Pochettino and Sherwood both set for exits

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With Tim Sherwood set for crunch talks with Baldini and Levy this morning, his potential successor may as well be sat just outside the boardroom, waiting for his interview to begin.

Although not the fan’s first choice, Mauricio Pochettino is Levy’s man according to numerous papers; waiting in the wings to take over from the departing Tim Sherwood.

The Daily Telegraph are reporting that Levy will sack Sherwood imminently, with his only reason for waiting was due to the fear of overshadowing Ledley King’s testimonial. But with the testimonial completed, Levy is now expected to move quickly in confirming Sherwood’s five-month stint as over.

As soon as Sherwood is out of the revolving door, Levy is expected to approach current Saints gaffer Pochettino, who is believed, by many, to have felt as though he has hit a glass ceiling at St Mary’s; with the club set to cash in on star players.

With United making a £27 million move for Luke Shaw, and Liverpool bidding £20 million for Adam Lallana, Pochettino described Southampton’s “5-year project” as being “over” earlier this week.

With 1 year left on his contract, the Argentine has stated: "We have come as far as we could. We have done everything we could and our position this season is eighth place. In order to try to reach their level we need to have a major international budget resourcing and try to match them on their own terms.”

Talking of his stint at the South-coast club in past tense, Pochettino met with the Southampton board yesterday to discuss the club’s future and potential investment. Albeit a day before Sherwood is expected to be given the boot by Spurs.

In addition to this news, The Guardian have continued the trend of linking Poch with the soon to be vacant hot-seat, but also adding that - Saints star Jay Rodriguez could be set to join up with the manager in North London.

The Guardian believe that Spurs, with Pochettino at the helm, want more home-grown players to blend in with the large influx of foreign players that were invested in last summer.

 

Hang on Josh...Pochettino IS MY FIRST CHOICE!!!

And Mauricio is FAR too professional to disrespect his club by talking about them in the past tense whilst still on their payroll. In regard to the comments attributed to him in your article, Pochettino was merely referring to the 8th placed finished he had just achieved in the campaign just gone, and the need for Southampton to invest SUBSTANTIALLY if they are to continue to progress!

Wording, as well as research, is everything in these types of articles, my friend, and it would be irresponsible (journalism) to forget that...

 

Well, now even I have to agree that Sherwood will be canned. I like that Maurucio will be next. He is kind of "Rogers Light" in my book. Plays similar style with lesser performers.

 

Would love Maurucio to come on board. He has proven that he can get his teams playing football whilst AVB and Sherwood proved the opposite. Just hope Levy has the sense to keep out of the football side of things and Maurucio gets whoever he needs as players and backroom staff. Just hope Steffan Freund stays as he's a very loyal fellow with all his coaching badges.

 

If we are to get rid of Sherwood, who was in an untenable position from the start please do it now get the new guy in ,who ever it is and let him have a full preseason to acquaint himself with the club and everything that is Tottenham Hotspur . Because at present we are a basket case how we managed to finish 6th is beyond me. we have probably more talent at our disposal but have more passengers than the tube. Lets get it sorted Mr Levy asap

 

The problem was not the managers;the problem was the consultant hired by Levy,who recommended to Levy players who could or should have been an asset to Tottenham.these players failed miserably.it easier & financially easier to sack the coach than sack a player under contract.To my way of thinking the consultant should be sacked .Tim was a great success with everything he did with the other leagues in the Tottenham club.Bad workers do a bad job,no matter how good the boss is.Tim needs good workers to do a good job,he did it with Tottenham JUNIORS ,he could do it with Tottenham Seniors.if given complete control.

 

Poch has ALL the tools required to do GREAT things at a club at Spurs. Unlike De Boer he has:

-Managed more than one club.

-Experienced the highs and lows of management. Which should prepare him for better for any difficult moments he may encounter.

-Ran a club from top to bottom, during his time in Spain.

-Experienced management in two of the best leagues in Europe.

-A PHILOSOPHY that is PROVEN in the EPL.

- A South-American/Latin, culture/background which SHOULD (at least in theory) help him build relationships quickly with Spurs' South American contingent .i.e. Soldado, Lamela, Sandro, Paulinho and even Gomes.

-The FAMILIAR factor. Players will know more or less the kind of football they will be asked to play under the Argentine, having seen the way his Southampton team have performed under his tenure, thus putting minds in the dressing room at ease, and raising excitement levels within the squad.

-A knowledge of the Spurs squad, as it is, having no doubt scouted them on a number occasions, during his time in England.

- An understanding of the English leagues, culture within football, here, and what is required to succeed.
Therefore when he enters the transfer market, for example, he will have a better understanding of the type of player, and personality, who has the best chance of succeeding in the EPL, than someone like De Boer.


