The ousting of Daniel (COYS)

[UncleBuck]

No one should expect significant spend on 2 CBs, 1 GK, 1 AM and whatever else we need in the summer.

I imagine itll be a 30-40m CB, 1 CB whose contract is out or soon to be, a GK who will be cheaper than 30m and then probably an opportunistic option at AM.

The rest will then be dependent on outgoings.

I am prepared to be patient because you dont build a good squad overnight but when you build in this manner, you often have to take on plasters (Lenglet) and young players who are not ready get (Spence) which just delays the process meaning more gaps appear elsewhere

The opportunity to take Pope for £10m in the summer was there but we didn’t for whatever inexcusable reason, one of the best hg keepers in the league and we’re not all over it when we know Hugo is shot? Absolutely mental.
We’ll probably pay £40m for Pickford instead in the summer….

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Finally got around to reading the statement. I am not sure what people were expecting. That was essentially in-line what I would expect from any organization.

Levy was hardly going to bare his soul, nor would he reveal any financial dealings.

He basically defended ENIC's role in raising Spurs up from mid-table, made a general claim about wanting success on the pitch, and he wants a financially sustainable club. These are all things we knew, and really should not have expected more.

What would be interesting is if Levy were forced to sit for an interview - with a non-Spurs interviewer, and answer more probing questions - but that is never going to happen.

The one statement I think he really got wrong though, was this:

Financial sustainability has been fundamental to how we have run this Club. Our aim has always been to combine the financial stability of the Club with remaining competitive on the pitch.

Technically this is a true statement - but the immediate thought is: He simply wants to be "competitive" and I want a chairman who wants to "win" - there is a difference. This statement seems to confirm, money will always be more important than winning. I don't want a drunken sailor spending all of his money to run the club, but I do want a chairman who wakes up every day and asks: "What do we need to do today to help us win?"

 

[SandroClegane]

Just curious, but what are people looking for them to say? To reveal our transfer targets for the next 3 windows? To mention that we're in negotiations with X company on naming rights? There's not a lot you can expect from them and whatever they say obviously isn't going to be what every supporter wants to hear.

The Trust has also had some rough moments over the past few seasons so I can see why the club is short and vague with them in the first place too.

You'll never get the majority of Spurs fans firmly against Levy simply because the team is doing enough to appease certain sectors of the support base. They are spending enough for those who don't look too deep into it. They're winning enough for those that remember the bad times. They're investing in infrastructure so the media sees the club continuing to grow.

There isn't going to be crazy amounts of backlash because we're not having Everton level problems, we're actually going about our business in a decent but not good enough way.

And that in turn makes the die hard supporters look somewhat foolish and entitled to casual supporters and opposing fanbases.

 

[IamSpurtacus]

you often have to take on plasters (Lenglet) and young players who are not ready get (Spence)

Literally no other top team serious about winning takes this approach. Not one.

Certainly not one charging the highest season ticket prices in the league, and probably across Europe, by extension...Real madrid's most expensive ticket is cheaper than ours!

 

[DFF]

Here we go again. FFP 2025. As if it’s going to sneak up on the other top 5/6 and bop them on the head. Levy always thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room.

 

[Dazza71]

Not the best questions and overlapped each other giving them the opportunity to keep saying answered above.

Also they promised after the super league thing that a fan would be on the board of directors. Looking at the list of directors that doesn't appear to have happened and has been brushed under the carpet unless I have missed something.

 

[coy-spurs1882]

I read that bland corporate mush and it mentions "winning" three times in such general terms, it's no wonder we don't actually win anything

No commitment to win the league, within a given timeframe, or any trophy.

Compare that to newcastle's new owners, who have made it pretty clear they want to win the league, within the next ten years, recognizing it could take that long from where they are - but at least are building to that

What are we building to? Fuck knows. But it ain't going to be to a league title under the current board and chairman

an asset that can maximize ENIC's profits when they sell it

 

[glacierSpurs]

What an infuriating read from the responses. Fucking hate replies like 'Answered above' - especially coming from a big corporation like our club management. Give more details FFS.

I think we should stop saying ENIC OUT. The man behind ENIC should be called out as much as Levy. ENIC out does not matter if the old man changes another company owning us.

