With all the usual media coverage focused on Spurs at the start of the season, I thought I’d point something out:
After six Premiership games LAST SEASON, Spurs had taken just four points – which will be the exact same total after the defeat to Arsenal on September 15th.
The similarities don’t end there. Below are the first six games from last season’s Premier League campaign:
Bolton 2-0 Tottenham
Tottenham 2-0 Sheff Utd
Tottenham 0-2 Everton
Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham
Tottenham 0-0 Fulham
Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham
So, Spurs had…
An opening day defeat.
A home win against a newly promoted side
A two goal defeat at home to Everton
A 1-0 defeat at Manchester United
A draw against Fulham
A defeat against a 'top four club' (to be confirmed)
Yet they still finished fifth and were UEFA and Carling Cup Semi-Finalists and FA Cup Quarter Finalists.
Dont panic just yet, don’t believe everything you read, and for f**k sake give Martin Jol a break.
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10 comments:
OK... I do find the whole 'Martin Jol must go' flim-flam staggering, I really do.
Do you think the team is likely to be affected all that much by the behind-the-scenes negotiations relating to Martin Jol and a possible replacement?
Of course.
Certain people on the board seem to want Jol out. It's envitable that Jol will go at some point.
I hope he gets offered a role as Dutch national coach and gives Levy the middle finger salute at his last game.
He's a decent chap and doesn't deserve this Shakespearean back stabbing.
Well that's certainly my take on things. Why do they want to get rid of someone that's taken Spurs back to the UEFA Cup two seasons running?
daniellevy@tottenhamhotspur.com
Ah, you misunderstand. I said "WHY", not "WHO would want to get rid of Martin Jol"? :)
I guess the big difference is that Spurs haven't been blanked 5 times in the opening six games this season (only twice, plus whatever happens on the 15th).
That's a noticeable improvement, even if the results are the same.
As an Arsenal supporter, I'd love to see Jol go.
I don't think it's that crazy to think Jol may be forced out. Spurs spent quite a lot on players and have a talented squad that has, to this point, massively underacheived.
It's true the situation was the same last season and Jol pulled them back to 5th and back into Europe. But maybe that's the acme of Jol's ability.
Are Spurs merely the 5th best side in England? Jol just may have taken the club as far as he is able. That's not an indictment on his class as a manager, as I think he very good.
Spurs may just need a new prespective to take them to the next plateau that is the Big 4. It happens in all sports, where a manager achieves great things, but he isn't the one to lead them on that final step.
I dont disagree with most of what you are saying, Chris B, but my biggest issue is the timing.
Why invest £40m on players? Why 3 or so games into the season?
Wouldnt it have made more sense to replace him in June, to give those funds to the new manager.
And my biggest problem with it all is that Jol hasnt been there that long. He replaced Santini and Spurs raced up the table, then two 5th places finishes.
That start is better than Alex Ferguson's, who had a bad start at United until Mark Robins found his shooting boots on night.
Imagine sacking Ferguson after such a period - it seems ludicrous to think that now. Im not saying Jol is in tha class of Ferguson, but likewise, how will we know if he is or isnt.
Fans dont have patience anymore. Is it because of the Abramovich effect? It seems if you arent instantly successful you are doomed.
Either way the entire episode sucks and smacks of the Spurs board making another fiasco any situation.
I agree with you on the timing issue. A manager should never be let go so early in the season. Nor should he be at any point during the season unless a club is facing relegation, in my opinion.
I think Jol should be given the season to prove he can do more. If there's no improvement, then move on. I think Jol, ultimately, will be very successful, just not with Spurs.
The deck is beginning to be stacked against him by way of the board and the media. But the board must realize that replacing Jol with a manager who doesn't have the pedigree to win both league and Europe would be a massive mistake. It could also severely set back the progress made by Jol.
I think a large part of this is that Spurs set such high expectations for themselves (fans, board, players, everyone) that this poor start looks like an astronomical failure, rather than just a regular, run of the mill poor start (which seems to be a Spurs common occurrence). So obviously, since those expectations were not met (as ambitious as they were), someone someone has to be to blame; the manager is simply the most obvious target.
I was watching the Spurs:Fulham game over the weekend, and Spurs just cruised the last 20 minutes. They were convinced they had already won, and looked like they were just waiting for the final whistle. Maybe it's a management thing (where Jol would be culpable), but I would say it's mostly the player's fault; for whatever reason, they didn't have the will to see out the game or had such disdain for Fulham that they screwed around. I don't know, either way, but they've got to get their head in for the full 90 minutes to be successful this season. Champions League is still out of reach, but if Jol stays they'll have a good shot at 5th again (watch out for Everton, though)
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