Daniel Levy spends millions on sacking managers. Who is the real failure at our club?
By Don Scully
Daniel has splashed millions out in compensation on his managerial signings because they didn’t meet his expectations and had to go.
Pochettino remains our longest-serving and most successful manager in the Premier League, based on win ratio and league finishes.
Since Daniel Levy arrived at our club in 2000, nine men have permanently sat in the hot seat. Throw in a couple of caretakers, which adds up to eleven men in our dugout during Levy’s two-decade reign.
None lasted as long as Mauricio Pochettino, who lasted five years in charge. He took us where no Spurs manager had been before, guiding the club to our first Champions League final in June, but was sent on his way after a poor run of form at the start of the following season. And that poor run was caused because Levy refused to refurbish the team. However, only Juande Ramos won a trophy with Levy as his boss, though George Graham had also won the League Cup earlier in his tenure. At the same time, Jacques Santini had the shortest spell in charge of any full-time manager.
All the sackings cost millions in compensation and nothing to show for it. Granted, other clubs have gone through many managers (such as Chelsea), but they at least had trophies to show for their sackings while we became a laughingstockA.
Managers under Daniel Levy
- Ryan Mason 24 Apr 2023 Present
- Cristian Stellini 26 Mar, 2023 24 Apr, 2023
- Antonio Conte 02 Nov, 2021 26 Mar, 2023
- Nuno Espirito Santo 30 Jun, 2021 01 Nov, 2021
- Ryan Mason 19 Apr, 2021 29 Jun, 2021
- Jose Mourinho 20 Nov, 2019 19 Apr, 2021
- Mauricio Pochettino 27 May, 2014 19 Nov, 2019
- Tim Sherwood 16 Dec 2013 13 May 2014
- Andre Villas-Boas 03 Jul 2012 16 Dec 2013
- Harry Redknapp 25 Oct, 2008 15 Jun, 2012
- Juande Ramos 29 Oct, 2007 25 Oct, 2008
- Clive Allen 26 Oct 2007 29 Oct 2007
- Martin Jol 05 Nov 2004 26 Oct 2007
- Jacques Santini 03 Jun, 2004 05 Nov, 2004
- David Pleat 21 Sep 2003 03 Jun 2004
- Glenn Hoddle 02 Apr 2001 21 Sep 2003
- David Pleat 16 Mar 2001 02 Apr 2001
- George Graham 01 Oct 1998 16 Mar 2001
Levy’s purchases
As Levy is the man behind the football players’ purchases, that is, until he hired Fabio Paratici as Director of Football, he has wasted millions on poor players, only one or two making the grade. Still, they (the good ones) eventually left for glory and trophies (which they couldn’t find under Levy’s firm grip on the club).
Only Ramos brought us a trophy, and he didn’t last very long afterwards.
Levy has always managed the club as if he is the one who has the football knowledge, and his ‘managers’ were there just to recreate the dreams in his head and win trophies with his ‘brilliant’ purchases (which they never did). What it did do was expose him as a glorified wanna-be football-Director failure.
Yes, Daniel Levy is a brilliant accountant who demolished our beloved White Hart Lane and replaced it with a money-making machine. But Tottenham Hotspur isn’t just about bricks and mortar, but a football team with a proud history… which he inherited but allowed to dwindle for his greater project.
The club was formed in 1882 after moving from the marshes to, eventually, White Hart Lane. Our great club’s founders and distinguished managers built a legacy that went from strength to strength until Levy, Lewis, and ENIC got their greasy paws on our club and allowed the team to deteriorate in a cloud of boos, Spursyness and recriminations.
The successful managers before Levy and ENIC’s capture of our club and tore it apart were:
John Cameron FA Cup: 1900–01
Peter McWilliam Second Division: 1919–20, FA Cup: 1920–21, FA Charity Shield: 1921
Arthur Rowe First Division: 1950–51, Second Division: 1949–50, FA Charity Shield: 1951
Bill Nicholson First Division: 1960–61, FA Cup: 1960–61, 1961–62, 1966–67, League Cup: 1970–71, 1972–73, FA Charity Shield: 1961, 1962, 1967 (shared), UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1962–63, UEFA Cup: 1971–72 (Eleven trophies to his name)
Keith Burkinshaw FA Cup: 1980–81, 1981–82, FA Charity Shield: 1981 (shared), UEFA Cup: 1983–84
Terry Venables FA Cup: 1990–91
Peter Shreeves FA Charity Shield: 1991 (shared)
George Graham League Cup: 1998–99
Above are the great managers that brought glory to our club.
Below is the one who got our lowly trophy for Levy and the fans, but instead of building on that success, he followed through with failure, the “spursy” name and shame on our team.
Juande Ramos won the lowly League Cup: 2007–08, and that is it.
Twenty-three years in charge and the only great success to his name was bringing our club into disrepute (oh, and his money-making multi-complex Arena).
Harry Kane, who Levy calls a Spurs’ legend’, has become our top all-time leading goal scorer, top goal scorer for England and is near becoming the all-time top goal scorer for the Premier League; but he hasn’t won one single trophy. Levy calls him a ‘legend.’ What does that say for true legends like Greaves, Jones, Blanchflower, and the list goes on, who have actually won trophies? The only reason Levy calls him a legend is because he has nothing else to offer the fans.
No wonder the fans shout, “ENIC and Levy OUT!”
It is up to the fans whether they want to continue Levy’s legacy or demand a new direction, preferably with owners that understand our history and want to recapture our Glory days!
By Don Scully
I have been following Spurs since the sixties and work in London. My current job is as a professional writer (working in the media), and I have work connections to the club and had previously worked for them. Including working at the old White Hart Lane stadium.
I also have my own blog and have written for the SpursWeb app & its website.
Apart from the new stadium, Levy has ruined the football side of the club & he is the one that should be sacked immediately.
I couldn’t agree more. The trouble with him is that he thinks he is a football expert… but knows nothing about the team side. He is just an over-jumped-up-accountant fan.