15 Minute Teamtalk Shows Spurs Fans – They May Finally Have a World Class Manager in Juande Ramos!

FanCast columnist Billy Pearson is convinced that the long suffering Spurs fans have finally got the top class manager they have always wanted in Juande Ramos.

They say you don't need a weatherman to tell you when it's raining or why the seagulls follow the trawler, but it only needed 15mins, to show Spurs fans, despite their love of Martin Jol, that they finally had a top class manager who isn't afraid to make, big decisions or radical tactical changes in order to change a game of football, and boy what a transformation, in that second half at White Hart Lane last night.

Martin Jol for all his efforts over the last couple years in resurrecting the famous club back to its rightful position into the elite of English football; never had the ability to make tactical decisions in key times during the games. So many times, Tottenham were found wanting, with the Seville game springing to mind ironically against Juande Ramos.

2-0 down after a disastrous start meant Tottenham needed 4 goals to reach the semi final and Jol waited until the 65th minute to introduce a new striker – 5mins later Spurs found themselves level on the night and with a bit of composure in front of goal could have got the 4 goals that would have undoubtedly taken them through to an eventual UEFA Cup victory – You often wonder had Jol been braver that night and introduced his changes earlier, he may still be in the job today.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the stark reality is, that Martin Jol in a million years would have never made those changes because he is simply not one of those managers – who is brave and bold and not afraid to admit he got the opposition tactics all wrong and make the necessary change their and then. Gus Poyet said after the game; "what had we got to lose, the game was lost and we had to make the change" – a striker was brought on for a full back and they used the largely ineffective Didier Zokora as an emergency centre half as and when – no Spurs fans could have foreseen the change or the impact it would make to the game.

Aalborg was dominating the game and made Tottenham look extremely ordinary at times and few could argue that they could have been 3 or 4 up at half time. It was an absolute woeful performance and the first time Ramos had to show the Spurs Board and the long suffering fans how he was to respond – 21mins in the 2nd half and 3-2 up was the answer with an outlandish change of system that bought the necessary result…he, who dares, wins!

I guess the proof of the proverbial pudding will see where Tottenham will finish this season and if they pick up any silverware. Juande Ramos record reads Won 4 Drawn 2 Lost 0 and Tottenham showed in the second half that even 3-2 up they were willing to push on for more goals than rather sit back like they did under Jol; notably threw points away doing it – Spurs fans have finally found a manager that their supporters deserve; a true winner in every sense of the world and in a 15minute half time pep talk showed them they have a manager who doesn't do 2nd best…exciting times are around the corner at N17; a bit premature? I don't think so!