ENIC...

[topper]

A question that’s been growing in my mind, that I don’t have an answer to, is have ENIC done better as custodians of the club than any other reasonably competent owner would have? We hear the ‘better the devil you know’ and ‘might do a Leeds’ statements a lot when ENIC are questioned - but that depends on an exceptionally bad alternative and can we truly say that ENIC have been exceptionally good?

For the first 15 years or so I was very much in the ENIC are doing a decent job camp. They took over the club when we were languishing and returned us to where we should have been all along. (Average league finish 6th, average Premier League finish also 6th.) It felt like they were on a positive trajectory, and although it was frustrating that the journey was a long one, they returned us from relegation contenders to top six regulars. The playing squad improved and it felt that ENIC’s success and our success were tied together.

The decisions to spend when league placings and revenue were threatened rather than trophies possible seemed like a smallish divergence from ENIC’s interests and ours. The stadium a bigger one, with the desire to move the club to Stratford in order to achieve greater revenue for lower cost. We have built a multi-use entertainment megaplex that cost a lot of money when we could have built a football stadium for less. The debt attached to THFC rather than ENIC.

Now we’ve had the Super League debacle. Not just a lack of consultation with players, staff, fans, etc but an apparent disregard for them. Followed up with clinging on to the idea and the mealy mouthed non-apology. Do we believe that the increased revenue would have been used to improve the football club? I’m not sure I do anymore. Before, I wouldn’t have given much credence to the noise about Levy being out of touch, being left behind in terms of not just football but business decision making, now? Well...

For 15 years I’ve been ENIC in, the last five years (assisted by @Archibald&Crooks propaganda) I’ve slowly become more ENIC out, and the Super League debacle finally makes up my mind. Yes, there is an argument that from a business perspective it was necessary but not from a football one, not unilaterally, not if you value the club, the fans, the history, the tradition. And it’s not just that, if there are sanctions, consequences, as there should and likely will be - then it is an atrocious decision that is bad for the football club and bad for the business as separate as those seem to have become of late.

So now I’m questioning my previous position that Levy and ENIC were doing a good job. ‘Be careful what you wish for’ is the oft used cliche. But have we been selling our wishes short? Things could have been worse, no doubt. Could they not also have been better? Which brings me back to my original question: have ENIC really been so brilliant for us that they deserve to be held in such high regard? Have they really done so much better than the vast majority of football club owners could have done?

Surely not, A&C is always fair and balanced in his view of Levy and ENIC in general

 

[Cream]

Any Spurs fan who buys a single piece of branded merchandise till Enic goes is guilty of prolonging their stay.

I won't buy a ticket, t shirt or key ring till they're gone.

If everyone did this they will be gone in 18 months.

 

[LeParisien]

Yeah, totally crazy man.

I mean it's not like ENIC and Daniel Levy in particular have overseen the demise of this playing squad to the point where we are a shadow of the squad we were a few years ago. It's not like they have completely squandered the opportunity to assemble a title winning squad around a once in a generation talent who they lucked out on coming through our academy and frankly without whom we would be midtable at best.

They are responsible for us going into this game with a squad and coach where most of us were expecting to get an absolute pasting, to the point where a dire, spineless performance with one shot on goal actually doesn't seem too bad. They invest in things that give them guaranteed returns but when it comes to the playing squad they have consistently failed to show ambition and take that final step when required.

But hey, at least we have one fuck of a property portfolio.

They’ve invested well in playing and coaching staff since the new stadium opened. The majority of fans have been happy - at least with transfer business.

Enic have turned us into a top 10 club in the world in terms of finances and they have aka ways reinvested money back into the club. It’s not like they’ve taken masses out. Now that infrastructure has been completed - guess where that moneys going? Pretty clear if you ask me

 

[LeParisien]

To be fair, your original post was pretty patronizing and insulting, calling people "crazies".

That’s true. I have been otherwise measured though. Which cannot be said of some of the hysterical responses in here. I can’t help it if I’m behaving like an adult

 

[pablo73]

A question that’s been growing in my mind, that I don’t have an answer to, is have ENIC done better as custodians of the club than any other reasonably competent owner would have? We hear the ‘better the devil you know’ and ‘might do a Leeds’ statements a lot when ENIC are questioned - but that depends on an exceptionally bad alternative and can we truly say that ENIC have been exceptionally good?

