Last week the long awaited Amazon documentary All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur launched on Amazon Prime.
N17 Football sat down to muse over the crazy events of last season as we watched the first 3 episodes back to back in the small hours of the morning.
In the build up to the release, the press were reporting that the film crew had captured the dismissal of the much loved Mauricio Pochettino.
It’s clear the editors have changed tact and decided to omit this from the final footage as the only mention from inside the club is a quick interview with Chairman Daniel Levy and Harry Kane mentioning Poch’s dismissal over breakfast to the now departed Jan Vertonghen .
Levy was asked how he came to the decision.
A lot of heartache is the honest answer. It’s never easy when you have to ask someone to leave. When you’ve been working with someone for 5 and a half years it’s difficult, my heart was telling me don’t do it, but my brain was telling me I needed to do. It’s the most emotional decision I’ve had to make. The results weren’t where they needed to be, we have to do what we feel is right for the club, only time will tell if it’s the right decision.
Back in the players canteen , Jan and H are talking.
“Apparently they knew” says Jan to Kane. “No they didn’t, he (Poch) phoned me last night, the chairman told him you’re being sacked, you need to come in, pack your things, and leave tonight.”
Harsh treatment for a man who did so much for our club and gave us so many great memories. But that’s the nature of the beast that is football and business at the highest level.
Poch alluded towards the end of tenure that the club didn’t share his vision for the project – not refreshing the squad and pushing on certainly took it’s toll on the spirit of the players and fans, but just maybe, we needed that someone different with a proven track record in English football to help take the club to the next level…and that next level is silverware.
José Mourinho’s arrival
For the next 3 episodes we get to see the inner workings of our club, revealing Jose’s methods – stand out moments were Jose’ giving Dele a bit of a stern warning that he’s lazy and inconsistent.
His words hit home as Dele goes on to put in some strong performances over the next few games.
The real insights come from the ‘fly on the wall’ aspect when the players and staff are not focusing on the fact the cameras are rolling. When José is speaking with Dele you can see he get’s into a space in Dele’s mindset which may think it’s good enough and doesn’t have to try. “You need to demand more from yourself, I cannot put that there, you must do it”
José is clearly targeting this long standing soft underbelly of the club that has plagued us for years. Something that almost exists without words, guaranteed failure dressed in ‘ look how close we got’.
It’s this ghosted energy that either drives world class players away to other clubs in search of glory or sucks the energy out of those who, if coached and encouraged, like Dele, would unlock their full potential.
As much as Poch delivered flair, energy and belief, maybe, just maybe he fell short in the big games – the kind where nuanced tactical nouse is required to finally get it over the line, hopefully, José will be the man to deliver that.
Inspiration and motivation will only get you so far – real winning is turning up and doing every single thing you can to win even if you don’t feel like you have it in you. For my money, that’s where we’ve failed over the years.
Whatever we may think about José , his record speaks for itself and as he told Kane, he’s here to win. Refreshing words that will really put on the onus on Levy IF indeed José pushes for signings and Levy holds back.
