SN Blog 4 – ‘Summer of discontent’

As I write this it is 30th August meaning we have just two days left of the summer transfer window, a window that opened in June however despite that we as a club once again are three games into a season and with a weaker squad than what we had last season.

Selling Kyle Walker was always going to happen after the player asked for a move at the end of last season.  Him doing that while we were in an active title race aside that means the club knew that we were likely to sell him and yet with two days left in the window a replacement has not been signed and the one player identified to sign might not be even allowed in the country due to a pending prison sentence for assault on a Police officer (top lad eh).

Aurier

At the end of the 2016/17 season there was a real ‘feel good’ atmosphere around the club.  The team, despite not winning a trophy had performed well for the fast majority of the season and were packed full of exciting players.  We got to watch the final two games of the season be played like exhibition games as we destroyed both Leicester and Hull scoring plenty of goals and seeing one of our own Harry Kane secure his second golden boot in a row.

We said goodbye also to White Hart Lane, an emotional day but was actually handled brilliantly by the club.  It was not over the top, nor was it under cooked and half baked like many feared it would be – it was classy and even fans of other clubs enjoyed the celebration.

The Lane The Finale

The squad went off on their respective international assignments and then to holiday and we fans sat back looking forward to 2017/18.  Then came the summer….

We all knew that the club had agreed a deal with Wembley to play our “home” games there for this one season however what many didnt realise is the club were going to force season ticket renewals.  Some fans may not be aware but if you were a season ticket holder at the Lane, if you wanted to keep that ticket for the new stadium you HAD to have a season ticket for Wembley.

The fans local to the Lane via the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust voiced their disapproval and asked the club for a seasons amnesty due to increased costs in travel to Wembley but the club refused, citing a large season ticket waiting list and “Wembley pricing would take this into consideration…”

Sadly when season tickets were announced there were no such concession or pricing strategy which left fans feeling like they were being held over a barrel, if you want a season ticket for the new ground you MUST buy this one and you must pay whatever the club dictate.  With the season ticket pricing being high it also meant that when it came to individual match pricing the club had shot itself in the foot, sure Wembley would sell our for Arsenal games… maybe Chelsea too however unless priced correctly how many would watch Stoke?  Remember under league rules away fans are restricted to 3,000.

The final insult when it came to pricing and the fans was a pre season friendly vs Juventus.  The club didnt manage this event, it was Wembley and a third party but tickets were priced so high hardly any were sold, in fact so few were sold the company announced a price drop and a refund of the difference to all those who had agreed to pay the higher ticket fee – at the time of writing this, many have not had this refund.

That good feeling I spoke off before the summer where the fans, players and club were united as one was vanishing fast however like all football fans, we forgive providing we win – or in the case of the summer we sign players showing us ambition.

June came and went, July…. we were the only club in the professional leagues of England who had not acquired a single player and yet we had sanctioned the sale of Kyle Walker for £50m.  Add to that the sales of Clinton N’Jie, Fazio and the sell on percentage for Siggy’s move from Swansea to Everton and we actually had over £80m from player sales and yet not one signing.

Fans were frustrated, many arguments in every platform but the manager who we have all put our trust in told us not to panic.  He had a good, together squad with young players coming through and Spurs would make their moves late in the window – it was all part of the plan.

Then, Danny Rose broke ranks….

danny-rose-wearing-the-tottenham-201617-home-kit

The player who under Pochettino went from a converted winger to arguably the best left back in the league didnt voice his frustration in a private meeting with his manager or the club chairman he went public to a tabloid and blasted the club for not paying him and his colleagues enough, for not signing players and for not winning trophies – citing his desire to leave to make sure he “wins something” during his career.

His rant divided fans, many seeing him as a hero for going public and voicing the concerns many shared but the majority saw what he did as nothing more than trying to get a move away from Spurs and it was self serving but the one thing everyone agreed on is it showed the squad had issues behind the scenes despite the assurances we were hearing.

The season began with a tough away fixture to newly promoted Newcastle, we all know what happened the last time we went to that ground so seeing us win was good – however we didnt play that well.  A sending off changed the game, not something we can rely on every week.

Back to back poor results (defeat and a draw snatched from the jaws of victory) at Wembley have of course not helped lift the mood and so now August and the summer is drawing to a close.  Transfer deadline day is tomorrow and Spurs fans around the world are hoping for something special.  A signing or a few signings that will give not only the fans a lift but also the squad.

The leaving it late policy only works if you secure your targets and improve the team, at the time of this being published we are no closer to securing these players.  If come 1st September targets have been missed then the clubs owner, chairman and indeed manager will face some tough questions not only from the media but from the fans.

The goodwill generated over the last couple of years has been used up this summer.  Time to come through for us.

-SJ

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