Fred Levy and Daniel West

A friend of mine sent me a message on Sunday reminding me that Daniel Levy is not Fred West. And he was right. Fred West killed an estimated 11 women. Daniel Levy has only attempted to murder the spirit of a football club.

The club is not dead. Reports of its demise are a little premature. Even this diabolical and mismanaged team is four points shy of fourth place. Sky Sports continues to scream, ‘It’s the best league in the world’ with a beady eye on your subscription money, but the widespread mediocrity should be apparent to most of us.

Yet at Tottenham, especially, something important is missing. The soporific football and bemusing team selections of ‘Ramos Lite’ Mauricio Pochettino are just part of the malaise. The soul of the club is gone. Daniel Levy and co treat long-time supporters as a necessary inconvenience, but with the second most expensive season tickets in the Premier League even they must notice the empty seats appearing from their ivory tower in the West Stand. I could not attend the Stoke game on Sunday due to work commitments (lucky escape), but was unable to shift my four tickets via Stubhub (significantly below face value before you ask!).

[linequote]The soul of the club is gone. Daniel Levy and co treat long-time supporters as a necessary inconvenience.[/linequote]

The rap sheet of owners ENIC has been damning in recent times. Levy and his cronies were happy to shift the club from North London to East London without fan consultation; allowed season ticket holders to fleece naive fans for profit via Stubhub; chose to abandon the club’s hardcore on the issue of the Y-word; empowered over-zealous, North Korea inspired stewarding and the facility to grass on your fellow fan for being ‘offensive’ (I’ve yet to receive a response to my text requesting the removal of the troublesome bald bloke in the West Stand upper tier) and the sale of world class players for trousered or poorly invested profit.

The discovery of Atlantis remains closer than the mythical new stadium. Archway Metal appear a better defensive option than Younès Kaboul at less than half the price Levy forked out for the kamikaze defender (twice!). A projected ground share with the league’s second most famous franchise club MK Dons seems remarkably apt for a chairman who has abandoned the core values of the club with a future sale in mind. Even Tottenham’s iconic manager Bill Nicholson has been pimped out shamelessly as a sales pitch.

Levy still dreams of Prada on a Primark budget. Spurs’ net spend in the Premier League over the last five years is lower than Burnley and sits in an incredible 20th place of all current top flight teams (-£12.85 million). The world class players have departed with the on-field entertainment. Gareth Bale and Luka Modric sold to abusive partner Real Madrid, Ledley King retired to that state-of-the-art Sainsbury’s and Rafael Van Der Vaart shifted more understandably as his talents waned with injury.

Those characters who provided spirit and fire in the dressing room were also shipped off for more £££ including Michael Dawson (a better defender than Kaboul with double the commitment of Jan Vertonghen, Vlad Chiriches and Fazio), the tub-thumping Sandro and fan favourite Lewis Holtby. The trio were not the best players at the club, but the absence of team spirit on the field has clearly been amplified by their departure.

[fullquote]Levy still dreams of Prada on a Primark budget. Spurs’ net spend in the Premier League over the last five years is lower than Burnley and sits in an incredible 20th place of all current top flight teams[/fullquote]

Ten managers have fallen in 13 years at a Fred Westian slay rate on Levy’s chopping block. Yet, bizarrely, the man who hired these coaches remains unaccountable for ‘their’ failure. The last three bosses registered fourth, fifth and sixth place end of season finishes, but these positions were bemusingly considered unacceptable. Pass the crack pipe, Danny Boy.

Tottenham was my first true love, yet the attraction is flagging and now the club resembles a dishevelled ex who plies her weekends on the dogging circuit (usually 1.30pm or 4pm on a Sunday, bring protection). You will be on all fours and gasping 90 minutes later. Your self-esteem is non-refundable.

The atmosphere at White Hart Lane has been appalling ever since the ‘successful’ qualification for the Champions League in 2010. The sea of grey and white-haired season ticket holders mumble and groan from kick-off and Emmanuel Adebayor’s comments about the woeful home support were not as wide of the mark as his recent finishes. Few players can hold their head up this season, to single out Adebayor is lazy when the Spurs defence is laughably porous and of Nethercottian dimensions and the midfield devoid of guile and creativity. Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and perhaps Nacer Chadli are among the handful of ‘performers’. But the players on the pitch share the responsibility for creating an atmosphere.

[linequote]Emmanuel Adebayor’s comments about the woeful home support were not as wide of the mark as his recent finishes.[/linequote]

The problems at Spurs are many, but most of them emanate from the unaccountable decisions of the board. The drowning out of the boos with cranked up music on the final whistle against Stoke and their inability to effectively communicate and show empathy with the club’s traditional fanbase is emblematic of their contempt.

The time for protest is fast approaching. The club is caught in what AVB famously dubbed a ‘negative spiral’. Maybe it’s time for us consumers to bite back. Influence ENIC by not buying tickets for home games, refuse to purchase their branded tat dressed up as ‘official club merchandise’.

The only way to make them listen is not to buy their product.

The choice is yours.