What’s Needed to Shrug Off ‘Being Spursy’ and Empower Fans Going Forward?

It’s the nearly highest of highs and the nearly lowest of lows being a Tottenham Hotspur fan in recent seasons. Trophies have been won – but not the biggest of the big – and relegation has been flirted with – but never truly seen as a real possibility.

Huge swings in results and storylines have, at the very least, made for entertaining reading. Of course, more than anything else, fans want to shrug off this idea of the ‘Spursy’ way, and build towards something. Commit and show gradual improvements that would cement the club around the top.

A wild ride is still a wild ride, and it’s tough to stop even the momentum of inconsistency. So, what should the club be doing to try to settle tensions and empower fans through tumultuous times?

Lots of New Faces with Different Ideas

League position to one side, it’s tough to think of a team that’s enjoyed the celebrations and success, particularly on the continent, as Spurs, and yet have run through this many head coaches in such a short time. These haven’t all been overly experimental picks, either.

Thomas Frank didn’t seem to click, but Ange Postecoglou brought the first trophy in nearly two decades. Before him, there were Nuno Espírito Santo, José Mourinho, and Antonio Conte. All of them arrived with prestige from the Premier League or beyond, but ended up being distinctly bent out of shape.

You need to go back to Mauricio Pochettino and his superb reign from May 2014 to November 2019 to find the last long run at the helm. Importantly, he was a manager who would play to the players’ strengths and, in many ways, make them better. Now, interim head coach Igor Tudor says he wants to entertain those who attend.

Lean into the Stadium Product

Tudor’s actual job is to get Spurs as high up the table as he can, avoiding a true relegation scrap at all costs. Good results don’t necessarily create an entertaining on-pitch product, but sinking the table while playing entertaining football, à la Postecoglou, doesn’t lead to happy fans.

With such inconsistency, the club could do more to keep appeasing the paying fans. The lavish new stadium obviously does a lot of heavy lifting, but offering ways to enjoy it for free or at a lower cost would help. They could take a leaf out of how new iGaming players get an online slots bonus, offering those who deposit extra spins to play.

A similar approach could be taken for new fans who sign up, but more pressingly, the bonus structure for loyal players could be mirrored. Free drinks or snacks or a shot at memorabilia regularly at games could all help to lift spirits and keep engagement high while the club realigns again.

Of course, the main way to push the team forward would seemingly be to change the wage structure. Postecoglou’s only the most recent former coach to describe the financial structure as being particularly limiting. Take off these shackles and get an adaptable coach who suits the players, and a better on-pitch product should follow.

Tottenham still have a lot to play for this season, and there are some top talents in the team, but the wild ride of being ‘Spursy’ likely won’t be fading for a while yet.