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Just when things were
going well, Tottenham, as ever, show their marvellous propensity to
shoot themselves in the foot. The sacking of George Graham when it
came was a shock. Not that he had actually been sacked, as his
long term future at Tottenham was not a matter for debate. It is
the timing of the move that is shocking. David Buchler might not have
thought that he was going to dismiss GG yesterday, but whatever went on
in the emergency meeting must have been bad enough to get Graham his
cards on the spot.
From Buchler's story,
GG didn't give a toss about Spurs. From Graham's, ENIC had been
itching to get rid of him from the day they were interested in buying
Tottenham. So why did this situation come about ??
For Spurs, it would
have been more prudent to sit in with Graham until the summer, when they
cold have come to some arrangement with him to go on ill health
grounds. Nobody loses. If he had won the FA Cup at the end
of the season, he could have left with his head held high and Spurs
could have moved on under the guidance of another boss who might be able
to take us to that next elusive step of challenging near the top of the
league.
But why now ??
Is it because there is just five days before the transfer deadline and
any move for players by a manager who will not be in post in August
would be regarded as a waste of money ?? Is it that there s
someone who will be coming soon to fill the position, which implies
someone who is not currently in work (Vialli, Lippi, Mabbutt/Klinsmann)
?? Is it that Pleat has the ear of the Executive Vice-Chairman and
has finally got his way after allegations that GG and DP don't get on
?? Is it that David Pleat's wife has been phoning up to say
"My husband can do GG's job better than him" as Pleat has
revealed she has said in the past ?? Is it that there are
other things that have gone on in the background that we don't know
about ?? Was it a show
of ENIC's will to sweep
clean all the things that were introduced by Alan Sugar, who himself has
been effectively removed from the picture ?? Was it to hide the
failing of the company in it's six monthly statement, which saw profits
halved - not good press for a company just taking over a viable business
proposition with a dropping share price ?? Or
is it as straightforward as it appears from Buchler's statements that
GG's outburst would have been seen as a lack of ambition by Sol and ENIC
wanted to distance themselves from it by sacking the man in charge, thus
making it look like it was his lack of ambition and not the club's
?? Remember, it was Sol's words that preceded Christian Gross'
exit form the club and maybe, it was part of the package that he would
want to stay at White Hart Lane.
Buchler has said that
the new manager will be able to attract top players (which you had the
idea that GG might not have had, being from a different era), while
coupling modern ideas with bringing the heart and soul back to the
club. If David Pleat is being listened to by Buchler and ENIC,
then don't expect a fancy foreign coach to be driving through the gates
of the main entrance. When Sven Goran Eriksson was appointed as
England manager, he said that there were plenty of good English coaches
who were overlooked. I think that it could be someone with more of
a Tottenham connection, although Vialli might be an outsider as he has
managed in the Premier League. There is little chance, I would think, of
promotion from within, but I would hope that Chris Hughton is found a
place in the new regime. What he has done with the reserves is
magnificent and should not be underestimated in the success being reaped
from the youngsters progressing into the first XI. Whatever happens, the
money must be available for them to spend to make Spurs a potent force
again in the Championship. Hoddle has apparently said he would
need £20 million to do the job, so the £10 million blurted out by
Graham would not be enough. GG was brought in to do the job on a
shoestring and really, despite some of his signings not coming up to
scratch straight away, he hasn't done a bad job. It's just the
positions that need filling have been overlooked.
For all the words
spoken yesterday, the reason for Graham's demise does sound
lightweight. Surely, Buchler has been in situations like this
before and there must have been more to it than has come out in the
media. But the important thing about this is what bearing it will
have on any prospective candidate for the job. Having seen a
manager in a reasonably safe place in the League (although, granted, not
high enough) and in the semi-final of the FA Cup, will they think that
they will not be safe from the sack, whatever their achievements with
the team ?? "Hire 'em, Fire 'em" might send out a
message as to who is the overall boss, but it might not be an attractive
advert for the job. The teams who have lacked stability over the
years are those who have struggled to maintain any sort of success, so
what Spurs need is consistency - both on and off the pitch. Spurs
need someone who can move them up the ladder of the Premiership and into
Europe on a regular basis, then success and top players will come.
For everything that
happens at Tottenham, the fans always stay loyal and that is what is
needed now; whoever takes over. With the FA Cup semi-final on the
horizon, there could be no better time for the fans to roar the team on
to victory against the South London Wanderers. Without a manager,
this will be a difficult task, but the side have proved that they can
beat anyone on their day. In the short term, let's hope that April
8th is that day.
Keep the faith.
MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART LANE
MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART LANE
MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART LANE
AND THE SPURS GO MARCHING ON.
BRUCE
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