Spurs Go Marching On

[GabrielBCFC]

1PM, Tuesday 18th June 2019 – Hotspur Way

When my alarm went at 4AM this morning, I sprang out of bed.

I boarded the 06:14 service from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone, having a final look through my interview notes en route, then grabbed a ploughman’s sandwich in the city centre before walking tentatively to Baker Street, then getting the Piccadilly Line and the 217 bus toward Hotspur Way, leaving plenty of time to spare.

I informed the receptionist of my arrival and was told to wait for Daniel Levy in the foyer, where I took a fancy, complimentary cappuccino.

Although the significance of my day was potentially huge – I was in advanced talks to become the next Spurs manager – everyone around me was oblivious and the press had no idea.

I did not have anything like the qualifications for the role of Jose Mourinho, whom the mainstream media were expecting to get the job.

It’s hardly surprising, after all: I’m only 27, I never once played organised football as a kid let alone professionally.

My sole selling point was my work as an Under-16s coach at my hometown club, Birmingham City. Would that be enough to lead this year’s Champions League Finalists?

As that thought crossed my mind, Daniel entered the foyer, shook my hand, and briskly gestured towards one of his spacious meeting rooms.

An expanded Spurs badge stood on the wall behind Daniel’s large, portable, black chair; all the others were smaller and dark blue to counter-balance the white table and walls, which were lit with iconic photographs.

One was of Bill Nicholson and Danny Blanchflower lifting the first division title in 1961, another captured Jonathan Woodgate’s headed winner in the 2008 League Cup victory over Chelsea and the next saw Mauricio Pochettino in tears, just seconds after he’d guided Tottenham to the Champions League Final, just five weeks ago.

I could not dwell on those photographs for more than a second or two, though, because Daniel cut to the chase:

“We want to win the Premier League title within the next five years." he proclaimed, somewhat curtly. "Out of the managers realistically available to us, Mourinho is the most recent to achieve that. Why should we pass up our opportunity to bring a born winner to the club and appoint yourself, somebody who has never managed a senior game?”

“Listen, Mourinho is a great manager – and I’m sure, with him, you could have a lot of success” I replied, respectfully “but I also believe I could bring something different to Jose.”

Daniel looked curious, as if inviting me to speak on.

“You have just spent £305 million on a new stadium and the financial benefits of that may not come to fruition during the five-year period you mention; after Arsenal moved home, it took them six years to make a high-profile signing.

Mourinho will demand players who have already proven themselves in either the Premier League or the Champions League, which means you would need to operate in an inflated financial market.

By contrast, I would be far more supportive of a developmental recruitment policy – I believe we can find excellent value in foreign leagues, primarily the Bundesliga and La Liga, where the standard of football is similar but the economic climate is different.

Plus, I have watched in full each game our Under-23s and Under-18s played last season – I have prepared detailed notes on every player in those groups, on top of my extensive analysis of the first team.

Plus, as you will see in my references, my coaching ability and tactical mind is, at youth level, considered world-class and through that, I have turned good players into great ones:

Jude Bellingham, for example, is now targeted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe after I worked with him for the last couple of years.

I consider myself a fantastic motivator… I can empathize with others and understand their feelings whilst introducing a new perspective, I can frame challenging situations in a positive light and cultivate a mentality of personal growth throughout the club.”

With an impassioned crescendo, I concluded: “Psychology is a huge part of football and if I can get our players believing – genuinely believing – that they can achieve the success we aspire to then they will.

We are not an elite club by divine right; we are a club that must be shrewd, cunning, driven, analytical and ambitious, to honour Bill Nicholson legacy.

We must be always looking for innovative ways to bridge the financial gulf and compete with the best.

Reaching the Champions League Final last season was a huge step forward towards major honours – let me finish the work Mauricio started.”

 

[GabrielBCFC]

9AM, Thursday 20th June 2019 – Moseley, Birmingham

My phone went and, with both excitement and trepidation, I saw that the call was from Daniel.

“Good morning, Gabriel.” He said, with a businesslike voice. “We have reviewed your application and were incredibly impressed with your references - your interview performance really spoke to us.”

“Thank you?” I enquired, eager to hear more.

“After much deliberation, we have decided that you have all the attributes required to take this club forward and would therefore like to offer you the job.”

“That’s fantastic news!” I exclaimed, before adding “I would like to accept your offer” with a deeper voice to maintain some semblance of control.

“Excellent. You shall start at 9AM on Monday, when you will get a tour of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Hotspur Way training ground, where you will undertake your first press conference at 12 noon.”

“Ok” I murmured whilst frantically jotting the details down.

“You can meet assistant manager João Sacramento and the rest of your staff later in the afternoon, then have your first session with the players the following day.”

“Excellent. Obviously, I’ll have to move to a new city for this job… so I’m wondering if you might have a temporary accommodation policy?”

