Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[Cochise]

It's like that story about the monkeys in the lab. There was a group of monkeys in an enclosure and some bananas on the level above. When a monkey got a banana the rest would get a shock. After a while the monkeys learned that banana = shock and any monkey that went for one was grabbed by its peers.

Gradually, one by one, the monkeys were all replaced until none of the original monkeys were left and yet if any of the new ones went for a banana the rest who had never experienced the shock still stopped them.

The players inherit the culture of "this will do".

Maybe we shouldn't be defending a two goal lead at St Mary's, but we manage to against City. Because against City our players up their game and defend like their lives depend on it. They think they are too good for Southampton and levels drop. They believe they can just turn up and the opponents will give them no trouble because they are Tottenham. Its wrong, every point has to be earned. Every point has to be fought for like you are up against a rival. To be complacent is to stagnate.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

What this presupposes is the players are defended, which they clearly have not been. Or if it’s the same players - read Dier, Davies, Sanchez, who are cited even in games they don’t play - and ignore Kane, who’s also been there consistently.

The fans have vocally backed Antonio and not the board, and the fans have clearly questioned the players. All this is is a manager deflecting.

I really don’t remember the players being questioned when we went on that run last season: nor their mentality of winning being questioned when we kept coming from behind.

I agree he is deflecting but at the same time it’s him who has to field questions at press conferences so probably feels personally attacked and wants the responsibility shared around.

Anyway, my personal take was that this is one last throw of the dice to kick these players into gear for the final run in. Very similar to the post-Burnley rant last season.

 

[Clockspur]

How is it a failure?

We are competing at the top, not winning anything is unfortunate but sometimes happens in sport.

There are still bigger and better clubs than us for various reasons.

This is in no way a failure.

its failure because we have been knocked out of the FA cup by much smaller and less well resourced teams than ourselves 4 years running.

We have failed because we were by some distance the most financially powerful and biggest club in the European Conference league but went out in the group stage

We have failed because we are often one of the 2 best resourced clubs in the Europa league but can’t even make the semis.

I accept we won’t win the league or the CL - not a problem for me in the slightest, but I get faaacked off when we treat the League cup/FA cup/Europa League and European Conference League like something we just stepped in. The latter 2 are very winnable for us and with the Europa League carrying a CL berth for the winner I never understand why we treat it the way we do.

Harry/Poch/Jose/Nuno/Conte all treated those comps abysmally - so who was there throughout all those reigns allowing that to happen?

 

[CerfBlanc]

Alasdair Gold:

“Conte is understood to have clarified his comments to the board after the game and indicated that they were aimed solely at the players.”

Incredible

Levy is a complete mug if the buys that nonsense from Conte.

 

[MR_BEN]

He wasn’t saying this group of players are responsible for 20 years of failure. He was saying that when the no trophies in 20 years stat gets brought up it’s always either a) the club or b) the manager that gets the blame. But why do the players always get off blame free.

He was actually almost defending the owners and saying at some point the players on the pitch actually have to be held responsible for this constant underachievement.

I wish everyone would actually watch the interview in full and stop reading the quotes out of context. I bet Conte does blame Levy too -and is incredibly frustrated with his penny pinching ways, but in that interview last night he was calling out the players of the club solely and saying it can’t always be the club or managers fault.

I was fully expecting Conte to clarify that this morning and looks like he has.

Not sure how you can call your employer penny pinching when he’s paying you £15m a year …

 

[Fredo]

I agree with his words 100%.

What I strongly dont agree with is turning your back on the whole club in the public eye whilst still manager of the club.

 

[DanielJohnCosta]

Completely different - Loris, Dier, Son, Skipp , Davies and Kane that’s 55% the same. I include Lloris as he has played more than Forster this season.

not in a million years could you say that’s completely different

And tbh a majority of those everyone is fine with them so what’s the issue, Is kane and son the problem?

 

[Oscar22]

So, I assume then, that if he’s somehow still in charge in two weeks time for Everton, we’ll see wholesale changes?

All the cowardly selfish players will be dropped until they start playing for the team… right?

We won’t just see

Forster
Porro
Romero
Dier
Lenglet
Perisic
Hojbjerg
Skipp
Kulu
Son
Kane

 

[guiltyparty]

He wasn’t saying the current players are responsible for all the past 20 years. He was saying in that time only the club and manager ever get the blame. Whereas he thinks the players have to take the blame.

His whole interview needs to be listened to to get this, not just the out of context quotes that have come out.

Im not for one second defending Levy as I want him out of the club yesterday, but anyone thinking Conte was aiming all this anger at Levy in that particular presser yesterday isn’t listening to the interview properly.

I have watched the full thing, more than once. As I say, people take what they want from it, there’s plenty of shit to go round

Of course it’s not all aimed at Levy, that would be a ridiculous interpretation. But if it was simply to blame the players, it could have been a lot more to the point, and also what is the point of that?

If it was supposedly meant to be motivational for the players, I don’t see that either. Felt very much like an emotional blame game where he didn’t once take any responsibility, but took aim at every other thing bar the manager. If he wants to stick it to the players, actually drop them and play some others, or god forbid these youngsters that Sheff Utd apparently have that we don’t.

Ultimately he’s held the club at arms length for quite some time, even Mourinho committed more fully to the club than he has.

