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Please stop the LVG press

3 min read
by Editor
Wilson asks either for space or a handshake. We need decisions and acts of direction not more van Gaal waffle.

It will not have escaped the attention of Tottenham fans that Louis van Gaal is hotly tipped to become the new manager of THFC. In fact, it is hard to imagine it escaping the attention of anyone, anywhere, so relentless has the media coverage on this story been.

download (1)It is a fact that with so many football journalists being based in London, there is an undeniable London Club-bias in the media, especially in the tabloids, of which Tottenham gets more than its fair share.

This is not that surprising: a big London club in turmoil makes interesting reading. But when features are being written daily about which star players a manager who has not yet signed with the club will bring in, you know things have gone a bit far.

[linequote]Imagine seeing pictures of Spurs fans with ‘Van Gaal 01’ printed on their shirts when he signs for Man U[/linequote]

And the result of this hype is not pretty. For those who think the people posting ‘Ade Salute’ messages on Twitter are just handing public-domain ammunition to opposition fans, just imagine the prospect of seeing those pictures of Spurs fans with ‘Van Gaal 01’ printed on their shirts doing the rounds in August when Mr van Gaal is announced as the new Manchester United (or worse, much worse, Woolwich) manager.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

I think we all could do with a bit of breathing space from Mr van Gaal. Until he has signed for Spurs, I know I could do with a break. Because the more I read about his future in England, the more cynical I get.

With every day, and every article published it is getting harder not to take the view that he is using the Tottenham job to highlight his availability – with pointed glances to the north-west.

United is undoubtedly the largest concern for those calling for van Gaal’s services: it is hard to imagine, if given the option, a 62 year old giant of the managerial world looking for a last punt before retiring choosing Spurs over United.

It is similarly hard to imagine United’s American owners choosing to endure Moyes for another season if van Gaal is available. I don’t even want to consider the prospect of Wenger finally stepping down and a vacancy opening up over at the 60,000-seat Islington Library.

Be careful what you wish for 

Van Gaal is clearly a great manager and would doubtlessly improve any club he takes over. And I won’t pretend I wouldn’t be happy if he does – eventually – commit to Spurs.

To think positively: perhaps a manager of van Gaal’s age, experience and calibre will command more respect from Levy than we’ve seen before. Perhaps where AVB said ‘I can’t have Hulk or Mountino? OK I’ll take what I’m given’, one feels van Gaal would take a stronger stance. In short, he might put Levy in his place.

Thinking less positively, however: add a manager who is notoriously hard to work with to a chairman who is as notoriously hard to work with and what do you get? A manager walking out when Levy doesn’t spend in January? A manager leaving for United after a season? Or van Gaal leaving by ‘mutual consent’ by March?

[linequote]Sadly, the whole thing seems less and less likely, and less and less plausible, with every article[/linequote]

The last option seems painfully realistic. If Redknapp was sacked for being outspoken in the media and batting eyelashes at the FA, van Gaal’s behaviour thus far certainly doesn’t suggest any happier a working relationship with Levy is on the cards – before even getting the job he has already spoken out to the press about Spurs, and is already batting eyelashes at better options.

Sadly, the whole thing seems less and less likely, and less and less plausible, with every article. The hype, the attention, the endless conjecture – it all plays right into van Gaal and his agent’s hands – hands that I fear will not be shaking with Levy’s any time soon.

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

21 Comments

  1. Frog Head
    14/04/2014 @ 2:40 pm

    Simple – Lets go for Frank de Boer instead

  2. Chris B Waters
    14/04/2014 @ 3:06 pm

    Not sure I want him. He’s another ‘foreign’ opportunist touting his options to see where Man U and Arse are, before condescendingly giving us his approval. I bet he knows nothing about Spurs’ history! I’m also sick of this huge ‘rewarding of failure’ culture. It should be written into a manager’s contract that if he can’t deliver on certain things in the first 12 months (nothing too over-promising), then, if asked to leave, should do so with just a 6 month pay-up or, better still, the shirt on his back. I find it unbelievable that 4 or 5 year multi-million pound contracts are dished out to managers and coaches with little or no PL experience, and, when things don’t go right and don’t ever look as if they will, the contractee can then walk away with millions of pounds in his pocket as a ‘reward’ for shoddy failure!
    I don’t want Tim, either, although I do admire his passion for the club.
    I just wish we had an honest, down to earth manager, with excellent coaching and tactical sense, and man-management talent!
    Where are the Billy Nicks when you need them!? ..or even Keith Burkenshaw? Classy managers and Spurs through and through.

    • MemphisWill
      14/04/2014 @ 5:30 pm

      So you think AVB would’ve left without getting paid due to this clause then? Which of his failures would have triggered that, delivering Spurs their highest PL points total in his debut season or being on pace to best that in his second season when kicked out of the door?

      Levy is a petulant meddler who keeps his seat of power by doing well with the books while scapegoating managers for the football failures. Piss on ENIC, the managers deserve their money for having to suffer Levy.

      • Mr. Graham
        15/04/2014 @ 6:33 am

        AVB was on pace for 64 points, and in 7th place in December, when he left. That’s hardly on pace to best the record points tally.

        • The Whale
          15/04/2014 @ 8:10 am

          He was also, judging by his wobbling lower lip and the haunted look in his eyes, on the verge of a minor nervous breakdown. There is no way he was in a fit state to continue in that job unfortunately.

