Daniel Levy - Chairman

Jordinho said:

In recent years I've started to think we have one of the worst fan bases around. So many who do nothing but brick on their club and revel in misery. I generally try to avoid discussing Spurs with other fans I meet as there's nothing to gain from it. It always ends up with them talking about everything that's wrong at the club .

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Tbh I find it strange how many on here still stuck up for ENIC like it’s a religion even when the same things happen over and over when it comes to transfers and it’s always the other club’s fault for moving the goalposts or the player for using us. The only other “big club” it seems to happen to recently is Saudi Sportswashing Machine. Other clubs just get brick done and get deals over the line. It’s not an outlandish view to feel that while ENIC have done many good things for us, we need new owners to compete consistently with the big boys.

Yiddo said:

I am constantly having to battle the Levy out guys, the majority of them cannot put a solid argument together as they are just jumping on the bandwagon. I am by no means a Levy supporter but i am finding myself sticking up for him almost every time i speak to people about Tottenham. Its getting absolutely ridiculous and we are living up to the title of the most entitled fan base in the country.

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I guess the bigger question is why do you feel you always have to defend Levy? I really don’t understand the loyalty some have to him. He’s not a player or a manager. He’s a businessman. And do you not think some of the Levy critics have valid arguments?

Jurgen the German said:

Tbh I find it strange how many on here still stuck up for ENIC like it’s a religion even when the same things happen over and over when it comes to transfers and it’s always the other club’s fault for moving the goalposts or the player for using us. The only other “big club” it seems to happen to recently is Saudi Sportswashing Machine. Other clubs just get brick done and get deals over the line. It’s not an outlandish view to feel that while ENIC have done many good things for us, we need new owners to compete consistently with the big boys.

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TBF mate you keep repeating the same thing but who on here is doing that without balance and criticism for when they and he is wrong? Which accounts? Because honestly, I see discussion, which is the purpose, but I don't know one account on here that treats the defence of them like religion?

Grays_1890 said:

TBF mate you keep repeating the same thing but who on here is doing that without balance and criticism for when they and he is wrong? Which accounts? Because honestly, I see discussion, which is the purpose, but I don't know one account on here that treats the defence of them like religion?

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It’s pretty clear who his supporters are without naming people specifically. The Eze deal is just another example. Now of course we don’t know every detail of what happened and it would be unfair to pin all of the blame on us and Levy but the end result is another high profile and public transfer that we have ended up with egg on our faces and another player which we didn’t land. But the sentiment seems to be there’s nothing we could have done, it’s all Eze and Palace’s fault, he’s not actually that good and he won’t start for Arsenal etc etc. It’s jilted lover stuff.

I feel like we could lower the wages ratio to 20% and people would defend it, or raise it to 120% and the same people would find justification for it.

Jurgen the German said:

It’s pretty clear who his supporters are without naming people specifically. The Eze deal is just another example. Now of course we don’t know every detail of what happened and it would be unfair to pin all of the blame on us and Levy but the end result is another high profile and public transfer that we have ended up with egg on our faces and another player which we didn’t land. But the sentiment seems to be there’s nothing we could have done, it’s all Eze and Palace’s fault, he’s not actually that good and he won’t start for Arsenal etc etc. It’s jilted lover stuff.

I feel like we could lower the wages ratio to 20% and people would defend it, or raise it to 120% and the same people would find justification for it.

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Or its just a different take? I mean I have seen multiple people in the game itself on the news and other outlets give a number of different views on the deal, it happens. Hoddle said the deal with Arsenal was known by those in the game, others have said different and we should have acted quicker.

Personally as I have said elsewhere, its not the deal that annoys me (it hurts) its the fact we seemingly have no plan B against a likely deal with Arsenal (I can understand why he would go there over us).

That said, my point is, literally these discussions are just the game itself and typifies the sport, in and outside our support base. I personally don't see it as dying on a hill support for Levy and you do, isn't that the beauty of opinions?

Grays_1890 said:

TBF mate you keep repeating the same thing but who on here is doing that without balance and criticism for when they and he is wrong? Which accounts? Because honestly, I see discussion, which is the purpose, but I don't know one account on here that treats the defence of them like religion?

