Dear Mr Levy: You've gone and made me ruin me
Dear Mr Levy,
This is a mess. All of it. Once more, it's self-inflicted. Once more the identity of the football club is stuck between two parallel universes. In one, it's the brand and the new stadium and in the other it's the supporters. Both can bind together for sure. But only if the football is one that aligns with the identity we own. Spurs have always been a reflection of the fanbase. We can be brilliant, be awful and occasionally glorious but being Tottenham has always been about flair and flaws. We've been accepting of this but we've also evolved with expectancy.
See, Spurs are a different beast to when you first took over the reigns from Alan Sugar. Spurs are competitors, financially, and on the pitch. We're nowhere near being the finished article. We are not yet certifiable in our desire to challenge convincingly over a season. We can however aspire to do so, more so than ever during my lifetime. Yes, you have built something that is a tangible option for top drawer players and the new stadium (once we are allowed back in) will become our new home. You have built something with the foundations we - the supporters - own. You're the custodian of our dreams. And yet here we are, yet again, fighting our fears in the midst of sleep paralysis.
As for that new stadium, we will continue to curate our treasured traditions and house them in the new modern surroundings. But only to the tune of Spursy football.
No, not that Spursy. I mean the proper definition of Spursy. Swaggering stylings and pulsating attacking football. Aggressive, swarming and even spiteful at times. You see, in amongst the undertaking of building the billion pound brand, you lucked out - accidently - by overseeing a new benchmark of quality; The Mauricio Pochettino era. What we had in the short-lived moment was the football and togetherness that everyone bought into. We had undeniable identity but one that perfectly fitted into what we are comfortable with.
But it was more than that because we pushed to be more than just pretenders. We did our best and then burnt out. See, as accidental as our birth was during this time period our death was designed. Not on purpose but rather by the blueprint you live by.
You had your mind on the stadium. Understandable so. Poch was a manager that could come in and get the best out of the players on a budget that did not require untold millions. But perhaps what he achieved elevated us above the expectancy you had and when it came to consolidating the team's ascendancy - you didn't.
Where am I going with this? I guess the point I'm making is that there is never a consistent statement of intent that the main crux of this endeavour is the football. But then it isn't, is it? I don't want to get bogged down with the politics of finances and the rest. We've been here so many times before. I don't even care, I accept it's the way of the world and that the revenue this club will make (one day) will mean we might be able to pay wages to bolster our team to the point where we can buy the title. Because that appears to be the only way to consistently compete.
But that's not to say we can't compete with the resources we have. And yet we self-inflict the damage to our standing, from one season to the next.
If the statement the club anchored themselves to involved leading with the football (to truly solidify the brand) we're be where Liverpool are today. But we're not really reactive. We're not wanting to make the steps forward as the be all and end all of everything. That the clubs identity isn't at the forefront of the business element of the club. It is. but it's superficial and relies heavily on taking advantage of our loyalty.
You might think you're doing the right thing and I honestly believe most of the time you are. But equally so I know you're obsessively stubborn and focused with your principles. To the point where you still persist in signing players the coach probably doesn't want or need.
See, Mr Levy, I'm not demanding anything here other than to retune the essence of what ambition truly is. I don't expect or demand Tottenham to win anything. We're not like them lot down the road. I want us to be in a position where I can believe and dream and the rest is up to luck, hard work and the universe. But to get into that position we have to do so with spirited determination and not accidental moments of fluke.
We never backed Poch. Do you now back Jose? Is this a short term appointment? A long term? If it's a mistake, do you take the financial hit and make a change? If you make a change, is it a project manager that comes in or do you seek another 'quick fix' gaffer to save this turbulent squad of players?
Mourinho is another stubborn man that looked to rebrand and prove something to himself and his doubters. The stage was set. Is it all an act? But perhaps this tragedy is only possible at a club unlike Spurs. See, we're not a football club and fanbase that is accepting of identity changing fixes. But some of us found ourselves willing to give it a go.
I was one of them.
I talked myself into it. That it was okay if the football was rigid and often passive if the counter attacks were high level assassinations. That this was a process for the players to find another output, an edge. That if we could make sacrifices on the pitch that would get us into a position to win something - then this was okay. Not a permanent change. Just something we had to do. Considering we played some of the most breath-taking football under Poch and did nothing. Considering we often had no plan b to find a way through, playing ugly. I was willing to make the sacrifice.
But it's gone too far. And now the players look disinterested. And there's this paradox at play. In my head. Did I turn my back on my own statement of intent, my own identity in the pursuit of trophies when I've lived a lifetime proclaiming that the most important thing is the football. That belonging to a club is more than just results.
And yet the paradox will also instruct that the results, when it matters most, is the reason why we have failed in so many semi-finals. In a few cup finals too. That perhaps there is no in-between. Not with Mourinho.
You've gone and ruined me Mr Levy. I bought into it and now I don't know what it is you've sold me.
Perhaps I've written this letter far too early, too quickly and I would be happy to look back at this and think I was foolish whilst Spurs go on to win something this season. Perhaps.
Or perhaps I should just return to not caring much about those cups and live for the moments and everything else is a bonus. I'm not sure how others will fair with this philosophy.
I gave up mine momentarily and I'm not sure it's working out for my wellbeing. Much like I'm now not sure Mourinho is working out either. I was willing to make the change to accommodate him but it's not looking like he has the capacity to accommodate us.
I don't even know how to end this letter.
Yours something.
Spooky
