Levy / ENIC

[Lister]

I think without doubt Levy has his faults and has certainly made mistakes.

I also think he has taken us forward dramatically from where we were when he came in, and that it was far from a sure thing. Not just anyone could have got us in this position.

I have plenty of complaints with him, but given the general trend of improvement under him - and seeing countless other chairmen who are basically terrible, Im inclined to support Levy over someone else. Better the devil you know, and all that.

 

[truetomyself]

I think it's obvious that, based on the growth of the club and position we're in (unhappy in 6th) that he's done his job pretty damn well. The failures are a combination of bad luck and hindsight.
I genuinely believe that he does everything he can to make the club everything a fan wants it to be, whilst maintaining the integrity and sound business management that is required of our club.

Going by your logic, the growth of the club and position we're in are a combination of good fortune and lucky strike and have nothing to do with Levy. Since he's not responsible for anything...

 

[78Spur]

Hmm, it depends what you think Levy is responsible for, certainly some bad decisions, he is not totally in the clear, I think being a businessman he's been too easily seduced by 5 year plans and structures, be it under Santini, AVB or Ramos, I think he likes the idea of a football club with a corporate structure and this in itself still feels weird, probably why sometimes the club fails to discern between the definitions of a fan and a client.

It is not uncommon to start looking at the board when the results aren't right or we don't make the signings we need, just a few months ago during the transfer frenzy you had to say Levy was at least spending the Bale transfer trying to keep us competitive. The fact they have not gelled might be down to poor judgement by Baldini or simply we have good players that genuinely need more time to adapt.

I think the will is there on his part for us to suceed and he certainly is not the reason for every problem we have but there seems to be a gap between decisions which are based upon the 'football club' and 'business' elements. What does that mean? Well for me I think it means he'll fulfill the long term aim of getting a new White Hart Lane built, but his decision making will impact on the type of football team playing in it.

You have to say the club does look alright as a business, Levy is not a Risdale or Venky and considering we have been ran close to the edge by Irving Scholar we do need to at least acknowledge the fact Levy isn't putting our future in jeopardy as a business.

 

[Freudlyuchenko]

I agree with responsibility, as it is his job to oversee the club, but blame is different. People are blaming him for things and making themselves look daft for what they're suggesting his is at fault for. Redknapp wasn't the messiah, AVB wasn't blameless and Baldini has done what was expected, but should accept blame for buying so many players at once as his experience should have taught him better.

While I agree, it appears a bit harsh on Baldini, imagine how thin our squad would be had we not bought those 7 players:
1GKHeurelho Gomes
2DFKyle Walker
3DFDanny Rose
4DFYounès Kaboul (2nd vice-captain)
5DFJan Vertonghen



7MFAaron Lennon (vice-captain)




10FWEmmanuel Adebayor




16DFKyle Naughton


17MFAndros Townsend
19MFMousa Dembélé
20DFMichael Dawson (captain)



22MFGylfi Sigurðsson



24GKBrad Friedel
25GKHugo Lloris
30MFSandro
35DFZeki Fryers
37FWHarry Kane
42MFNabil Bentaleb

That is an 18 man squad, we needed to bring in the extra players. AVB wanted players from the continent rather than those with PL experience, so I can't blame Baldini for his part

 

[Fidel Castro]

I pray for the day that ENIC/Levy go to the tax haven in the sky. Silly me isn't
Uncle Joe sunning himself in his wonga bolt hole.
These 2 decades have been the our "Wilderness Years" never have we won
next to nothing since "Appeasement " before the war. A quarter century with two
inferior cups is our worse return in 70 years.
For me there Legacy is one of continue pain.
The root of all our trouble,s and the decline as the swaggering troubadours of
English football.

 

[John Thomas]

I`ve always been of the opinion that Levy is a cunt. That opinion turned to cast iron certainty the day he announced Sherwood as Manager/Head coach

 

[CJJ]

While I agree, it appears a bit harsh on Baldini, imagine how thin our squad would be had we not bought those 7 players:
1GKHeurelho Gomes
2DFKyle Walker
3DFDanny Rose
4DFYounès Kaboul (2nd vice-captain)
5DFJan Vertonghen



7MFAaron Lennon (vice-captain)




10FWEmmanuel Adebayor




16DFKyle Naughton


17MFAndros Townsend
19MFMousa Dembélé
20DFMichael Dawson (captain)



22MFGylfi Sigurðsson



24GKBrad Friedel
25GKHugo Lloris
30MFSandro
35DFZeki Fryers
37FWHarry Kane
42MFNabil Bentaleb

That is an 18 man squad, we needed to bring in the extra players. AVB wanted players from the continent rather than those with PL experience, so I can't blame Baldini for his part

Missed Defoe, Benny, Carroll and Holtby (who have been loaned or sold due to the arrivals).

And Huddlestone, Livermore, Dempsey. We sold because we bought.

I also think we would and should have kept Scotty - Every game (even now) we miss him.

 

[CJJ]

Going by your logic, the growth of the club and position we're in are a combination of good fortune and lucky strike and have nothing to do with Levy. Since he's not responsible for anything...

I said nothing of the sort, in fact the post below clarified it.

There's a difference between responsibility and blame, Levy is responsible but not necessarily to blame.

