mpickard2087
Patient Zero
- Jun 13, 2008
- 21,894
- 32,582
It's just a big shame really. I quibbled and disagreed with and criticised plenty of what I saw, even in the good times, as I do with all managers/players/teams, but he's undoubtedly the best manager I've seen in 25 years watching Spurs, and by some distance. The only one who installed a backbone and some fighting qualities, fitness, and got a Spurs team pressing and putting in a shift without the ball. Not just occasionally, but week in week out. We were... are... at last a proper substantial football team because of him.
But the evidence of 2019, if you take out the (admittedly fairly freaky/lucky/fluky) CL run which distracted from league form for a bit, is someone who has run out of steam in his current job. It doesn't have to be anyone's fault - manager, chairman, players - it can just sometimes happen in life. For whatever reason he looks worn out and without the energy and motivation left to tackle the mounting issues. Several players aren't playing for him (obvious ones, but others who aren't getting mentioned), several players have also suffered huge losses of form, game after game tactically each bit of tinkering is as bad as what preceded it, and the standards of our play, with and without the ball, have dropped off a cliff in the last couple of years. And there was no evidence of any improvement coming or that he had any solutions to the problems.
If a change had to be made I have said it would depend on whether we had someone lined up to take over now. If not he may as well have seen out the campaign. But then I don't know what's happened today, I'm guessing him and Levy have left it a week during the internationals to weigh things up, and either a) Levy hasn't liked the answers, or seen the passion, of a man wanting to continue or b) Poch has decided he hasn't got anything left to give and communicated that. If that's the case his departure became necessary really.
I just hope the next guy in continues the good work and proper ethos that was put in place, namely hard work and marrying some football ability and trying to play the game in the right way with hard work and putting in a shift and having some bollocks about us.
Thanks and good luck, Poch.
But the evidence of 2019, if you take out the (admittedly fairly freaky/lucky/fluky) CL run which distracted from league form for a bit, is someone who has run out of steam in his current job. It doesn't have to be anyone's fault - manager, chairman, players - it can just sometimes happen in life. For whatever reason he looks worn out and without the energy and motivation left to tackle the mounting issues. Several players aren't playing for him (obvious ones, but others who aren't getting mentioned), several players have also suffered huge losses of form, game after game tactically each bit of tinkering is as bad as what preceded it, and the standards of our play, with and without the ball, have dropped off a cliff in the last couple of years. And there was no evidence of any improvement coming or that he had any solutions to the problems.
If a change had to be made I have said it would depend on whether we had someone lined up to take over now. If not he may as well have seen out the campaign. But then I don't know what's happened today, I'm guessing him and Levy have left it a week during the internationals to weigh things up, and either a) Levy hasn't liked the answers, or seen the passion, of a man wanting to continue or b) Poch has decided he hasn't got anything left to give and communicated that. If that's the case his departure became necessary really.
I just hope the next guy in continues the good work and proper ethos that was put in place, namely hard work and marrying some football ability and trying to play the game in the right way with hard work and putting in a shift and having some bollocks about us.
Thanks and good luck, Poch.
