Opinion: Why Levy should keep Ryan Mason and Chris Powell on as coaches

The fallout from the Jose Mourinho sacking has led to the unlikely pairing of Ryan Mason and Chris Powell taking over the first team until the end of the season.

The latter has a wealth of coaching and management experience, although not at the level of Tottenham Hotspur, whereas the former’s CV looks decidedly more blank.

But within this makeshift duo, there are reasons to believe that they could be seen as coaches within the club over a much longer term. 

Let’s start with Ryan Mason, the current gaffer. As is widely known, he is no stranger to the club, having come through the youth system, and played in the first team for a while.

Therefore, given this, as well as the fact that he grew up a Spurs fan it is clear that he is fully aware of the identity of the club, more than most of the current players.

This can only be a good thing, and if Levy allows, fans can rest assured that Mason will coach the club with the passion of which a fan would.

But looking at the football side of the equation, given that Daniel Levy has thrown the 29-year-old in at the deep end, giving him the manager’s job, in games which have included the League Cup final, there must be serious promise about Mason’s potential.

His hands may currently be tied, with a fragile, and widely-considered fractured squad, with no time to bring players in, but this experience to manage so many high-profile games can only benefit Mason down the line. 

Therefore, it would only be wise to keep Mason in the fold at close quarters, as he further develops his coaching career, rather than to let him go too soon.

Moving on to Chris Powell, he has a wealth of experience in management, with roles ranging from League One with Southend United, to a stint at Huddersfield, just a short time before they were promoted to the Premier League.  

What’s significant about these kinds of jobs, is that, with no disrespect to any of these clubs, Powell has overseen teams whose players have been on moderate wages, and played in far less luxurious conditions.

Therefore with his more grounded background in professional football, I would be much more confident in avoiding any issues with players’ egos, with a coach like Powell as part of the setup. 

On top of this, Powell announced recently his love for Spurs, which started when he was a boy and used to frequent White Hart Lane as a supporter.

In a similar way to Ryan Mason, knowing how much the club means to these coaches, this gives the fans comfort that the excitement is there when the team wins, coupled with the pain felt when the team fails. 

But the key reason why both should be kept on as coaches is that they need to be given a chance as part of the Spurs furniture.

It would be completely futile on Levy’s part to hire these two, just to dispense of their services when a new manager is announced.

Thankfully, Ledley King has remained with the team despite the departure of Mourinho, and hopefully, this pair can be given as equal a chance to prove their worth.

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