You know what Daniel Levy is like. He is different

[spud]

His under-funding of the squad in the past couple of windows was the width of a post, a few seconds, a penalty save etc away from self-inflicting a demotion to the Europa, replaced by one of the worst Scum teams I can remember.

I would agree with this were it not for one small but important point: all of the information that we have received about our non-spending says that the money was there and the Chairman was happy to spend it, but the Manager elected not to.

 

[minesadouble]

And to be fair to the manager, no way could he (Poch) have expected an injury crisis like we had, a run to the CL final and 3/4 season at Wembley.

 

[buckley]

What I most like about Levy apart from not being bullied what is seen as bigger fish is the fact that he has taken the long view to obtain success knowing that it was not going to happen overnight unless strong foundations were laid and he has laid those foundations over 18 years in the process.Unlike those who have tried to buy or gain premier league stability overnight.
QPR tried to reach the top in 12 to 18 months look at them now.
Leeds United under David o'leary tried the same look at them now.
There are plenty of others who have tried to reach the top on the quick and have failed dismally.
The exceptions are Chelsea /Man City/PSG/Juventus/ but three of them have oil rich owners and one a Russian oligarch who have one thing in common limitless supply of cash with no desire to be fiscally aware.
So yes Levy is different thank goodness.

 

[soflapaul]

Think of how much more we would have gotten had he stayed in London. ...... Not sure what tomorrow brings but if he and his team are as audacious as it sounds and half of it comes to be, I will join the ranks of BSoDL at least until the next transfer window. Fingers crossed.

 

[spurs fan since 1950]

What I most like about Levy apart from not being bullied what is seen as bigger fish is the fact that he has taken the long view to obtain success knowing that it was not going to happen overnight unless strong foundations were laid and he has laid those foundations over 18 years in the process.Unlike those who have tried to buy or gain premier league stability overnight.
QPR tried to reach the top in 12 to 18 months look at them now.
Leeds United under David o'leary tried the same look at them now.
There are plenty of others who have tried to reach the top on the quick and have failed dismally.
The exceptions are Chelsea /Man City/PSG/Juventus/ but three of them have oil rich owners and one a Russian oligarch who have one thing in common limitless supply of cash with no desire to be fiscally aware.
So yes Levy is different thank goodness.

 

[spurs fan since 1950]

i think Levy has done a great job in the transfer window,bringing in top class new signings,whilst bringing in 2 young
players to replace ageing ones,
He will probably get good money for Erickson from Athletico Madrid if Real sign Pogba.
Keeping Toby for another 6 months as the Fernando deal collapsed
Also D.Rose will stay until January so Sessignion can bed in.
Dybala was always a red herring Levy would have never paid him more than Kane and Co,also millions to
third party agents.
Over all great negotiating spending within the clubs means, strengthening the squad.
It seems some of our so called fans would sooner do what United,Arsenal and Real did,and have players
such as Sanchez Ozil and Bale paying them so much money,they cant move them on.
Daniel Levy you have been great for Tottenham,and we still have Poch the leagues best manager.


I

 

[spurs fan since 1950]

i think Levy has done a great job in the transfer window,bringing in top class new signings,whilst bringing in 2 young
players to replace ageing ones,
He will probably get good money for Erickson from Athletico Madrid if Real sign Pogba.
Keeping Toby for another 6 months as the Fernando deal collapsed
Also D.Rose will stay until January so Sessignion can bed in.
Dybala was always a red herring Levy would have never paid him more than Kane and Co,also millions to
third party agents.
Over all great negotiating spending within the clubs means, strengthening the squad.
It seems some of our so called fans would sooner do what United,Arsenal and Real did,and have players
such as Sanchez Ozil and Bale paying them so much money,they cant move them on.
Daniel Levy you have been great for Tottenham,and we still have Poch the leagues best manager.


I

 

[JCRD]

Levy made Dinamo Zagreb pay for five shirts as part of Modric deal

Levy agreed a £20m fee before Zagreb asked for five Tottenham shirts as part of the transfer. Levy agreed to the request but then demanded that the Croatian club paid for the shirts

www.dailymail.co.uk

Like he is so different but quality

 

[Shadydan]

Thought I'd post this about Levy, found it on r/coys from someone called yaniv297 on Reddit, really good read:

This might be an unpopular opinion now, as Levy's been flamed left and right. But I actually think that, amidst of all the chaos and the sadness, Levy has operated in an admirable way and deserves some love, or at least somebody trying to explain his point of view. So here goes:



A sad decision, that was probably more necessary than we knew.

My initial response to the sacking was like everyone else - shock, sad, crying, and complete lack of understanding. Why? This decision didn't make sense. It wasn't strictly results based - or it would have happened right after the Sheffield game. It wasn't to please the fans - in fact, it was hugely unpopular with the fans. Levy loved Poch. He was hugely appreciative of him, they were friends. It didn't make sense, and Levy usually makes sense, so I knew - there has to be something more.

With all those reports coming out, it seems that the sad truth is that Poch was, mentally, in no state to keep managing us. He's an emotional man, and those years were a rollercoaster. We've heard countless reports about how seriously he took that final. We all wanted him to be our Ferguson, but maybe emotionally he just needed some time away. Hell, as a fan, sometimes I feel this way too. It seems that during those "crisis talks", it became completely clear that Poch simply couldn't continue. Many said it's a "relief" for him. Yeah, it's extremely sad, but he's human too.

