You can’t buy class

Can you believe 31 games ago the bookies had suspended betting on Antonio Conte getting the sack? His side are obviously now top of pile and those same bookies have them as favourites to end this marathon as champions. Having said that I’m hoping their little wobble progresses to a full on implosion. This will not only benefit my beloved Tottenham Hotspur but it will also benefit the future of the game we love in our glorious land and I’ll tell you why…

Fickle is an interesting term used to describe those that change their affections with frequent ease, some say unprincipled. The football world is the most fickle of all; 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 3-1-3-2-1 or even the Christmas Tree. These many variations of 11 men chasing a ball around a park are just one example of the fickleness that runs through our beautiful game.

Nicholas II Tsar of Russia was on the throne when their empire crashed and burnt in 1917; ensuring Lenin, Stalin, Communism et al got their pages in the books of history. He was often said to be so fickle that everybody wanted to be the last in a room with him because he’d then adopt their idea! This reminds me of another extremely fickle Russian currently in charge of a mighty empire. Mr Abramovich, and his possibly questionable wealth, entered our game sometime ago now but with all the money he has spent the interest rate in his personal bank of fickleness has grown and multiplied. He sees a manager doing well so he buys them, often not giving them a chance if they hit a bit of turbulence. This sees the world’s best managers cast aside without being given an opportunity to do what they are paid amazingly well to do and build an army to defend the empire. The knock on effect this has on grass roots football is disastrous. If you managed Chelsea would you allow a young prospect a run of games where things aren’t always perfect, like Harry Kane, or would you just buy a proven superstar? I’d buy the superstar for fear that the talented youngster could cost me my job. The fear and fickleness that engulfs Chelsea has seen the likes of Josh McEachran’s career fall flat due to a lack of first team exposure at a critical development phase. I’d suggest he was as talented as Dele Alli but just wasn’t given the chance(s) he needed at that crucial time that would of allowed his talent to blossom. This was probably because his manager feared his fickle boss if, like anybody learning a trade, he was not the finished product from the off.

Had the man from the Red Square been calling the shots at United in Jan 1990 Mark Robins wouldn’t have had the chance to save Fergie’s career as the vultures would have been finishing his carcass by then. Such a show of fickleness would have robbed us of the class of ’92, the treble and a knighthood to name but a few. I’m only happy that in N17 we appear closer to a model resembling the class of ’92 as opposed to the obscene nature of attempting to completely buy happiness. When I see Chelsea win a trophy I can’t help but visualise Derek Trotter post windfall as a millionaire. You can’t buy class, even with Russian Rubles.

Choose any language you want- amour (French), hou van (Flemish), love (English), cariad (Welsh), elsker (Danish), 애정 (Korean); but I LOVE Poch. Interestingly in the most cosmopolitan of cosmopolitan environments those five languages cover the mother tongue of our entire starting line up from last Saturday. And this is the very reason why I LOVE Poch so much because not only has he got us playing the best football I’ve ever seen us play he has done so while allowing young English talent the chance to develop. Last Saturday there were four Englishmen under the age of 26 in our starting line up. Obviously we also have Rose, Winks, Trippier etc.. ready and willing to join the party when needed. I can’t help but be convinced that across London at Stamford Bridge fickleness and fear would have prevailed and most of these players would have stayed on loan or the bench rather than developed on the pitch.

I honestly don’t mind Chelsea being successful, that’s a fat lie (and obviously I’d rather it be my beloved Spurs, but not at the cost of football’s morality). For the love of football I hope there is a rediscovering of principles at The Bridge. I can’t be the only one thinking another bloodless Russian Revolution that confines this Tsar to those pages of history would be positive can I?