Has Daniel Levy turned the corner? Splashed the cash!
The truth of the matter is we will have to wait and see. But all the signs are there, and Conte is still with us. I am presuming that Conte said to Levy, “Look here, old boy (in an Italian accent), you’ve got a virtuoso now, as opposed to all those riffraffers you had employed in the past… I mean, what was that all about? Santini, Ramos, Villas-Boas, Santo-Clause and child star Mason… not good, is it Daniel?… so don’t fuck it up this time! Not only will I walk, but you’ll have the fans on your case…”
Daniel [ever so slightly humbled]: “True, I’ve found you, and I don’t want you to leave, so I shall throw money at your feet… but as for the fans… they are just clients, and if they don’t like it, others are waiting to take their place…
Conte [taken back]: “well, Daniel, that is a bit honest of you!!!”
Daniel [waving his hands around him]: “Just look what I’ve created… that is a sign of a mastermind… who needs fans or even a football team… this arena will take all sorts of BT Barnum acts to enrich my acolytes and me… however, don’t despair my underling… you are the last chance saloon, fuck it up, and we are back to shit managers and players… so long as Daddy gets his enormous wages… who gives a fuck…!”
Conte (gobsmacked]:.. “erm… erm…
Daniel [Smiling]: “Never mind… back to work, my Italian stallion… I’ve got to make more money, no time to waste…”
… or words to that effect.
So, the fans seem happy (or appeased), and now it is over to Levy and Conte to get it all working. In the meantime, we’ve got our first acquisition, Ivan Perisic.
Before all that, I need to mention a friend of mine (a friend of our WhatsApp group who sadly passed away on Friday from cancer).
Steven Greenblatt: he was a loyal and dedicated Tottenham fan/ supporter who travelled to all games (home & away) and was also somebody who got involved emotionally (and verbally) before, during and after the game. In the new stadium, we never sat together (watching the match), but we did in the lounge area. At Wembley, I enjoyed sitting next to him, and he was always entertaining. He used to come and give us his predictions and often made us laugh. He was also a keen cricket fan, often jesting with Terry, Mel and the other cricket enthusiasts. Such a lovely guy: RIP, Steven; he will be sadly missed.
Ivan Perisic
Ivan Perisic fits the model of player Antonio Conte wants. He is a Croatia international and is Conte’s third signing from Serie A in six months. He will be hoping he is as successful as Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, who joined us in January.
He is 33-year-old and has been signed on big wages, which is a break from the norm for Tottenham/ Levy.
Ivan Perisic is excited to reunite with his former boss, who has said of Perisic that he is “the missing piece of the puzzle”.
Perisic worked with Conte when the Italian led Inter Milan to the 2020-21 Serie A title and will join him at Spurs on 1 July when his contract with Inter expires.
After signing a two-year deal, he said: “I am really excited to start with the Spurs family. When I got the contact from the coach and sporting director, I told them I really wanted to come here to the Premier League since 2009, when I started to play professional football in Belgium. This is the moment – and I can’t wait.”
On what we can expect from our new signing, Perisic said: “I like to work a lot; I like to work for the team. Only like this can you win something important. I can play several positions in the system that Tottenham are playing now. I will bring a lot of experience also because I used to play for a lot of great clubs. It was always my dream to play in all the best five leagues in the world, and the Premier League was the missing puzzle.”
As I said earlier, it appears our chairman Daniel Levy is putting his trust in his managing director Fabio Paratici and Conte… And according to everybody in the know, more signings are expected to follow, including goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
In the process of buying new players, the hangman’s noose is hovering over the likes of Harry Winks, Giovani lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and a few others. They all could leave over the summer to add to the already £150 million in the purchase of players’ piggybank.
So, that is it… in Levy, we have faith… ok, I won’t go as far as that, but our fans and media will be observing.
To be fair, where else can Daniel Levy and the board go? If he wants to compete with the best in the world and also make money, he needs to invest heavily and have the right manager in place (which he has got). Not doing so will mean struggling to keep up. Levy will also have to compete with the likes of City, United, the Scousers, the American owned Russian bears/ Chelski, and now the Arab owned Newcastle United (“we are in the money!”) team. Simple choice for Daniel; compete or just be fodder for the Premier League giants. I am sure he doesn’t want a magnificent money-making enterprise (that even PT Barnum will be envious of), but a joke of a football team that has been starved of funds?
I have been one of them that has been critical of Daniel Levy of late, but I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt and see where he takes us. This is going to be a challenging season. I have faith in Conte, who has done a brilliant job since coming to Spurs… I just hope that he gets the proper backing…
What am I expecting for this up and coming season? I did say in my previous article (Norwich game) that a group of us put a bet (£50 each) on us finishing in the top four, and we ended up with a payout of £225 each… I hope for this season coming we will make another bet, something like being in the top three and winning a trophy, a possibility. Of course, I also understand it will take a while to build a great team (even though we do have the nucleus of one).
I’ll wait until I see what team we got before making any more substantive predictions, however, I believe the usual suspects will be in the top four, City and Liverpool… as for Chelski, they have new owners, and I don’t think they will do what Abramovich did for them… don’t forget that they are Americans who are more interested in seeing what they can take out of clubs they own rather than putting in… just look at United and the Glaziers. Then there are the Magpies, who will also be in the mix somewhere. As for United, I think they will struggle; they’ve fallen quite a way down the pecking order. The same applies to Woolwich-tickle-my-arse-nomads.
As for the likes of the Spammers and the rest, they will just continue swimming against the tide.
Agree or disagree… it will be great to hear from you.
COYS!
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, holidays, socialising etc.
I have been writing blogs/ articles since 1989
If you wish to read more of my blog, please click “here”
Hello, Glenn. Like you i am a Spurs fan who is about to turn 70 . I have been a season ticket
holder , West Stand , since 1972 and for approximately 30 years I also attended nearly all
Spurs away matches ( I only stopped going to away matches in 2006 due to being fed up of
trekking hundreds of miles to watch Spurs play and then get stuck behind standing Spurs’ fans – one of the curses of the Hillsborough Disaster ) . But the reason for this E-mail is that I only found out from a friend today after the match that Steve Greenblatt had passed away . I was absolutely shocked and saddened by his passing . ‘ Curley ‘ Steve, as we called him was a marvellous character who never sat on the fence regarding Spurs – matters were only black and white
with him – never grey ! A lot of what he said was fantasy but highly entertaining especially when myself and fellow away travellers were 100’s of miles up north . The one time I knew he was
spot on was when he told us George Graham was going to be our manager . This was because Steve was a driver in a limousine service and Graham told Steve when he was a passenger .
As you say , Steve R.I.P.