Why Tottenham fans need to appreciate Daniel Levy
For those Tottenham Hotspur fans able to stomach watching Match of the Day on Saturday night, despite a disappointing 0-0 draw with Villa, they may have caught the highlights from United’s win over Burnley. Aside from seeing a lucky goal scored by a Bulgarian chap with an uncanny resemblance to Andy Garcia, viewers may have heard grumblings of discontent swell within the ‘Theatre of Dreams’. Cries of “Glazer’s out” permeate the stadium these days, and banners adorn the Stretford End, calling for an end to American ownership. In fact, Liverpool too appears fraught with anger over the state of their club. Thus, in an age of foreign ownership, with England’s biggest ‘franchises’ falling into the hands of those dreaded imperialist Americans, is it time Tottenham Hotspur fans appreciated just how good they have it with Daniel Levy as chairman, and ENIC International Ltd. owner Joe Lewis as financial backer?
On Saturday, Manchester United commemorated the 52nd anniversary of the Munich air crash at Old Trafford. This is the biggest tragedy to occur in the clubs history. The Glazer family however, did not attend. MUST (Manchester United Supporters Trust) now protest so fervently at home matches, that the owners are staying away. Nick Towle, Chair of MUST, told the Guardian,
“It is a shocking picture. These are immense amounts of money being leaked out of United to pay banks, lawyers, the Glazers themselves and interest, to pay for a takeover none of the supporters, or the United board itself, wanted.”
Along the M62, Liverpool do not find themselves in a much better position. Tom Hicks and George Gillet took out a huge loan with the Royal Bank of Scotland when they purchased the club in 2007, and still owe RBS £237million. The American’s have invested little of their own cash on player transfers over the past two seasons, and plans for a new stadium have stalled owing to the clubs huge interest payments.
Is it time then, that Tottenham Hotspur fans looked up from counting their money long enough to appreciate just how good they’ve got it? On Saturday at White Hart Lane, not only was Daniel Levy sat in his comfortable leather seat in the directors box, but so too was Joe Lewis, the man behind ENIC. Joe Lewis lives in the Bahamas, but the man voted 9th richest person in Britain in the 2009 Sunday Times Rich List, is a boy from East London, and is worth an estimated £2,800million. Daniel Levy is the chairman of ENIC and Tottenham Hotspur likewise, and despite fan’s criticism of Levy’s tenure at Spurs, a glance at Manchester United and Liverpool suddenly puts Tottenham’s previous criticisms of Essex born Daniel Levy into perspective.
The managerial structure, and appointment, employed by Levy, is probably the area most Tottenham fans take issue with. Bringing Hoddle to the club was a mistake in hindsight, but a return to Hoddle’s ‘spiritual home’ was met with universal praise when ENIC first took charge of Tottenham in 2001. However, the disastrous appointment of Jacques Santini, and the director of football calamity, will not be so easily forgotten. Certainly, Damien Comolli would not be welcome at White Hart Lane anytime soon. Further, the appointment of Juande Ramos was probably when Levy was at his lowest ebb, not so much for the decision to appoint the Spaniard, but the manner in which he did so. Tottenham officials had been spotted courting Ramos just weeks into the 2007/08 season, and the treatment of Martin Jol, a popular figure at Spurs, was deplorable. Whatever Tottenham fans thought of Jol’s managerial capabilities, it is universally accepted that he did not deserve to be the last one in the stadium to know he’d been sacked on 25 October 2007, during a home defeat to Getafe.
Daniel Levy has endured a torrent of criticism from the media for the way he treated Jol, and for installing the derided ‘director of football’ structure, which xenophobes in the British media deem a foreign concept. However, Levy and ENIC have never failed to support Tottenham financially. When Tottenham looked to be in trouble last January, millions were made available to Redknapp to ensure the clubs survival. Players have been brought to the club, whether successful or not, at great expense, and yet the club remains secure financially. Levy is desperately trying to secure Champions League football for the club, and the club hope to begin work on a new 58, 000 capacity stadium that may ensure the clubs long term ability to compete with Europe’s elite.
In short, Tottenham Hotspur fans must look at the Glazer’s, George Gillet, and Tom Hicks, and appreciate what they have in English ownership, and low level debt. Perhaps ENIC is desperate, as has been suggested, to reach the Champions League so that the club is more valuable, and the firm can sell at a profit. Perhaps that is a bridge Tottenham will have to cross when they come to it, for at present, Tottenham have owners that seem to be interested in Tottenham’s progression and growth, rather than the continued expansion of their fat American bank balances. Therefore, in an age of foreign ownership and high debt, perhaps Tottenham fans do have something to be thankful for after all.
