Henry Winter

Re: the letter to Tottenham Hotspur fans from non-executive chairman Peter Charrington. Positives? Contrition: important the club showed some humility and apologised to fans, who’ve been brilliant in their support through grim times when players, coaches (pre-Roberto De Zerbi) and board have repeatedly let them down. Transparency: fans were able to reply to the statement on the club website, and some strong opinions were inevitably expressed, especially about Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange. Fair play to the club for allowing that, knowing there would be criticism. Hope: some sensible promises/plans for the future; acknowledgement that leadership structure needs strengthening; that squad needs strengthening - and with experience - and that costs substantial sums, more than committed in the past. One charismatic leader, De Zerbi, has rescued the team and the board. More elite-level operators required through club, on and off the pitch. Negatives? Proof required: actions speak louder than well-crafted words. Dumping blame on previous regimes is a bit cheap and dodging their own responsibility (Tudor etc). Time, and real investment in transfer fees and wages, will tell. Ownership: why does this letter come from Charrington and not a member of the Lewis family, the club owners, the ones who should be fronting up and taking responsibility for a wretched season and some poor appointments? It’s their club, their mess, their responsibility to engage with fans. No offence to Charrington, he’s been very successful in other areas, banking etc, but he’s not from a football background, he’s non-exec anyway. Fans don't know him. Spurs fans deserved the letter from the Lewis family. But relief reigns, Spurs survived, and, as RDZ says, must never allow this famous, well-supported club to sink into this perilous position again. Enic and the board have to rebuild knowing how close they were to meltdown. Back De Zerbi, recruit elite and engage with fans. #THFC

@JC_1973 Done loads on them, Jamie, because it’s a remarkable story. Good planning. Xhaka inspired tbf as many said at the time. Enjoy Europe

@henrywinter Sunderland’s achievement vastly superior, yet not a word

Bournemouth sold *check notes* Zabarnyi for £57m, Huijsen £50m, Kerkez £40m, Ouattara £45m and Semenyo for £65m in January for a very grand total of £257m *checks maths. not a strength*. Bournemouth continued playing attractive, winning football, ending the season unbeaten in 18, sixth in the table and qualified for Europe for the first time ever in their 127 years. Iraola has done a magnificent job – and so has Bournemouth’s recruitment department. Kroupi and Scott the latest gems being polished. Senesi, a £12m signing from Feyenoord four years ago, leaves a free agent to Spurs with plenty of good wishes following his fine defensive service over 128 games. Bournemouth get good value out of players and/or good value for them. Well-run club. Pity that Iraola is leaving and missing out on the European adventure that he helped secure. Leaves team in good shape for incoming Rose. Coaches and players...it's all in the succession planning. #AFCB

@BillNeelyReport Double hand-ball and then Gallas finish, Bill. Floodlit robbery. In fairness to many French, certainly journalists I knew at SDF they were also outraged by it. Spot on with your take on VAR. regards.

@henrywinter Henry will never be anything but a cheat in my eyes. Not one handball but two. The meltdown was karma. And when people complain about VAR, the Lampard goal & the Henry cheat are the correct reasons we have it. (Not of course as it is being applied today).

Sacre Bleus. Compelling viewing of French mutiny at WC2010. Domenech spectacularly lacking self-awareness. Evra, Gallas, Duluc impressive contributors. Sympathy for players. But…I was in Paris when Henry handled. Irish eyes will devour this meltdown. Epic netflix.com/gb/title/81728…

@JonnyMGould Probably because I could remember the first (just about). Regards.

@henrywinter Well deserved accolade Henry. 👏

Honoured to be invited on the final #FootballFocus with Alex Scott & Garth Crooks to talk #ENG. FF been an institution, part of the rhythm of match days for many, providing everything from entertainment (Gazza fishing) to enlightenment (Shearer, Haaland discussing goalscoring)🫡

@AndrewClement6 Thanks Andrew. Alex’s farewell at the end was very poignant. The programme’s legacy lives on in the excellent work of so many of you who worked on it. It’s been a launchpad and developer for plenty of talent, on both sides of the camera. Regards.

