Embers

Bitesized Spurs Newsletter VI

I’m exhausted.

The only time I ever find the motivation to write nowadays is when Spurs rot my brain. It annoys me. But that’s not why I am here.

I’m here because Tottenham have vexed me once more, and I need to vent a bit. So this newsletter is my therapy. My apologies in advance.

I’m tired of the constant cycle with every manager. It brings me nothing but dread when we reach this point, where we begin to question whether this manager is right for the club or if they will make it to some arbitrary date. It’s so tiresome.

Ange Postecoglou is not perfect. No manager in the sport is, and as much as I wish he was, he never will be. There are things outside of his control that have hampered him, such as an ever-growing injury list and a jam packed football calendar. But he’s also played a heavy hand in the current crisis plaguing the club.

From top to bottom, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is a mess. A mess that won’t be cleaned up until things change. A change in recruitment is sorely needed, but so is a change in coaching philosophy. I don’t want Ange to become some pragmatic overthinker. But for Spurs to stem the bleeding and grow as a team, he needs to swallow the medicine and adapt.

The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. Which will budge first? That’s the question when it comes to Ange succeeding or failing at Tottenham. I think we are rapidly approaching the true answer. After an entire calendar year of middling form, the crossroads are ahead.

And yet, my feeling is staunchly behind keeping him in the job.

I don’t want to appeal to any lame arguments like “there’s no one else available” because we’re Tottenham, outside of a handful of coaches, everyone is available. But I will appeal to this; the feeling of seeing the underdog win.

A year ago, I had the worst few days of my life. Leading up to the match against Chelsea in November, I was really struggling to find a reason to keep living. Spurs losing badly didn’t help. But I saw something that day. Something that kept me going.

I saw this.

It changed me. I genuinely think it changed me. The idea of not giving up, in the face of insurmountable odds…it called to me. It gave me strength that I didn’t know I had. It taught me that even when things are bleak and seem to be heading towards guaranteed destruction, hope can burn bright from the smallest of embers.

Have those embers died that quickly? Has Ange’s message of resilience, togetherness, and the relentless pursuit of victory really died in the hearts of the players and supporters? I’d love to say no, but we’ve reached and uncertain time. Every second on the clock of every match spells doom when we aren’t blowing a team away. You can feel dread creep into the hearts of every single supporter across the globe when Spurs take a lead or concede early. We think we know how the story ends.

But the story isn’t over. In fact, it’s far from over. We still live, and as long as we live, those embers will burn. The fire may have died down, but it’s still burning. All that’s missing is a fan to the flame.

Tottenham must find that spark once more. The echoes of glory cry out to us, I hope we heed the call.