Issue 4 - Ange Is Gone

The second week of the newsletter comes to an end at the same time as Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham career. I’ll chat about and the Club World Cup in this issue - the latter which is even deeper within the clutches of Saudi influence.

Thanks But No Thanks Ange

Tottenham’s bizarre experiment of a season saw them finish 17th but still offer their supporters one of their most memorable nights in an generation. A night that saw Europa League success in Bilbao and subsequent entry to next season’s Champions League.

However, with that 1-0 win over Manchester United it also created a rather sticky situation in the white half of North London - what do we do about the manager who before that result had more than one foot out of the door.

The immediate decision was to do nothing and the same stance was taken 14 days later. 15 days after Bilbao, Postecoglou not knowing whether to clear his desk or not. Fans not knowing who is in charge next season, let alone what transfer business will be done.

Fast forward to the 16th day after Bilbao and finally Daniel Levy has pulled the trigger. Tottenham begin their next search for new manager and Ange doesn’t get the third season that he promised the supporters.

Is it cruel to see the affable Australian the boot? On the context of ending Tottenham’s silverware drought, you would have to say yes. However, 22 league defeats in a single season was nothing short of abysmal.

Tottenham’s season was a weird period of stasis for so long, one that due to a lack of jeopardy at the bottom of the table allowed the bizarre campaign under now previous management to continue for as long as it did.

In the final third of the season, the feeling was “he’s gone as soon as the Europa League exploits are finished” Only problem was those exploits continued, continued and continued some more until the perfect end point in Spain.

Perfection in Spain, inperfection in the Premier League and because of the cut and thrust of the English top tier, there was not enough confidence for a similar disaster to begin again in August.

To Be Frank

Was it the right decision made by Daniel Levy? Yes

Should he have made his decision sooner? Certainly

Should Ange have gone out on a high himself and walked away? Definitely.

Whether by own accord or boardroom, the call has been made and now all eyes will be on who gets the next call. The bookies favourite is Thomas Frank, it’s been this case for a few days.

However, my only fear as a Tottenham fan is that the current Brentford boss is now the next name in the interchangable process which is being a Spurs boss. The conversation to be repeated in 18 months with the next man in the frame.

Nothing changes with Levy still overseeing the empire and until that change takes place, it is actually difficult to get excited about a new managerial appointment but whoever does come in owes Ange a huge debt of gratitude.

Gratitude that comes in the form of not having the baggage of a trophy drought to deal with. Gratitude that comes in the shape of a ticket to next season’s Champions League and in terms of being able to slot right in, Thomas Frank (or whoever) could not have things any easier.

Thanks for everything Ange. The first 10 league games were great. The next 66 not so much. However we’ll always have Bilbao.

Wake Up, The Club World Cup Is Coming

Off season? What off season. Let’s be honest, the concept of that has long since disappeared and although there is no major international tournament this summer, FIFA hope their new shiny toy now becomes part of the summer sporting lexicon.

A shiny new toy that is not really new in the truest sense but it is fair to say that the Club World Cup has had something of a glow up and with it being swollen from seven teams to 32, the quest to be the best in the world has migrated down to club level.

The big question is whether anybody really cares?

The big answer is either not really or I’m tempted to give it a cursory glance.

An answer which has also been shared by broadcasters in the UK and although DAZN spent big to land the contract, it is Channel 5 who will offset it by sub-licensing a portion of the fixtures.

Enough fixtures so that ease of access and increased interest can be generated but the fact that neither BBC or ITV placed a substantial bid for the rights - at a time when they need plenty of hours of scheduling to be filled says quite a lot.

Still, Channel 5 should at least be commended for taking the lead on the sub-licensing deal (even though you can watch every game on DAZN for free) and this should at least scratch some of the summer football itch.

Tournament Imbalance

One of the reason’s this upcoming Club World Cup has not necessarily got the pulses racing is because of the perceived imbalance between those 32 teams that have earned a berth in the competition.

Like the World Cup itself there is always going to be European dominance at the helm. Unlike the World Cup, I am not sure if the South American cohort are going to also be front and centre of proceedings.

Therefore, one wonders if this just becomes an exercise where the other 20 clubs that are in the competition are nothing more than cannon fodder for the 12 European clubs that are representing UEFA.

Of course, the World Cup has imbalance between the giants and those at the back of the pack but at least each of the 32 nations (soon to be 48) can call upon the best their country has to offer regardless of the club they play in.

However, with the talent being stockpiled by European giants, the spread of quality is going to be far thinner in the next couple of weeks and this is why the race for tickets has been a lot slower than expected.

Slower to the point that FIFA have now offered 83.3% off all original ticket prices. Great news if you are still thinking of going. Bad news if you are somebody who has taken the plunge and purchased early.

Why are the tickets 83.3% cheaper than original price? Because the Saudi’s are picking up the tab and with the PIF being announced as a major sponsor of the Club World Cup, FIFA cosies up to its latest bedfellow even further.

FIFA/Saudi Timeline

Much has been made of Saudi influence in football over the past few years. Starting with the Newcastle takeover and the goldrush of the Saudi Pro League but you only have to look at this timeline of events to see how deep the tentacles are wrapped around:

What is the end game to all of this? I think we are already there. Saudi and FIFA hand in glove. Gianni Infantino propped up for as long as he wants and the beautiful game becomes the ugly sister.

Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 4. Big thanks to the subscribers. 16 in the can already, be great if you could help me get that to 20

Also, feedback is certainly going to help drive this forward. If you want to take the time to tell me what you liked, what you didn’t like and/or what you want to see.

My email for correspondence is

[email protected]

Issue 5 will be out on Tuesday June 10th

Thanks for reading

Dan