Mauricio Pochettino was supposed to be the man to guide Tottenham to the top... well to the top four of the Premier League anyway, somewhere Tottenham have been itching to get to the last couple of seasons. The Argentinian made quite a name for himself at his former club Southampton. His ability to get the Saints pressing high into their opponents half and strangling their opponents out of possession was a real positive to see during last years Premier League campaign. He saw his Southampton side finish in a more that respectable position in the league and like so many at the South Coast club this summer departed to pastures away from the club.
Tottenham snared Pochettino from the Saints and the Spurs faithful could have been forgiven for looking forward to some exciting play this season. However before their new manager could even really start to make his mark he has had to leave...
Pochettino attended his first Press Conference to stand down from his role as the manager of Tottenham Hotspur. In a bizarre twist which has caught everyone off guard Pochettino explained that his father had become unwell in his native Argentina and that he wanted to spend more time with him due to these health complications becoming apparent. Pochettino did state that he was grateful for the chance that Tottenham presented him and that he was leaving with an extremely heavy heart. He added with tears in his eyes that he hopes to return in the future to work at the club.
Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy will now be tasked to find a new manager for the club. With Pre-Season looming and a Transfer Market to utilise the Lillywhites will be hoping that a decision is made promptly so not to disturb the clubs preseason plans.
Tottenham Hotspur Unveil Carlos Queiroz As New Manager
Perhaps not the managerial choice of the Tottenham fans and it's a decision which has stumped a fair few who follow the English game. It's been speculated and reported in the media that Queiroz's appointment is more than likely due to his stance as a 'Yes' man. This means Daniel Levy is likely to still have his rule over the squad, the club and the running of the most menial of things, something the Tottenham fans have come to expect but hate.
Queiroz has enjoyed some success in past roles. Most of this however comes from being Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United. He briefly took the helm at Real Madrid for a season in 2003 but was sacked 10 months later as Madrid's season nose dived and they only won the Spanish Super Cup that campaign beating Mallorca. Queiroz also has a decent reputation internationally as he has taken three countries to the World Cup, South Africa (2002), Portugal (2010) and Iran (2014).
Queiroz leaves his current post as Iran's manager and heads back to England where he will once again be enjoying the feats of the English Premier League. There will be alot of cautiousness from the Spurs fans as they seek to work out what kind of manager Queiroz is.
OW: Good afternoon Carlos, thank you for joining us live on air to discuss your move back to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur. Can you tell us what the last couple f days have been like for you?
CQ: Why thank you it's a pleasure to back in England and I'm grateful for you having me on air. The last couple of days have been a bit of a whirlwind. I have had various meetings with the Tottenham boards and several more with Daniel Levy. I have racked up my air miles too as I have had to travel to Iran to finalise the termination of my contract managing their national team, which was a huge honour and pleasure for me to do especially going to the World Cup in the summer it was a huge achievement.
OW: I think what alot of people will be asking is why have you chosen to stand down as Iran manager and what convinced you to join Tottenham?
CQ: I believe my journey with Iran was over. We had achieved so many magical and great things together. I felt I couldn't take them any further. In my mind if I had stayed longer and we missed out on the next World Cup or our performances had dropped then our relationship would have been untenable. I wanted to leave in the best possible way and I think delivering a World Cup was the right way. After the sad news that Pochettino had to step down from his position at Tottenham, I was called by Daniel Levy who explained that he wanted to speak to me about the vacant position at the club. I explained my position and we agreed to have a meeting which ultimately leads us here.
OW: How will it feel going out onto the touchline without Sir Alex Ferguson by your side, something you did for years at Manchester United?
CQ: I'm not going to pretend that it will not be strange walking the grounds without Alex and me and his are still extremely close. He was the first person I rang for advice when I knew Tottenham were interested in me. Although Alex won't be there physically with me on the touchline I know spiritually he will be there, watching and analysing.
OW: So you have now been unveiled by Tottenham Hotspur, you must of had some pretty lengthy discussions about how you will go about the summer and the future plans for Tottenham. Can you shed any light on what the fans can look forward to this pre-season?
CQ: Of course myself and Daniel have sat down and discussed the future and the way forward. I have told him that I want to make the team my own. I want also want to focus on development at the club and I want Tottenham to have depth. We will be heading to the USA where we will play in a Tri-Tournament and then head closer to home and train in Belgium before the Premier League kicks off.
OW: Ok Carlos and can you tell us any transfer news, there has been gossip that Adebayor and Lloris may be departing the club in the summer can you allay the fans fears about the situation?
CQ: I have met the squad only a few times so far and it has been made aware that their is an issue with Emmanuel. He feels that he has not had enough game time and has stated that he wants more. Myself and Daniel have advised him that this is something that we can not promise. We have all agreed that the positive solution is for Emmanuel to move his career on and get back on track with playing for the first team elsewhere. With regard to Hugo do not expect him to be leaving. He is a fantastic player and Tottenham want fantastic players.
OW: Carlos one final question as time is ticking on and we know you are a very busy man. Where do you expect Tottenham to be this season in the league? We know you could potentially have another arduous campaign in the Europa League, this sometimes stunts a teams performance in the league.
CQ: I believe we can challenge in every competition we are in. I have professional footballers in my squad we cannot be arguing that lots of games makes us weaker. We should be striving harder to demand dominance and respect. Yes we may have a long European adventure but this should encourage us not disturb us and make us look to excuses.
OW: Thank you Carlos for taking the time to speak to us today, we wish you all the luck for the season.
Carlos Queiroz revealed he will be taking his Tottenham team to the United States to play in a Tri-Tournament. It is unknown who they will face and this will be the first time he takes charge of his Tottenham team. It looks like Adebayor will be leaving but Queiroz confirmed that Hugo Lloris will be staying.
It hasn't taken long for Carlos Queiroz to make Tottenham his own. There has been some changes regarding the staff at the club. Querioz had already spoken to Sky Sports News about how he wanted to focus on development and his first act of this is the sacking of the current Head Of Youth Development John McDermott. In his places comes Thomas Albeck from German second division club Leipzig. Albeck is renowned for having a sharp eye for talent and possess the skills and discipline to get the younger players at clubs firing on all cylinders.
Another casualty leaving the club is goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez who has been swiftly replaced by the highly regarded Brazillian Cantarelle. Rodolfo Borrell has also joined, he was a free agent and has enjoyed a spell with Liverpool. The Spanish coach is highly thought of and Tottenham have themselves a world class coach.
Norbert Elgert also comes in as a new coach for the club. The German was previously on Schalke's books but joins the seemingly new revolution at Spurs.
Lastly news which has all Tottenham fans cheering as Ledley King has been promoted to assistant manager with Jesus Perez standing down with Pochettino's departure.
