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Beware the hysteria

6 min read
by Vass Koni
Vass refuses to be sucked into the hysteria, instead he takes a reasoned look at what has been, so far, a promising start for the new man in charge. Viva la calm and serene revolución

Spurs fans are a weird bunch. But then I guess the fans of most teams are. At the start of this season Spurs were once again in a state of flux –no surprise there as it seems to ever be thus.

A new manager was in place after two had left the season before. The squad was unbalanced and a number of players bought the previous summer still hadn’t settled and hadn’t been helped by the coaching merry go round that had seen the season end with a Gillet wearing Adebayor saluting egotist. The general consensus was that the new guy, whenever appointed, should be given time and the opportunity to assess his squad and to try and build something lasting as constant change is something most of us were tiring of.

Of course the backdrop to all this would be that the team would be expected to compete in three domestic competitions as well as the arduous Europa League and its umpteen hurdles before the competition would get remotely serious around February.

[linequote]Even Lamela has shown positive signs with his assist and key passes stats although he clearly still has some considerable way to go[/linequote]

Champions League qualification was widely accepted as not being on the radar and it was a free whack for the new guy. Most reasonable Spurs fans had enough of the managerial merry go round and wanted some stability.

So in steps Pochettino, and in truth we don’t start great. No signs of the high pressing game displayed at Southampton; some strange appointments as club captains; as well as some uncomfortable defeats particularly at home. By late October Spurs fans were as disillusioned as ever and many fans were bemoaning a loss of affinity with the club, myself included in truth. But I and many others kept the faith and still do, whilst others decided (and unbelievably still do) to want this coach gone too.

And yet what has Pochettino done for Spurs this season?

Competed on every front. Took us to a cup final. Beat some of our hated rivals, convincingly, and even until early April kept us in with an unexpected shout of 4th place.

Of the players that fans were fed up with the season before, there has been evident improvement in Rose that has silenced some of the perennial haters of his (they seem to have turned their attention to other players -Soldado and Paulinho most notably). Chadli suddenly became useful (until he sadly lost his father and his form) and Eriksen’s class became more evident.

Even Lamela has shown positive signs with his assist and key passes stats although he clearly still has some considerable way to go to even stand a chance of winning over Spurs fans and justify his unfortunate price tag.

Pochettino has introduced youth into the squad to play the style he wants (and no credit doesn’t go to the Gillet Man for this). He has given every member of the squad a chance and has made it clear by his team selection that there are a number of senior pros that won’t be around the club much longer. And this is a good thing because fans can see the transition taking place.

[fullquote]He has given every member of the squad a chance and has made it clear by his team selection that there are a number of senior pros that won’t be around the club much longer[/fullquote]

The flip side though is that by in effect discarding some of these players it has left the squad thin and it is no wonder that the youthful starting eleven that Spurs fans were taking pride in not so long ago, seems to be tiring in the final run in.

The remaining squad players that Pochettino can call upon to help see us over the line haven’t seen enough meaningful playing time recently to come in and have an immediate impact, but hey as long as some Spurs fans can ridicule these players when they are picked then why should they even try to rationalise.

The pluses have no doubt been Kane, Mason, Bentaleb and Rose, all of whom have been called up or played for their national senior sides. Add to that Dier who has shown so much promise and maturity since that first game at Upton Park in August. It is clear Pochettino sees him as a regular defender for Spurs which is probably why he has persevered with him at the expense of Fazio in this latter part of the season in order to prep him for next season.

And yet a dismal performance against Burnley (who are no slouches at home and recently beat City there) and all the doom mongers resurface. The know all’s are back and the poisoner’s of Spurs minds suddenly focus on the hysterical immediacy of the result and forego just about everything that has occurred in the six months prior that had re-energised fans that had previously been disillusioned.

One minute we don’t want Europa next season, the next we bemoan the possibility of finishing out of that group of clubs. In another minute, top four isn’t realistic then fans bemoan not pushing for fourth. The hypocrisy is endless unfortunately. You see all that matters is today’s result. Paulinho must have been rubbish because of that awful shot in the second half and the whole squad is so bad that they can all get sold in the summer bar two or three. Because wholesale changes are forever the solution at WHL aren’t they?

