Out! Out! Out! They shout!
They were there in full force to protest that they wanted ENIC out (the owners of our football club). They came with placards, boards and anger… they wanted their club back, and they were determined not to let up!
Yes, Tottenham supporters vented their hostility towards ENIC and especially chairman Daniel Levy as they gathered at midday on Saturday “as part of weekend of peaceful protests” outside our magnificent stadium. But it ain’t going to end there either, oh, no, other protests are set to take place at Spurs in the coming weeks, months and years ahead, including one before our Sunday’s home game against Wolves and another before the final home game of the season against Aston Villa on Wednesday; where there will be 10,000 fans walking past their hostile brothers, who will be shouting “out, out” and holding up placards. “Maybe a few of the 10,000 returnees will give them moral support.
The “Out Enic” brigade’s anger towards the owners, particularly Daniel Levy, has intensified following the club’s involvement in the failed European Super League. And this wasn’t the first time, as there have been many other such protests against ENIC and Levy. In fact, those protests started well before the European Super League was even a twinkle in the six famous renegade Chairmen’s eyes.
But it isn’t just Spurs fans that have a bee in their bonnet over their club; there have been protests by Chelsea, Liverpool, City, Arsenal and United fans against their club’s owners as well since the Super League fiasco last month when the other ‘big five’ clubs also signed up to a breakaway league.
The Spurs supporters began to arrive outside the stadium at about 12 noon.
Most, if not all, came with flags and placards, while banners were hung from railings bearing slogans such as “£NIC out. Profit before glory” and “To dare is too dear – ENIC out”. One banner read: “If you don’t win anything, you have had a bad season” – Bill Nicholson. 20 years. 1 League Cup. Levy Out”. If you don’t win anything means you’ve had a bad season, then we’ve had 20 years of bad seasons under Daniel Levy.
Spurs supporters have endured 20 years of disappointment under Levy (only winning the League Cup in 2008), and we’ve just had another disappointing season and look set to miss out on Champions League qualification again.
Since the anger of the European Superleague and poor quality on the pitch, the club tried to placate the fans by announcing they would add a fan representative to the board.
But the ENIC out-group are not the only ones who are at loggerheads with the club and Levy, the Tottenham Supporters’ Trust are annoyed with the club for not consulting them over the Super League (at one time, they were given assurances that no such deviation from the norm would be contemplated without the Trust being consulted).
Daniel Levy won’t give up his Empire, and the supporters’ groups won’t give up their campaign against him, either. It is going to make for some exciting times ahead. This will give writers like me plenty to write about and the fans to talk about. Who will end up kowtowing to the other?
What are your thoughts?
It is finally here, a new super book about the greats, Glories and all you want to know about the Tottenham great players (we are not worthy!) who have graced White Hart Lane and beyond. Sixty years ago this month, the Greatest Football club in the world won the double with probably the most outstanding team on this planet.
Has your eye’s seen the Glory? If yes (or even no) click HERE and follow the link, then they/ you will, and for those that are longer in the tooth (in other words, old like me)…. be prepared to be dazzled all over again!
All the best, Glenn
My name is Glenn Renshaw.
I am currently a Premium Season Ticket holder (West Stand) in the new stadium. Before that – at White Hart Lane – a season ticket holder in various parts of the ground (mainly in the North stand).
Before becoming a season ticket holder, I stood on the shelf and various other parts of the ground since the 1950s. In 1987 I became one of the first to hold a Spurs Membership card. I was also a life long member of the Spurs supporters club (now defunct).
I go to all home, away and abroad matches.
I was born in 1955, Edgware, London (it was in the late 50s – as a baby – that my dad took me to Spurs to initiate me). I currently live in Berkshire.
I also collect all Spurs books (and have everyone printed), Spurs handbooks (from 1920s onwards, Spurs programmes (since the 40s).
Previously, I wrote for Spurs Fanzines: The Spur, Spur of the Moment, My Eyes have seen the Glory and various other Spurs fanzines’. I also wrote for the SpursWeb app & its website.
I currently write and work for spursnetwork.com and its website. I write its Reviews & Match reports and a lot more.
My other interests are; reading, history, social history, Politics, going to the gym, wine, going out for a meal, music (all sorts), writing, theatre, concerts, going on holidays, socialising etc.
I have been writing blogs/ articles since 1989
If you wish to read more of my blog, please click “here”
There are many who would cite that Dan Levy has brought huge financial rewards and development to the club as a whole, of which there is absolutely no denying these facts. For a while even it seemed that Spurs were heading in the right direction in football terms. Harry Rednapp brought back exciting football and provided a glimpse into the possibilities, before ultimately being let go over his refusal to disassociate himself over speculation with the England job at the time. Rednapp’s ultimate achievement was leading Spurs back into the top four and Champions league qualification. However even back then Levy has controlled matters relating to football to closely and has continued to do so since. Under one of our greatest ever managers in Pochettino who led us to both continuous and lofty top four premier league positions usurping Arsenal in the process, as well as a CL final, Levy failed to heed the prophetic nature of Pochettino’s warnings over investment and rebuilding, and as Tottenham began to stutter it was Poch’ who arguably erroneously paid the price with his job. Even a manager of Mourinho’s stature has failed to bring about the necessary changes, and I think this has much to do with transfer policy and overall decision making coming from board level. Levy may well be a financially astute as a businessman, but he understands little about the machinations of football as a whole. For me this is the overwhelming reason why Spurs have been coming up short in terms of actual football trophy success for so long now. And ever since the CL failure some two seasons ago Spurs have continued to stagnate, and the manifestation of a clear lack of unity and disharmony inside Tottenham’s ranks has emerged to the footballing world. If anything Mourinho’s relatively short tenure has only further served to support evidence in relation to this, and the tragic mismanagement of Tottenham Hotspur as an actual football club. Spurs may well have a stadium to envy worldwide, but what what good is this if the ambitions of the club are not being reflected on the pitch. Given Levy’s penchant for thrifty transfer dealings and a wage policy which pales behind more serious competitors it is small wonder why Spurs continually miss out on the top transfer targets overall so unless the academy is producing startling results and regularly one wonders exactly where the next top players are coming from? I approach Tottenham’s next managerial appointment with a mixture apprehension and bewilderment? Has the position under Levy’s impinging scrutiny, now become something of a poison chalice? Offering scant enticement and motivation for the next would be manager, as it is hard to imagine presently that Enic are ready to purge. themselves of old ways and habits in favour of new stimulus to reform and revive. But what is clear, and has been profoundly highlighted by the whole ESL debacle and the overwhelming public backlash surrounding it is that fans are both disappointed and angry at how THFC are both being run and concerned about the direction they are heading! It strikes me that whilst many managers have come and gone under Levy’s tenure in the last 20 or so years, how they have been the scape goats of arguably greater failures? Perhaps it really is time for a new chairman, with new ideas and a new vision because as of now I don’t see Spurs ascending the heights back to glory, there is simply no “Dare” and really no “Do”!
Hi Pez, good article and read. I agree with you about a new chairman…. he has been in the job 20 years and hasn’t purchased a decent manager yet. He might be a good business man, but not a good observer of football managers.