For the first 15 years or so I was very much in the ENIC are doing a decent job camp. They took over the club when we were languishing and returned us to where we should have been all along. (Average league finish 6th, average Premier League finish also 6th.) It felt like they were on a positive trajectory, and although it was frustrating that the journey was a long one, they returned us from relegation contenders to top six regulars. The playing squad improved and it felt that ENIC’s success and our success were tied together.

The decisions to spend when league placings and revenue were threatened rather than trophies possible seemed like a smallish divergence from ENIC’s interests and ours. The stadium a bigger one, with the desire to move the club to Stratford in order to achieve greater revenue for lower cost. We have built a multi-use entertainment megaplex that cost a lot of money when we could have built a football stadium for less. The debt attached to THFC rather than ENIC.

Now we’ve had the Super League debacle. Not just a lack of consultation with players, staff, fans, etc but an apparent disregard for them. Followed up with clinging on to the idea and the mealy mouthed non-apology. Do we believe that the increased revenue would have been used to improve the football club? I’m not sure I do anymore. Before, I wouldn’t have given much credence to the noise about Levy being out of touch, being left behind in terms of not just football but business decision making, now? Well...

For 15 years I’ve been ENIC in, the last five years (assisted by @Archibald&Crooks propaganda) I’ve slowly become more ENIC out, and the Super League debacle finally makes up my mind. Yes, there is an argument that from a business perspective it was necessary but not from a football one, not unilaterally, not if you value the club, the fans, the history, the tradition. And it’s not just that, if there are sanctions, consequences, as there should and likely will be - then it is an atrocious decision that is bad for the football club and bad for the business as separate as those seem to have become of late.

So now I’m questioning my previous position that Levy and ENIC were doing a good job. ‘Be careful what you wish for’ is the oft used cliche. But have we been selling our wishes short? Things could have been worse, no doubt. Could they not also have been better? Which brings me back to my original question: have ENIC really been so brilliant for us that they deserve to be held in such high regard? Have they really done so much better than the vast majority of football club owners could have done?

Absolutely not and you are absolutely right to be questioning your previous assumptions. As you mentioned, their decisions to spend when league status (ie money) rather than trophies are in doubt is very telling.

They are in it to rinse as much money out of us all as possible, nothing more and nothing less. Anyone who still does not get that has their head buried firmly in the sand. Still, it could be worse we could have Ridsdale etc etc

 

[H-SF]

I've never been Levy or ENIC out as I think they have done a good job (if you credit them with it) of building up our profile on and off the pitch over the course of the last 20 years. However, I am at the point where I don't think we are going to be where we all want us to be (winning and competing for the biggest titles) without owners that actually invest into the playing squad. With FFP being relaxed City and Chelsea are going to streak ahead and clubs like Villa and Everton (who have owners that are willing to support heavy spending in the transfer market) are going to catch up and overtake us. They run the club like a business and whilst that hasn't necessarily been an issue up to this point with the way football is going I feel we need owners with more intent.

 

[Drink!Drink!]

we could have built off of Poch and hired another proper project manager to elevate us and built upon the foundations of possession based attacking football where you dominate games; which the make up of our squad was suited to; that would have been a relatively small transition, probably a few seasons.

Instead ENIC decided to do, which frankly what most of you wanted to do which was apply the quick fix, we hired a manager completely unsuited to our squad, completely unsuited to building on our foundations and now we're behind even where we were when Poch started in terms of the performances of the squad. Having gone the complete opposite direction in terms of style of play so we're now going to have to turn that round again.

I don't know what circles you move in. But I have a huge extended family of Spurs fans and lots of Spurs mates. I don't know a single one of them who was happy about getting Mourinho. Everyone was worried about his style of football and that he would be a terrible fit at Spurs in general.

You know what, whoever might be at blame for the mess we are in, I don't think you can say it's the fault of our supporters.

 

[olliec]

I've never been Levy or ENIC out as I think they have done a good job (if you credit them with it) of building up our profile on and off the pitch over the course of the last 20 years. However, I am at the point where I don't think we are going to be where we all want us to be (winning and competing for the biggest titles) without owners that actually invest into the playing squad. With FFP being relaxed City and Chelsea are going to streak ahead and clubs like Villa and Everton (who have owners that are willing to support heavy spending in the transfer market) are going to catch up and overtake us. They run the club like a business and whilst that hasn't necessarily been an issue up to this point with the way football is going I feel we need owners with more intent.

Leicester as well also have owners that will spend. So that makes 3 teams who could possibly catch up and over take us soon.

 

[pablo73]

They’ve invested well in playing and coaching staff since the new stadium opened. The majority of fans have been happy - at least with transfer business.

