Are The Spurs Now Marching On?

The Pochettino Era has resulted in new hope for the long suffering Spurs fans. The team is
more balanced thanks to shrewd purchases by the management and is again challenging for supremacy of footballs highest division. Constant changes in management plus poor transfer decisions led us into a decade of mediocrity.

Long time fans might liken this start to the Billy Nicholson era which began in October 1958
albeit with the one sided slaughter of Everton in a 10-4 laugher.

Nicholson too inherited a side that was on the move upwards although to be fair he had also spent the previous twenty two years as both a player and coach with the organisation. Nicholson was hugely helped by a team that had slowly transitioned over a three year period.

His talent pool, like Pochettino’s contained a variety of very talented players such as Danny Blanchflower,, Dave McKay, John White, Bobby Smith, Tommy Harmer & Terry Medwin.
Pochettino became Spurs 10th manager over a twelve year period in May 2014 and guided the team to a top five premiership place in his first season in charge.

Unlike Nicholson, Pochettino did not inherit a deep talent pool of players but shrewdly inserted some younger Academy players into his lineup. This worked for a while and brought Harry Kane to the notice of the fans. Kane was an almost instant success, proving that the years spent out on loan were not wasted. Unfortunately for others like Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason they were unable to sustain their early momentum and fell by the wayside, eventually leaving the club. Fortunately, signing Dele Alli from MK Dons was a master move which provided more quality and a player who rises to the big occasion.

Spurs have for years, with a few exceptions, always had outstanding goalkeepers. Starting in the fifties with Ted Ditchburn followed by early sixties keeper Bill Brown who was to make way for the outstandingg Pat Jennings who for 13 years was the rock in Spurs back line.Today we have Hugo Lloris, another outstanding contender for Spurs best ever keeper.

Our current midfield & defence compare favourably with the Blanchflower, McKay, Norman era while Rose and Walker are probably the best full back team we have ever had.

The jury is still out on Janssen who, at present , is looking like he can’t buy a goal in open play, like Soldado he is taking some time to adjust to the English game. Unfortunately, as we know, poor Soldado never did make the adjustment. However, we should remember it took Lamela two seasons to show his true quality. Further back Martin Chivers, who came to Spurs in 1968 from Southampton, was still in the fans doghouse after over a season with Spurs. His two goals in the League Cup Final of 1971 cemented his newly found popularity. From that point on he was a regular goalscorer, particularly in some of the big European games.

It is obvious to all but the most jaded supporter that Pochettino is building a team that could easily be the equal to our famous double side of the sixties and maybe even surpass its notable achievements.