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Guillem Balague column: What is Mauricio Pochettino doing to ride Spurs storm?

Seafordian Spurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
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4,141
'Eventually you begin to wonder if actually Spurs are more of a perception than a reality. Are they as good as people have made them out to be? Because if they are, then we are now at the stage where we should be seeing more evidence of their prowess.'

Say it like it is, mate. It's gone tits up... ?
 

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
48,764
'Eventually you begin to wonder if actually Spurs are more of a perception than a reality. Are they as good as people have made them out to be? Because if they are, then we are now at the stage where we should be seeing more evidence of their prowess.'

Say it like it is, mate. It's gone tits up... ?
Sorry, but three years of consistently performing is not perception. A lot of guff being written this week.

Nevertheless, given he’s been Poch’s ghostwriter this is a worrying piece. Just hope it’s his thoughts rather than any he’s been fed by our manager.
 

JUSTINSIGNAL

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2008
15,980
48,499
It’s amazing how quickly the vultures circle. A couple of losses and all of sudden we’re not ‘not as good as people have made us out to be’. What hyperbolic bullshit,
 

Seafordian Spurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
2,157
4,141
Sorry, but three years of consistently performing is not perception. A lot of guff being written this week.

Nevertheless, given he’s been Poch’s ghostwriter this is a worrying piece. Just hope it’s his thoughts rather than any he’s been fed by our manager.

Agree entirely that column inches are being filled with bilge this week. It's our turn it would seem. It's journalism - so that's the point- but, as you say, shame/disconcerting it's come from him..
 

Johnny J

Not the Kiwi you need but the one you deserve
Aug 18, 2012
18,124
47,895
People love to pile on GB, but the fact is that he's close to Poch and isn't going to write anything that'll piss him off, or that is inaccurate (at least, inaccurate in a way that doesn't favor Poch. I can see him bending things a little in favor of the guy he wrote a book with).

This is the clearest indication yet that Poch is not happy with the summer's inactivity. "Other managers would have walked" is a fairly damning indictment of the situation right now.
 

SpursDave88

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
2,193
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People love to pile on GB, but the fact is that he's close to Poch and isn't going to write anything that'll piss him off, or that is inaccurate (at least, inaccurate in a way that doesn't favor Poch. I can see him bending things a little in favor of the guy he wrote a book with).

This is the clearest indication yet that Poch is not happy with the summer's inactivity. "Other managers would have walked" is a fairly damning indictment of the situation right now.

This piece has effectively been written by Poch.
 

Dov67

Well-Known Member
Jul 1, 2005
3,318
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If this article was written by Neil Ashton I could dismiss it.

Trust and honesty is very very important to Poch. It comes through loud and clear in his book. It seems that that trust may have been broken by this summers lack of activity.

When Poch said at the end of last season we need to be "brave" and "take risks", i'm pretty confident he didn't mean buy absolutely nobody in a world cup summer.

so that trust and bond with Levy may well have been broken.

Desperately hope I'm wrong but this may very well be the last season with Poch.
 

McArchibald

Well-Known Member
Jun 6, 2010
1,280
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People love to pile on GB, but the fact is that he's close to Poch and isn't going to write anything that'll piss him off, or that is inaccurate (at least, inaccurate in a way that doesn't favor Poch. I can see him bending things a little in favor of the guy he wrote a book with).

This is the clearest indication yet that Poch is not happy with the summer's inactivity. "Other managers would have walked" is a fairly damning indictment of the situation right now.

Ties in with Herc's remark that all is not well behind the scenes.
Poo-poo this piece by Balague at your peril...
 

alfie103

Well-Known Member
Jun 4, 2005
3,967
4,441
If Pochettino has basically used this article to let his feelings be known through his mate then I wouldn't be very happy with him. He signed a new contract which made one of highest paid managers in the League and he knows we are in the process of building a new stadium in a very short amount of time which is taking a lot of money to complete and we offered Harry Kane a big wage bump with new contract offers to other players.
 

Donki

Has a "Massive Member" Member
May 14, 2007
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I’m not one to panic at articles and media reports, but considering who wrote this I would be very surprised if Poch didn’t read this before it was published and ok’d it.
 

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
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If Pochettino has basically used this article to let his feelings be known through his mate then I wouldn't be very happy with him. He signed a new contract which made one of highest paid managers in the League and he knows we are in the process of building a new stadium in a very short amount of time which is taking a lot of money to complete and we offered Harry Kane a big wage bump with new contract offers to other players.
It could be Poch has directed this piece, but in the article Balague says he asked Poch how they should use the media in regard to the Real Madrid interest and Poch wasn't up for it. He's not someone who plays games, iMO. Maybe he's reached his limit, or not. Who knows?
 

double0

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2006
14,423
12,258
Look Poch and Levy have to work together and in the main they have. On two fronts the clubs is moving rapidly in the right direction if you ask me, Poch has done wonders with the club in league and CL overall , Levy with all his critics has also done a fantastic job building that new stadium signing our existing players on improved contracts and advertising investments for naming rights....have you bloody seen that stadium?... what a marvel.
Oviously i'd like to see us continually improve and achieve trophies and league successes however with our lack of transfer activities (imo it'll be a great season when all is dusted) and stadium delay I am more than prepared to be patient with our process.
 

Tucker

Shitehawk
Jul 15, 2013
31,131
146,017
Really doesn’t bode well. I said at the beginning of the season that a few bad results and things would start to turn nasty at the club.

Aside from glimpses against United we’ve been really poor this season. Something is missing from the team, they don’t look to have any impetus.
 

jimbo

Cabbages
Dec 22, 2003
8,035
7,435
I would be very surprised if Poch didn’t read this before it was published and ok’d it.

I think that's very unlikely, no real journalist would write a piece and seek approval from a subject unless it's advertorial. He's written it for money, probably to a tight deadline, so there's no room for an iterative collaboration.

Which isn't to say that he won't have drawn on Poch as a source. Most likely is he's using his connection from the biography to imply greater inside knowledge and cash in. We're newsworthy at the moment, unfortunately for us. This type of piece is pretty typical. I wouldn't read too much into it just yet.
 
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