Jack Howes thinks Spurs have reached the end of an era, unless, we finish in the top four. Will we ever see the 2008 to 2014 vintage again?
Is this the end of an era for Spurs?
This season, watching Spurs has been a frustrating experience. With the talent we have in our squad, people have been expecting us to click, gel, morph from the broken, fragmented mess we’ve been most weeks into a lean, mean footballing machine that both good results with style and attractiveness. Unfortunately for us fans, that’s never really happened.
While there have been flashes of Spurs turning into a potentially great side, for example away to Swansea, home to Norwich, at home to Stoke, even away to Manchester United, there has been little consistency in performance. For the most part, we’ve been driving through Swindon in a Volvo drinking water while listening to Snow Patrol average.
It’s testament to the sheer talent of the players in our squad that despite there being little cohesion or a clear style of play, we are fifth in the league, only three points off a Champions League Spot and heck, only nine points off the top of the table two thirds through the season. We won’t be far off our Premiership points record.
Ever since Harry Redknapp left, while we may have got more points on average per game, we’ve been a fundamentally worse team. That may sound preposterous and admittedly is somewhat illogical. But if you watch us play – we’re just not as good as we once were. We’re not as comfortable passing the ball. When a player has the ball, there are fewer options. We rarely dominate games now, where it used to be commonplace. The flair and panache we had under Knappsy has disappeared. We’ve been winning ugly.
[linequote]If you watch us play – we’re just not as good as we once were.[/linequote]Winning ugly is unusual for Spurs and while right now we’re still doing OK in the league and in Europe, it can’t last. Too many poor performances catch up with you. Man United are finding this out this season – they’ve been average for years but through individual heroics and Sir Alex Ferguson’s managerial genius, stayed in contention for honours at home and abroad. This year, with Sir Alex gone, they’re in the table exactly where their performances merit.
This season, I’ve slowly been getting the feeling that despite Spurs doing reasonably well, that an era of great football, great players, moderate success and many of my greatest moments as a Tottenham Hotspur supporter is coming to an end. The quality players we have at the moment, namely Lloris, Vertonghen, Sandro and a couple of others, won’t want to stay if we don’t qualify for the Champions League. Players of that calibre are more than capable of holding their own in the competition and won’t want to waste more years playing dull Europa League group games against riff-raff teams from countries you couldn’t identify on a map of Europe.
With Liverpool set to make a step up this summer following Champions League qualification, Man United likely to improve, Chelsea and Man City remaining as ludicrously wealthy as they are and even Arsenal progressing this season, the top four will be harder to broach than ever in future seasons. If we don’t do it this season (which is unlikely), we can probably kiss our chances of making it again goodbye until the new stadium arrives and we get some uber-wealthy new owners.
If this is the end of an era, it’s been one that history I think will be kinder to in twenty years time than it is now. When all our players have retired, Redknapp is ensconced in his house on Sandbanks and we talk about Spurs from 2008 to 2014, we will talk fondly of Bale, Modric, Van Der Vaart, Ledley and others.
For years on end, we played stylish, cultured attacking football that often was gorgeous to watch. Seeing Modric control games and boss opposition midfield with his right instep was a joy to behold. One of the great things about football is how people of any physique can succeed, and seeing this quiet, diminutive, slightly buck-toothed Croat who was never likely to do photoshoots for Giorgio Armani control games and make fools of bigger opponents was a delight. I’d argue we’ve missed him more than Bale, such was the control of games Little Luka gave us.
[linequote]If we don’t do it this season (which is unlikely), we can probably kiss our chances of making it again goodbye until the new stadium arrives and we get some uber-wealthy new owners.[/linequote]
Bale of course, for half a season, was amongst the best players in the world. While many were angry at the manner of his departure this summer, it was only due to his nagging injuries we were able to keep him for so long. After his destruction of Inter, we had two and a half more seasons of him – more than you would have guessed at the time. And when he was fit and on form, he was amazing. His winning goals against West Ham, Southampton and Sunderland last season were incredible and all saw me attempt the world jumping into the air while sitting on the sofa record. I may never see a player hit such a hot streak of form for Spurs ever again. That’s how good he was and how privileged we were to witness it.
