Benjamin Gerdes

Me at a seattle grunge show: any room in this mosh for the suburbs?

@AlasdairGold Gray is really becoming some player. Bossed the midfield that half.

That should have been a second Spurs goal. Great work from Archie Gray and he picks out Kolo Muani, who feeds Xavi and the Dutchman flicks it first time into Tel's path but the winger hits his shot at the keeper. Lovely football. football.london/tottenham-hots…

@hbrooks_coach No question. But Atleti has a history of doing this and yet Spurs completely blindsided...

@HB_thespur @AlasdairGold Was put in a position to fail. Horrible call by Tudor.

@benfgerdes @AlasdairGold He is shit

Make that 3-0 to Atletico. Kinsky scuffs another kick, this time straight to Alvarez just a yard in front of him to score. Vicario coming on. Absolute disaster for the young keeper, coming off after 16 minutes. football.london/tottenham-hots…

@InvertTheWing Someone as smart as you shouldn't be celebrating decisions this dumb

Fair fucking play, Tudor. Genuinely massive balls to drop Vicario on a UCL night out of all days. But I am not complaining. Takes MASSIVE balls. I am inclined to give you leeway, you are seeing issues.

@TomBarclay_ Hes 22. Insane for his first start in months to come away in knockout UCL football.

Kinsky is being subbed with 16 mins 30 seconds on the clock. I've never seen anything like it. On comes Vicario

@AlasdairGold Feel terrible for him. Such a bright future.

Kinsky goes straight down the tunnel. Horrible night for the young stopper.

@JackPittBrooke Truly insane that this team plays knockout UCL football in five days

My job - my whole life really - is saying things about Spurs, and I have no idea what to say about that.

Peak dude is getting sent a photo of your buddy's gear shed.

@stoolpresidente You said it tho

I’m not going to say it because I’m not an excuse guy, but it’s bullshit that Seattle got to play a Super Bowl on the west coast #DDTG

I'll never leave this site.

Lordes cover of Take Me to the River is as bad ass as you'd expect

@IanDarke Agreed. Obviously Frank had to go, but the will/wont manager get fired allows professional players to not take accountability. Play for the badge. Wasn't happening at Spurs and thats deeper than manager.

So much football coverage across all media now centred on : Will ( insert manager’s name ) be fired ? Not an especially healthy state of affairs.

@thechaosledger @sufferingspurs Newcastles second goal last night is case in point. No manager is saying let Gordon walk up to the box, have a sandwich and pick a pass. No leadership on or off pitch.

@benfgerdes @sufferingspurs Not discussed enough. Great point actually. I think when many people say "leadership", they really mean accountability or personal ownership over your own contribution. Good teams (and businesses) have that. Shit ones don't. Thanks!

I think using the last seven months of Pochettino’s tenure as a stick to beat him with is not only wrong, it’s also irrelevant in any discussions about him returning to the club. That was a squad that had largely been together for the best part of 5 years. In that time the core of the squad had remained pretty much the same. A few additions to the fringes, plenty who had come and gone without succeeding and of course TWO whole transfer windows without signing anyone at all. Plenty of mitigating factors as to why that version of Spurs started to falter from March 2019 onwards. Namely in that defeat away at Burnley when the title charge fell apart when Spurs had done so well to stay in contact with a record breaking Liverpool and City title race. There were so many nearly moments that exhausted that squad and likely made them lose hope anything could ever happen. The fact they were competing every season with an elite City and Liverpool title race that they simply weren’t equipped to compete with. And then of course that build up to champions league final, where despite all the distraction - they were still able to attain 4th in the league. Then of course that hangover from the CL final, which obviously affected Pochettino as much as anyone else. It was probably time for a change. But I don’t think that was on Poch. I think that cycle of players had spent years together and many of them needed a change and a refresh. Other than the outgoing Ben Davies, not one of them is still at the club. I fully believe we would get a new, fresh and more experienced version of Pochettino who will have learned from his mistakes. And has also since managed some of the world’s best players. Sometimes you just go with your heart. Pochettino is our heart. But he’s not only that, he is absolutely a world class manager. And he has unfinished business at Tottenham. Bring him back

@thechaosledger @sufferingspurs No doubt. And it bred a lack of accountability at the club.

@benfgerdes @sufferingspurs I wouldn't have fired him. I stand by my other comment about the impact of the 2018 world cup and mental burn out. We would have got past those problems. I think the "rot" is lack of strategy. Swinging from one type of coach to another with no alignment in player recruitment

@thechaosledger @sufferingspurs For. Sure. Tho his camp would probably argue that he didnt get enough time to develop those players. Skeptical. Im not necessarily sold on bringing Poch back, but firing him was a mistake and the rot thats set in at the club stems from that

@benfgerdes @sufferingspurs Lo Celso, Ndombele, Sessegnon, Clark. £150m+, all Poch's picks, all regarded as good buys when we bought them. Would've bought Bruno too but couldn't shift Eriksen. I want Poch back, but the truth is important. (Clearly Levy had wanted Mourinho for ages, but still)

@pokeefe1 @JacobsBen Thank you. The lack of leadership from the board and ownership from the players. Frank wasn't the guy (obviously) but the rot is much, much deeper. Nothing good will happen until people realize this.

@JacobsBen The leadership team are why we are here again and I'm sure the comprehensively football qualified Nick Beucher's input was invaluable.

More on Thomas Frank's Spurs sacking. Club tried to give Frank time, but the situation became untenable. Decision made by Spurs' leadership team, including Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange, and recommended to the board. Nick Beucher also involved and active on behalf of the Lewis family, even though he doesn't sit on the board. Spurs have various contingency plans in place, including potential interim options. Mauricio Pochettino is a candidate for the permanent vacancy, but is not available until after the World Cup. Roberto De Zerbi and Andoni Iroala both appreciated by Daniel Levy before his departure, and turned down approaches back then. Frank's recently-hired assistant John Heitinga remains contracted, as it stands.⚪️

@simonyemane Yes, but these are quality players getting paid millions. Play for the badge. A rot has set in at the club that goes deeper than any one manager.

Fact they finally sacked Frank, after being so reluctant before, tells me the fear of relegation is now very real for them. As it should be. Beyond the financial hit, we’d lose most of our best players. None are staying in the Championship. It would decimate the squad’s value.

@TheSpursExpress What happened to playing for the badge. Players as well paid as this lot need to take responsibility, regardless of manager. Deep rot at the club.

🚨🥇| Many of the #Spurs players did not enjoy the limited nature of Thomas Frank’s football. A source close to one senior first-team player said, just before Frank’s dismissal, that he was ultimately a coach for a “smaller team”, focused on compact defensive shape, long balls and counter-attacks. The player in question feeling that he was only able to perform at “10 per cent” of his potential because of Frank’s restrictive tactics. @jaydmharris