Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has hit out at those using the ‘Spursy’ label after the North London side’s defeat in the Champions League against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night.
Spurs had enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season until the 2-0 loss away in Portugal in midweek. The Lilywhites had held firm for 90 minutes before succumbing to two late goals from Lisbon in their Group D clash.
After four wins and two draws in the opening six Premier League matches, Spurs sit in third place in the table ahead of the game against Leicester this weekend. A 2-0 win against Marseille in the Champions League opener had put Spurs in a strong position.
The collapse against Lisbon was particularly disappointing due to the nature of conceding so late in the game, but it came on the back of a performance that was symptomatic of Tottenham’s struggles to really dominate games this season.
Grinding out results under Antonio Conte has become something of a trademark, but that kind of approach can only take you so far it seems. Nevertheless, the criticisms from pundits since the defeat has been a little bit dramatic, to say the least.
Harry Redknapp certainly thinks so, and in a recent appearance on TalkSport, he has lambasted those using the ‘Spursy’ label once again.
He said: “It wasn’t a disastrous result or performance. In the long term, I think they will qualify out of the group, it was just one of them nights. It happens away from home. I am sure Conte would have been happy with a point.
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“What is Spursy? I mean what is it? It’s different teams, different managers, and different players. How can you label a team ‘Oh, 15 years ago they got beat by somebody’. That was different people.”
“It’s because they haven’t been good enough. There are only a couple of trophies you can win and they haven’t been good enough to win any of them. But they did get to a Champions League final under Pochettino.
“You can’t label a football club and the players. They are different players. Different eras and different people. They don’t put the shirt on and say ‘Oh, we are Spurs and we are going to be a soft touch for somebody’. It’s not the way it works.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Harry Redknapp is completely right. It may have been a slightly disappointing performance, and the result is far from ideal, but there is no need to panic. This implosion we have seen in the press, and among certain sections of the fans, is very reactionary and unnecessary.
It’s one result, away from home in the Champions League, where every game is tough. We just have to turn our attention to Leicester at the weekend and ensure the team bounces back quickly.
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