@henrywinter Thanks for your support Henry. Great to have you on with Alex and Garth. Bowed out in style. Cheers. Andrew

@Russw777 Bit of a clear-out needed

@henrywinter Yes he has a justifiable aura because of his obvious ability. Spurs are lucky to have him, now they have to act in the right way quickly, sensibly but for me in many respects ruthlessly.

Tottenham staying up, their spirits up, but this has to be a wake-up call. Micky van de Ven immense last few minutes, intercepting then clearing. Spurs fans superb, willing their players towards safety. Plenty right about Spurs: support, stadium, training ground and they now have a heavyweight head coach in Roberto De Zerbi who can organise and motivate, who has the respect of players and supporters. But Spurs need an in-depth review this summer into the many issues and ensure they never get into such a predicament again. Have to improve recruitment, get in more leaders, sell Romero and appoint a more committed captain. Get in a more reliable finisher, communicate better with fans, examine the chronic injury list. But they’ve survived and can celebrate. And reflect. #TOTEVE

@PaulHawksbee You’ve been saying it on your (excellent) show all season, Paul.

@henrywinter Spot on, H.

@Garfyhowells Thanks Gareth. Board needs to get a grip of the club, listen to fans and have a reboot

@henrywinter Spot on Henry as always 👍

@Clare1744 Fair point, Clare, but at least it’s not 18th. Has to be a wake-up call for board. Regards.

Finding it very hard to celebrate back-to-back 17ths, Henry.. 🤦🏽‍♀️

@egamorb A memory to cherish

@henrywinter I was dragged to se him live.All i heard was screaming girlies!Why

Daydreamer by David Cassidy was at No 1 the last time Sunderland played in Europe. 🙌

@Russw777 He’s so impressive. Love the energy. And he’s obviously hugely respected for the way he sets teams up. Players like him. Btw I was at Brighton recently and staff spoke highly of him as a man and obviously as a manager.

@henrywinter That’s a pretty good post mortem Henry, the cadaver had been on the slab for a long time. RDZ exactly the man to ensure this changes - a tough man made for tough decisions. Phew!

“World-class team in a world-class stadium?” Second-tier team in a track-and-field stadium. West Ham United relegated to the Championship at the London Stadium. Fans have every right to be angry. They turned up. But where was the real leadership in the club? Or on the pitch in recent times (Bowen apart)? No urgency in the first half against Leeds. Taty and Bowen gave brief hope. But they couldn’t rise to the equation. Spurs survive. Many reasons for West Ham’s demise: some iffy recruitment, some below-par coach appointments (Lopetegui, Potter), defensive issues, lack of direction from board, tensions between fans and Sullivan, as well as an unsuitable stadium (fans far from pitch, rental so difficult to generate money). Record losses. And revenue will be hammered by the drop. Who gets sold? Fernandes and Summerville will be top of many clubs’ shopping list. And the loyal Bowen? Does Nuno stay? Will the fanbase want him to? Does Kretinsky make a move to take over? Would Sullivan sell anyway? So many questions. Who can provide the answers? Who will stand up to be counted? West Ham need a reset, a rethink, improved recruitment and better leadership - on and off the pitch. Their fans deserve better. #WHULEE #WHU

Bit amateurish if you’re (rightly) synchronising both second halves (Spurs and West Ham) and then there’s a technology breakdown for an assistant at Spurs, delaying their restart. #TOTEVE

Palhinha pounces. Deserved for Spurs, sharper than Everton all half. Deserved for De Zerbi who has given the team shape and hope. Deserved for Spurs fans who’ve been brilliant, backing team from long before kickoff. #TOTEVE

Romero, Romero, wherefore art thou, Romero? Flown back from Argentina to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to support his current team in one of the biggest games in their 144-year history. #THFC

Why Andy Robertson will never walk alone...