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Bloke is a complete ledge.
Loves the club, ALWAYS backs the manager with money and your correct when you look at other clubs we have a great person in charge.
Anyone who disagrees needs their heads tested.
Agreed.
Have to agree, after reading whats going on at Liverpool and Manchester United, it makes you appreciate what we’ve got.
Levy is the best chairman in the league hands down. You would not find another chairman so singleminded, smart and has the resources to back up his ambitions. Abramovich? rich man with a expensive toy. Lerner ? not bad but hardly a football man. Ramos, comolli, hoddle & jol bad mistakes ??.. Lets put it this way, if you don’t ever try hard enough, you don’t ever made mistakes. Levy had those unsavoury episodes b’cos he tried too hard to push the club forward. Gibson stuck with soutgate and got relegation. The moores at Liverpool “watch while Rome burn”.. If those mistakes by Levy is bourned out of deep passion to drive the club forward, we should appreciate & forgive him.He has been the club best chairman in 3 decades.
Anyone who thinks that Spurs should have splashed out in the last window should look at ManU and Liverpool’s debt problems. Debt breeds more debt, and we did the right thing to stay within our means. Not everything has been perfect, but we all make mistakes and learn from them – which he has (where’s Comolli?). It feels good to be financially sound in a credit crunch, whilst being 5th in the league. Levy deserves a thank.
It’s very odd that this article comes up today as I was thinking exactly the whilst driving home this evening. I’d rather see Spurs in 5th 6th or even 7th position rather than have the guts torn out of the club by over zealous spending. Look what it has done to Pompey and West Ham and there must be more clubs that we dont yet know about who are not solvent. All the same I do hope that these clubs not only teach others a lesson but also survive. Pompeys problem has not been all of there own making with the Premiership upper gods giving the ok to less than suitable people. They should have a conscience !!
As far as I know, Joe Lewis has not put any money into the club other than purchasing ENIC, who in turn bought out the majority of shares at a knockdown price.
Levy has done a good job with the finances and so so on managerial appointments.
You describe our debt levels as “Low” what is the actual figure?
daniel levy is doing a great job, he has made some mistakes namely the way he treated martin jol but i would disagree with santini being a mistake because for the short time he was at the club he set the foundations of our defence to stop leaking goals and that allowed bmj when he took over to then bring in carrick and allow the rest of the team to go forward and attack.
Great article, have always admired levy, the bloke is spurs through and through!
LEVY is absolutely fantastic, a complete blessing. More than just keeping the club on an even financial keel, he is wholly ambitious, and determined to put Spurs firmly among the world’s elite. Far better CHAIRMAN than many of the ‘top half of the table would be a good season’ brigade deserve.
Are you kidding me!! Levy hasnt achieved anything..we are the 15th richest club in the world yet not once in 7 years have we qualified or won anything worth winning. Levy has out spent arsenal and they are above us in the league year after year.We are a badly run club more interested in money that glory. Are you saying we must grateful because we dont have the issues of man u, liverpool…erm…they win stuff..we win nothing. As for the new stadium..yeah..well done..10 years after arsenals…genius.We will never qualify for the champions league,never compete to win the title when Levy is in charge.7 years of failure and ver spending on transfers and to tight with wages…what a joke.
Until this club starts achieving a position in the game that reflects it’s historical level them I not going to start handing out plaudits to Levy, ENIC or anyone else. Just because we compare well financially with some other clubs is more down to their mismanagement than Levy’s genius. His track record with appointments on the playing side is abysmal, and many doubt whether he has got it right even now. The new stadium has been on the agenda for years now, yet a brick hasn’t been laid. I’m loath to make comparisons with the team up the road, but in terms of developing their football club their management board has shown us a clean pair of heels. The fact is that until we constantly earn a place in the Champions League, we can never claim to be in the elite of the game.
Strange then that his right hand man Alexander is leaving to join the Mancs. He seems to see greener grass with the Glazers (or maybe knows a bit more about what’s going on than we do).
“Strange then that his right hand man Alexander is leaving to join the Mancs. He seems to see greener grass with the Glazers (or maybe knows a bit more about what’s going on than we do)”
Did you ever consider the grass may not be greener but the wage packet a lot bigger ?