We also had Ledley, who until he seemed to lose his confidence after giving away the deciding penalty away to Man City in January 2012, was simply the greatest player I’ve seen for Spurs. Better than Bale, Luka and the rest. The guy could barely hobble, never mind walk or run. Yet he still marshalled our defence superbly whenever he played. His positioning was incredible, his timing and anticipation superb, all from a guy who couldn’t train or move with any sort of ease.
I used to love Rafael Van der Vaart as much as I loved those three – until he admitted beating his missus. It doesn’t matter than he apologised or that he only did it once – I can’t bring myself to like a guy who would do such a thing.
[linequote]The proudest I’ve ever felt of Tottenham was us beating AC Milan at the San Siro.[/linequote]Away from domestic abuse, when these players were all in the same Spurs side, there was an excitement about us, about how far we could go. We had terrific players, played aesthetically pleasing football and had many, many great moments and great games.
The 4-4 draw with Arsenal was an incredible moment, Aaron Lennon’s equaliser making me reach a paroxysm of delight I haven’t felt before or since. Beating Wigan 9-1 was great. Beating the Scum after a decade of not beating them in the league was immense and also made me want to make sweet love to Heurelho Gomes after his string of saves to preserve our victory. Going to Man City and against the odds outplaying them, winning and making the Champions League was a night I’ll savour forever.
Our run in the Champions League was amazing too and it almost seems fitting that it was to be our only Champions League run in this particular era. The second half against Inter at the San Siro was ludicrous, but in a good way. The best all round performance I’ve ever seen from Spurs was when we beat Inter at the Lane. Overwhelming the European Champions the way we did, outclassing them from start to finish, Bale playing the way he did, just a great memory.
The proudest I’ve ever felt of Tottenham was us beating AC Milan at the San Siro. They kicked us, dived, simulated, headbutted our coaches. What did we do? Beat them fair and square, with Wilson f**king Palacios and Sandro (who’d never started a game for us before) in midfield.
Not only did we beat them, in two games against them we didn’t have one player booked. Compare that to Gattuso headbutting Joe Jordan, or to Flamini’s disgraceful tackle on Vedran Corluka. We got hammered by Madrid, but the fact we got to play Real Madrid, in a Champions League quarter-final, was wonderful in itself.
The next season, we went on the magic run of attaining thirty one out of thirty three points. Yes, the standard of opposition in that run perhaps wasn’t the best. So what? We won ten and drew one in eleven league games. We genuinely challenged for the title. OK, only for about five minutes, but still we challenged, more than I ever expected from Tottenham.
The end of the season? Yeah, that s**t hurt. If I have a regret now, it’s that I didn’t enjoy this era as much as I should have done. I was too concerned with progressing further and irritating draws and home defeats to Stoke, Wigan, Hull etc.
I didn’t enjoy Tottenham being amongst the top eight sides in Europe, didn’t savour it, as much as I wish I did now, and as I will in the future if we ever get that good again.
Yes, we never won a trophy. We only qualified for one Champions League. We never finished above Arsenal. But four three, four, five years, we had a great team that gave us a series of great moments that made supporting Spurs a pleasure. If this is the end of an era, it’s been a good one, filled with wonderful memories we can cherish.
Thank you Luka. Thank you Rafa. Thank you Gareth. Thank you Ledley. And, last of all, thank you Harry.
All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.
26 Comments
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18/02/2014 @ 11:51 am
What are you about 10 year old?
The introduction of a new manager who can utilise the current quality in what is a relatively young squad could easily be the key.
Add a few more players in required positions (a keeper as back up to Lloris, a LB, a passer in the middle of the park and a forward) and we’d have just as strong a squad. Amoungst these need to be 2 QUALITY players – like we’ve been missing since Modric and VdV left.
It’s not that big an ask and if we were to go backwards then ENIC and Mr.Levy should seriously consider their roles at the club.
18/02/2014 @ 11:51 am
A good read, although strictly speaking we won the Carling Cup in 2008 – may not be the biggest cup but it’s a trophy nonetheless! And one more than that lot down the road has won in the same period! But yes, it has been a fantastic era and I am still holding out hope that we can continue to challenge. After all, a few wins for us and a few dodgy games for those around us and things will look very different heading into the tail end of the season…
18/02/2014 @ 11:54 am
Firstly, you CANNOT brand Van der Vaart a wife beater after one isolated incident. Had it been several I’d be right with you in erasing my love for the man but one incident does not make a man. It’s unfair and virtually libel.