It's easy to regard those reports as "hit pieces" by ultimate **** Levy, but I don't think they are. In fact, I think Levy and the club deserves some praise that the information wasn't leaked earlier. A more "evil" chairman would have leaked stuff earlier, painted Poch's negatively for weeks so the decision will be well accepted. But Levy backed his man till the bitter end. And as always, he gets all the flack himself - because of a decision he made based on information we simply didn't know.



A replacement that shows ambition

Levy deserves some serious praise for the way he handled the replacement. He could've easily appointed someone like Eddie Howe, who would've taken whatever wage/transfer budget offered. But Levy went, and paid heavily, for the best available, and a manager that we know is very financially demanding. Levy always say we'll spend more after the stadium's done. He delivered last summer, and with getting Mou, he seems to indicate he'll keep doing it. Yeah, it's a damn shame it's not Poch finally getting that budget - but as we said, Poch was Levy's and everyone else's first choice, and it seems that mostly his own behavior and emotions have caused this terrible twist to happen.

I think Levy, contrary to popular belief, is actually one of the most ambitious chairmen in the league. He took a club that was hovering on 10-12th in the table, and started a huge, long term plan to get it to the top. It included everything: new youth academy, new facilities, training ground - all of the absolutely highest level in the world - and of course, new stadium. He's making us one of the top clubs, bit by bit, and we've almost just made it. Now, Levy knows, there's only one thing that separates us from the top: trophies. So he got in the best trophy-winning manager in the world.

Some say this is a short term appointment - but I see some long term thinking. It's all about changing our stigma, the way people think about our club. Right now it's "yeah they're great, but no trophies" - so Levy's out to change that. Even if Mourinho only lasts three years - as likely - winning some trophies in those years would put us in a position of a very desirable club for future managers and players.

Plus, it's a great reward to the likes of Kane who stuck by us, and at this point want to win stuff and probably don't have time for another "rebuilding" manager. Seeing Kane leave the club without winning anything would be a devastating blow, not just emotionally but to the club image and message for future players: "You won't win anything by staying loyal to Tottenham". We need to win stuff, and quick - this is essential for our long term plan.



But, why Poch wasn't backed previously? He didn't sign anyone a season ago!

Probably the number one criticism of Levy, and it's understood. It hurts. This Tottenham team is a miracle, but it's also had a huge tragedy: the tragedy of the worst fucking timing possible.

Do you remember why Poch was even hired in the first place? Levy was impressed with his youth raising abilities in Southampton. Other candidate - LVG - also a youth specialist. Levy knew we wouldn't spend a lot while building the stadium, so we had to raise our own. The plan was clear: get the proper facilities first, the world class team will follow. But there's one thing Levy didn't anticipate: the world class team arrived way too soon.

Insane stuff happened: Poch turned out to be a miracle worker, arguably the best striker in the world randomly spawned up in our academy, and a line of cheap deals - Dele, Eriksen, Jan, Toby, Lloris, Dembele - all turned out to be unbelieveable bargains. It was all great, that team was amazing, but didn't win anything. The fans saw the team and felt an opportunity for success. So suddenly Levy faced a new kind of pressure: Spend. Now.

In a way, Levy was a victim of his own success, of his own plan working too well, or rather - too quickly. The world class team arrived, before we had the financial capabilities to support it. This happened when our carefully-planned finance was still tight because of the stadium, and the original plan certainly didn't include a mid-stadium spending spree. So now Levy was facing a dilemma: cave to fan pressure, throw caution to the wind, spend heavily in an attempt to win something now while fucking up the long term financial plan. Or - stick with the original plan.

Levy's a fan, but also a businessman, he knew the risks and consequences. He did give some leeway - I doubt he originally planned to give anybody a 200k contract like Kane got - but mostly, he decided to stick to his plan. It's shitty, but it was probably the responsible decision at that delicate time.

And yeah, it sucks, and it fucking hurts. It hurts to see Liverpool - who just 2/3 years ago were equal, if not worse, to us, and see where they are now. But Liverpool were equal on the field, but not equal financially. They weren't building a fucking 900m stadium. Their revenue as a club is much bigger than us, and also they sold a player for 150m.

So that's the tragedy of shitty timing. Levy's a fan too, for longer than most of us were alive. He's been to his first Spurs game in the 60's. He devoted 20 years to this club. I don't think anyone here would be happier than Levy to see us win something. But he's also seeing the full picture, and he's constantly making the responsible, right decisions, even if they're wildly unpopular. And he's still unbelievably ambitious, but in the slow, "right" building way. You don't have to love him - but he deserves at least some serious respect, IMO.

Sorry for the rant, just another point of view.

TL;DR - Poch sacking, while tragic, was probably inevitable because of his emotional state. Mourinho appointment shows ambition, willingness to spend and to fix our biggest current problem - trophies. Lack of spending before was largely due to the plan working "too well" - world class team arrived ahead of schedule, while building the stadium, before the club could financially support it.

 

[mumfordspur]

Now I didn't go looking for this I am (still) looking for the Things You Didnt Know thread but cant find it.

This goes down as a classic

 

[JimmyG2]

In any other sphere of business
sacking the Manager,
appointing an expensive replacement,
sacking him within 2 years
without success
and considering re-appointing
the Manager you sacked in the first place
would lead to your own dismissal
for serial misjudgements (over many years)..