“Of course. Until you can find a house, we will subsidise your stay in the Radisson Blu Edwardian Grafton Hotel – it’s a 33-minute commute away from the stadium on the Victoria Line.”

“Perfect. Thanks again, Daniel.”

'Only a Radisson, Daniel? Surely I deserve the Ritz. And where are my Stretched Limos? Bloomin' cheapskate.'

 

[GabrielBCFC]

9AM, Monday 24th June, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

The last few days had certainly been eventful.

I’d said goodbye to my housemates with a Veggie Jalfrezi and a few drinks at Diwan Balti in Balsall Heath on Saturday, then got the train into London on Sunday, reflecting on the news and wondering about the challenges ahead.

I’d spent Sunday evening in Walthamstow chilling with my older brother, who was particularly proud, having followed Spurs in the early parts of his life, having worshipping the likes of Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker, having celebrated the FA Cup win in 1991. This was a chance to make new memories.

Feeling refreshed and ready for the challenges ahead, I was greeted by Daniel in the lounge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He showed me to my match-day office, which was shiny, white and pristine… it contained a large swivel chair and a dark blue desk, onto which the Spurs badge was printed, in front of two smaller, more mundane chairs.

In one corner of the room, there were two massive screens, which were to be used for post-match prozone and data analysis.

Daniel walked me further along the corridor, round various corners to find the home dressing room, which was filled with the aroma of gooseberry-scented candles, the feel of fresh towels and the cool sensation lingering from the sparkling white ice baths in the next room.

All the shirts were freshly prepared and ordered numerically, even though the first home game is not until the friendly with FC Porto on 20th July.

I met the kit man, Steve and already got a sense that his humour and charisma could make him a valuable influence around the place.

After spending a few moments to glance at photographs along the corridor, lingering on one particularly poignant image of the late, great Justin Edinburgh euphorically lifting the FA Cup, I moved on to pitchside.

I posed for official media photographs, wearing a smartly tailored club suit whilst holding up a Spurs scarf, as several eager photographers snapped repeatedly in unison.

After shaking a few more hands, I walked up to the top of the South Stand to get a feel of the size of the stadium… somehow, the daunting magnitude of the task began to sink in.

 

[GabrielBCFC]

12 noon, Hotspur Way

Daniel strode purposefully into the press room and took his place on the left of two seats in front of the conference table, before I took my place to his right.

Pausing to compose his thoughts, Daniel began:

“I am delighted to welcome Gabriel to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.” He began, with authority. “Throughout his time as a coach at Birmingham City, he has demonstrated a unique range of technical and motivational qualities. We believe him to have an incredibly exciting future in management, which we think will be with us. I would like to open up the floor to any questions you may have.”

“Jim White here from Sky Sports. Gabriel, welcome to the job – of course there will be a lot of scepticism regarding your appointment. With so little experience, what makes you think you can handle the pressures of managing such a big club at this embryonic stage of your career?”

“First of all, I would like to thank Mr Levy for putting his trust in me.

I would also like to express my appreciation to Mauricio for the team he has built and the template he has laid out – we have a fantastic squad and strong foundations here... his work has been a massive part of that.

As for handling the pressures, I believe myself to have a strong temperament and I have huge faith in the innovation of my tactical ideas as well as my man management capabilities.

Although I could understand some initial scepticism, players and fans will soon know they have, I like to think, a very good manager on their hands - I intend to prove that over the coming months.”

“Henry Winter from the Times. Daniel, you have been criticized by some, previously, for a lack of investment in the playing squad – and Jose Mourinho was the overwhelming favourite to get the job. What would you say to those who suggest that favouring Gabriel over Jose represents another cheap option?”

“I wholeheartedly challenge that suggestion.

Yes, we want to be savvy with our money and that is a big part of why we have competed with the elite over the last half-decade - and played in a Champions League Final earlier this month - but we also have enormous confidence in Gabriel’s potential.

We expect him to very quickly become one of the best managers in the game, which is why we have taken our chance on him at this stage of his career.”

“Phil McNulty from the BBC. Gabriel, you arrive at a time when you have lost arguably your most creative player, Christian Eriksen, to Inter Milan – does this concern you?”

“No. Christian has been a fantastic player for us over the last six years and I credit him for his contributions to the club’s progress, however, towards the end of his time it was clear that his levels were dropping incrementally.

Where he had previously been performing to 100% of his capability, he has since dropped to 99% - and as my players will soon realize, 99% isn’t good enough for me.

Under my leadership, every player that represents this football club will be either working at their very best or constantly improving towards fulfilling their potential… we have huge ambitions which leave no room whatsoever for the slightest slip in standards.

I also believe we have equally creative players in this squad such as Giovani Lo Celso, who I am delighted to see join the club on a permanent basis – I look forward to helping Giovani and many others become top, top players.”

 

[GabrielBCFC]

2PM, Hotspur Way

After meeting some of the long-serving kitchen staff, who were in spirited mood, I enjoyed a fancy lunch of a caprese salad, followed by a small portion of roasted squash and goats cheese gnocchi with a glass of iced, lemon water.

