Andre Vilas Boas. Welcome To Spurs?

From The Tottenham Live Website.

With widespread reports from several media outlets and slashed
odds, it seems almost certain that come July, Andre-Villas Boas will be
the new man at the helm at White Hart Lane. The question is, will Levy’s
gamble pay off?Winning Mentality

Let’s
start with the good. After assisting Jose Mourinho through very
successful spells at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, AVB left to manage
Academica. When he arrived they were bottom of the league without any
wins, (2 points from 8 games anyone?), but he steered them to a safe 11^th place whilst introducing a brand of attacking football.
In
the summer of 2010, he left to manage Porto. We all know the story here
- an undefeated season, 3 trophies in the cabinet and another example
of how he managed to implement a brand of football that is exciting to
watch as well as successful; all of this at the tender age of 33.
Welcome to the Premier League

And
now the bad. Chelsea. Once again, we all know how this went. AVB came
to Chelsea hoping to instil the same formula that he did at Academica
and Porto but, as many managers have found out, things aren’t always
that simple at Stamford Bridge. Trying to push out Terry, Lampard and
Drogba and instead replace them with Luiz, Romeu and Torres was not
welcomed by the Old Guard. his insistence on playing a high line led to
some woeful defensive displays and in March, Roman Abramovich sacked the
man he’d paid so much to appoint 9 months earlier.
However, Villas-Boas’ tenure was not as disastrous as some may make out. Chelsea were 3 points off 4^th place when AVB was dismissed, compared to their 6h place finish and 5 points off 4^th
come the end of the season. I’m not saying that AVB did a stellar job
at Chelsea, but for his first Premier League job at arguably the most
difficult club to manage in England, it could’ve been worse, especially
as most of the dressing room refused to support him.
In Levy We Trust

So,
how will AVB fare at Spurs? Was his reign at Chelsea a sign of things
to come or was it simply a case of ‘right man, wrong club?’ Well, the
only thing that we can say for certain is that Levy has taken a big
risk.
For all of his faults, we cannot deny the work that Redknapp
did to take our club to new heights. He built upon the foundations that
were laid down for him by Martin Jol, and nearly destroyed by Juande
Ramos, and led us to two Top 4 finishes. He also administered league
victories over Arsenal, as well as away victories at Top 4 sides. WHL on
the most part became a fortress again and some of the football we
played was a joy to behold. Many milestones were reached under
Redknapp’s tenure and for that I am very grateful.
But, for all
the work Harry had done on the pitch, he’d undone it in his interviews
and press conferences and that was enough to eventually push Levy over
the edge. Correct decision? That remains to be seen but Daniel Levy is
without doubt one of the best chairman in the league and a very astute
individual. He always has the clubs best interest at heart and I for one
have faith in him.
AVB’s Repertoire

So
what is AVB (potentially) bringing to the table? Well first of all, the
man brings a winning mentality. His treble winning season at Porto
shows that the man knows how to win trophies. He will also bring a
completely different tactical approach to what we have been accustomed
to the past few years. Under Redknapp, VDV revealed the following:
“There are no long and boring speeches about tactics … there is a
clipboard in our dressing room but Harry doesn't write anything on it.”
"It's
very relaxed. The gaffer gives us the line-up 20 minutes before we go
out to do our warm-up. And the only words he speaks to me are: 'You play
left or right, work hard, have fun and show the fans your best'.”
"Then
the defenders get an instruction about who to mark at corners and
free-kicks - and that's it. It's not that we do nothing, but it's close
to that."
That speaks for itself. When things were going well not
many questioned Redknapp’s lack of tactical ability, me included, but as
our ambitions became greater, Redknapp’s weaknesses become more and
more evident. As aforementioned, I’m very grateful for the work Redknapp
did at the club and to the places that he took us but the above quote
from VDV highlights Redknapp’s lack of tactical nousse that ultimately
prevented him from taking us any further.
AVB however is the exact
opposite. Having been guided initially by Sir Bobby Robson and then
Jose Mourinho, AVB is the complete antithesis to Harry Redknapp. He is
by no means perfect, as seen by his spell at Chelsea, but you can expect
that under his reign the clipboard will be full and the speeches will
be aplenty. This is something that our players will have to get used to.
For most of them, they have been under Redknapp’s guidance for at least
3 to 4 years and this change in management style is something that will
take time.
As for AVB’s reputation in the game, he is still a
manager that is highly respected by many players across Europe. The
media are currently doing the rounds of linking several Porto players
with a switch to N17 but behind the fabricated rumours is an element of
truth- in AVB we potentially have someone who can attract big names,
even without Champions League football.
Am I excited by the prospect of AVB?
The
answer has to be yes. It’s easy to forget that just a year ago he was
some of the hottest property in European football. Should he arrive, and
it looks more and more likely after each passing day, he will receive
my full support and patience. It will take time for the players to fully
adjust and appreciate his tactics but once they do so we will hopefully
have a manager that can build on Redknapp’s achievements and guide us
to new heights.
Upon his sacking, Redknapp stated that Levy and
the board sought a new direction for the club, and with a newly built
training ground and stadium in the pipeline, AVB will hopefully be the
man to lead the club in this new direction.