Secondly, completely get your points I just view the issue the other way round. Levy (much as he’s pissed us all off lately) only sanctioned the sale of Bale after the offer became ludicrous. It will be the same (albeit on a smaller scale) with Lloris, Sandro, Vertonghen. Everyone has a price in the football-business age. In my opinion, big teams win ugly. You can’t always play beautiful free flowing football. Barca discovered that against inter years ago. People are always to eager to call the end of an era. The current squad is far superior imho to the one we had 4 years ago (bentley, palacios, pavylchenko, old keane, corluka, ancient/crocked woodgate). Don’t be so trigger happy. Barca wasn’t built in a day. Spurs, like chelsea, have a squad for the next 5-10 years, not right now.
18/02/2014 @ 11:58 am
I dont know why I even bothered to read the first few paragraphs. End of an era?? Its only the beginning with a few setbacks. Modric and Bale left at their own will. The club is receiving £118 million for two players. From the current set up anyone you name will fetch double the original cost price at least. There has been some silly mistakes made but non reversable in my opinion. It can not be the end of an era for a club beginning to produce some top talent on a regular basis unlike one offs of the past. Bentaleb will be followed by a few more such as Coulibally. How can it be an end of an era for a club came on top in next gen level last year?? Pessimism is in majority of Spurs fans DNA due to the fact of been let down in countless occasions but Spurs have a great future and they are there to stay.
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18/02/2014 @ 12:03 pm
Hhmm, I sense a slight re-writing of history here.
Harry did a good job, but you could also argue that he was lucky in that Liverpool and to a lesser extent Arsenal, regressed form the previous levels. Man City changed manger in the 09/10 season and Chelsea fell apart in 2012.
There were some great performances under Redknapp, but we were also horribly inconsistent at key moments and he always assumed defeat before games against ‘bigger’ teams and managers.
Lets perhaps also give Jol, Ramos, Comolli and Levy a little credit. Under these men we acquired and developed all the talent mentioned in this article.
18/02/2014 @ 12:05 pm
See, this is everything that is wrong with current spurs fans. You will look back and cherish these past few years.. I will look back and wonder why-how we didn’t achieve more with the players we had.
We do not aim for the top spot at the start of every season so we never reach it. We aim for 4th, that is one position so if we come 5th we fail. If we aim for 1st but still fail at least we would have CL football to fill the coffers and help us challenge for 1st again but we aim for 4th and come 5th or 6th and we have the measly funds from EL that after a complete run and even if we won the trophy, wouldn’t buy us a player like Hazzard or Fernandinho. We will never spend £30 million on players every season and I am ok with that, nay proud of that but until the premier league step in and put real sustainable caps on the amounts that other clubs spend every season (transfers and wage caps) other smaller funded teams (that does include us) won’t stand a chance of winning the league or qualifying for the CL and isn’t that what supposedly makes the premier league the “best league in the world”? The fact that so many teams compete? The way I see it we only really have 4 teams that realistically compete, soon (maybe) to be 5 what with Liverpool finding some feet, but would they of been so good if they had EL or CL football as well? I doubt it.
I am thoroughly sick and tired of English football at the moment.
18/02/2014 @ 12:18 pm
there were some great memories but I think the rose-tinted glasses are on a bit here. Redknapp could be attacking and quite gung-ho but there were also plenty of matches where we struggled to break teams down at home and where lumping it up to Peter Crouch, hoping for a knockdown to VDV, was our main tactic. The CL games were brilliant, no doubt, but we also often messed up the big games – getting hammered by Chelsea at Wembley, losing 2 big games away to man city, losing without fail away to Man Utd and Chelsea (and Arsenal most years), getting tonked by Madrid. It seemed like we’d become a harder nut to crack under AVB although this season we’ve gone back to type, mullered twice by city and by Liverpool. Not sure if things have changed that much, maybe the opposition has just got slightly better. One thing I would say is that we were generally better at home under redknapp although now we have the best away record of anyone!
18/02/2014 @ 12:30 pm
Yes, it’s been a good period, and you can even go earlier and take the two fifth place finishes of Martin Jol. Always always Arsenal tho’ (they nipped in after that pasta-gate, or whatever it was, then again for the past two years after previously being a huge points total behind us!). They are not just our main rivals, they seem to have the luck to benefit at our expense solely.