Imagine the kind of work the Argentine could also do with the youngsters that Sherwood has unearthed, having developed a number of young players at Southampton. Instead of the youth team being left dejected at the prospect of losing a manager most likely to give them their BIG BREAK, there will be renewed optimism through ALL of our youth-set ups, at someone like Pochettino, who has shown a willingness to blood young talent like Chambers and Gallagher at St Mary's, walking through the door. The likes of Carrol, Bentaleb, Pritchard, Kane, Townsend, Fredricks and Fryers will see this as a REALISTIC opportunity to establish themselves in the Spurs team/squad, should they impress.

There are ONLY pluses about getting in Pochettino...I just hope the Spurs board see things the same way.

 

right on man. I'd like to guard my optimism but I'm a Spurs fan. Audere est facere!

 

Ramos - All good points re Poch and although his record isnt much more than average he has shown some potential this year at Soton. At the momment he seems to be the frontrunner and if he gets the job ill happily support him, albeit with fingers crossed. However I dont think comparing him against FDB proves anything. Yes Poch has managed two clubs but niether with any success while FDB has managed one club with great success.
Experienced highs and lows of management ? well FDB has probably had more highs than lows compared to Poch but so what. if anything FDB has worked under more pressure and with higher expectations.
Ran a club from top to bottom in spain, well ok but how did that work out for him ? in holland all managers start thier careers with the youth teams.
Management in the two best leagues in europe. agreed. although his record is nothing remarkable.
A philosophy proven in the EPL. have liked the look of Soton this year, some attractive football but I dont think he's proven anything other than potential. dont get me wrong he could be a good fit but so could FDB. theres no guarantees whoever comes i

 

I think Poch could do a good job although the pressure to succeed at Spurs will be a lot higher than at Southampton. He won't be given two or three years to get into the champions league, it will have to be next season. He would be my choice now, and I just hope he is given time o do the job well and HIS way. He must have control of the football club with NO interference. I would like to see Baldini gone as well. There is however a side of me that fears AVB again, but I think, or at least I hope that just comes from thirty years of false dawns!
Got to get it right this time, or I think we will go backwards rapidly. I hope this season was just a blip, but if it goes wrong this time, then surely bigger changes will have to be made in the near future.

 

I thought De Boer would be the PERFECT man to compare the Argentine with, considering he seems to be the main contender for the role at the moment, and a LOT of Spurs supporters first choice over Pochettino.

All I have done is a shine a torch on both of their credentials, as things stand.

Yes Frank has won the League title with Ajax on 4 separate occasions in the Dutch first division, which is a GREAT feat. But lets face it, Ajax probably SHOULD be winning the title EVERY year in that league, being by far and away the biggest club on those shores. So Isn't it fair to say that Frank has simply met expectational rather than exceed them?

The Eredivisie is a selling league. So while Ajax have been forced flog their best players over the years, so have the other clubs (without perhaps the outstanding youth academy set ups to supplement their first team squads), with Wilfred Bony being a case in point.

So, while Ajax HAS gotten weaker over the last decade, or so - so has the rest of the league.

And, the FACT that De Boer has kept his job despite NOT qualifying beyond the group stages of the CL, leads me to believe the expectations placed upon him are more about winning the domestic League and securing automatic qualification for that particular competition, rather than his accomplishments in it.

Lets get this straight, Frank HAS had some SUPERB displays in Europe, and has been 'unlucky' due to seeding to be placed in the kind of groups they have been over the last few years.

And while De Boer DOES have that experience to call upon, the FACT remains the Dutchman has ONLY ever known life in Amsterdam, and in a VASTLY inferior and different league (in terms of footballing philosophy) to the EPL, as a manager.

I would therefore suggest that a record 8th placed finish and points tally in the EPL, playing amongst the VERY best football in the league, gives Pochettino a better starting point/ foundation to enjoy success (especially over the short-term) than say De Boer who is likely to have to make a LOT of adjustments to his thought processes and philosophy should he come to England.

There are TOO many questions that could be asked of Frank right now:

-How does Frank adapt to the different culture he is likely to encounter at a different club.

-Frank and the coaching staff at Ajax are probably the biggest names on the training pitch everyday, in a club that is known for developing youth team products and cheap foreign imports aiming to make their name in European football. How would De Boer react to walking into a changing room FULL of established (in some cases) International players such as Lloris, Paulinho, Dembele, Adebayor, Soldado etc?

- How would Franks footballing PHILOSOPHY work in the hustle and bustle of the EPL?

- How long would Frank take to adapt to the demands of English football and all that goes with it (i.e. tempo, intensity and physicality)

- How does Frank respond to adversity?

I'm actually writing a piece an in-depth piece on Pochettino, so I won't say too much now.

But what I do AGREE with is that whether Spurs went for De Boer or Pochettino, they will be getting an exciting cocktail TALENT, AMBITION and POTENTIAL, rather than the finished product. So then question then becomes, not which of the two is BETTER than the other, but which of the two represent the LESSER risk/gamble...

1. The man who has enjoyed 1 1/2 years in English football, and has done a EXCELLENT job in building and developing a side who has recently been promoted.

OR

2. The man who has continued to win the Eredivise title with the biggest club in that division, and has little or no management experience outside of the comfort zone of managing the same club.

