Tag Archives: Tottenham

Tottenham fans ‘most deluded in the Premier League’

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We all know Tottenham fans have delusions of grandeur, but I have not stopped laughing at their latest show of petulance.

The only team in the “Big 6” to have not won anything in the 15 years, they have spent the last half a decade telling anyone that would listen how good they were. And how much better and bigger than Arsenal they were.

The old saying is form is temporary, class is permanent. And it was only a matter of time until the class of The Arsenal rose again, and the good form of Spurs (15 on the all-time English champions list) evened itself back down.

But last week their fans go ahead and write a letter to the board “seeking answers to fundamental questions” about how the club is run.

Spurs fans are crying because their team is 5th in the table, 2 points off the Champions League places. 5th or 6th is probably Spurs’ par position. They only slipped out of the top 4 2 games ago.

This season they had their best opening 10 games to a campaign since the Premier League came into existence. The bad run of form they are complaining about is 2 losses in their previous 6 games. They should speak to Chelsea about bad runs.

Since 2019, they have spent €524m on player. And average of €131m a season. That is the 5 highest expenditure in the league, and just €12m less than Arsenal – they have also been very noisy about how much we have spent to top the league.

During that period, they have the 3rd highest net spend in the Premier League (for those that love net spend stats). Only Manchester United and Arsenal have a higher net spend.

Their fans are very loud about them having the World Cup winning goalkeeper. The best centra defender “in the world” (still not sure who they are talking about?). The best footballer Asia has ever seen. And England’s best ever striker.

They have a transfer guru who has secured them some of the “best talent in Europe” in Romero, Bentancur, Kulusevski, Perisic and Richarlison. In the summer they “won” the transfer window.

And they have the best manager in the world (according to them) in Antonio Conte. The Italian much better than the novice in charge of Arsenal.

They have spent so much, on so many top players, all whilst spending £1bn on “the greatest football stadium in the world”.

I don’t really get what they are complaining about.

Spending so much on a new stadium was always going to see them take a backwards step. Did they not see what happened to The Arsenal?

The Emirates had huge implications on our finances. Throw in the credit crunch and we had to sell to service the debt.

Tottenham are in huge debt due to their stadium and have also had to contend with the impact of Covid on their finances. Did they really think they could build a new stadium whilst also spending big on players? They have actually spent a lot more than most of us would have expected.

I am not really sure what their fans want. What they are crying about. What their demands are.

The real reason they are upset is probably because of us. Because we are top of the league.

They are having breakdowns because they have realised the last half a decade has been wasted.

All those seasons finishing above Arsenal came to nothing. And it was all they could hold onto whilst we won FA Cup after FA Cup.

Now we are back on our pedestal, and they are both below us and trophyless, they have lost their minds.

Their issue is not with ENIC, with Levy and how the club is run. It is with KSE, with Arteta, and how we are performing.

Instead of writing a letter for Levy, they should have written one to Josh.

“Dear Josh,

Please stop Arsenal being so good. Them being bad was our only bright light in football.

Thanks

A Spurs Fan.”

They mocked us for our “banter years” but the truth is the last few years have just been a respite from their banter decades.

I bet if we were 6th, and they were 4th, there would be no complaints.

Being top of the league has broken them. Imagine what will happen if we win it?

Spurs fans really are the most delusional in the league.

Keenos

Becoming PSG’s feeder club could prohibit Spurs qualifying for Europe

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I remember a few years ago, Tottenham and Real Madrid signed a “partnership agreement“. It basically consisted of Madrid signing Spurs best players (Gareth Bale, Luka Modric) and Tottenham getting Roberto Soldado.

There fans were hyped over the deal as they thought it would give them first option on Madrid’s talented young players. Taking them on loan and helping them develop. They were basically celebrating becoming Real Madrid’s feeder club.

And over 10-years on from that deal, their fans are still begging to become a feeder club to an elite European club.

Last week, a story broke that the chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) Nasser Al-Khelaifi met with Tottenham’s Daniel Levy.

Off the back of the news, Spurs fans celebrated that they might be finally getting some of that Arab oil money which could bank roll them to success.

Having not won a league title in 62 years, the FA Cup in 32 years, and been trophyless for nearly 15 years, the excitment stank of desperation.

QSI are not looking to buy Tottenham. They already own an elite European club – PSG. they looking to buy or invest in minority stakes of further European clubs.

The Qatari’s are looking to create a similar structure to City Football Group, where the Abu Dhabi United Group own 12 clubs (either outright, majority shares or minority shares).

11 of those clubs are owned for the benefit of 1, Manchester City. All the money, all the income, goes towards financing Man City (with those clubs getting the benefit of loan players and shared coaching and scouting knowledge).

Chelsea’s owners have recently publically talked about growing a “multi-club” model and we recently discussed how the future could look.

If Europe’s elite continues to grow their network of clubs, you will end up with two very clear tiers.