The last 3 or 4 years especially, have seen us be a CL team in all but actuality. A combination of cruel luck, missed chances, wasted opportunities and poor decisions (at crucial times) by coaches/managers/owners, all conspired to prevent our destiny. This season now seems a familiar road, and what a strange season it’s been. I agree that the best football we played came together under Harry (Modric and Parker playing the perfect create and hold partnership, VDV (when fit) in the hole, the wonderful balance of our wings in Bale and BAE, and Lennon and Walker ..scaring defenses to death ..and so on). But Harry took his silly disloyal eye off us when England ‘seemed’ to call to him, and we turned from title chasing (with a nailed on 3rd at least) to a collapsed 4th (with Chelsea keeping us out through their CL win). Harry would have taken us from strength to strength if he’d simply maintained what we were doing (Sir Alex said we were playing the most attractive football in the PL at the time) but for what happened after, I don’t blame Levy for sacking him (particularly after the way we stood by him through his trial), and I’ll never forgive Harry for what might have been. He could have rivaled Billy Nick, or at least Burkinshaw, as one of our few truly great managers.
I do not think, however, that we’ll fall away next year if we finish 5th this season. Our stadium will go ahead, and top players will still be attracted here ..attracted by the thing that keeps Spurs fans going ..hope (er, as well as money)! A slight change in luck wouldn’t go amiss either. But from now on, Mr. Levy, identify what we need as the final pieces in our squad jigsaw rather than just bringing in squad players where we have strength already. Soldado would have benefited a few years ago when we had real creativity and pace in the final third. Buying him now (with Modric, Bale and VDV all gone) has not been good business. Just get those type of decisions right!
18/02/2014 @ 12:52 pm
It’s easy to look back with rose tinted glasses we have got a better squad now than we’ve had in years. Whilst it’s frustrating that we’ve finished only fifth and fourth over the past few seasons this is against a backdrop of being mid table at best for almost fifteen years before BMJ arrived.
Bale was sold for a world record fee and clearly had his head turned. Modric stayed for an extra season due to Levy refusing to sell him. VDV was the best finisher I’ve seen at the Lane but couldn’t last 90 minutes and had to be accommodated into a system that suited him.
Under ‘Arry we played some great stuff but I lost count of the number of ‘lower’ teams we failed to break down year after year. The joy at finally looking like we would achieve something under Jol was amazing – The shouts of ‘England’s Number One’ mad the whole stand shake at times. AVB arrived and by this stage we suddenly thought 5th was failure (maybe it is).
We had some great players but a lot of dross and beyond the 1st 11 we didn’t have much. All of our 22 squad members would be starters at any club beneath Man U at the moment. So whilst we have fond memories of the stars who left too early like Modric, Bale and Berba, remember too Bent, Crouch, Bentley, Hutton Bassong, Gallas and Jenas.
18/02/2014 @ 2:05 pm
Peter Crouch – scored the winner in the San Siro, scored the winner at Man City. He made a contribution at least, even if he spent most of his time falling over. Jenas was OK when he arrived. The others you mentioned were pretty dross though. I had the (dis)pleasure of watching Gallas’s performance against Inter at the san siro last season, he was an absolute disaster
18/02/2014 @ 3:33 pm
Exactly – Crouch scored the winner (I had meant to write that in my comment). What a massive over achievement for him and us. We got to the Champions League quarter final with Crouch in our starting 11 ffs!
18/02/2014 @ 12:53 pm
So the presumption here is that Liverpool, City, Chelsea and Arsenal will lock up the top four this year and with a resurgent United Spurs will never get back in the champions league. Ok I get the idea and yes I agree we’re worse than we used to be. Can you imagine what would have happened if we’d bought Hazard as rumoured in the last Jan transfer window before Modric went that team would’ve truly been title contenders. However lets not curse the Europa league this year if we end up there since winning it next season brings automatic champion’s league qualification to be honest if Spurs put their best team out winning it isn’t beyond us. So next season finish 11th, win the Europa league and that new “top four” becomes five. Back to the big time.
18/02/2014 @ 1:36 pm
what absolute crap, repetitive, boring and as for your obvious fondness of redcrap, no credibility, stick to writing on toilet walls
18/02/2014 @ 10:53 pm
Which presumably is where you do most of your writing.
18/02/2014 @ 2:17 pm
Some great times under Redknapp, enjoyed supporting us more when Jol was manager, everything seemed a little bit purer.
