I think the boot was firmly on the other foot with Levy and Paratici jumping through hoops to show Conte that the clubs ambition matches his.
I’m just looking forward to getting answers. A lot will be asked and answered between now and January and then January til May, from board and players. If there’s something severely wrong and things (still) go tits up, then I’m almost 100% certain it won’t be because of the manager.
The way I expect this to play out is that come January, Levy will renege on his transfer budget promises, Conte walks out and joins ManU because Ole will be fired, make no mistake; ManU won't get to play Spurs every week.
Genuine questions for you guys and please don't take this the wrong way. If (and it's a big 'if', as he is an elite manager) Conte doesn't work out for Spurs, where do you go from there? It feels like this is the last throw of the dice from Levy and co. because, honestly, if Conte can't even taste some level of success with you - whether it be silverware or consolidating a top-4 finish - what happens next? What type of manager would you go for after? And would Levy's position be irrefutably untenable? I do get the sense that Levy is throwing all his eggs into one basket with this appointment. And to be fair, it is a fantastic coup. But should this backfire on him, then surely it's time to review his position at the club? I appreciate the work he has done to build you up from where you were under Sugar, but he's almost undone all of that in the last few years with a series of poor decisions. There is a growing sense of discontentment directed at him anyway and this would become even more vociferous.
Then I think we accept we have gone backwards, clear the decks completely - Kane, Lloris, NDombele, Lo Celso - keeping only a few still hungry players (Son, Hojbjerg, Skipp) and start again from reduced circumstances with a young ambitious but untried manager. We would need to sell the job as a 3 year rebuilding and give up any immediate realistic hopes of cups and CL qualification.
I think you’ve more or less answered it. As I’ve said already, it’s end game for the club. There’ll be nowhere to hide for both board and players. This is the peak managerial appointment for any club in world football, it’s the equivalent to signing a world player of the year contender. If Conte can’t bring a level of success then something is severely wrong at this club and ultimately it’ll fall back on to the board. They had a taste of discontent on Saturday, that’d be child’s play if this one goes tits up as it’s almost a guarantee for it to not be the manager’s fault.
Nothing to take the wrong way here mate, Levy is in the last chance saloon, this has to deliver or as you say he is finished, in many peoples eyes he is lucky to still be there now. But this is Spurs, so who knows the likelihood of success is small, we just don't seem to ever get over the line and somehow I don't expect we will now.
@BrunelGunner - I know this off topic, but you what do you think of Emery getting the Newcastle gig (if that does happen)?
The short answer is that nobody knows. Conte is one of the current elite managers in the game with a recent record of league titles that speaks for itself, including winning trophies in England recently. This is not another Mourinho. If Levy is serious about backing this manager and really wants to swim with the big fishes then we’ll know pretty quickly. Conte isn’t going to accept players being sold out from under him, he isn’t going to accept mediocrity, and he isn’t going to accept Levy buying pet project players just because someone in the scouting department wrote him a memo a year ago that he suddenly remembers. If you employ Conte you have to back him and if that means rebuilding the squad en masse then that’s what you have to buy into. The only thing worse for Levy’s rep at this point would be having Conte walk after the summer because Levy wouldn’t keep his promises. And you can be fairly sure Conte would walk, based on his previous clubs. Running a football club, selling and buying players (especially selling ones you don’t want) is a genuinely tricky business. But from everything we’ve seen, Conte is a win at all costs man. We’ll know by the end of his time at the club if Levy can be too.
We should have got Potter last summer. He was THE candidate and had shades of Poch and BMJ about him. Supposedly, we couldn't afford his release fee... More 'penny wise, pound foolish' behaviour from Levy. Oh well, 'Roll up, roll up...the circus is in town'.
Exactly this however I expect some Spurs fans to go all emo and start feeling uncomfortable when/if Conte starts to rip these players apart and then blame any failure on him…you’re right though…it won’t be the managers fault this time.
You can't give him a totally free pass, we have to judge him by what he does. If he wants to build a team around Harry Winks, I am not on board with that. I agree though that eventually responsibility has to be borne higher up the club.
Potter definitely seemed like a better stylistic fit and a more stable option. However, it is very difficult to argue against Conte's effective management and success in the game, even if it doesn't last long. He is definitely one of the best coaches in the world right now. Are you unhappy with this appointment?
i'm calling it right now. if/when conte fails, We hired another big name and he failed. This is why Levy is right to not go for big names and to stick with his plan.
Trust me mate, at the game on Saturday players were getting it too. When a group came over to applaud at the final whistle the south stand booed and waved them away to the point where they halted their walks and went down the tunnel. The booing throughout the game wasn’t just at Nuno or Levy. If Conte rips into these players, I think the fans will completely back him. I doubt you’ll find many fans on here or in general who’d lose a wink of sleep if we sold any or all of these on 1st Jan: Davies, Sess, Sanchez, Dier, Doherty, Winks, Dele, Lo Celso, Ndombele and Bergwijn… it’s pretty damning.
Can you imagine Charlie Kane calling up Conte once this is signed?! “Hi Tony it’s Charlie, Charlie Kane” “Chi?” “Yes Harry’s agent, you must have heard of me” “Non capisco” “Come on, I’ve got a cool motorcycle in my office and sometimes Harry lets me come to the training ground and help wash the used jock straps. Anyway, Harry would like to move to City, Pep has been on the phone again. Well, I think it was Pep, I’m never actually allowed to talk to him, they make me sit in the corner and be quiet now after what happened last time. How about we pop down to Sheesh and discuss this over an overpriced kebab? Your treat” “Cazzo” *beeeeeeeeeeep*
I am uneasy with it. Conte's a fabulous coach, one of the very best in the world. At a club that will back him, he's as close as it gets to being guaranteed success.... ...and there's the problem. I'll say the same as I did when we appointed Mourinho.... There's no point in this appointment if we're not going to give the bloke the players he wants to play his football. As we didn't do that for Poch, or Mourinho, I'm sceptical...but we shall see.
I think Conte is in a better bargaining position. If it is right that he turned us down due to the lack of commitments in the summer, he will have to be persuaded that is in place now - possibly in his contract. In which case, he'll have us over a barrel if we renege. If he signs now (and I will await official word) then something has changed.