        • Spurgatso
          15/04/2014 @ 6:21 pm

          Yup record points got him,us,FIFTH ! With no record [points Harry got us 4th the season before EBBTK

        • MemphisWill
          17/04/2014 @ 8:00 pm

          My math was shamefully off. Doesn’t change the fact that he had a largely new, and injury plagued, squad that apparently wasn’t all of his choosing and he was doing pretty well given those circumstances. Remedying the issues, finding cohesiveness and closing the, at the time much smaller, gap was far more likely under AVB than Option Z Tim Sherwood. Was he underperforming? Maybe. But then people said the same thing in calling for Brendan Rodgers’ job last year.

          Spurs can’t/aren’t going to buy their way up the table. To climb that hill is going to take a plan, and part of a plan is not throwing everything in the bin at the first sight of a rough patch.

          • The Whale
            22/04/2014 @ 10:52 am

            “Closing the, at the time much smaller, gap was far more likely under AVB…”

            I absolutely cannot fathom what you are basing this on. Rewind to the look on his boatrace at the end of the Liverpool game. He was practically crying. Afterwards he was listless and surly. He’d lost his mojo and was not in a fit state to continue. This rose-tinted hindsight is ridiculous: the guy was a goner. Nobody was happy about it but it doesn’t stop it being true.

            Quite apart from anything else, one of the few good things which subsequently happened was that Adebayor started playing scoring. That would not have happened under AvB for reasons which have been well-documented. Take away those goals and I am struggling to see where the points would have come from.

  3. terry cross
    14/04/2014 @ 3:13 pm

    give it to me I would be on a winner either way money if I succeed money if I don’t cant be bad being a football manager can it. Bring it on LEVY im your man

  4. TrueSpurs
    14/04/2014 @ 3:14 pm

    What’s this with comparison of LvG and HR….footballing wise there’s no comparison and as for eyelashes being fluttered… LvG doesn’t owe us a thing and is not contracted to us whereas HR was when he did the flirting with the FA!!! So – give over…

  5. Pete
    14/04/2014 @ 3:28 pm

    after years of expectation and promise and spurs enviably finishing mid-table (yes we have done better recently) I can appreciate why spurs fans are nervous and cynical about a massive name who footballing wise seems to be the right appointment, actually coming to the club. However I have a theory on this…my mate bumped into vertonghen at amsterdam airport this weekend, and my mate asked him if he was leaving and he said…he wasn’t. In my eyes this is crystal clear proof that LvG is coming he has already had communications with the top players and tottenham are already looking to the future with signings etc…Maybe we can do what Liverpool did this year…right?

  6. Nik
    14/04/2014 @ 3:31 pm

    Couldn’t agree more.

    If Spurs were the likely destination I cant help but think that the deal would be done already. What would anyone be waiting for if it wasnt? He can sign a pre-agreement to join after the World Cup. I don’t buy that Levy is stalling because we have a manager already – he cant have suddenly grown a conscience. Sherwood knows the game is up, he had some time in the sun courtesy of Levy and now needs to go train on-the-job somewhere else. And Sherwood knows this.

    So .. i cant see LVG coming if we haven’t closed the deal already.

    • Mr. Graham
      15/04/2014 @ 6:37 am

      Mathematically, Spurs aren’t out of a shot to get fourth place yet. If that was Sherwood’s target, and he somehow does get Spurs there, how bad would it look to have already replaced him, when he did everything asked of him, especially after having signed a deal through next season?

      • Nik
        15/04/2014 @ 8:55 am

        Because if he gets there (which he wont) it will be a result of a calamitous capitulation of the teams above us.

        4th? Be serious.

  7. Ray
    14/04/2014 @ 3:53 pm

    All hypothetical bull***t. An awful lot of media speculation created by themselves without any foundation what so ever, knowing full well that various blogs will pick it up and follow like sheep. The story has snow balled from there causing a frenzy amongst supporters. Just because LvG to Spurs hasn’t taken place to date, ManU and the Arse have been thrown into the mix to spice things up a little despite ManU having officially stated they have not spoken to LvG at any time. It appears to me that the media are trying to dictate to Daniel Levy abut since when have they ever been successful in twisting his arm. The answer is never. I admit, that I would like to see LVG at WHL and he isn’t too big for the club despite what some twats are writing but lets remember, the season isn’t over yet and we may not hear anything until then so just chill a little.

  8. scott
    14/04/2014 @ 3:54 pm

    I think the decision has been made already and levy knows who it is
    when harry was sacked most people didn’t know we had signed avb already
    What if van gaal goes to united would anyone on here take moyes as our net manager

  9. RHuss
    14/04/2014 @ 4:15 pm

    I don’t think he’s coming to Spurs…
    nowadays Spurs being a laughing stock where people make fun of.
    Remember the case of Chiriches problem with the jailed owner,
    Willian medical check-up with Spurs but signed for Chelsea,
    and now Vertonghen fake injury to force out next season.
    How true are Lamela and Capoue’s injury claim plus Paulinho’s
    bad performance under Sherwood whereas under AVB he was one of
    Spurs better player.
    I can see Spurs sliding down with Levy system and Sherwood unpopularity
    with most Spurs foreign players.

  10. wooks
    14/04/2014 @ 4:25 pm

    You don’t really have any proper information and are making up theories based on dreamed up hypotheses.

  11. Spurgatso
    14/04/2014 @ 9:03 pm

    Totally agree with you sir,van Gaal,old tart whoring himself round the premier league.I’ll keep Sherwood at least he ‘s a Spurs man.

  12. bovbm
    14/04/2014 @ 11:13 pm

    Loool keep Sherwood,he’s a Spurs n lol you don’t watch Spurs a lot do u mate?

    • Spurgatso
      15/04/2014 @ 6:24 pm

      Do you ?Whats wrong with his record,and where are we?

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