Spurs, the ultimate banter club are ruffling a few feathers this morning because they’re firing Nuno… which is amusing, if not a little sad… and likely hiring Antonio Conte, which is hard to pin down to a true opinion or set of expectations.
On the sad hand, you have one of the biggest winners in the game rolling up to our biggest rivals. He oozes eliteness. Even his wig is the best wig I’ve ever seen. He usually picks up trophies wherever he goes. He has a very simple approach that usually ends up delivering something. He picked up a Jose mess and turned it into a league win in year one with record points.
On the ‘maybe this isn’t quite it’ hand, you have some very difficult issues that rock star-ness would struggle with. Firstly, he’s a cheque-book manager. There’s a certain profile of squad he needs to do bits with. When he went to Chelsea, he had a great squad that had won things within distant memory. The culture at Chelsea was set. He just revved it up, gave it more rigour, and rolled with a formation no one could handle. It did go to shit though. His first season was unblemished, his second season saw him gain access to transfers, which he botched, he then went on to finish 5th… then he was sacked for falling out with everyone. He’s also a rock star. Rock stars bring the entourage. It cost Chelsea an extra £26m to bin all his staff.
Just on some of his transfers when he’s unleashed.
- Morata
- Bakayoko
- Drinkwater
- Batshuayi
$200m
Usually, you map a manager to a profile of squad. Chelsea play a certain way, always have done (back then), so he fit the bill. What do Spurs have that works for him? Harry Kane, who wants out. A hodgepodge of middling players. I mean, it’s going to be really hard for him. Daniel Levy doesn’t like to spend money, that will cause friction, unless the plan is to sell Kane in January.
It’ll be interesting. I’m not sure how to think about it. This all feels a bit like PSG’s or United’s transfer window. Great on paper, but with a more mature eye on it, you are asking for a lot to go right with a character that is very, very volatile. Force of personality only goes so far in a league with a lot of money and a lot of elite managers and coaches.
With the best will in the world: Conte is a short term strategy. He doesn’t hang around. I honestly thing I’d have been more concerned about the direction of Spurs if they’d gone with someone like Ten Haag or Graham Potter and invested in a longer-term vision. Remember, this is the second time in 3 years we’ve all been worried about a manager that plays tough football with a winning vision can do at Spurs.
So we’ll see.
Newcastle are also chasing down Unai Emery for their vacancy. Quite a nice role for him. Moving a team from 19th to anywhere higher is going to be a win there. I suspect he’ll get a better Sporting Director to work with and he’ll be funded to buy the players he wants. His job would be to make Newcastle hard to play against. If he can implement what he does in Spain, he’ll be in good shape, so we’ll see there.
However you look at it, the Premier League is getting better outside the top 4 clubs.
So what about Arsenal?
Well, we have a different approach to getting back to the top. We’re rolling with Project Premium Youth. So far, it’s looking like that reengineering of our vision this summer could be a sharp move. It should have happened a year prior, but there you go.
We’re 3 points off top 4 in November. If you’d told anyone that at the start of the season, before the 3 losses, they’d have bitten your arm off for that sort of progress.
It’s important, when we’re on a bit of a run, to temper expectations.
This squad is still very young. It is threadbare to a certain extent, one or two injuries and we’re in trouble. This sort of form will not last.
When I read people say ‘NOW ARTETA HAS TO DO THIS EVERY WEEK’ it kind of makes me laugh, like the only way people can tolerate this operation is if we win every week.
This is the time to accept that things are going to dip again. This is the time to understand that young players have to learn to deal with adversity. This is the time to remember that the support we give to the players in the downtimes is more important than the support we give when we’re doing well.
Elite level sport is about confidence. When you are winning, everyone wants to be your mate. When things go to shit, you need people to dig you out of it. That’s why the fans in the stadium have been so good this season. Their support, it would seem, has been unconditional. Which is a testament to the performances and the scouting… and also the maturity of the people watching. They feel something special is brewing because we’ve been here before with young players with big personalities.
We have to deal with Watford this week, which will be tough for many reasons… but mostly the concern of complacency that can come with a run.
