Pound-for-pound, Daniel Levy is to blame for Tottenham's sorry start

yiddo

From The Times. The 30m is wrong afaik but his geberal point is spot on.

September 18, 2008
Pound-for-pound, Daniel Levy is to blame for Tottenham's sorry start

LevyThe manager may change, players come and go but nothing, it seems, can alter Tottenham Hotspur’s habit of starting the season at a pace more appropriate to a particularly sluggish snail. For the third year in a row Spurs have begun the campaign with three defeats from their opening four matches, with Juande Ramos unable to alter a worrying trend that cost Martin Jol, Jacques Santini and even Glenn Hoddle their jobs before the leaves fell from the trees in recent years.

Ramos’s recent appointment, large salary and the fading afterglow of last season’s Carling Cup triumph should be enough to prevent Tottenham adding to the unemployment figures as the credit crunch bites, but something is very clearly wrong at White Hart Lane. Questions are being asked internally about the contribution of Damien Commoli, the sporting director, to the club’s transfer policy but ultimately the buck must stop with Daniel Levy, the chairman.

As a successful businessman Levy has adopted a buy-low sell-high approach to transfer dealings since taking charge seven years ago, which has brought benefits to the club’s bottom line, if not their performances on the pitch. Tottenham recorded a £30 million profit in player trading this summer, though from their current position propping up the Barclays Premier League that is looking less like good business and more like simple neglect.

At the heart of the problem are Levy’s undoubted skills as a negotiator, with his insistence on getting the best financial deal often condemning his manager to starting – and even continuing – the season behind the eight ball. In his dealings with other clubs and agents Levy has turned brinkmanship into a fine art, with his last-minute approach keeping the Premier League’s registration department open well after midnight on every deadline day. Tottenham were involved in three late deals as the transfer window closed at the start of this month and the same number on January 31, in addition to signing Jonathan Woodgate and Alan Hutton in the previous two days. This policy is a well established tradition, with Mido, Pascal Chimbonda, Danny Murphy and Hossam Ghaly all arriving as the transfer window shut in 2006.

Such tactics may save, or indeed earn, Tottenham a penny or two, but as results indicate the cost to the team may be far greater. During his Chelsea days Jose Mourinho used to demand that his entire squad was in place before they reported for pre-season training in July – such was the importance he attached to it for the forthcoming campaign – and, other than when the Ashley Cole saga was dragging towards its conclusion two years ago, he generally got his wish.

Like most of his predecessors Ramos has not been afforded that luxury, beginning work with his full squad two months later in September, so it should come as little surprise that Spurs are habitually slow starters. To make matters worse, Levy’s summer stand-offs with Zenit St Petersburg and Manchester United over Andrei Arshavin and Dimitar Berbatov respectively have left Ramos at least one striker short, with the presence of an extra £30 million in the club coffers providing little consolation.

Levy needs to realise that scoring points in the transfer market is costing Spurs more valuable points on the pitch.

http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/09/pound-for-pound.html

2nd Row Donkey

Interesting post. 5 years old. Oh how times have changed ... Oh wait, no they haven't.

Left Back on the Bench

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

Interesting post. 5 years old. Oh how times have changed ... Oh wait, no they haven't.

all tottenhams signings were done in the summer this season. bale was dragged out but he was leaving,not joining

White Heart Loon

Left Back on the Bench wrote: »

all tottenhams signings were done in the summer this season. bale was dragged out but he was leaving,not joining

Exactly and the only one who was late bedded in quickest (Chiriches). Levys only blame is that he appointed this manager and trusted him enough to appoint his choice of director of football and let him invest 100m in new players. We were all happy with that.

Snake Plisken

Isn't that the issue Levy tried this director of football before and it didn't work he scrapped it brought in Harry and we had some great seasons then for whatever reason he gets rid of Harry and brings in AVB and then Levy brings back in a director of football who buys in his own pick of players I doubt very much AVB had much of a say in who was signed, but will get the blame for the poor results! Fans should be more critical of Levy's chairmanship.

2nd Row Donkey

To be fair, Levy made moves in the transfer market early this summer. But I think that was the first time he's done that in ten years!

He gets us a good price when it comes to both buying and selling players but his record for appointing managers and DOF's is diabolical. His only successes have been Jol (who got the job by poxy after the Santini disaster) - who he then treated disgraceful when giving him the boot. HR was a great appointment but that was nearly a fluke as DL would probably admit he was only brought in the steady the ship after the Ramos affair.

GS11

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

To be fair, Levy made moves in the transfer market early this summer. But I think that was the first time he's done that in ten years!

He gets us a good price when it comes to both buying and selling players but his record for appointing managers and DOF's is diabolical. His only successes have been Jol (who got the job by poxy after the Santini disaster) - who he then treated disgraceful when giving him the boot. HR was a great appointment but that was nearly a fluke as DL would probably admit he was only brought in the steady the ship after the Ramos affair.

Levy has always gone out to get a top manager, he has backed every manager to the hilt, I'm not sure there is much more he can do.

Snake Plisken

GS11 wrote: »

Levy has always gone out to get a top manager, he has backed every manager to the hilt, I'm not sure there is much more he can do.

He can move away from the DIrector of football model as that doesn't seem to work in the premiership, the current DOF probably wants his own manager in place.

Kiith

Hasn't AVB said he prefers having a DOF?

Snake Plisken

Kiith wrote: »

Hasn't AVB said he prefers having a DOF?

He might do but with any partnership it would need to be someone who he can work well with.

Bodie Doyle

Kiith wrote: »

Hasn't AVB said he prefers having a DOF?

AVB in the post match press conference:

Neil Ashton: 'Is this your team? Are these the players that you want to work with and the players you would chose to work with?'
AVB: 'I’m not sure if I can make it public. We have worked hard to build a strong team and we have a strong team and we are happy with the signings.'


Very bizarre way to back the signings.

2nd Row Donkey

He sealed his fate with that comment I think.
Feel sorry for him.

Dublin Spur

4th(2010), 5th(2011) & 4th(2012) and they tell Harry they want to go in a new direction

muppets

2nd Row Donkey

GS11 wrote: »

Levy has always gone out to get a top manager, he has backed every manager to the hilt, I'm not sure there is much more he can do.

what was that you where saying an hour ago?

GS11

2nd Row Donkey wrote: »

what was that you where saying an hour ago?

I meant with signings.

2nd Row Donkey

GS11 wrote: »

I meant with signings.

Well, if you believe AVB, then that comment is even more false!