Those at the top who the mutli-club model is there to benefit. And the network of clubs underneath who all act like as feeder clubs to their parent side.

So Spurs fans are basically celebrating the possiiblity of becoming PSG’s feeder team.

And this is where it gets fun.

Article 5 Integrity of the competition / multi-club ownership of UEFA’s Regulations dicusses the ownership of mutiple clubs.

One of the criteria for entry into a UEFA competition is that two clubs may not have shared ownership. Note that it does not just talk about majority ownership. It indicates any ownership.

This would mean if PSG bought a share in Tottenham, qualification for Europe would depend on firstly whoever qualifies for the higher tournament, secondly whoever finished highest in their league, and thirdly whichever side players in the highest ranking league.

This would mean that if both PSG and Tottenham qualified for the Champions League, whoever finished highest in their league would qualify for Europe. Most likely PSG.

Likewise if PSG qualified for the Champions League and Tottenham qualified for the Europa League, Spurs would be excluded from entering UEFA’s second competition.

The only way Tottenham would qualify for either of UEFA’s top two competitions would be if they finished either higher in the Premier League than they did in Ligue 1, or finished equal and England held a higher country coefficients (England top the club rankings, France are currently 5th).

There is good news for Spurs though. A route in Europe would open up if PSG finished in a Champions League position and Spurs qualified for the Europa Conference League. It being impossible for either team to play each other means there would be no conflict of interest.

But what about the Red Bull clubs? Both of them are in the Champions League you ask.

Well this was investigated by UEFA back in 2017, and it was established that whilst Red Bull own Leipzig, they were officially only a title sponsor of Salzburg.

Reb Bull also scaled back their managerial role in Salzburg and some executive board members shared by both clubs stood down. This was enough for Salzburg to prove to the courts that they were suitably independent from the Red Bull corporation, and Leipzig and themselves were sufficiently distinct from one another.

This allowed for both to be admitted to UEFA competitions.

Based on this, Tottenham could still enter the top two European competitions if they could prove that QSI had no influence over how theyw ere run. No board members, no shared scouting or coaching. No reciprocal loan deals. Basically none of the benefits of the multi-club model!

What I imagine QSI will be thinking is that they can utilise the money made by the Premier League TV deals to ensure that PSG remain with UEFA FFP.

Tottenham will be asset stripped, reducing the wage bill as much as logistically possible to remain in the Premier League and earn that TV money. They will then “pay” PSG for services (the aforemention shared coaching and scouting network) and overpay for loan players. This all generates income for PSG.

It is not too dissimilar with what the Pozzo family wanted to do with Watford – the hope was the Premier League money earned by Watford could be filtered through to Udinese to give them an advantage in Serie A. Watford are now in the Championship.

When the special relationship with Real Madrid was established, it was a one-way agreement. And it will be the same if QSI buy a stake in Tottenham.

Spurs will become PSG’s feeder club. Excluded from entering European competition. And their financies stripped to the benefit of the Paris side.

Enjoy guys….

Keenos

Southgate goes from Arteta-ball to cautious Conte

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Morning.

Let’s blog today as it took me a few beers to get over that England performance last night.

I had the first draft of a great blog written about how Gareth Southgate’s England were inspired by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The transition to 4 at the back, a single pivot defensive midfielder in front of them, two 8’s and inverted wingers.

It worked against Iran as we pressed high, we’re aggressive, and scored 6 goals.

Last night Southgate went from channelling his inner Arteta to becoming Antonio Conte.

The defence dropped deep, Bellingham was pushed deeper to make a 2-man central midfield, and the front line did not press.

Like Conte’s Tottenham, England were set up to not lose rather than win the game.

It is already a bad sign that 2 games in , Harry Kane looks shot. and that Southgate is incapable of substituting him.

He was a passenger for most of the second half and clearly not fit. Yet played the full 90.

I still think we would have beaten Italy in the Euro’s had Southgate had the balls to take Kane off in extra time.

Kane contributed nothing in those 30 minutes and he was basically kept on to take a penalty.

During extra time, whenever Bukayo Saka got the ball he looked a threat. Italy’s tiring, ageing defence were reduced to fouling him on the halfway line.

Imagine had Southgate bought on Marcus Rashford for Kane to play down the middle. Lightening and fresh, he would’ve carved out a couple of chances for himself.

And if it is going to be the same this tournament, England might as well go home.

After 60 minutes, Kane is finished. He begins to rely on just being a 6-yard box striker. Needs others around him to do his running. It is basically like playing with 10-men.

What is the point of having Calum Wilson on the bench if you are not going to bring him on?

England will get through the group, then be knocked out by the first decent team we play (again). Southgate will be heroic in failure, when the truth is he is an awful coach who is wasting a talented group of young, exciting, attacking talent.

Time for a coffee. Tomorrow we go back to focusing on The Arsenal.

Keenos