Post-break, we’re going to be in a fight. Liverpool right after the International break is going to be beastly. They are an awesome outfit. What we have learned this season is if you show them no respect, you can rattle them. Brighton could have won at the weekend. How do you deal with Liverpool? Play through their press, make them ask questions of themselves, play with confidence. Reads well on paper, but let’s be real, we have shown far too much respect to City and Liverpool the last two seasons. It’s time to have a crack at them.
If we go there with our best team, we’ll hopefully put up more of a fight than we did against City and Chelsea earlier in the season. Everyone will have to be on their game in that run out.
Right, short post today, jump on the video or the podcast and have a damn fine hour or so listening to a joyful chat between Gooners.
Yo
2
3
Tr4phy
hi
I got Europa
I’d love to end Liverpool’s unbeaten run
Talkshite so funny when Arsenal doing well they just don’t mention us anyway Fuck Conte and Fuck Spurs
Lets see if Conte is all that. I would have wanted him here. But Spurs are shit, so lets see if he has hot sauce.
I do think he will move the needle though. New manager bounce and all.
that 4th place spot is going to be dog fight.
Conte must have been told by United’s people they aren’t interested.
First eleven
From previous thread :
Dissenter, add him to the list of worldie managers that have gone to our competitors and made them world beaters… another missed opportunity. We could have had any of pep , klopp or conte but we are stuck in this paralysis of Kroenke ownership and mediocrity.
Cant believe Conte is accepting the Spurs job TBH. He’ll be on a massive salary presumably with massive guaranteed transfer funds. Odd to go from Nuno to that.
” I honestly thing I’d have been more concerned about the direction of Spurs if they’d gone with someone like Ten Haag or Graham Potter and invested in a longer-term vision”
Long term vision is overrated. Arsenal and Spurs desperately need Champions league for obvious reasons – more money and more pull.
I hope Conte’s deal breaks down with Tottenham .
I can’t see what will stop conte, turning spurs to an elite side. They lack a style of play, they are porous at the back and they have players who aren’t committed. These are the type of sides Conte thrives at am afraid..
And for the record, Chelsea are the only side conte has left worse than he found it and that was because the players wanted him out. He’s record at Juve, inter and Italy speaks for itself.
I don’t know TR7. Conte is a pretty spiky demanding character. I can’t see him and Levy getting along peacefully for long.
Lloris
Tanganga —- Romero—- Davidson Sanchez
Emerson Royal—-Hojberg —Celso——Reguillon
Moura ———–Kane —————–Son
Sub – Gill, Bergjwin, Ndombele, Dele Alli, Winks, Skipp, Davies, Gollini
Of course not a great squad but there’s enough quality for Conte to still compete for top 4.
Some on here are soooo desperate for spurs to win. Lol
Silly comments like the one above shows your childishness Raulishuss.
Spuds can have Conte, Klopp, and Pep, and they’ll still be shite.
TR7
🤝🤝🤝🤝
Spurs are a train going nowhere. Their absolute dysfunctional state is entirely on Levy. They may get Conte but so what, he’s got nothing to work with. Harry Kane is as disinterested as he is disconnected and his transfer value diminishes accordingly. Arsenal may be in transition, but Spurs are a disaster of near unmitigated proportions. Id rather have Arsenal today than Spurs, period – now that is a disaster of the hour, day, week and year!
I’d rather have Conte got to Spuds then Man. United. Spuds are dysfunctional as hell and he will need money to fund any rebuild not to mention they will have to pay for Conte somehow. . So Kane will be gone.
I honestly don’t expect us to win every week.. But I do expect us to beat the teams we should beat.. ie… the teams who haven’t the payroll or transfer budget we have. For me style of play and team spirit matters as well.. And I’m quite happy with that lately along with results.
Conte and Levy, thats a partnership that really wont work.
Agree with Midwest.
Conte at United would contend for the title, at Spurs at best he competes for top 4. Their midfield is dreadful as is their backline with dodgy Lloris between the sticks.
Keep Ole at the wheel indefinitely I say.
And competes for top 4 next season at best, not a hope Conte delivers them CL football this season.