Daniel then beckoned me towards the meeting room for non-playing staff, where assistant manager João Sacramento was waiting for me.

I discussed, with João, the state of the current squad.

“Realistically,” he reasoned “it will be very difficult for us to compete for the title this year, given the strength of Manchester City and Liverpool. Their squads are stronger, especially in the midfield and full-back areas.”

Although I didn’t verbalize my agreement, I gave João a brief, feint look of reluctant acceptance that implied it.

“We have a competitive spine, though.” I began, to refill myself with optimism. “We have a World Cup winning goalkeeper in Hugo Lloris, two centre-backs in Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen who have consistently proven themselves at the elite level, arguably the Champions League Final’s most exciting player in Son Heung-Min and a striker in Harry Kane who has already scored 202 career goals. This is not a revolution project.”

“Not at all,” returned João “but Hugo, Toby and Jan are all in their 30s and it is important that we manage the transitions in those areas wisely."

I gave João a curious look that invited him to proceed.

"Alfie Whiteman is the only goalkeeper we have that is capable of ultimately matching Hugo’s levels long-term and he is not yet ready for the Premier League… I recommend we send him out on loan to Colchester United – John and Steve should do a good job with him there.”

“Colchester could be a great feeder club for us, actually” I mused, “they specialize in developing young players and it’s only an hour or so up the road. Their chairman Robbie is very principled and trustworthy, too.”

“Davinson Sanchez,” João said, retracing the thread of conversation, “has all the attributes to replace Toby within the next couple of years, but the left-sided centre-back could be a conundrum…”

“Japhet Tanganga has the physical capabilities to step in for Jan though, don’t you think?” I quizzed.

“He does, but we have concerns over his comparative limitations in possession, which is something we might want to work with him on when our fitness intensive pre-season programme concludes. His contract expires next summer so over the next 12 months, we’ll have to form a decision as to whether to trust him to be that successor to Jan, or bring in somebody more technical, who is stronger on their left foot.”

João had raised an important point about Tanganga – I continued to speak to him for another couple of hours to gain a crystal clear feel for the squad, equipping myself for my forthcoming meeting with the head of recruitment and analysis.

 

[GabrielBCFC]

5PM, Hotspur Way

I wrapped up my conversation with Joao, then made myself a quick cup of coffee before a smartly dressed man with a briefcase entered the meeting room, led by Daniel.

“Gabriel, I would like you to meet Steve Hitchen – he is our Head of Recruitment and Analysis.”

“I’m very glad to work alongside a recruitment team” I told him, after we’d exchanged formalities “I hope it will allow me to focus more of my efforts on the immediate performances of the team. If I can identify the profile of players we recruit and have the final say on the major decisions, then I’m delighted to have your help.”

“That’s what we’re here for” Steve smiled, “So to get us started, how would you like us to look to improve your squad?”

“Bearing in mind that our immediate budget is £15 million, we are unlikely to capture any senior players who will significantly enhance our group. For that reason, I think we should look for youngsters who have the potential to grow towards a world-class level over the next five years and beyond. I believe we can find some great value in the European market so primarily, I would search for 15-19 year-olds in the Bundesliga and La Liga.”

“Any particular positions you would like us to search for?”, Steve enquired.

“Full-backs. Serge Aurier and Ben Davies will be injured for the best part of pre-season and may not be ready to hit the ground running… ideally, I’d like to keep Toby Alderweireld as a centre-back, which is where he’s best, rather than deputizing at right-back, so a teenage talent for that position would be a huge help. Plus, I’d like someone to compete with Dennis Cirkin to be the main understudy to Davies.” I explained.

“Sounds reasonable - give me a sense of the primary qualities you a looking for from the right-back and left-back.” said Steve, looking thoughtful.

“Firstly, those players must have a lot of drive and determination about their character; this will be essential to them adjusting to the intensity of our work. We also want to get references on these players to ensure they carry a minimal risk of injury – it’s vital that they are available to me throughout the seasons and that their trajectory of development does not falter. Of course, pace and stamina are also musts for full-backs.”

“What about their technical requirements?” pressed Steve, determined to get every ounce of detail to feed into his research.

“They must be at least competent in possession. Their first touch, capacity to dribble, crossing ability and passing accuracy must all be at a reasonable level; any better than reasonable would be a bonus, rather than a necessity. We believe we can work on technical prowess over a long-term period, but the raw essentials have to be clearly in place.”

“Very good, Gabriel. We shall report back to you once we find any suitable candidates.”

With that, Steve nodded and shut the door, leaving me with an odd, eerie silence. My day had been hectic – perhaps the busiest of my life so far – filled with meetings, interviews and a strong sense of rapid change.

The rest of my evening, therefore, was a welcome chance to relax, unwind and reflect on a tumultuous day.