So as I say, people see what they want to see. If they hate Levy, they’ll love this. If they hate Conte, they’ll use this as an example of why. The reality is somewhere inbetween but any idea Conte is somehow an independent voice of truth with no agenda doesn’t pass the smell test

He wants out, has done for a while, ideally with as much of his reputation in tact that he can muster, and this makes that crystal clear

 

[carpediem991]

Since 2017 we’ve signed 2 CB’s - Joe Rodon and Romero.

Thats why Dier still plays and Davies is still having to fill in at LCB.

Jose wanted Skriniar, we signed Rodon

Conte wanted Bastoni or Gvardiol, we signed Lenglet on loan

Poch said be brave - Poch got sacked

AVB got a record points total, had to sell Bale and then watch the money get pissed up the wall - AVB got sacked

Jol brought European football, self belief, dignity and the good times back - got sacked at half time in a game we won 5/6-0

1 League cup in 23 years gents - Levy is a first rate loser.

The new broom will come in and we will have the usual transfer shenanigans this summer - chase Gvardiol/Osimhen/Maddison, sign Dawson/Maupay/Longstaff. Then 2 years from now the new broom will be sacked for calling Levy a cock

I honestly wonder if some think the Transfer market is just a have your choice and pack it in the bag.

We most likely never had a shot on Skriniar and we wont have With Gvardiol and Bastoni because unfortunately they and other Clubs are having also a say on this.

It raises questions though why we passed on affordable targets like Kim and Botman for example. If we are looking for next season, take a close look on Philipp Lienhart I would say.

 

[spurs-r-us]

The new broom will come in and we will have the usual transfer shenanigans this summer - chase Gvardiol/Osimhen/Maddison, sign Dawson/Maupay/Longstaff. Then 2 years from now the new broom will be sacked for calling Levy a cock

This argument falls apart when you look at how we just spent 60 on Richi and 50 on Porro, but whatever

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

He has said in the past he was open to a 3 or 4 year contract when he came, but it was the club who wanted the shorter one.

Didn’t we hear that we’d offered him and extension and he put the talks on hold I thought

 

[journeyman]

I think it should be possible to both:

(1) Agree with Conte comments that the players are mentally and psychologically weak and this is impacting our ability to truly be a team that challenges for top honours;

and

(2) Note that it has been his responsibility to turn that culture around and he hasn’t been able to do that after 1.5 years; in fact, the standard of our performances this season have declined.

It is also reasonable to question whether the way in which, over the last 3 managers post-Poch, our set-up as the only Big 6 team trained to play counter-attacking and non-possession-based football also contributes to a lack of control in games like yesterday’s.

 

[SPURSLIFE]

How is it a failure?

We are competing at the top, not winning anything is unfortunate but sometimes happens in sport.

There are still bigger and better clubs than us for various reasons.

This is in no way a failure.

You mean "bigger and better clubs" like Brighton and Newcastle who will probably finish ahead of us this season. "Not winning anything is unfortunate" it's not now and again it's all the "bleedin" time. "This is in no way a failure" you have to be joking. I have to assume you were being sarcastic if not then you are delusional.

 

[PaulM]

He repeatedly spoke about us as “they” as if he wasn’t part of the club. Bad enough that he didn’t take responsibility but he didn’t even acknowledge being part of the club with his terminology.

Who on earth is going to follow a guy like that?

 

[Dave1882]

IF he’s still here for the next match. Surely he would have to drop the players he feels go through the motions out of the squad and replace with whatever we have in the academy. Be interesting to see if so, as would basically pinpoint the issues

 

[easley91]

The mentality of the players has always been the same regardless of who leaves and who comes in. That's the issue. We can bring in all the winners we want, but soon enough to the DNA seeps into them.

 

[easley91]

He repeatedly spoke about us as “they” as if he wasn’t part of the club. Bad enough that he didn’t take responsibility but he didn’t even acknowledge being part of the club with his terminology.

Who on earth is going to follow a guy like that?

Because it with or without him it won't change a thing. That's why it's a "they" thing. It doesn't matter who the manager is when the culture from the board to the players is second rate and has been for 20 years.

And yes he hasn't helped his cause, because he is at fault and still needs to be sacked. But he finally said in public what we have been saying on here for YEARS before Conte and I bet for a while after Conte.

 

[tommo84]

I've been a staunch supporter of Conte and what he has been trying to do- but we should part ways now and get a progressive manager in immediately (not Mason). Then rip up the squad in the summer and start again.

Here’s the thing, we’ve already begun ripping up the squad. There are a few who still somehow are there who should have been moved on years ago (Dier, Lloris, Davies) but there are plenty of talented players there who we’ve only seen in a negative system and even then some have shown enough to think a progressive coach could get more out of. This doesn’t absolve Levy - I’m sick of us failing to address CB when it’s such an important area and obvious weakness - but I honestly think our best 15 or 16 players should be producing much more than we’ve been seeing.

 

[Clockspur]

And tbh a majority of those everyone is fine with them so what’s the issue, Is kane and son the problem?

Son is a problem this year yes

Hugo is finished, Davies isnt and never really had been the required level. Skipp is not the required level.

ENIC Dier might just be the biggest loader at the club. It boils my piss that he is still at Spurs - which of the other top 6 would he start for? Not a single fucking one of them.

so I disagree whole heartedly with you I am afraid