You guys remember when Pedro was telling us how the right play is to stick with Arteta because no one better would take Arsenal and how this is our reality?
If Conte joins Spuds, this is proven to be what it always was – nonsense!
If we wanted Conte, he’d have joined. Just like Klopp would have years ago.
I completely agree with Middy and WE.
Imagine Conte at Utd with the half billion they gave OGS. Not so worrying at Spurs.
The post is filled with holes like this one “Firstly, he’s a cheque-book manager.” Guy has promoted 2 teams from Serie B to Serie A. With Inter he managed a 91 pts season – 19 pts over Inter’s best point total in the last decade – 72 pts. His total NET spent of £135m over 2 seasons is a something £67m per season – hardly insane when we spent 3x that in 1 Summer. How can you put Morata, Batshuayi and the rest of failed transfers on him when Conte made it clear to his Chelsea bosses that he wanted… Read more »
How do you guys feel about links to Luka Jovic as a replacement for Laca in January? Seems like the right age and style of player.. but would be another Real Madrid reject so not sure. Although not sure what player would get a lot of game time ahead of Benzema right now. Reportedly Klopp wants him as well.
Conte could easily bring Spurs back to approaching the quality they were under Poch at his zenith.
It could just as easily blow up, probably worse than what happened under Mourinho.
Just read a stat that the average amount of time a Spurs coach stays in the job, under Levy, is 1 year and 4 months. Conte, or anyone else, is unlikely to be there for long. All the time Levy and ENiC are in situ, Sours will always make rash hirings/sackings.
They should never have sacked Poch and they should have backed him financially.
Conte is absolutely clear in top 5 managers in the world. Easily.
That being said, I hope this appointment fails and Spuds have to pay some crazy money when they decide to sack him. If he joins them, the dumb decision will be on his part.
If the shoe fits TR7
Manure fans must be fuming LOOL.
They are really smoking some good shit there keeping Ole when Conte is around. Who of the available names is better than him, proven to work in the EPL, won everywhere he’s been at? Their fans must be crying…
Yeah in no particular order, hard to look past:
Klopp
Pep
Conte
Tuchel
Flick
Zidane also up there too but currently out of the game.
Maybe Man. United.. are locked into Wayne Rooney as their next manager? I mean he has Derby County all the way up to last place. 😀
Spurs’ financial situation shouldn’t be ignored.
The pay off to Nuno ( after Mourinho) almost pales into insignificance compared to the debt accrued from the stadium costs. Levy and his uncle may be feeling that they can’t afford to not back Conte even if they can’t really afford him(if that makes sense!).
The worry is that Conte could get a tune out of a squad, which on paper is half decent.
Kev….you might want to check if you’ve just wet yourself!
We mustn’t overestimate what the new young Arsenal squad can do – but neither should we underestimate them. On their day they can beat any PL side, and that includes Chelsea, Man C and Liverpool. But we should stick to what is likely. And what seems likely now is far better than what seemed likely a few games ago. A top 6 finish and a final under Arteta’s belt no longer seems far-fetched. The big plus is that the squad is on an upward curve. Every game is an improvement on the one before, not just in the scoreline, but… Read more »
“You guys remember when Pedro was telling us how the right play is to stick with Arteta because no one better would take Arsenal and how this is our reality?If Conte joins Spuds, this is proven to be what it always was – nonsense!”
You ain’t makimg any sense because this same Conte once rejected the totts not long ago.
If this comes to bite you in the *SS, then you will,.as expected, be here to play the victim.
Tee,
Yeah, same guy that declined Spurs is now almost confirmed as their new boss.
Put in the perspective that we are Arsenal and they are spuds, and that we gave Arteta 150m this Summer, it makes a hard case to say that Conte would have said no, knowing that he’s joining spuds of all clubs.
The “Conte will demand money” case wouldn’t have mattered as we actually had money to spend.
And Arsenal > spuds in every way.
Interesting how far Spuds are having to bend over to accommodate Conte’s demands which weren’t met in the summer….
Arsenal and Wenger lied to us all when they said our spending would be curtailed after the new stadium.
