From Rhys Jaggar :
Each situation is unique but if we compare Spurs to Arsenal…
1. In terms of their approach to English youth, Spurs are rather like where George Graham was at in the mid-1980s through to the early 1990s.
Whether Pocchetino has similar management traits to Graham, you or others like you may be better placed to comment. He has certainly instilled a 21st century form of discipline to a broadly young English core.
Whether his cycle will last a decade like Graham’s did, one tends to doubt as most things are more compressed nowadays.
2. In terms of their stadium, they are where Arsenal were in the early 2000s.
Maxed out its revenue potential, sold out every week, but way behind the top clubs in the league. Their funding model for the new stadium may be different (involving a 25 year sponsorship deal) , so who can tell what the financial constraints of the new stadium will eventually be?
3. In terms of their training ground, they have built Colney Creche just as Arsenal are upgrading theirs. From what I can discern, the culture at Spurs Academy is rather different to the U15 at Arsenal. More aspirational, more expectant, more obvious success. Will they become like Southampton if they achieve Top 4 two years running? Who knows?
4. In terms of their global branding and commercial revenue, they are way behind, but Arsenal took quite a while to really get going so Spurs can catch up significantly by 2020, especially as much of the commercial revenue will be driven by a global online fan base which doesn’t need a big stadium.
5. In terms of their financial approach to the first team, they are like Arsenal were from Wenger’s arrival onwards – a VC approach of buying cheap and selling expensive.
Bale was Spurs’ Anelka, not sure who Modric was.
If they replicate Arsenal’s model then Kane, Dier and Delle Ali may depart for big money, as might Lloris, Alderweireld and to a lesser extent, Vertonghen.
That will depend on how they fund the stadium. I tend to think they see the next three years as equivalent to Arsenal 2002 – 2005 – a squad they keep together to achieve something (most likely less than a double and an Invincible season to be frank). Like with Bale and Modric, if they can’t offer more than one season of Champions League football, they may struggle to hold onto their stars.
6. In terms of their ambition, well who knows? Are they prepared to see the Europa League as a way into the Champions League, or will they throw it hoping they don’t blow the EPL and finish 5th? Will they be the Liverpool of 2014 in 2016, not in team balance and structure but in outcome?
To sum up, Spurs are a smallish big club in England and a biggish small club in Europe.
Arsenal are a biggish big club in England and a smallish big club in Europe.
As I understand it, Spurs fans want Spurs to be a big club in Europe, and Arsenal fans want Arsenal want to be a biggish big club in Europe, the biggest club in London and probably the biggest club in England.
My other non-PC assessment is that Arsenal’s most bitter rivals currently are Chelsea (similar sized club, nearby) in England and Dortmund/Atletico/Porto/Roma/Inter in Europe.
Arsenal fans may delude themselves that they are true rivals of Bayern, Real and Barca, but come on: they’re not.
The five I named have all reached the odd UCL final the past 20 years and are regularly in the Champions League. The Big 3 are in another league entirely.
Realistically, Spurs’ biggest rivals in England are West Ham, Liverpool and Everton, whereas in Europe they are on a par with Schalke or Monchengladbach in Germany, Fiorentina, Sporting Lisbon, Lyons and Villareal.
But that would deprive 100,000+ fanatics the chance to really hate another set of fans for the rest of their lives, wouldn’t it??!!
Myles says:
Everton, the unluckiest football club in England, will rarely compete with Spurs
Their biggest problem is Liverpool, only 150 yards away.
The new Secret Footballer book sums it up :
Heysel denied Everton access to Europe for their best ever team – their greatest team were kept in England because of Liverpool, who had enjoyed all those nights of European glory.
I still find that very sad, We’ll never know what that team could have achieved.