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Where is the criticism? There are clearly those who you can see always defend Levy, some of which add the nice caveat of 'there are things he can be criticised of' but never actually criticise him at the time, just say that to appear unbiased.

And tbf, I don't really blame Levy I really respect what he's done overall and would rather it is ENIC that the criticism is thrown at as Levy more is just the guy who fronts up to it all being the chairman.

FWIW I used to be someone that stuck up for this regime, until I realised I was defending them with the same excuses time after time and there was finally a eureka moment that there is only ever one constant in the persistent issues we have when looking to kick on. Levy has my utmost respect for what he's accomplished here, but whilst ENIC are here we are not going to push on. And this has very little to do with the Eze deal, it is just yet another example of the way we do things ultimately fudging us over....

harr1984 said:

Where is the criticism? There are clearly those who you can see always defend Levy, some of which add the nice caveat of 'there are things he can be criticised of' but never actually criticise him at the time, just say that to appear unbiased.

And tbf, I don't really blame Levy I really respect what he's done overall and would rather it is ENIC that the criticism is thrown at as Levy more is just the guy who fronts up to it all being the chairman.

FWIW I used to be someone that stuck up for this regime, until I realised I was defending them with the same excuses time after time and there was finally a eureka moment that there is only ever one constant in the persistent issues we have when looking to kick on. Levy has my utmost respect for what he's accomplished here, but whilst ENIC are here we are not going to push on. And this has very little to do with the Eze deal, it is just yet another example of the way we do things ultimately fudging us over....

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The bolded is your own bias speaking there though to the contrary, or you are being cynical because I use that line myself and I genuinely know that in the last 25 years there have been issues with him and their ownership. Not constantly beating the same drum about it or acting like a lynch doesn't mean you are no unbiased.

I just don't see the point like some do of constantly going on about Grealish every year (as an example)

I posted a long post the other week about where I stand but in short you can be realistic about the advancement of Tottenham under Levy and speak to that AND not believe everything he has done is gold.

Personally I think its other inability to separate the two, not that others are in a cult TBH

Grays_1890 said:

The bolded is your own bias speaking there though to the contrary, or you are being cynical because I use that line myself and I genuinely know that in the last 25 years there have been issues with him and their ownership. Not constantly beating the same drum about it or acting like a lynch doesn't mean you are no unbiased.

I just don't see the point like some do of constantly going on about Grealish every year (as an example)

I posted a long post the other week about where I stand but in short you can be realistic about the advancement of Tottenham under Levy and speak to that AND not believe everything he has done is gold.

Personally I think its other inability to separate the two, not that others are in a cult TBH

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I'm well aware this is a tired debate that will just go round and round so not going to have a back and forth. I notice it with certain posters and I don't have you in mind for that tbh. I'm certainly not biased, because I was on the other side up until not long ago but it's gone on for too long with the same issues cropping up.

And it's certainly more than Grealish, you could name on a seasonal basis the fudge ups and for balance yes we have had success stories too. We were told a few years ago the new stadium was going to catapult us in terms of how we operate - it hasn't. Were then told not being in the Champions League was the issue, well we are and here we are nothing has changed. And it never will do under ENIC, that surely after all this time is not up for debate. If people are happy to settle for this and think we couldn't possibly have another owner with different ideas who at the same time can operate with more ambition then fair play but I just can't agree....

Diamond Lights said:

on pure wages yes, but we also earn a large amount of money compared to others in the league. so according to Deloitte who review the entire finances for their annual PL report, we had the joint lowest wages to revenue ratio at 43%, at the time joint with Luton Town during their PL stint.

Annual Review of Football Finance: Premier League Clubs

In the 2023/24 season, Premier League clubs generated £6.3 billion in revenue, a 4% increase on the previous season.

www.deloitte.com

To compare our 43% to our big 6:

Emirates Marketing Project: 57%
Man U: 55%
Liverpool: 63%
Arsenal: 53%
Chelsea: 72%

As you can see from the Link, after Luton the next lowest to us was Sheff Utd on 47%. So, the outcome is we can talk about transfers and fees but we also pay incredibly low wages compared to what we earn, and literally comparable to teams who currently in the Championship.