Spurs have built a stadium that cost almost 3x ours and have earned less money overt the last decade so how are they able to keep spending.
For me, this Conte appointment ought to grate United fans more, not us.
Conte was never an Arsenal type appointment, too much drama for the establishment people in the Arsenal boardroom who like it all quiet.
United could have handled Conte, same way they catered to Mourinho.
Dissenter, they didn’t ‘lie’ – self-sustaining model meant we had to limit our net spend to afford the loan repayments so our spending was curtailed. Where is the lie?
Spurs have an enormous debt, how they are serving it, I have no idea. They spent several hundred million more than us. They have the flexibility and design to put on a whole load of other events but they’ll feel the pinch for years unless the present owners sell up and new owners swallow the debt.
Raptora, have you learned nothing from seeking out shiny objects all summer?
Conte is expensive, short term, and comes with a mega entourage. He would never be approached by Arsenal.
All that glitters is not gold, thought you of all people would have grasped that by now.
I’m with Wenger Eagle Conte to Man Utd with the riches they have would be potentially far greater than Spuds. The Spuds squad is a poor one. Kane wants out, Dele Alli plays more like comical Ali and Levy hasn’t got a clue. They are the classic banter club. 30 years for an FA Cup and 60 for a League Title is too embarrassing for words. Chelsea can hire and fire because they have the best players and spend whatever is necessary. Conte can’t do anything with that Spuds squad and maybe the PL isn’t his bag. It’s not Italian… Read more »
Levy and Conte just seem unlikely bedfellows, remember, Spurs are Spurs.
AFC, the only reason he’s going to Spurs surely must be that United said no. No way he’s picking Spurs otherwise.
Passing on Conte to keep Ole in a job is incredible though.
Jamie, simply stunning. Same happened with Poch last season.
I’m gutted re conte.. knows the Italian market and is likely to bring in a couple of players in January… before today was sure we’d end up above Spurs even when they were 9 points ahead, not so sure now..
18 months is around 3 transfer windows which is worrying..
AFC.. he was only at Chelsea 2 years and won the league and gave cup..
Pedro –
Carrick is his assistant too. Dream team.
Jamie, United with Ten Haag or GRaham Potter would be worse for us
Hiring Conte sounds like twist or bust for Spurs. It has a whiff of Leeds United before they took that long painful plunge into the lower depths.
Alternatively it might be a prelude to a take-over by some oil-rich country or mega-billionaire.
Or maybe just a ‘the hell-with-it’ party’ as the the planet reaches a minute to midnight.
Tabloids reporting Newcastle desperate to poach Emery from Villarreal at any cost.
englandsbest, interesting observation there.
All this crap talking about Spurs they are shit and always will be if conte goes there he will do nothing and be gone within 18 months, project arteta is the way forward it staggers me the comments from so called fans on here whom can’t see the woods for the trees ,Pedro as been spot on with what he sees going on at arsenal since arteta took over , and trust me I’m no bum chum of Pedro he actually banned me a couple years on here which I thought was rather sad of him and unnecessary but on… Read more »
Pedro, yep agree. Perhaps Conte thinks the Spuds job is a free hit because they are in such a mess? It is desperation to take that job. I’m surprised Newcastle don’t lure him, at least they can fund their rebuild. The Spud players look confused, not surprising having been pulled every which way tactically. Poch said it was a rebuild and wanted money for it so he was sacked. Big mistake. The manager, who according to Levy ‘Guarantees Trophies’ found that out, complaining about player attitudes and tactical inability. Still they don’t get it. These same players are not going… Read more »
Conte at spurs is not a good thing no matter how anyone tries to spin it. He won’t last more than 3 seasons. Especially working for Levy. But he will get spurs to be more competitive. Our job to get europe has gotten a bit harder. Conte was never my first choice. I prefer him over Arteta though. But even if he was never my first choice, I didn’t want him to go to a shit Tottenham team that has got some good players. My preference has always been Erik ten hag. He is a manager that embodies the now… Read more »
Pedro –
For sure. I’m just glad they’ve let Ole rinse through almost half a billion since his arrival without a single cup to show for it.