Champions League really is not the be all and end all. Besides we’ll still probably finish 4th this year (at least) and maybe go all the way in the Europa, then it really will be the end of a (trophyless) era
18/02/2014 @ 2:37 pm
I’m glad most everyone has said what I was thinking while reading this article. With all the talent we have and how everyone is saying we haven’t gelled yet (still getting points and pushing for champions spot) I can’t wait to see how good we will be when we finally do click.
18/02/2014 @ 3:49 pm
Nice trip down memory lane Jack, and I don’t feel that people need to be as offensive as they have been in the comments above.
As some have pointed out, there were still quite a lot of problems under Redknapp that we can easily forget. ‘Lumping it up to Crouch’ being a big one. At the same time, we shouldn’t forget the good times either.
Completely get your point that it feels as if the wheels are coming off a little at the moment, but we still have a very solid foundation.
Remains to be seen how it’ll all play out.
COYS etc
18/02/2014 @ 3:54 pm
What a terrible article. Sub-par, TFC.
18/02/2014 @ 4:24 pm
Good read, and of course some good times, but I think it started with Jol and he deserves more credit… That was when we made the jump from mid table regulars to top 4 contenders and since we have, we have never looked back… Up’s and Down’s yet, but we have been there or there about ever since. Yes of course it’s hard, very hard in fact considering Chelski and City have unlimited funds and United, Arse and Pool have far bigger stadiums and Asian revenue streams to call upon. People keep talking about Champions League, but let’s be real, it’s wages that players are after, nothing less… if Spurs or Arsenal paid £200K a week, Hazard would be in White or Red. The pull of London is huge too… why do you think everyone keep choosing us over Liverpool. Hugh and Jan both left Champions League regulars to come and play for us…and of course all the lads that went to Monaco, who aren’t even in the Europa. Money makes the world go round… and football is certainly no exception.
18/02/2014 @ 10:22 pm
Its all about money these days.Chelski and manCity have it in bucket loads(the so called fair play money deal.Is a joke) these clubs will find away round it regardless.I hate saying this but credit to the Arse and liverpool of recent.To hold there own against the money rich parriahs,Who can convince players that they are the best thing since sliced bread.Its so easy to say i have always dreamed of playing for them,when there bank accounts,suddenly ballon out,some times by double and treble what others can offer.Its the way of the World now.Its based on greed.Simple really.And no this is not down to any form of jealousy..Its just that players who probably only have a a short time to earn such big amounts,put the greed factor above anything else.Its human nature.
18/02/2014 @ 10:58 pm
If so called fans would stop having a go at Sherwood ,Levy et al and back the team we might get somewhere,if as a player I kept reading the negative tripe that gets written,I think I would start thinking “why bother”.Support Spurs ,the teams there ,it just needs tweaking,a bit of patience wo’nt come amiss.COYS
18/02/2014 @ 11:26 pm
I think some of the criticisms of this article are a bit unfair. I think the main point here is that when teams are having relative success you must build on it. And I believe we didnt, we pissed around penny pinching in the transfer windows. Also, when you compare say the last 5 years to the mid to late 90’s and early 2000 it’s a great time, and we don’t want to go back to that. I can see how that is a real worry that that might happen.
At present we have a great squad with lots of very young talented players some of whom have great potential. What we are waiting for is someone who will unlock that and get them working together and get the best out of them. We need to decide who that is and stick with them. I think also we lack that real star player, that one player who can change games and stand out!
I’m still optimistic about the future, but that’s being a typical spurs fan isn’t it. But I can see where and the sentiment behind this article .
19/02/2014 @ 4:02 am
I’m getting tired of all the negative articles about our performances. We’ve still got a shot at equaling last years point total of 72, our highest in the premier league era. We’ve got a number of young and incredibly promising players. So long as we don’t lose anyone important in the Summer, then there is no reason why we will not come back even stronger next year.
19/02/2014 @ 8:25 am
I’m 28 and have had a season ticket at spurs since 1998. I’ve never seen a better team that what Redknapp built from the year we qualified for the CL until the day he left, I completely agree with everything you have said here and feel exactly the same.
19/02/2014 @ 11:13 am
WHAT A FECKING BORE YOU ARE MATE ! ! !
21/02/2014 @ 9:17 pm
So you didn’t enjoy it then, and you aren’t enjoying it now, but in hindsight then was good, so in hindsight will now be good as well?