Enic have turned us into a top 10 club in the world in terms of finances and they have aka ways reinvested money back into the club. It’s not like they’ve taken masses out. Now that infrastructure has been completed - guess where that moneys going? Pretty clear if you ask me

Too little too late after zero investment and very poor recruitment over the previous 5 or so years. As I recall you were one of the happy clappers defending their decision not to buy any players (completely unprecedented) over two transfer windows. We are now reaping the inevitable 'rewards' of that lack of investment/ambition.

 

[rabbikeane]

ENIC don't bankroll us, they spend what we got. As soon as the COVID situation blows over and we can get people into the ground again we'll be fine.

 

[coy-spurs1882]

ENIC don't bankroll us, they spend what we got. As soon as the COVID situation blows over and we can get people into the ground again we'll be fine.

who would be interested to go to watch such shit performances?

 

[olliec]

ENIC don't bankroll us, they spend what we got. As soon as the COVID situation blows over and we can get people into the ground again we'll be fine.

You’re funny if you believe that! Coming from the owners who didn’t spend anything in 2 windows? On top of that want to join a super league clearly for greed to line their own pockets? The only thing having the fans back is going to do is put a big smirk on their faces as they watch the money come in drip feeding us little by little.

 

[LeParisien]

Too little too late after zero investment and very poor recruitment over the previous 5 or so years. As I recall you were one of the happy clappers defending their decision not to buy any players (completely unprecedented) over two transfer windows. We are now reaping the inevitable 'rewards' of that lack of investment/ambition.

I also said in the final January of Poch that we had to spend big that summer and I’d be critical of Levy if we didn’t. But we did.

I’m rarely upset by the short term. If we play well then games can upset me obviously. But when we play badly I can be detached too.

What I’m interested in is the long term and we’ve always been moving in the right direction. Foundations well and truly set - nowhere to hide.

And I’ll be transparent again. If we don’t get in a manager with a front foot playing style then I’ll be disappointed and I’ll be critical. If we don’t spend big again after 6 months of people in the stadium then I’ll be critical too.

 

[rabbikeane]

who would be interested to go to watch such shit performances?

Spurs fans. We've done in the past, and would again.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

My concern is if Kane starts pushing for the exit and we get punished for the super league (which we will but depends in what manner) that the atmosphere around the club could get extremely negative running into next season. It might not be do or die for Levy and ENIC, they may not even care what we think, but I do think this summer is going to be one of the biggest Levy has ever faced during his time at Spurs. The wrong choice of manager could have repercussions from players leaving to the stadium being ether empty or filed with enic out banners and chants. I don’t blame Levy for todays result but how we ended up here is most certainly, to some degree, on his shoulders.

 

[wrd]

I don't know what circles you move in. But I have a huge extended family of Spurs fans and lots of Spurs mates. I don't know a single one of them who was happy about getting Mourinho. Everyone was worried about his style of football and that he would be a terrible fit at Spurs in general.

You know what, whoever might be at blame for the mess we are in, I don't think you can say it's the fault of our supporters.

This forum mate , I'm talking about specifically whilst it was still up in the air and the club hadn't made a decision yet, there was a lot of fans who were flatly against the talk of a painful rebuild and so I'm not saying it's the fan's responsibility, I'm saying if fans are once again in this moment going to throw a paddy about the years it's going to take us to do a proper rebuild then they should acknowledge the last time they were wailing on and comes to terms about what it's going to take. It's not going to be a quick process to where we're going for big prizes next season and we should be aware of it so we don't look for another quick fix which as has been shown over the last 18 months, can spectacularly fuck the club up.

 

[LeParisien]

Spurs fans. We've done in the past, and would again.

Spot on. Football fans are always impatient but I’m proud of our owners and we’re moving in the right direction.

I know that’s not fashionable in the dark recesses of the internet and I’ll be negged again but it’s true.

 

[Wsussexspur]

Spurs fans. We've done in the past, and would again.

I’d say the biggest difference between now and the past is we are now being asked to pay the highest ticket prices in football to have the pleasure of watching this shit!

 

[shelfboy68]

Spot on. Football fans are always impatient but I’m proud of our owners and we’re moving in the right direction.

I know that’s not fashionable in the dark recesses of the internet and I’ll be negged again but it’s true.

Impatient FFS ?????????

 

[Wick3d]

I don't see them leaving. They own and run the club. If we want to succeed, if they want us to succeed, then they have to change their approach. If they don't, we are doomed to repeat this cycle of a nearly team forever.