The people who do all this 'blame Levy' crap is what (if anything) makes us a joke club. We have literally the best board in the league.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in just over 20 years we've gone from one of the poorest, on the brink of collapse to one of the richest clubs that has relied on neither "written off" debt, nor a sugar daddy, nor competition/CL money. Our Chairman has practically reinvested every penny we've made from player sales back into transfer money. Levy owns a proportion of the club and is one of Britain's best businessmen. Imagine how difficult it must be for him to convince his business partner (not boss) in Joe Lewis to spend as much of the 'profit' as the do, just because he is a fan of the club. Wake up, people ffs.

 

[John Thomas]

Missed Defoe, Benny, Carroll and Holtby (who have been loaned or sold due to the arrivals).

And Huddlestone, Livermore, Dempsey. We sold because we bought.

I also think we would and should have kept Scotty - Every game (even now) we miss him.

We also should have kept AVB. Especially as we`ve had to go through the second half of the season with no manager.

 

[CJJ]

We also should have kept AVB. Especially as we`ve had to go through the second half of the season with no manager.

Held AVB at gun point?

It all had to happen, as does this phase now. The de-Sherwoodisation of Spurs is in progress.

{Insert mock cinema poster for 'the purge' here}

 

[ILSpur]

We also should have kept AVB. Especially as we`ve had to go through the second half of the season with no manager.

You know, I've gone back and forth on this one. Quite a number of times, I would agree with you, but then I remember all the shit we dealt with from AVB as well. The sullen attitude, no apparent emotion towards the end, boring and monotonous football, no emotion from the players, and we're really just back where we were, maybe a little worse off right now.

There's no doubt that Sherwood has to go, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that things would have gotten better or that keeping AVB around was the wiser option. We had a short honeymoon with Sherwood that kept us in the game for a time, and I'm not sure AVB could have accomplished that.

 

[ArcspacE]

We also should have kept AVB. Especially as we`ve had to go through the second half of the season with no manager.

I think people fail to realise the ramifications from this fucking calamity - the damage might be far greater than some embarrassing defeats - player exodus, new transfers coming in, etc.

 

[ILSpur]

I think people fail to realise the ramifications from this fucking calamity - the damage might be far greater than some embarrassing defeats - player exodus, new transfers coming in, etc.

I don't know if would call that "damage" necessarily. That might be just what we need. Not that I want a merry-go-round of players each year, but some of these players are just done right now I think.

 

[truetomyself]

There's a difference between responsibility and blame, Levy is responsible but not necessarily to blame.

So you simply don't like the word blame? Fine. Let's put it this way, out of all the people involved, Levy is the most resposible for our shortcomings and fuckups.

Just like he's responsible for all the good that's been done.

 

[Eskimo]

"i blame levy for not giving managers time, yeah let get rid of him, and whilst we are at it get rid of the bloke who's been in the job a couple of months"

Amazing how many people post similar stuff to this.

 

[CJJ]

So you simply don't like the word blame? Fine. Let's put it this way, out of all the people involved, Levy is the most resposible for our shortcomings and fuckups.

Just like he's responsible for all the good that's been done.

Yes. Just like I imagine you're responsible for any relationship you have as a person.

But if, despite your best intentions, your misses suddenly forgets how to open her legs for you and runs off with the milkman, I'm sure you wouldn't think you were to blame

 

[Mad Yid]

"i blame levy for not giving managers time, yeah let get rid of him, and whilst we are at it get rid of the bloke who's been in the job a couple of months"

Amazing how many people post similar stuff to this.

yeah well the thing is timmy's not really a manager

he's a jumped up little poser who somehow talked his way into the position

 

[truetomyself]

Yes. Just like I imagine you're responsible for any relationship you have as a person.
But if, despite your best intentions, your misses suddenly forgets how to open her legs for you and runs off with the milkman, I'm sure you wouldn't think you were to blame

Actually, i would. It takes two to tango...
But personal relationships is a bad analogy.

Levy is chairman and co-owner of a football club. No matter the intentions, he's directly responsible for it's successes and failures. A concept you either can't or simply don't want to comprehend.

 

[Eskimo]

The people who do all this 'blame Levy' crap is what (if anything) makes us a joke club. We have literally the best board in the league.

It seems some are only now taking umbrage with his previous decisions because he sacked AVB like he was the first manager he's ever fired - all very strange, as of the stunts he's pulled that doesn't even register.

 

[Anthony Beale]

I don't really know where i stand on the Levy thing, however, i think people SHOULD be complaining and the question of wether Levy needs to go SHOULD be thrown around.
Not because he necessarily has to go, or has made any particular mistake. Just purely for the fact that, as a fan base, we are not happy with how things have turned out. If ticket prices are going to rise, 100 million worth of players be brought in, we kind of expect the club to at least stay on par, not get worse and become a bit of a joke. So that dissatisfaction needs to be expressed somehow.

Hiring Sherwood has always looked like a dodgy decision from the get go. There may not have been great options out there, but surely a manager with premier league experience should have been sought, with Sherwood perhaps his assistant.

But anyway, my point is, Whilst we can argue positives and negatives of Levys reign of tyranny. I think its important that, when we aren't entirely happy, we DO express ourselves. If 20% of Tottenham fans want Levy out, It doesn't matter who those fans are, that means one fifth are so fed up they want a big change. And that should make Levy sit up, and notice us.