Separately, the Glazers have liquidated almost the same amount in shares over the last decade, and almost £150m in dividends since they took ownership.
Folk can rightly say some negative shit about KSE, but bleeding the club dry isn’t their jam. They’re backing the rebirth while the Glazers sell the Utd family silver and repeatedly pass on elite head coaches.
Brings a smile to the face, no?
I heard a strong rumour that came from the golf course
from an ex Spurs player that Pochettino will be the SPURS manager
In two seasons time.
His contract at PSG has him tied in till then.
The fact that NUNO was given a two year contract
and Conte has been offered a 18 month contract seems
t make sense of that rumour.?
I don’t like Emery going to Newcastle either. I wanted them to get relegated this year. It would have made their job much harder. With Emery in charge they will definitely stay up.
String “All this crap talking about Spurs they are shit and always will be if conte goes there he will do nothing and be gone within 18 months, project arteta is the way forward it staggers me the comments from so called fans on here…” This is an excellent comment. Don’t forget when Mourinho joined Spurs we had some in the comment section claiming he was going to make them great and turned us down because we were a joke of a club. Pedro and I both laughed at the time and called it out for what it was. There… Read more »
I have to disagree with Jamie , WE and Middy.
Conte would’ve made United title contenders but they have enough talent to finish above us even with Ole at the wheel.
Conte to Spurs is a bigger deal and not a good one as far as Arsenal are concerned.
Also, look at what his merit was at Chelsea, what it would’ve been at United, and what it most definitely won’t be at Tottenham.
He doesn’t have to come close to a PL title and still be an overwhelming success.
“Panic on the streets of Tottenham, panic on the street @ shite hart lane, I wonder to myself”
Meanwhile back at the Pride of North London 🙂
Habesha
“With Emery in charge they will definitely stay up”
No chance. Not if he employs the ‘without the ball’ tactics he employed at arsenal!!!! Record shots against led to booing at the Emirates and a half-empty stadium, followed by the sack. If he does that up there, he will find a plane landing at Newcastle airport and his body parts floating in the Tyne.
Tom – You’re right, it’s definitely not good news if Conte takes the Spurs job. He’ll make them far better than they’ve been under Nuno. Utd are stacked with talent, and a manager who isn’t a straight donkey like Ole would have them playing consistently better stuff, imo. Someone like Conte could theoretically have them challenging for the title next season. I don’t have that same worry with Spurs. More often than not, we seem to find a way to smash them. While our rebuild is only just starting, I’ll take those small wins. Plus Conte will be gone in… Read more »
AFC forever
Emery thrives in being an underdog. He was poor in his second season for us. But as soon as he got to Villareal, he won the Europa league. Did you not see how organized his team looked to keep a clean sheet against us at the Emirates last season? Whatever has been spoken about him, he is a good coach. Especially for a team like Newcastle right now.
A car speeding down the icy road off a mountain cliff is still going to crash no matter who you put in the driver’s seat. It’s a question of when and how bad will you crash with Tottenham AND will they crash.
Conte is a decent manager but a person’s individual greatness can only carry them so far when you have someone like Levy painting targets on your back.
Tottenham’s horrible culture and impatience outweighs anyone’s individual brilliance.
Conte or no Conte I believe in Tottenham’s unerring ability to self destruct.
Conte, have some pride, you deserve better than Tottenham!
*AND NOT will they crash
Leeds
Great comment, love the icy road analogy!!!
Can’t say much about Conte’s judgment if he’s choosing Tottenham when he could go any club of his choosing… for example with his record I’m sure if he approached Barcelona to manage them I’m sure they would consider it!
Habesha
Yes he is a good manager. He proved that in the Europa.
However, he couldn’t get to grips with the Premier League for whatever reason. He confused players tactically, tried to speak English when he couldn’t & ultimately he turned us into a defensive basket case. So I don’t share your view that he ‘would definitely keep Newcastle up” .
Leeds
It is weird none of the really big clubs want Conte. Why don’t they?
If he was that good they would all be queueing up. Perhaps they know something about him that puts them off.
AFC
Get off your Emery hatred.
