Normally at this point, after the season has ended, we are treated to a statement from Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy. We don’t get that this season — Daniel Levy was forced out of the club by the Lewis children, who had jointly assumed the role of owners after patriarch Joe stepped back last year.
Instead we get a statement from new non-executive chairman Peter Charrington. In that statement, Charrington is surprisingly wide-eyed and open about the numerous shortcomings that has led to Spurs
finishing in 17th for the second consecutive season, and miring itself in a relegation battle that went all the way to the final match of the season.
Here are some excerpts from that statement. You can read the full statement at the club website.
Last September, we recognised that something seismic had to change at Spurs. The Lewis family stepped in and authorised a full reset. That decision was not taken lightly, and it came later than it should have. But what has been put in motion is real, and it marks a genuine break from what had come before.
As part of that process, we discovered some uncomfortable truths. The qualities that make Spurs distinct, our football, our ambition, the connection between the team and its supporters, had been allowed to fade. Football success had not been driving our decisions. We did not have the right expertise in key roles. We did not build squads good enough to compete in the most demanding league in the world. Two 17th place finishes in a row is not acceptable, and we will not dress it up as anything other than falling well short of what this Club expects.
…
Our commitments to you are clear:
- We will build a squad, led by Roberto as Head Coach, with the right blend of experience, youth and leadership to compete at the highest levels of Premier League and European football.
- We will invest across multiple transfer windows to rebuild, balance and strengthen, with this summer representing an important first step in that work.
- We will continue to modernise our football operation, with a significant focus on raising standards across medical and performance.
- We will increase investment in the Academy to ensure that the pathway from youth football to the first team is one of the strongest in the country.
- We will build on a strong season for Spurs Women by continuing to invest in a world-class women’s team, led by Martin Ho.
…
There has been speculation about ownership and the future direction of the Club. Let us be direct. Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale. The Lewis family are wholly committed to this Club and to this rebuild. They will provide the stability and investment needed at every level to move us forward, and they see that as a long-term responsibility, not a short-term fix.
This season fell well short of what Tottenham Hotspur demands. We must be in the fight with the best teams in this league, every season, and we are rebuilding this Club with that standard in mind.
This Club lives in the hearts of everyone who has ever loved it. It has been carried through living rooms and stands, weekends and long journeys home.
We will get back to where we belong.
On one level, this is a statement intended to pacify the fans. It’s a well-constructed statement that doesn’t try to convince us that this past season was anything but a disaster. 17th place and a relegation fight is, quite frankly, unacceptable for a club of Tottenham’s stature and Charrington doesn’t flinch away from that. He promises investment, improvement, and, notably, continued investment in Spurs Women.
All of those things are good, and I’m glad he said it. There’s a lot of hope and determination built into this statement, and it’s nice to hear.
But if you read between the lines, the general tone of the statement more or less confirms the briefing from the club, as expressed by a recent article in the Times, that the current leadership is planning to “trust the process.” Take this paragraph in particular:
Since September, we have restructured leadership across the Club, with a refreshed executive and football structure. Most of this team are already in post and others will arrive in the coming weeks. The Board are committed to this leadership group and will give them the stability and support they need to run this Club in the right way.
If you were hoping, like me, that the club ownership would look at the tenures and work of Technical Director Johan Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham and fire them out of a cannon, well this statement should disabuse you of any of those notions. This is a clear statement from Charrington: we are sticking with the plan. It fits in nicely with the expected appointment of Sebastian Kehr as co-Sporting Director, a man who is widely blamed for screwing up recruitment while in a similar role at Dortmund.
There’s also a continued, but subtle, jab at Daniel Levy, Spurs’ chairman of 20 years and the man who not only built the stadium but shepherded Tottenham from a mid-table club to competing for Premier League titles. I’m not saying that Levy is blameless in Tottenham’s collapse to relegation-level performance, far from it. But the “blame Levy” card is one that you only get to play for so long. There’s a new sheriff in town, and thus far he’s allowed the inmates to run the prison.
Saying you want to improve the club is great. But saying it and not acknowledging the real harm done by the current executives in the roles of recruitment and squad construction by replacing them with more competent figures is galling.
I have no doubt that Charrington, Venkatesham, and the Lewis Kids are unhappy and want to get the club back up to the top of the Premier League. They’re saying all the right things. I just do not trust them to effectuate that vision, based on what we already know and have already seen. It’s hard to hear “trust the process” when you already do not trust the existing process. A lot of trust with supporters has already been broken. Empty platitudes will only make it worse.
