I Want Spurs To Win The League, Not Liverpool

I want Spurs to win the league. Even above Liverpool this season in the absence of Villa!

You traitor Collymore! You want Spurs who you never played for to win the league instead of Liverpool?

That’s correct and I’ll tell you why.

Lions
They have the spine of my beloved Three Lions. They are young, fresh and vibrant in every way from Alli’s innocent, child-like smile and way of playing, to Dier and Kane’s boring yet reassuring professionalism. Poch is now speaking much better and more confident English.

What a wonderful picture of celebration after Son’s winner at Swansea where the veins were pumping and protruding from every Spurs player’s veins. It reminded me, a 46 year-old ex-pro, what football should be about. And most of all,

in these days of mega money, mega bullshit and mega hype, they are a team who just enjoy playing with each other.

I see that more than any other club and I have to say I haven’t felt this excited about watching an English team since locking horns against Beckham, Giggs and co.

In Demand
Will they reach the heights of the United boys? Probably not, that was something of its time. Spurs will have to ride out rumours about Poch being in a restaurant with the Real Madrid tea lad, or Dele Alli buying a Man United mug from the Trafford centre, you know the stuff.

They are going to get lots of interest in their players over the next two years at Spurs.

If Daniel Levy, a notoriously thin-skinned man when it comes to media and the perception of him, can do one thing to dispel negativity about the intentions of the owners (they are doing step one with the stadium taking shape underneath them), it will be not only to tie these fine young players down to contracts, but to also provide the manager with the tools to continue the job. And that means a marriage of this super-tight team with one or two big hitters.

Daniel gave the red light before remember, after Bale left. But it was too excited. Too many players from too many different systems. Too soon. And it became a mess that had a silver lining, as Spurs were basically forced to play Kane, look at youth investment and hey presto!

The Opposition
With respect to City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United, I don’t feel the same. I see off the peg players all thrown together with moaning managers and open cheque books to bludgeon their way to getting it right.

Only Liverpool, because of wasting money over the last decade, have had to trust youth in the same way to varying degrees of success.

Missing Link
I’ve written before about a big name going to Spurs, a big name such as a Cantona-like figure that was a catalyst to United’s success. Zlatan is doing his level best to repeat that in a turbulent period for United and off the top of my head I can’t think of anyone available who would fit the bill.

An Aguero if surplus at City in the summer? A Phillip Lahm to come in and be a guy that the dressing room responds to and learns to win from?

Whoever it is I hope Spurs go on to great success.

Having spoken to my former teammate and Spurs U-21 coach Ugo Ehiogu, he is glowing in the praise he gives the whole setup…

…and the opportunities the club now gives to their younger players.

There’s something romantic about young British players, growing together, partying together (not too hard fellas!) and winning together. It happened with the class of ‘92 and with the direction of a cracking manager with fire in his belly such as Poch, Spurs can put their flag back where it belongs.

And that’s with the biggest of big boys.