Tottenham: Andre Villas-Boas’ dismissal is a disaster

I know the Lilywhites have only managed 15 goals in the Premier League this season. I am also aware that 107 Million Pounds was pumped into player purchases in the summer. But what I don’t know and can’t be convinced about is why Andre Villas-Boas was shown the door just four months into a new project. I can never be part of the school of thought who believe that sacking managers midway through an ongoing season is rational. Daniel Levy has once again, made the wrong decision.

It is obvious that loyalty long died in football and what obtains now is instant results or you are thrown out like dirty water, but considering the treatment the Portuguese got in West London, I thought North London would be more lenient and patient. It is a sad development that managers are ever so often relieved of their appointments as soon as one or two negative results surface.

If Arsenal had been so quick to act, Wenger would have long departed the Emirates. The French manager might be the most successful manager in Arsenal’s long and proud history, but he hasn’t won a thing since 2005. In this day and age, that is totally unacceptable. Whatever be the case, he remains manager and for a long time yet.

Sacked again by a London side

AVB probably didn’t help himself with the number of signings he made. A squad revamp most times, does more harm than good initially, but pays off in the end, depending on how fast the new guys clique and bond.

For Spurs, they got the RS9 brand from Valencia, thinking they had secured a great striker whose immediate impact would be felt. It hasn’t gone as planned and that is infuriating. 26 Million Pounds just for scoring penalties is hardly a good investment. However, most of the players the young manager wanted were not pursued as well as the ones who came.

The likes of Leandro Damiao, David Villa and Joao Moutinho were highly sought after by AVB, but Levy couldn’t land any of them and was mulling over a 500,000 pound(s) difference in the Moutinho transfer saga. The midfield pearl was required to replace Luka Modric. That deal fell through and instead, Dembele was recruited later on. The Belgian is anything but Modric or Moutinho.

Together with Baldini, Villas Boas also brought in the likes of Paulinho, Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue and Vlad Chiriches to bolster the squad after the sale of Gareth Bale. They thought, like most of us, that the new boys will help fill the vacuum the Bale transfer had left. So far, it has not been the case. Naturally, the manager is to blame.

Coupled with the inability of the new players to cope with the pace and power of the Premier League, some devastating results have also come Spurs way. A 3-0 loss to toothless, striker-less West Ham was perhaps the most painful. Manchester City robbed salt with a 6-0 demolition of the North Londoners and the last straw was the weekend’s 5-0 humbling by Liverpool in a match that was largely dominated by a side that hadn’t won there since 2008.

Even Jon Flanagan was having a field day against overrated England right back, Kyle Walker. Paulinho’s rash and idiotic challenge on Luis Suarez was even more crushing than the defeat itself and it left the manager wondering what next.

The Brazilian midfielder might need a break as he has been playing competitive football since the turn of the year with Corinthians, Brazil and now Spurs. AVB didn’t see the need to rest him as he plays in every competition because of his reliability and strength.