read your blog, not for schadenfreude, but for the brilliant writing and because I share many of your views on modern football. We are of an age (I turn 70 next year) so that’s not surprising.
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So Tonali is not gonna be a great addition, I’d rather we went all out to buy Scott from Bournemouth rather than overpay for someone who did not play great last season at all. He does not look like he wants to be in that system, I remember early last season MotD were talking about how he prefers 433 than 4231, which the latter is RdZ favoured one, so be interesting to see if he can actually play to it, I’m not convinced on his two outings so far, maybe it’s the high price tag on his head but he needs to get his actions together. Scott would be my choice, maybe Bournemouth would accept offers earlier in the window so they can replace him, he is homegrown, about same in ability as Tonali, similar age but more importantly he supports Spurs, that would be the clincher. I do hope we get it together soon, as the longer it takes to win our first game the more it will play on the players minds. But he needs to stop playing Gray in RB position, it does not work. Can anyone tell me what Gray win percentage is when he starts? Reminds me of Bale when he went 20+ games starts without a win….
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I enjoy TOMM because of the heart in the writing and the usually more measured comments from readers. Got to say, though, I’m slightly surprised by some of those comments! Totally agree with Alan’s call for patience. The statement of the bleedin’ obvious that it’s going to take some months to settle, really should be self-evident. NUFC was, in effect, our first game with most of the new buys in place, after a fractured and almost pointless preseason in terms of preparing a starting side.
There’s absolutely no rational way you can dismiss Tonali, or start doom-mongering about what ifs, if we haven’t won x matches by x date, or moan about RDZ clearly tinkering underneath the bonnet while he finds out how to make us run smoothly. Brentford played us off the park against our cobbled together XI. Toon were lucky and I think we had the better of it. No real surprises. We weren’t great, which is entirely as expected at this point in the season.
The work to be done is abundantly clear and substantial, but that’s the point. This massive reset didn’t occur because we were in decent shape. I saw a bunch of players playing like strangers, because they are. I saw a team that isn’t one, yet, because how could it be? I really don’t understand how anyone could expect instantaneous transformation. This won’t take weeks. It will take months. Steps forward and back. What I saw against NUFC is some real technical quality in the new buys – Fernandes and Marmoush in particular. Tonali was too anonymous but that drive into the box? Seen him do that regularly for Toon, much more like him. He’s an assertive player. Van Hecke made some decent penetrative passes to join our dots. Robertson surprised me with his energy. All of them, ALL of them, are clearly very good players. Where they fit into the system is obvious – RDZ isn’t forcing any square pegs into round holes except for Gray (and that won’t be the norm). These are strong, rational buys. As is Savio, as is Senesi. RDZ is a good coach. We will finish this season in the the top half of the table. That’s nailed on. Where we’ll be in the top ten remains to be seen. That will represent progress. Which I hope we’ll build on in the following season. Because that’s a strategy. As opposed to the piecemeal stuff we’ve been fed since Poch wasn’t backed in two windows.
Spurs have been unacceptable for two successive seasons, in every aspect. We have had a concerted response to that from the board. I’m not quite sure how much better a response we could realistically have asked for in terms of the transfers. Never mind all the Football Manager nonsense that we can buy anyone we want, the new blood is going to make a massive positive difference to our club. Sit back, buckle up, enjoy the ride. It’s going to be bumpy because it’s Spurs. But we will see better football this season and we will win some pride back.
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Games are won and lost in midfield and RDZ needs a win, and quick. Otherwise the fans will grumble more loudly at each game and the board will wonder why they spent all that money. The new players don’t seem all that much better than the ones shipped out to accommodate them. Only we are 250 mill and a couple of Picassos lighter than this time last year. I agree that Gallagher needs to come in and thicken things up for the next game and who cares if we win ugly up at Forest? We can be positively revolting for all I care as long as we come away with something. I feel for Tel. He’s only in the team because others are injured and he doesn’t have the instincts of a ‘proper’ winger. Look at how Dan James at Leeds positively aches for 20 yards of green grass to run into. If this Mudryk business has any ring of truth then it shows how desperate RDZ is to fix the left side problem, because it truly smacks of desperation. The head says wait a few more games for everything to settle down but the unforgiving intensity of the Prem won’t see it that way. The heart says winning is everything in this league and we’d better start racking up some points soon before the honeymoon pics start to fade.
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Hi Alan,
Greetings from Los Angeles,
Always appreciate your thoughtful and heartfelt comments which I have had the opportunity to be the recipient over the last few years. It has been some 52 years on May 8th that my first visit was to the the Lane and have endured as you and many others Spurs fans the journey you so aptly lay out. Perhaps your finest comment, albeit, one that leaves us all in the same quandary that Spurs have been in for so many years in recent memory “I don’t know” is apt and fitting. None of of us know where things are going and neither does De Zerbi (although for his sake and the Spurs as a team a positive outcome would be appreciated). You are correct that Spurs at the moment are in some uncharted territory and have opened the purse strings in a big manner (something that many fans have opined about for decades). However the $64,000 dollar question as the Americans put it, will it work?
Will success finally come to our beloved Spurs in the manner which the fans and owners want and need and finally claim their position as a truly big club on the English scene? I hope so as all of the other tinsel and garnish surrounding the club in the modern world has not really endeared the club to many as it smacks of “money grabbing” without the success on the field to match. If if works then the fans can at least enjoy something in return for the money they spend in ever larger amounts.
TTID indeed, but lets hope that mantra provides more than just the passage of living until the end, but also some of the Glory that is attributed to phrasing of the late Bill Nicholson.
COYS – Rolfe
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Wanted to share some good vibes about the club (we need them!). A couple of days before the Brentford game I found myself in London and at a loose end, so I called up a mate from our days on the Shelf and we went on a club tour. It was excellent and worth every £. You got to visit all the important bits of the stadium and the best bit for me was that you were not herded into a group and rushed from place to place. You were allowed to move around at your own pace and all the staff were helpful and eager to answer any questions. I would thoroughly recommend the trip for anyone who has fancied sitting in RDZ’s chair on the touchline and in the media room. And I got to see the seats that cost over £100,000. I only mention this because I stood in the High Road afterwards and realised something was missing…it was the smell of onions and burgers and horse manure!
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To me there’s two different problems De Zerbi has to solve. The first is turning a collection of new players into a fully functioning team. That’s mainly about time and I am sure it will come good. The second has been around a long time, the lack of mental strength in the squad. Mourinho couldn’t solve it, Conte couldn’t solve it. Even under Pochettino there would be games where the team just seemed to switch off. That’s the real test of De Zerbi’s managerial ability. If you look at the Newcastle game it wasn’t that they were better than us, it was they wanted it more. That has to change.
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Pretty much says it all. The days when we thought we were top tier are gone. The sooner we realise we have to scrap for everything and earn our points with blood and sweat over a full 100 minutes the better. We seem to enter games with the attitude that a good 15 minute spell in each half will be enough. Every game is a dog fight and at times we have poodles instead of pitbulls. I’ll give RDZ another few games to find his team but it won’t take long for that Italian temperament to show!
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Their GK had to make a save from a Tel shot, another from a VH header, and a goal-bound shot was deflected away by a defender: all in the first half. Tel needs to simplify his thoughts process and add a few more strings to his crossbow.
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