The man brought us within a pint of fourth place ands a Europa league final.
^The man brought us within a point of fourth place and a Europa league final.
This whole Conte thing sounds like BS. This is a manager who aims to win things within 1-2 seasons. And whilst he’s a completely different level to Mourinho, they’re similar in the sense that they require absolute defensive solidity. Would any manager who gives a shit about defense take over this Spuds team? They could sell Kane and Son both and still not have enough money to buy a proper spine.
Love Sausage
What if Spuds committed to substantial spending?
That Conte contract at Spuds will be one detailed manuscript because Conte ain’t stupid.
Diss,
Yes, that would be the only scenario that would make sense. I just don’t see that happening considering what a cheap bastard Levy is. He’ll spend money on anything except the squad. Had they sold Kane this summer, maybe they could have put together a war chest. But who’s going to pay 100M for the mopey cunt in January?
Dissenter
I don’t hate anyone. I wish him the best. He made us a defensive joke though. The Europa League Final was embarrassing, Chelsea should have won by 6 or 7. Next season the fans booed him because we were getting worse defensively and the stadium was half full for his final game. You seem to have forgotten that, no idea why you are calling me out on that?
Strange decision by the Italian if this happens, perhaps a little hint of desperation and needing a job at this stage to keep relevant ? A risk waiting for other jobs he might want more, but which may or may not become available.
Perhaps Contes stock is no longer as high with all as some might assume, and perhaps there is a reason for that?
Not even god can make the spuds squad title contenders.
Sorry AFC Forever, just seen your post , my point is a little similar but you got there first
And yes effective it might be, but let’s be honest his football is boring.
AFC,
We were already a defensive joke. He’ll do a good job at Newcastle where he’ll have a group of players, fans and owners who don’t expect anything exciting going forward until they can make their splurge. He just needs to keep them up.
Anyone see the film “The Man Who Sold The World Cup?
That FIFA Corruption was actually half billion quid in bribes. On top of that the French changed their vote to Qatar, robbing USA, in exchange for a deal from Qatar to supply their aircraft and bail out debt ridden PSG.
David
Great minds and all that…!!
We have six goals from set pieces so far. The best in the league. Well done Nico Jover!
TYAG, agree it’s a squad that have failed successive managers. Levy made a knee jerk decision hiring Maureen and he’s doing it again.
It’s a poorly balanced squad with player problems, not unlike where we were. Big job.
It doesn’t matter how many plasters you stick on a broken leg, it’s still a broken leg.
Leeds
Didn’t know that. I have to say our defending at set pieces has also improved. We’re in a good place, we’re starting to see real structure and planning in everything we do from profiling of players to set pieces. For years we were so bloody soft & unprofessional but not now!
Who is Nico Jover? He’s our set pieces coach!
When you consider that Conte quit inter who still have a better squad than Spurs despite their sales
His move to Spurs makes no sense at all.
It will likely end badly.
AFC
Very well but don’t forget that the same Emirates crowd chanted “we have our Arsenal back” when we smashed Spuds at the NLD.
Just that keeping Newcastle up is not a big ask.
It’s the next step of the Newcastle project that may be too hard for Emery
I wasn’t having a go at you by the way.
No, didn’t know that stat!!!
Interesting that most seem quite sceptical about the impact Conte can have. Didn’t expect that, but I guess we went here with Jose.
What are your thoughts on getting Jimenez to replace Lacazette. I dont know how hold he is though.
The guy is the EL record holder winning finals versus the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, and also semis vs the likes of Arsenal in charge of teams with much less budget than the mentioned teams. He’s won more stuff than 75% of the current managers in the Premier League have won in total. Yet this one guy in chat says there is “No chance” he’ll keep Newcastle in the league? Congratulations, you win the week’s most idiotic comment. Think about what you are posting next time around unless you want to reaffirm your status in here.
“^The man brought us within a point of fourth place and a Europa league final.”
Enough of this please.
One point or half a point, the fact is he didn’t take us to UCL and was also pummelled front and back in the Europa finals.
But I think he could do great if backed with the Arab money in January. Anything asisdes this, I don’t see him keeping them afloat in the league.