No doubt people will cry about "we need to be sustainable" as if they themselves are the CFO of ENIC, but the reality is, it's a choice. I certainly do not want to be Villa at 93% and failing PSR.

But we can easily, in terms of revenue, increase our wage bill and quality of our squad with investment and still be below peer clubs if we choose to.

If we are charging the 1st/2nd highest prices in the league, i think it's fair we expect some of that investment to go into improving the football team. Especially when that team finished 17th last season and has serious injuries to two of its star players in integral positions.

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about a week ago i made several points about Levy and the ownership and quite frankly, many took to Levy's defence.

After this week, will you finally accept the problem is Levy? We are an absolute shambles under him. 10 Days til the window closes.

Some people were like "is Eze the biggest signing since Klinsmann" before we argued over bonus fees and let Arsenal take him. Speaks volumes we have to hark back to 1995, 30 years ago, to find a comparison of a nearly signing.

fudging shambles.

harr1984 said:

And it's certainly more than Grealish,

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Of course it is, but I am not wasting a Friday morning listing them all when I am trying to make a quick point before I shoot out to London.

My issue with the Grealish and other constantly being churned about, is we can accept there has been fudge ups on transfers (I know we didn't on Grealish but I am bored of repeating it) BUT its equally so fckuing boring to constantly keep living in the past with this stuff also. And thats not a defence of DL or Enic, but for some football and this stuff turns grown up minds into them at 14 years old IMO (just look at the protest stuff)

For some, Transfers are not the be all and end all of why they support Spurs, some come on here only to moan about them, they can do them, fine, but I can do me and will do happily (accepting your point wasn't aimed at me)

ANyway fella, as always, nice chat, I need to get out of Dodge

Grays_1890 said:

The bolded is your own bias speaking there though to the contrary, or you are being cynical because I use that line myself and I genuinely know that in the last 25 years there have been issues with him and their ownership. Not constantly beating the same drum about it or acting like a lynch doesn't mean you are no unbiased.

I just don't see the point like some do of constantly going on about Grealish every year (as an example)

I posted a long post the other week about where I stand but in short you can be realistic about the advancement of Tottenham under Levy and speak to that AND not believe everything he has done is gold.

Personally I think its other inability to separate the two, not that others are in a cult TBH

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Find me a CEO who is good at every function within his or her's company. I'm mostly a Levy supporter and believe he is a passionate fan just like us. However, I've observed over the years that he doesn't always create diverse leadership groups. I remember at one stage there was 4 of our board that had ACA after their names. Now whilst some of these guys and gals weren't practicing chartered accountancy and had moved onto other career roles, it was still an indication how they operate. It wasn't as if Levy had brought in a head of a product business unit or a head of sales into that group. So when the board room or key leadership meetings happened, the psychometrics across the group were probably very similar. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for a great leadership team.

I've also said many times over the years, that when you're top of the tree you need to find the leaders to plug the talent gaps that you don't have. I still have no clue why Levy felt so empowered to get involved in football operations where it was one of his gaps. He quite correctly manoeuvred himself away from media and comms as he did identify that one correctly. He's inevitably learnt a lot through experience but I believe we have suffered in the hands of his football decision making quite a lot over the years.

What I worry about now is what profile Vinai is. If Levy has done it again and just hired another mini-me then we're in for the same experience. I still believe our club needs a seasoned sales leader from another industry. A mad passionate Spurs fan who has been operating in another sector. A relationship bulder, a story teller etc that will take care of business. Someone that has lived that world of hitting sales targets every quarter. Someone that knows when to walk away and when to go all-in on a deal in a way that never breaks a relationship as there is always a next time.

Diamond Lights said:

about a week ago i made several points about Levy and the ownership and quite frankly, many took to Levy's defence.

After this week, will you finally accept the problem is Levy? We are an absolute shambles under him. 10 Days til the window closes.

Some people were like "is Eze the biggest signing since Klinsmann" before we argued over bonus fees and let Arsenal take him. Speaks volumes we have to hark back to 1995, 30 years ago, to find a comparison of a nearly signing.

fudging shambles.

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Anyone saying Eze is the biggest signing since klinsman isn't worth listening to imho.

glasgowspur said:

Anyone saying Eze is the biggest signing since klinsman isn't worth listening to imho.

