We should support Nuno, not demand his sacking (which some people are calling for).

We should support Nuno, not demand his sacking (which some people are calling for).

By Peter J Arnold

It is time for our fans to back Santo Espirito Santo, not call for him to be replaced.

Neither the coach nor the football director came on board until more than a month into the summer transfer window. The vast majority of the first team was unavailable due to summer international commitments. Then there was the drama of the summer sale of Harry Kane.

Before the season even started, the situation at our club was not exactly settled before games began in earnest this season. So it is not surprising that we have had problems (ups and downs).

Our first game, without Kane, saw us beat the Premier League Champions City, then a trip to the  Molineux stadium, where we got a narrow victory. This was followed by a third victory over Watford. All good so far. Then we faced Palace, a match we could have won, but we were immediately weakened because we had a player sent off, and then three goals were conceded.

This was followed by Chelsea – and Chelsea are no pushovers – where we held them in the first half and could have scored (should have scored). Sadly things changed in the second half, and they ended up winning the tussle. As for the Arsenal game, our last defeat, admittedly, all went wrong in the first half, but once Nuno put his tactics into fruition, they were unable to score against us, and in fact, we got a goal back. Did we learn from our three defeats? Yes, with a new mental strength, we put a winning formation together and beat Villa soundly in a good performance.

But the fans still cry foul and want Nuno sacked. We are in our third month of the season, and we have lost 3 games but are still in all cup competitions. We are 8^th in the league, but only four points behind Chelsea, who are at the top of the Premier League table and three points behind second-placed Liverpool. City, United and Everton – who are above us – only have two points more. And as for Brentford, just above us, but on equal points,  will disappear as quickly as they appeared. 

Many of our problems were outside Nuno’s control… but he is trying to get the best out of what he inherited… the new players are not yet singing from the same song sheet. Some of the older ones, like Ndombele, needed a quick kick up the backside (which they got) and now seem to be getting their act together again.

It is all to play for, for all the teams… nothing has been settled yet so far. Getting another manager in, adapting to his style of play (unsettling the players), will put us back even further. Managers need time, or billions of pounds chucked at them (and that is not Spurs).

Granted, the days when managers like Alex Furgeson were given five years to prove themselves (and he was) has long gone. The players need just to adapt to Nuno’s new style and probably in the next Transfer window (January) a few more purchases. However, that is fraught with difficulties as clubs usually do not sell halfway through a season.

Nuno will need at least two seasons before anybody suggests that he should face the guillotine and a few more players to add to his squad. We also must remember that Daniel Levy and the board can not just throw cash at the team, like the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea and now Newcastle United. Levy wants to make the club self-sufficient, not rely on wealthy benefactors. Besides, any new money coming in is earmarked for gentrification around Tottenham stadium (the buildings that surround our cash cow arena is owned by the club), so it will be a long time before new cash is put into the team.

Our club/ Daniel Levy have been battling the construction of a new stadium and trying to build a team that is fit for purpose at the same time. When Levy started the project (building the new stadium), he knew that it would probably take thirty to forty years to begin constructing a team that if fit to challenge for everything. Levy has already gone through 20 years of his 30/ 40 years of his building project, so just a little over 10 to 20 years left, and before you know it, we will be singing those glory songs all over again… as we watch our Levy Trophy cabinet fill up.

So, let us get behind Nuno and the team and enjoy the spills and thrills of watching him building a team that will challenge.

I am sure that before we have reached the time we have paid our debts, we will win another trophy that will go with Levy’s League Cup in his trophy cabinet. Remember; our new history started in 2019, not 1882 (when the club and name was formed). This is just phase three (formation first, moving to White Hart Lane and building a team that challenged was our second phase, and now, we are in our third phase; the demolition of WHL and replacing it with a cash cow multi-complex stadium for its clients).

By Peter J Arnold.