I read this article earlier today.
http://www.spurs.vitalfootball.co.uk/sitepage.asp?a=65931
Like many fans I am sure I felt compelled to shoot this insane bit of "writing" down and show it for what it is - pessimistic negativity of the highest order.
Martin Jol joined the club in the aftermath of one of the worst seasons in modern memory at White Hart Lane. Woeful personnel, along with alarmingly obscure management from David Pleat had left Spurs in the mire - the team had no confidence, no direction and a lack of quality in all positions.
In an attempt to appease fans who were calling for a big name manager to return the club to former glories, Daniel Levy brought in Jacques Santini - outgoing French national manager and World Cup winner. Santini was to be assisted by Martin, with player scouting and signings to be overseen by Frank Arnesen. A matter of weeks into our most defensive and dull season on record, Santini departed, enabling Arnesen to promote Jol to the position that he considered Jol should have had in the first place. A signing spree in which 11 players were brought to the club ensued, and from the point that Jol took over Tottenham began to climb the table, demonstrating a renewed passion and desire to win, coupled with new players starting to bed in. Arnesen's departure was untimely and unexpected, yet Jol came through losing a strong supporter of his and continued, this time with the scouting and signing role taken by Damien Comolli. The purchase or Dimitar Berbatov - who bought into the club, the history, the current style and most of all the manager, is something that Jol should be emminently proud of.
The performances offered by the team this term have been of a generally higher level than last season - especially in the cups. Once again there was some bedding in time for the likes of Berbs and Zokora, but to claim as the above article did, that we have reached the limit of what Jol can achieve at the club is laughable. Judged simply on statistical merit, Martin Jol is the best manager we have had in over a decade. Our league positions in the Premiership pre Jol traditionally have been 8th to 11th - now in two full seasons, we have seen our stock rise and our position follow suit. 5th represents the best of the rest - the ultimate position from which to launch and assault on getting into the top four. This process didn't happen over night - it took almost three years of scouting, signings, training, coaching and motivating. To suggest that the club should now rip the manual that has got them to fifth up, is crass and ludicrous. Further investment from the board in the players still lacking from the team, in the mould of what Jol is looking for, is patently the only way to go - to bring in another manager who would then break up the squad, the ethos, the style and spirit potentially would be footballing and commercial suicide.
The platform we have built as a club this past three years IS the result of a 5 year plan to get us into the champions league - judging on performance so far, with the right signings, Jol could easily achieve that one season early.
COYS