By Myles Palmer
A Spurs-Arsenal preview with a difference.
Most previews will say that the form book goes out the window when these fierce old rivals get together, GG used to manage Arsenal,blah-blah-blah.
But ANR is not so predictable.
Author and consultant Alex Fynn wrote a recent book, The Great Divide,about the changed status of the two clubs.
We talked about out some of the themes developed in that book.One of the first people mentioned was Mark Jacob, a mutual friend. I co-wrote Mark’s Spurs diary, What’s The Story? Boring Glory,which was published in 1999.
I’ve been to several shareholders meetings at Tottenham, so I started by asking Alex about one I missed last week.
What was the AGM like?
“Sugar was much more conciliatory. He was his usual abrasive self, but he wasn’t as rude as usual. He was still the same man, but it was as if he’d mellowed a bit. And indicative of this was his verbal jousting with Mark. Whereas last year he took every opportunity to put everybody
down, including Mark, which he did successfully.This year he engaged in verbal jousting.
“He was very upset about the abuse he got at the Birmingham game.He was upset for himself and he wa s upset for his family And his family was upset for him, so much so that they weren’t going to come again to see their father insulted.And if that continued, he wouldn’t be around.”
Was Sugar asked whether he intended to sell some shares but wanted to remain as Chairman?
“No, he wasn’t asked that. Mark said to him, “Name your price!” Sugar made the point that it’s all very well to say : You want to get rid of me but I’ve had arrangements with Lloyds Bank for 50 years, not everybody can get the lines of credit that I have. If somebody comes in they’ve got to invest into the club to the tune of £70 million.
“That’s what his reasonable argument was: show that you’re going to invest in the club because I invested. And you can’t argue with that.
“Some people think Sugar is good and others think he’s awful and should go.
“I’m in between because I think it’s not him, it’s his judgement. He doesn’t have anybody to challenge him, and therefore doesn’t tend to listen. And his choice of managers has been abysmal. It’s not so much that he should go, it’s that there should be a change of emphasis.”
Do you have to spend £70 million to get success in the Premiership?Can’t you do an Ipswich?
“Well, that remains to be proven.Nobody has yet got success in the Premiership without buying. And not just throwing money at it but having a good manager. The two together are needed : a good manager and lots of money.That has been the only proven formula for Premiership success so far. Other teams have flattered to deceive but haven’t lasted the course.Even if Ipswich finish top six this year, next year will be the true test for them, as teams work them out.
“If you look abroad, you get a better quality of football where there is depth, particularly in the Spanish League. Their clubs have done well in Europe and most games are competitive.There’s more fluidity, players go up and down, teams go up and down, and it doesn’t depend on foreigners. Those foreigners who do come in are either Spanish-speakers from South America, or the true stars.”
Was George Graham questioned closely at the AGM?
“He wasn’t there. He was there the year before. The best summation was a guy at the end who got up and said that the fact that Ledley King,Alton Thelwell and Luke Young are now playing along with Stephen Carr, there are signs that we’re gonna get our Tottenham back. He said I hate George Graham but if he’s gonna bring these youngsters on then I’ll support him and good luck to him.”
Don’t you find it bizarre that George brings them into the side but not the young players David Pleat has bought from Peterborough?
“Exactly, but Graham and Pleat are like oil and water. They just don’t mix. There ought to be common ground but there isn’t.I suspect that they haven’t been picked because they’re not Graham’s signings.”
What a strange situation !
“Here you have an experienced enterpreneur, a very successful manager,albeit one whose time may have come and gone, and an experienced Director of Football who understands the Tottenham ethic. Put them all together and the sum is less than the parts.Most unusual.I think it’s
because they’re mutually suspicious.”
A menage of suspicion?
“Well put!”
What do you make of the Rebrov mystery?Is he injured or
demoralised?
“He’s demoralised. I think it’s ironic. You decide to invest very heavily,to go for a Champions League place, you buy a world class attacker,theoretically to make better use of Ginola’s creative work. You then buy a better left back, Thatcher, to compensate for Ginola’s defensive failings. And then you sell Ginola because £3 milion for a 33-year old is good business. But of course it’s not. But Graham points to fact that Ginola was most effective at home. What have we done at home? We couldn’t have a better record at home, we’ve won seven games. I would say that Rebrov is now disenchanted.”
Is Rebrov now being marginalised by George prior to being sold?
“No, I don’t think so. That would be too soon. I think Graham’s disappointed with him and he’s disappointed with Graham.”
Spurs always had stars – and Arsenal were workmanlike.
“Now the situation’s reversed. At Arsenal you’ve got a club, from the directors through the manager, who understand what is needed to bring success. Whilst building for the long term you have to prioritise the short term. If you prioritise for the short term you’ve got to have an
exceptional manager who understands the transfer market, and the way that the team plays : the team’s got to play with flair.
“The only way that you’ll get ahead of Leeds and Liverpool, and challenge Manchester United, is if you ally flair to organisation. And Wenger understands that. Moreover, by being a cosmopolitian man, he can unearth these jewels from the transfer market. And Arsenal, being good business people within the football industry, realise that that ifplayers are going to go they will get their pound of flesh.
“Maybe it was inevitable that Anelka, Overmars and Petit were gonna go, but Arsenal are in credit to the tune of £50 million as a result of that, and they’ve re-invested.So Arsenal understand what it takes in the short term, but they’re also looking to the long term.
“In the last ten years Arsenal have had a commitment to the borough.They’ve got to have the borough on their side when they re-build,and now they’re making a quantum leap into a new stadium. Their community involvement has paid dividends.And on another level they want future generations to support them. They’ve gone out and made themselves accessible. Tottenham haven’t done either of these things.”
Spurs signed Ardiles, Waddle, Lineker, Gascoigne, Klinsmann. But now the only player of comparable ability is Rebrov.
“He might be of comparable ability, but he is not a star like the players you mention. They were stars who inspired by their own play and by their example. Tottenham were the first club to spend £100,000 on a player, Jimmy Greaves, the first to spend £200,000 on a player, Martin Peters, the first club to spend £2 million on a player, Paul Gascoigne.And the first to bring true foreign stars over with Ardiles and Villa. But all of this has gone now.”
Can it ever be recaptured?
“Yes, it is so easy for it to be re-captured. All that it requires is a change of attitude. I suspect that Sugar is mellowing. It’s very unfair to write him off. But is wrong to say he saved the club. He didn’t save the club because the club didn’t need saving . It had a lot of debt, but the Premier League and the Sky contract were just around the corner. And the Midland Bank had extended credit, so it’s a myth that he saved them. However, what he did do was put them on a firm financial footing.
“Since the inception of the Premier League they are the most profitable club next to Manchester United. He’s also backed the managers with investment. But, not being a football man, he’s made the wrong choice by not spending when he should have done, and then having to play catch-up. Secondly, by choosing the wrong managers. And that is the greatest criticism that can be levelled at him. You don’t really need a change of attitude from Sugar, not a fundamental one. All that he has to do is retain other people on board and listen to them.”
Continued tomorrow in Part II : Alex on Hoddle, Bergkamp and Sol Campbell.