So, just fuck off you two - LEVY OUT and LEWIS OUT. I hope there will be banners around the stadium big and clear spelling these two knobs.

 

[SpursSince1980]

Finally got around to reading the statement. I am not sure what people were expecting. That was essentially in-line what I would expect from any organization.

Levy was hardly going to bare his soul, nor would he reveal any financial dealings.

He basically defended ENIC's role in raising Spurs up from mid-table, made a general claim about wanting success on the pitch, and he wants a financially sustainable club. These are all things we knew, and really should not have expected more.

What would be interesting is if Levy were forced to sit for an interview - with a non-Spurs interviewer, and answer more probing questions - but that is never going to happen.

The one statement I think he really got wrong though, was this:

Financial sustainability has been fundamental to how we have run this Club. Our aim has always been to combine the financial stability of the Club with remaining competitive on the pitch.

Technically this is a true statement - but the immediate thought is: He simply wants to be "competitive" and I want a chairman who wants to "win" - there is a difference. This statement seems to confirm, money will always be more important than winning. I don't want a drunken sailor spending all of his money to run the club, but I do want a chairman who wakes up every day and asks: "What do we need to do today to help us win?"

Preach, brother. ?

 

[HedgieSpur]

Your point about asking people to boycott. It's laughable.

You are instigating a lot of noise about what fans should be doing, yet you aren't at every game. The fact that you think fans who have already paid money should just stop going is ridiculous.

Let me be clear. I have been going to nearly every game for 25 years. There is no way a lot of season ticket holders who have spent money will be boycotting.

No offence, but I have invested a lot of time and money into the club, and will do, regardless if enic are there, or not.

Enic aren't going anywhere in the short or medium term. So, I'd rather use my energy supporting the team, as I don't spend 1300 a year to whinge and moan like a child.

If you want to protest about enic, feel free to come down and do it.

Like you, I’m a season ticket holder (Platinum) of over 30+ years.

We all make our choices, but I’m really glad I didn’t listen to people like you on the 80s telling me my anti-apartheid protests were “pointless” and “will never change anything”.

Rather than high-handedly sneering at a fellow fan for trying to instigate change, I feel those who are not willing to docilely accept what ENIC are doing should be applauded, irrespective of whether you personally agree with the specific actions (booing, tennis balls onto the pitch, marches outside the stadium) they are planning to take.

 

[Stamford]

Why is Levy talking about FFP in two years when we are no where near having a problem with it and FFP has been proven time and time again to be completely irrelevant to every big club

 

[HedgieSpur]

On the response itself, emotionless, un-empathetic statement people issue emotionless, un -empathetic statement.

In other news, water is fucking wet.

There really isn’t much to say about this tbh. ENIC have laid bare over the years who they are an how they operate. Imo, we are a Sports & Entertainment business that happens to have a football club CURRENTLY at its core. I believe the ENIC strategy will be to continue grow the value of their investment by growing non-football related revenue via events and their real estate portfolio.

One key reason for doing so will be to mitigate the adverse effects of any drop off in demand for the footballing “product” i.e if fans boycott the matches or decide to not spend as much at the stadium or if we don’t perform particularly well on the pitch.

This is all my opinion of course, but to me, the ENIC strategy is very clear….. grow their investment, don’t rely on the on-pitch performances of the football club to do so.

 

[chas vs dave]

Like you, I’m a season ticket holder (Platinum) of over 30+ years.

We all make our choices, but I’m really glad I didn’t listen to people like you on the 80s telling me my anti-apartheid protests were “pointless” and “will never change anything”.

Rather than high-handedly sneering at a fellow fan for trying to instigate change, I feel those who are not willing to docilely accept what ENIC are doing should be applauded, irrespective of whether you personally agree with the specific actions (booing, tennis balls onto the pitch, marches outside the stadium) they are planning to

So, we are comparing enic out to anti apartheid, completely different ends of the spectrum.

You are perfectly entitled to protest, you pay the money, and make the choice. However, people who chose not to have that choice as well.

However, I don't think anything they have said isn't actually factually untrue. Then again, the questions by THST were completely pointless.