I know which one I would pick at this particular moment of Tottenham Hotspurs development.

 

He's been sacked the shithead know let's get the new man in and starting working on things early .
Hadoken.

 

Poch has the ability to be very good for spurs. He knows the league, but my two slight, and they are only slight are that the pressure at Spurs will be to succeed and win silverware, as well as bringing Champions league back to the Lane, rather than survive or finish mid table.
Second, could he handle the stars at Spurs who are very opinionated? Remains to be seen but overall, I agree with Ramos that Poch looks to be the sensible option for spurs. What now needs to happen is that the appointment is made quickly, and the manager is given free reign over ALL footballing decisions. For me, this is essential to the success next season and beyond for Tottenham Hotspur Football club.

 

So, that is that. Tim is gone. Time to sort it out Levy.
Very surprised that Baldini has not gone as well.

 

Ramos - It looks to me that you were not comparing Poch with FDB, more like comparing Poch against FDB. The light youve shined on thier respective credentials seems to shine much brighter on Poch than FDB but dont worry im only bringing that observation up for fun, I know that Poch is your prefered choice and I respect that and I wouldnt have a problem with him as new manager but I have to admit that at this stage my choice would still be FDB. Im not sure why anyone would suggest that Ajax just have to turn up to win the league, Ajax hadnt won the league since 2004 before FDB took over and now he's won four titles in a row, cmon thats an outstanding feat by anyones standards. As far as football philosophy goes he comes from one of europes most famous and elite clubs with a fantastic tradition of football philosophy and winning mentality. As you yourself stated they also have a tradition of developing youth through the system. How would FDB react to adversity? who knows, how would Poch react to adversity? who knows. we could get in sir jose pep ferguson and we still would not be guaranteed any success. I think they are both very good candidates and I dont think previous records and achievements are everything but if you compare the two objectively then FDB is way out in front.

 

Your right...I did shine the light upon Pochettinos credentials more than De Boers. But that doesn't change the amount of questions that would need to be asked/answered should Spurs decide to appoint the Dutchman.

I WOULD be excited by the appointment of De Boer, he is CLEARLY a bright, talented and modern-thinking manager that has HUGE potential.
But given all the points I have raised in my last post, I just feel his appointment would represent the kind of GAMBLE/RISK Levy, and Tottenham Hotspur FC for that matter, could do without, right now.

I DON'T think Spurs NEED a winner of titles, necessarily, at this moment in time. But what I DO think the club needs, RIGHT NOW, is someone who is TRIED and TESTED as far as the EPL is concerned.

If this season has taught me anything it's that there is no substitute for EPL experience, with Everton, Liverpool Crystal Palace and West Ham all benefiting from having managers that KNOW what the league demands, before the season began, enabling them to enjoy relative success, to varying degrees.

I am NOT saying that Tottenham should never appointment a manager without EPL experience again, but RIGHT NOW the club would be better served hiring someone who can spend this summer SOLELY focusing on moulding/developing a team, as opposed to doing all of that whilst learning about a new league too,

 

On another note there was a great version of Glory Glory Hallelujah last night. Started with 'My eyes have seen the glory' then long pause then the rest of it. Worth spreading the word and making it happen next season just to make a change from WTSGMI...

 

Last night was the atmosphere that should be there every week at the lane. Awesome.

 

Sorry chaps but I don't think we should go for FDB or Pocchitino - for me there is only one man for the job, his name is Rafa Benitez. He is a proven successful premier league manager - Won the Champions League with Liverpool, Won the Europa League with Chelsea (after there disasterous CL campaign under DeMatteo) then went to Napoli this season just gone where he guided them to third place in the league and CL football next season (and they have a good run in the Europa League - going at least one round further than we did),and they also picked up the Coppa Italia (which is equivilant to either the FA Cup or League Cup over here) - either way it is a piece of silverware.

Granted he hasn't been in the PL for the last season, but I think that somebody of his intellect has been kept aware and up to speed with the comings & goings in the league and who has shone and who has flopped for whatever team.

I agree that now that Levy has relieved us of opinionated Tim, he needs to act quickly to replace him, so that the new guy has a complete pre-season with the team (apart from the one or two who have been selected by their countries to play in the World Cup). Also the new man should have a say in the transfers of players, have the backing of the chairman and be given time to do the job.

Stability is what the club needs and sacking the manager every year of mid-way through a season is not the ideal way to run a top class football club. So come on Mr.Levy for once pull your finger out now rather than dragging your heels as usual - you can do the right thing by the club and its loyal fans and appoint the right man now and stand by him - to that end I say approach the Spainiard that is Rafa Benitez.

 

In many ways Rafa is the safest option if looking for immediate results, he's definitely a proven manager at this level and wins silverware, in many ways it makes sense but I don't think a lot of spurs fans will warm to the idea, there seems to be a general dislike to his style of play, he's seen as too defensive. He's been a bit of a hot potato lately im not so sure he would even want to leave Napoli so soon.