Newcastle take over, where does that leave Tottenham?
By Don Scully
Alan Shearer says the takeover of Newcastle is a “special day” for the club’s long-suffering supporters. The club have struggled to challenge near the top of the Premier League since 2004, apart from a fifth-place finish in 2011-12. The takeover ends the Tottenham supporting Mike Ashley’s 14-year spell as Newcastle owner, in which time they have twice been relegated.
Alan Shearer said, “The dream is that we want a little bit of hope. Fans want their football club to try and be the best, and I really understand their excitement for that reason,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. Tell us about it… that is what Spurs supporters have wanted all their lives. He then went on and said, “The Newcastle fans have not mattered for 14 years. Their money hasn’t been invested, and they’ve not been consulted. To have a football club that has such passionate support but not have that level of consultation is not good. We now have owners that will invest, and I think that’s really important for the fans to see that. It will need patience, and that’s fine. We don’t expect to be winning the league in the next few years or winning the Champions League, we just expect a little bit of something to look forward to.” We’ve had twenty years of Levy and Lewis and only won one trophy, the League Cup. I am sure Newcastle will start to win things in the next five years, if not sooner.
Former Tottenham, Newcastle and England winger Chris Waddle believes the new owners need to make a statement signing, similar to when Newcastle bought Kevin Keegan in 1982 or Keegan himself signing Shearer for a world-record transfer fee in 1996.
Tottenham are regarded as one of the top sixth rich clubs in the Premier League and a top ten rich club in Europe. However, our spending is totally inferior to the other five clubs. Just look at the big six and what they have spent since the summer of 2014
City are at the top of the league and have spent £518m, United have spent £466m, Arsenal have spent £225m, Chelsea have spent £200m, Liverpool have spent £183m and at the bottom, us, and we’ve only spent £29m. Give it a year, and Newcastle United will be above us in the spending stakes, with the others, competing for the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup… maybe they’ll leave the lowly League Cup for us?
When Alan Shearer was interviewed on BBC Breakfast TV, he said that if you want to compete, you have to be like Chelsea, Arsenal, United, City and Liverpool and spend (as the big clubs spend); no mention of Tottenham. And that is how we are seen. Newcastle being taken over is two fingers up at our fans. We are also-rans… our gift is a multiplex stadium for all sorts of events… that is Levy’s priority, and that is what Spurs are, an “event”. Nothing more.
Now Newcastle have become an elite Premier League club – rich club – because of the takeover, there are now seven (including us), and not to mention clubs like Leicester City who will also challenge for a top-four spot… where does that leave us? It leaves us where we’ve been for the last twenty years… never competing on the same financial level as the others.
By Don Scully
I have been following Spurs since the sixties and work in London. My current job is as a professional writer (working in the media), and I have work connections to the club and had previously worked for them. Including working at the old White Hart Lane stadium.
I also have my own blog and have written for the SpursWeb app & its website.