WHEN the anti-Daniel Levy noise cranks up, it usually leads to change at Tottenham.
The change that fans are demanding right now is in the boardroom — but usually that ends up coming in the dugout.
And, yet, the chairman with one of the itchiest trigger-fingers in football appears to be bucking the trend of a lifetime by sticking by manager Ange Postecoglou.
That is despite Spurs slumping to 15th and being in danger of getting sucked into a relegation battle.
Although the Aussie reacted snappily to a fan accusing him of just that as he walked down the tunnel after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Leicester.
And this despite the ‘Levy Out’ chants during, and after, that miserable home defeat to the Foxes — who had lost their previous seven on the spin — reaching new decibel levels.
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As well as the chants, banners were unfurled in the stands which included one saying: “24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy . . . TIME FOR CHANGE.”
The question is, why is Levy sticking by Postecoglou right now?
It is baffling the football world and is multi-faceted in its answer.
First of all, the dismissals Levy has presided over — and there have been 12 permanent ones during his near-quarter of a century at the helm — have normally been preceded by a relationship breakdown between himself and the manager.
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That was the case with Harry Redknapp and later with Mauricio Pochettino, whose comments to the media towards the end of his reign irked Levy.
But that fracturing does not appear to have happened with Postecoglou, who has resisted every opportunity to criticise the Spurs higher-ups publicly.
In this painfully quiet transfer window, staggeringly, Spurs have recruited no outfield players despite their injury crisis.
Yet the nearest that Postecoglou has come to a pointed comment has been to say the club would be “playing with fire” by not signing anyone.
Player power has had an influence, too. Nuno Espirito Santo — now flying high with Nottingham Forest — was sacked after just ten Prem games in part after losing the dressing room.
Italian firecracker Antonio Conte castigated his players to the point of no return in that amazing press-conference meltdown at Southampton in March 2023… and was gone soon after.
The chairman with one of the itchiest trigger-fingers in football appears to be bucking the trend of a lifetime by sticking by manager Ange Postecoglou.
Yet Postecoglou’s crocked squad, by all accounts, are just about still behind him.
Then there is the fact Levy has tried chopping and changing managers before — the average tenure of a boss during his reign has been 23 months — to little effect.
And Pochettino’s five-plus years in charge heavily skews that figure.
So the supremo, who celebrates his 63rd birthday next month, has tried a different tack in recent years.
It used to be that he was involved in just about everything.
Harry Kane would go on to become the greatest player in the club’s history but back when he was a teenager, you would not expect the chairman to be as heavily involved in an academy player’s contract negotiations as Levy was back then.
Yet that has eased off of late, to a certain extent, with the likes of Rebecca Caplehorn — director of football administration and governance — technical director Johan Lange and Scott Munn, chief football officer and de facto No 2 to Levy, taking more prominent responsibilities.
These are among the individuals Levy is understood to consult when weighing up big calls.
Along with external individuals like Leon Angel, head of leading sports agency CAA Base, former managing director of football Fabio Paratici and, in years gone by, David Pleat.
The new approach does not mean patience with Postecoglou will last forever at Spurs.
But there is considerable sympathy for his crock crisis, with ten senior players out injured against Leicester.
While there is also cause for hope from the cup competitions and Europe.
Victory over Elfsborg on Thursday night will secure a last-16 spot in the Europa League.
And winning the competition outright would not only end the club’s 17-year trophy drought but also get them back into the Champions League.
Spurs are joint-favourites to win that competition and should have some senior players back for the knockout stages.
And how easy would it be to hire a replacement for Postecoglou right now anyway?
Consider the months-long pursuits of successors to Jose Mourinho and Conte, when Kane was still at the club and Tottenham’s position in the league was relatively strong (seventh and fourth respectively).
Even if they managed to prise someone like Andoni Iraola away from high-flying Bournemouth, he would still have the same injury problems and the same inexperienced squad.
But the other factor is, this time, changing the manager would not quell the anger from supporters towards Levy. If anything, it would increase it.
It is questionable whether that deflection strategy even worked in the past but were Levy to do it now, all the heat would be on him and him alone.
‘The trust looks to have gone’
That may be the case already, and certainly seemed to be on Sunday as enraged supporters called for his head.
The trust looks to have gone with a number of fed-up fans, whose gripes include controversial change to season-ticket concessions and a reduction in wage-bill spending.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Michel Vorm, 41, reckons there could be a way to start fixing this seemingly-broken relationship between Levy and the fanbase.
The Dutchman told SunSport: “He’s quite open. His office is always open to have a chat.
“I know that his love for Tottenham is massive. He won’t approach players that quick — but he is far more approachable than people know.
“Maybe if he would be a bit more open in public, people would then understand more what’s going on behind the scenes at the club.”
A protest against Levy and the ownership is planned ahead of next month’s home game against Manchester United by activists Change for Tottenham.
These calls-to-arms have not had the desired effect in the past.
The ENIC Group even marginally increased their majority shareholding to 86.91 per cent in December, which does not hint at an imminent exit.
Yet Jamie Coughlan, of Change for Tottenham, said: “The pressure the fans are cranking up will have an effect.
“Whilst ultimately he is the chairman, the club is still owned by ENIC.
“The bad press that we are creating may affect future sponsorship deals or partnerships, which could lead to the real ownership looking to sell.
“What I think has changed is the fact it won’t be long before he has severe pressure placed on him elsewhere.”
Those who have worked with Levy talk about his extraordinarily thick skin.
But that last point could have some validity. Levy is on record as saying the club are looking for fresh investment.
Should potential investors be put off by a toxic atmosphere in the ground, maybe that could affect Levy’s thought process.
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Likely it would far more than how he is perceived by supporters.
But Levy does not appear to be going anywhere and, for now at least, the same can be said for his manager.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