Enic aren't going in the near future, and I'll reiterate that the only way to get real change quickly is to push for fan representation in the club. That's what THST should be doing.

What does change look like to you? All I see is people wanting to fight for change, but seem to have no idea of what change they want.

 

[glacierSpurs]

I read that bland corporate mush and it mentions "winning" three times in such general terms, it's no wonder we don't actually win anything

No commitment to win the league, within a given timeframe, or any trophy.

Compare that to newcastle's new owners, who have made it pretty clear they want to win the league, within the next ten years, recognizing it could take that long from where they are - but at least are building to that

What are we building to? Fuck knows. But it ain't going to be to a league title under the current board and chairman

Saying to win the league is like a taboo. Nobody is allowed to say it. Even Mourinho and Conte did not mention them, for serial winners like them, almost specifically reminded by the club to better not say it. On hindsight of how clueless we looked sometimes as club, is almost as if we are very afraid to win something.

 

[tony0379]

Saying to win the league is like a taboo. Nobody is allowed to say it. Even Mourinho and Conte did not mention them, for serial winners like them, almost specifically reminded by the club to better not say it. On hindsight of how clueless we looked sometimes as club, is almost as if we are very afraid to win something.

If you win something. You'll have to spend and maintain that and not just prod along like they're doing at the moment

 

[glacierSpurs]

If you win something. You'll have to spend and maintain that and not just prod along like they're doing at the moment

And that is exactly what they don't wish to do, hence better not winning anything is what they prefer.

 

[Russ1201]

That would work, Sevilla fans did this years ago as well when protesting. It was pretty funny.

Imagine a siege of tennis balls from the south stand

I think the fans should target Levy in the directors box with the tennis balls ?

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I think the fans should target Levy in the directors box with the tennis balls ?

You got more chance of winning top prize at a fairground coconut shy than hitting a target that small

 

[chas vs dave]

The opportunity to take Pope for £10m in the summer was there but we didn’t for whatever inexcusable reason, one of the best hg keepers in the league and we’re not all over it when we know Hugo is shot? Absolutely mental.
We’ll probably pay £40m for Pickford instead in the summer….

Agreed. It made a lot of sense.

 

[Dakes]

Read through the statement. One of the parts that stands out for me is the following:

There is always a fine line between long-term investment and short-termism – which is why our recruitment has to be first class. Mistakes at this level leave a financial and sporting impact for future seasons. We have felt the financial impact of supporting player purchases which have not worked out as hoped. We have taken steps to improve this area of operations and the recent windows reflect this.

In the club's responses, there is acknowledgment that the club will grow as a result of football success. Taken from the club response:

Going forward, therefore, our strategy is clear - to drive and generate revenues to invest in all of our football activities. Football success, in turn, supports the growth of our Club, our fanbase and consequently wider, commercial opportunities and partnerships, which then deliver further revenue to reinvest in football - the virtuous, sustainable circle on which our Club model is based.

The club speaks about long-term investment vs short-termism. Recruitment-wise, this translates to player purchases that will grow in value over time, i.e. young prospects. This approach makes sense if the focus is on future revenue from these players. However, this approach does not align with the strategy of growing the club through achieving football success. Clubs that have grown significantly through football success have primarily done so through 'short-termism', spending money on players that managers need to win NOW.

This brings me to the point I wanted to make originally based on the first quoted passage. The club says that our recruitment has to be first class, but what does that mean? It's a very generic term to use. The clubs speaks about costly recruitment mistakes that have been made and that steps have been taken to improve this area and that this has been reflected in recent windows. Sounds great, but you have a manager who can bring football success, he plays a system that requires players with a particular skill set and of a certain required level, and the club goes out and does 'club signings' (that you end up having to loan out before being here one full season) and does last minute swoops of players recruited by other clubs.

The club is basically saying 'lessons have been learnt' but goes and takes the same actions that created the problem. So, what steps have been taken to prevent 'club signings' that don't align with your manager's vision and requirements?

You bemoan 'the financial impact of supporting player purchases which have not worked out as you hoped', and then continue to make purchases that will further have 'a financial and sporting impact for future seasons'.

Another demonstration of the lack of self-awareness I feel.