Toxic Positivity

• Had an issue with the high line - fixed it (media persist with ‘Spurs will give you chances to score’ as if this doesn’t happen with any other system or team on the planet. The reality is, for this system to truly work consistently, we will need improvements to the squad depth and a backbone that relates to the current conundrum)

• Had an issue with set pieces - fixed it (defending and goal-keeping has improved to the point where it’s a non-issue, relatively speaking in comparison to the alleged crisis we were told the team was suffering)

• Had an issue with fluidity/goal scoring - fixed it with an injection of fast paced ball movement and transitions (we can and will improve - Solanke is genuinely top drawer with his awareness, passing, holding and pressing + in addition Johnson’s form and the Kulu/Madders dynamic). We do have another level to step up as the games we've lost (NLD aside which was a dull affair), we should have comfortably finished LC, NU and Brighton with the opportunities we had.

• Have an issue with mental collective switch off / on the field leadership - TBC. Our game management when facing adversity or self-inflicting an error that leads to an opposition goal is not good. We collapsed and gifted the game to the home side on Sunday. It's a trait, perhaps not a trend, but it's evident that something isn't quite right with how the players react on the field.

At some point, things will have to level out and the development of Ange’s team will need to stop creating disruptions from within. It's growing pains and for us fans, it's a harsh learning curve we have to endure.

The mental switch off happened during the Leicester City game (for 20 minutes). Arguably, with consideration, you can’t say the same thing about the Newcastle defeat (a case of simply not being clinical when on top). Arsenal was a let-down, performance wise - far too passive against their low-block Stoke tactics. It was hard to break them down. But Brighton? I guess we need to take the gut punch and learn from it and do so quickly.

Where exactly is the leadership on the field? That missing element of vocal force to rally the troops and get them all back onto the same page; one that is written in blood and guts.

Hello? Anyone?

Yes, in some games, we’ll be put under pressure but there has to be a collective attempt to regain the momentum, take the sting out of the game, and do so with shrewd and busy energy. Key experienced players appear to ghost through these moments when they should be commanding the younger players and galvanising the team.

We should be able to defend with the same amount of tenacity and press as we do when attacking. That first half along with the football played at Old Trafford was magnificent. Elite. Don’t care for the opposing team and their own struggles; Spurs were unplayable.

The second half on Sunday was a blue screen of death. The likes of Romero caught ball-watching and perhaps also the lack of swift changes (something Ange won't admit to publicly) were required to protect Destiny and reboot the midfield with early tactical switches. Spurs need to influence change from the dug-out as well as on the field.

I’m not lingering on history and Tottenham’s soft centre.

Considering that in the same time we have accumulated 10 occasions when we have lost a 2-0 lead, we have also amounted plenty of points from losing positions and qualified for the Champions League and so on and so forth. Context is everything.

If anything, in the past, this has happened when the club has failed to synergise to a philosophy. So the trust is not there from the manager and the players (and then fans). This culture of complacency is a psychology barrier that is only defeated with a winning mentality. One that has to be earned.

It's happened when Spurs have been in the midst of rebuilding but never quite finishing the blueprints, let alone the structures. This time, we are starting with a foundation and we're making sure that what gets built on top of it, does not crumble. Even if we're having some architectural issues currently; this is part of creating something long-lasting.

I prefer this perspective as opposed to the one where I scream about 'the club is dead/ENIC OUT/let's scapegoat the young players'. If you want that, fair play if you wish to fester in misery as you'll never be content regardless of our form. A case of wanting the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but not wishing to get drenched from the downpour of rain to find it.

(I know, pot of gold doesn't exist does it? Guess the analogy works for us)

It’s a bit different this time. We have someone that wants to succeed, believes he will and knows how and what to fix. That’s us having a manager that takes accountability. The club are backing him too. Say what you want, but we can all agree that Levy and company have got it wrong with the likes of Jose and 'purple and gold' favourite, Conte (the truthsayer himself). This time, it feels like they (the club) understand what is required. And because of the desperation they have often showcased, it's broken us further when having to be patient for a new team to be birthed. Again, we've not truly attempted this after Poch left. Such is the mis-management of Daniel and friends.

We'll know just how committed they are when we add to this squad in January and the summer - because there can not be any slow brooding movements cometh the 3rd season of Ange's tenure. By then, it needs to be about how to consolidate consistency by upgrading certain players (and aligning the system to footballers that can deliver over 38 games). Remember the benchmark in the Prem is extremely high (if you wish to entertain 3rd spot and above).

I have seen some moaning on the socials that apparently the likes of myself and other 'podcasters' (as if we are not fans first and foremost) are not publicly attacking the club/Ange/the players/the board. Apparently we're bias. I mean, of course we are, we support THFC, we're not lost in a political war of hate with other supporters and the crusade against the owners. We support the team, want our players to do well, want to achieve things and do so with a bit more balance rather than hating everything and everyone, constantly.

Take note of the constant abuse and scapegoating of Brennan Johnson; proof that any given 'in the moment opinion' drowning in finality - is the wrong opinion.

Why do we need to lose our heads every time we have a tricky moment?

For what?

In his second season we are looking to grow and build with something tangible for the long term rather than the aforementioned short-cut nonsense the board have always dished up in desperation.

Your POV is your own but wanting the club to fold every time we hit a bump, considering how painful it is to even attempt to contend; it's a tragic existence.

'Get the next man in, give him a year and a bit, then get rid of him too'

Some Spurs fans have more in common with Levy and the board than they wish to admit to.

And look. We're back here again with me having to defend the art of common sense.

I get triggered to have to blog about this every time the fanbase have a meltdown.

For, sure, discuss the problems at hand and the questions that need answering but as stated at the start of this written piece - we've improved this season. We've all seen the output stats of Angeball. The frustration comes with the delivery of that output. It's not perfect. Not yet.

Now that might not be impressive to some but I've seen enough of Spurs on the front foot to know we are mightily impressive in possession. We just need a little more tinkering and there is no shame in that and no need to flip tables over either. We need to be great without the ball too.

I’ve said it before. Ange might not be ‘the guy’. He might be the first stepping stone towards Spurs truly contending. There is no deadline either, aside from Ange's contract. It's up to him and the club to support this journey and if it does look like working, if Ange is 'that guy', then every one of us wins.

Then again, with the FFP/sponsorship rules getting bent and broken whilst City are being investigated (and those very rules undermined), success in today’s game might only ever be achievable by selling your soul to a state nation.

Better the devil you know I guess. The purgatory persists.

(First published on Patreon a week or so ago).