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other option is Van Der Vaart in 2010, so 15 years ago. Bale on loan the other.

Negligence.

harr1984 said:

Where is the criticism? There are clearly those who you can see always defend Levy, some of which add the nice caveat of 'there are things he can be criticised of' but never actually criticise him at the time, just say that to appear unbiased.

And tbf, I don't really blame Levy I really respect what he's done overall and would rather it is ENIC that the criticism is thrown at as Levy more is just the guy who fronts up to it all being the chairman.

FWIW I used to be someone that stuck up for this regime, until I realised I was defending them with the same excuses time after time and there was finally a eureka moment that there is only ever one constant in the persistent issues we have when looking to kick on. Levy has my utmost respect for what he's accomplished here, but whilst ENIC are here we are not going to push on. And this has very little to do with the Eze deal, it is just yet another example of the way we do things ultimately fudging us over....

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So how do you change it?

I think it’s Donna
She is sabotaging everything still

Diamond Lights said:

other option is Van Der Vaart in 2010, so 15 years ago. Bale on loan the other.

Negligence.

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So if he's so good why didn't arsenal sign him up at the start of the window, deal was agreed?
Why did Liverpool spend £110m on wirtz when Eze is available?
Why weren't city in as a kdb replacement?
Why can't he get a game for England, 11 caps at 27?
When did this guy become a must have superstar, what's changed in the last week?
Someone please explain this to me.

Diamond Lights said:

other option is Van Der Vaart in 2010, so 15 years ago. Bale on loan the other.

Negligence.

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Lloris was one of the best keepers in Europe when we signed him. Soldado came in with a huge reputation as did Lamela. Ndombele was the same and cost huge money. Bentancur and Kulu came from Juve. Romero was highly rated when he came. Porro the same. Maddison and Solanke were both proven in the PL.

We've signed a lot of players at Eze's level or better since VdV. Claiming he would have been our biggest signing since 1994 or 2010 is a ludicrous, agenda driven argument.

Haven't even mentioned Toby, Jan, Dembele, Eriksen, Son or Dele as they probably weren't as proven when we signed them.

Bedfordspurs said:

So how do you change it?

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Me? I'm going to join Change For Tottenham

Joking joking. We all know that ENIC have placed a ridiculously high valuation meaning that a sale is unlikely anytime soon. I don't know what the solution is, probably isn't one concerning what fans can do - but most people on here that want a change are rational about it and not just blindly screaming 'Just pay the fudging money Levy!' to every deal.

So for those that are happy with the status quo great, but I'm not seeing many arguments on what they are going to do to take that next step. Until something changes they are going to get the same criticism thrown at them, and after all these years I'd say that's fair...

DeanoAustin said:

Lloris was one of the best keepers in Europe when we signed him. Soldado came in with a huge reputation as did Lamela. Ndombele was the same and cost huge money. Bentancur and Kulu came from Juve. Romero was highly rated when he came. Porro the same. Maddison and Solanke were both proven in the PL.

We've signed a lot of players at Eze's level or better since VdV. Claiming he would have been our biggest signing since 1994 or 2010 is a ludicrous, agenda driven argument.

Haven't even mentioned Toby, Jan, Dembele, Eriksen, Son or Dele as they probably weren't as proven when we signed them.

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Jan chose us over arsenal, was the ajax captain in their title winning side, was highly rated by everyone.
Give me him over over Eze or vdv every day of the week.

Grays_1890 said:

TBF mate you keep repeating the same thing but who on here is doing that without balance and criticism for when they and he is wrong? Which accounts? Because honestly, I see discussion, which is the purpose, but I don't know one account on here that treats the defence of them like religion?

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But as Harr alluded to, certain posters don’t criticise the decisions at the time. After the fact they will say “I’ve criticised them in the past”. And it isn’t just transfers that people have issues with, it’s just very current as we are in the middle of a transfer window and we have missed out on numerous high profile targets. And for all the “be careful what you wish for” posters out there, just what exactly are you afraid of happening if we were to get different owners? Are they afraid we would do a Leeds and potentially get relegated? We weren’t a million miles away from that last season. I don’t know why people are so convinced we have the best ownership model in place now and there isn’t an owner out there who can improve us.