Tottenham Supporters’ Trust reveal club have refused to meet with them

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) have revealed the club have denied their request for a meeting to discuss long-term strategy.

The popularity of the Tottenham hierarchy has fallen among the fan base over recent years on the back of some questionable situations.

The club’s decision to put some non-technical staff on the government’s furlough scheme last year was met with widespread disapproval, forcing them to change their decision.

The European Super League debacle also led to fan protests, with many calling for ENIC and Daniel Levy to leave. 

On the back of Tottenham’s struggles on the pitch under Nuno Espirito Santo over the last few weeks, THST confirmed they had asked for a meeting with the club’s Executive Board to discuss both the medium and long-term strategic visions for the football club.

However, the Trust have now revealed the club have declined to speak to them. They also said that an emergency meeting of THST’s Board will be held in the coming days to discuss their options. 

THST’s statement reads: “Last week, the Board of Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust asked the Board of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club for a meeting to discuss the Club’s medium to long-term strategy.

“The Club has decided it does not want to address the questions many fans are asking. It has declined to speak to the Board of its official Supporters’ Trust. 

“The recent missteps of the Club’s Board have been well-publicised and resulted in fierce criticism not just from THST and other Tottenham fan groups but from wider football authorities, the media and government.

“The mixed start to the season has led many to question the focus of THFC’s Board, what its objectives are and how it measures progress.

“And while individual decisions on players and tactics are not within the Trust’s remit, it is our job to question wider strategy when performance on the pitch falls short.

“While we have continued to work with various Heads of Department at the Club, the Club Board has refused to communicate, despite saying in public that its door remains open. Now our latest request for the Club’s Board to address legitimate fan concerns has been rejected.

“With the government’s fan-led review into football governance about to publish its recommendations, the actions of the THFC Board provide the evidence of why change is needed.

“The Club Board wants to choose what it talks about, when it talks about it, and who it talks to. It’s a stark example of the reality of grace and favour relationships, and it’s why we worked so hard to develop proposals that could bring real change.

“The kind of historic change we hope the review takes the chance to deliver for all fan groups across the country.

“THST is not the only representative of fan views at Tottenham Hotspur but it is the only truly independent, democratic, formally-constituted organisation of Spurs fans, and for those reasons, it is essential that there is genuine engagement between the Trust and the Club’s Executive Board.

“We continue to argue for a pragmatic approach that puts constructive solutions before merely expressing anger. But we need to go back to our members and see if they agree.

“An emergency meeting of THST’s Board will be held in the coming days to discuss options and we will convene a meeting of our members shortly afterwards to agree next steps.

“It may well be that the recommendations of the fan-led review are published as we go through that process and, if so, we will take them into consideration.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

This might be controversial among some Spurs fans but I do not think the club are wrong to deny THST a meeting. The request to meet was unnecessary at this time and was most certainly an overreaction to losing three games.

The reality is that we have just appointed a new managing director of football and a new head coach and they need time to show what they can do. 

THST will do well to realise that by overreacting and calling for a meeting so early in the season, they are diluting their own voice as the club (and some fans) are now less likely to take them seriously if they call for a meeting during a genuine crisis situation.

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