The same criticism that is levelled at Levy ought to be levelled at the fans because as far as I can tell, Levy tends to get it wrong when he thinks like a fan.

Anyone with a Poch Out hashtag is routinely blocked by me on Twitter. I don’t have time for nonsense. What we should focus on though is the positives of this season and they should not be forgotten so readily. It is clear that steps are in place to support Pochettino going forward.

The recruitment of Paul Mitchell a guy that has worked with Pochettino before should be seen for what it is, backing for the coach. And if this summer we sign players that none of you have heard of then that will be a good thing (because you all heard of the seven we bought with the Bale money and were excited by that before hindsight hit you).

[linequote]Come the final whistle of the final game this season, I know that mine and many Spurs fans expectations for the season would have been surpassed[/linequote]

If youthful energy and talent is the way forward then that’s fine by me. If Pochettino can do for others what he has done with Danny Rose this season then that is fine by me. If he can turn Kane into a full international in one season when to many of us he seemed a Championship player at best then that is fine by me. And if we continue having seasons where Woolwich don’t take any points from us and Chelsea need to park the bus to beat us then that is fine by me too.

Unlike many Spurs fans though, I won’t let a poor 0-0 at Burnley cloud my judgement. I’m keeping my head screwed on as I am sure Pochettino and probably Levy are too and I am staying the course.

Come the final whistle of the final game this season, I know that mine and many Spurs fans expectations for the season would have been surpassed and I will know that we have taken a positive step in the right direction. I won’t let the poison eat me. I have been lilywhite for too many years to allow the hysterical melt downs of others distort what my eyes can plainly see and what my mind can capably understand.

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.

Vass Koni

3 Comments

  1. mark
    08/04/2015 @ 12:33 pm

    Good article and totally agree

    Can’t believe there are any people out there who want poch out! Except rival fans

    Quite clear we are improving, but he needs to now get in some of his own players rather than those that have shown themselves not to be good enough for 2 seasons now.

  2. ofosh
    09/04/2015 @ 12:55 am

    I think I’m the only Spurs fan who thinks this season has been yet another missed opportunity and that Pochettino is completely out if his depth. Let’s be honest. None of us could of predicted Kane getting in the first team let alone scoring a bundle of goals. Take that away and we are 10th at best. We have been poor for 75% of the season starting off with the bizarre choice of Kaboul as captain leading up to the performance last Sunday. None of Pochettino’s buys have improved the squad and most of them can’t even get on the bench. Nearly 60 games played and still no sign of the mythical Pochettino pressing game. To cap it all off Levy continues to operate a zero net transfer budget whilst the new stadium gets delayed 12 months every year. I don’t like where we are as a club. We haven’t been this far behind the window licking nomads in ten years and that right there should be the measurement. Not a couple if wins over bitter rivals and a trip to Wembley for the third tier domestic competition. I’m sorry I can’t share your optimism. I think we are in decline and no new stadium is going to halt that…

  3. ofosh
    09/04/2015 @ 12:55 am

    I think I’m the only Spurs fan who thinks this season has been yet another missed opportunity and that Pochettino is completely out if his depth. Let’s be honest. None of us could of predicted Kane getting in the first team let alone scoring a bundle of goals. Take that away and we are 10th at best. We have been poor for 75% of the season starting off with the bizarre choice of Kaboul as captain leading up to the performance last Sunday. None of Pochettino’s buys have improved the squad and most of them can’t even get on the bench. Nearly 60 games played and still no sign of the mythical Pochettino pressing game. To cap it all off Levy continues to operate a zero net transfer budget whilst the new stadium gets delayed 12 months every year. I don’t like where we are as a club. We haven’t been this far behind the window licking nomads in ten years and that right there should be the measurement. Not a couple of wins over bitter rivals and a trip to Wembley for the third tier domestic competition. I’m sorry I can’t share your optimism. I think we are in decline and no new stadium is going to halt that…

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