SO MANY Tottenham supporters have bought into the Jose Mourinho hype.
The soundbites, the suits, the ballboy. The Special One is on the charm offensive and most fans have been lapping it up.
Jose Mourinho endured his first defeat as Spurs manager at Old TraffordCredit: Getty – Contributor
But not me.
The appointment of Mourinho has driven me largely toward apathy and disillusionment with my club.
I have to be fair – he is without doubt one of the top three Premier League managers of all time, only Sir Alex Ferguson, and possibly Arsene Wenger, can be considered more accomplished in this division.
But the game moves on.
People talk of what a coup it is for Tottenham to have secured a manager of Mourinho’s “calibre” and standing within the game – but ultimately, his reputation has taken a battering and he is just as desperate as Spurs are.
It’s a marriage of “convenience”, and Jose has instantly gone on the charm offensive.
And it’s nauseating.
Lines like “back me and I’ll make you winners”, and “are you Dele or Dele’s brother” – they are fantastic soundbites, but they are also empty statements.
When Mourinho arrived back at Chelsea in 2013, he called himself the Happy One.
Well, that didn’t last long.
He was acrimoniously sacked by the Blues when things had gotten toxic in 2015 and then rocked up at United with a reputation bruised, but his ego remained.
He again went on the charm offensive, saying: “There is a mystique and a romance about it [Manchester United] which no other club can match.”
This is the sort of “nice” albeit empty line that he has already often peddled so far at Spurs.
But the truth is, his United side played dire football and in the end he appeared to alienate just about everyone at the club.
Mourinho is not the manager he once was, but Spurs fans are so desperate for trophies after agonisingly falling short under Mauricio Pochettino, that they are blinded by the lustre of Jose’s past achievements.
It’s not about spitting the dummy out after only four games in charge, it’s about believing from the start that Jose is not the man to lead the team forward.
Already in his first four games in charge, you can see that Spurs have begun to play more long balls.
Dele Alli has played well under Mourinho so far, unlike many othersCredit: AFP or licensors
Admittedly, the high energy press that characterised the Pochettino era had not been seen for a while – but it seems likely to disappear forever under the new regime.
And while fans will tolerate long-ball, counter-attacking football at home to the likes of Bournemouth while there is a novelty factor and optimism – when that starts to fade, it will not be accepted at Spurs.
This is a club that has prided itself on its rich traditions for decades.
Of playing with style and panache, doing things with flair.
Even at his most successful, days that feel long behind him, Mourinho’s teams did not match these values of doing things in the “right way”.
Mauricio Pochettino made Spurs fans believe in their team again, he reminded them of everything that is wonderful about supporting this club.
Hiring Mourinho, however, seems a step in the direction of abandoning the traditions of the club in the desperate pursuit of short-term success – a pursuit that will ultimately drive fans mad and suck all of the fun out of it.
Which sounds rather a lot like what has happened down the road at Arsenal.
It’s important that football remains something to be enjoyed, and when it inevitably ends in tears, Spurs will find themselves back at square one.
Dele Alli slams ‘arrogant’ Spurs as Marcus Rashford ruins Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United return
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
