Enough is enough: if Tottenham take Qatari cash, it’s time to walk away…

Editor F365
Tottenham fans protest against owners ENIC and Daniel Levy.

One Tottenham fan has already decided to turn his back on the club if the Qatar cash floods in. Also: nepotism; Erik ten Hag; and f*** the celebration police.

Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com

 

Walking away from Spurs
Ian King asks what voice and/or choice Spurs fan have if the rumoured Qatari money starts to pour into N17. I know what I will be doing. I will be walking away from Spurs.

My father recently died. He took me to my first match in 1982. It’ll be the 40th anniversary of that game next month. We beat Man City 2-0. We went together as often as he could afford it. I was one of the many kids at the front of The Shelf, protected from the wave of humanity flowing towards the pitch every time we scored by an unbroken chain of strong armed ‘yobs’; my father stood a few rows back keeping a watchful eye. I loved it. I was there when Tony Parks saved that penalty and we won the UEFA Cup. I look quizzically now at teenagers singing about what an awfully terrible gentleman Sol Campbell was (paraphrasing) when they weren’t even born when he left, but I remember the brutal pain of how it felt. As a parent myself, until the eye-watering gas bills started to intervene in April, I was a Season Ticket holder. My kids are Spurs fans. They didn’t get a choice, poor souls. I haven’t been able to get up to Spurs since Dad died but I know that, when I do, I will probably be a blubbering mess as I remember every car ride, every train journey, the incredible highs we’ve witnessed from Hoddle to Gazza to Ginola to Bale and Kane, and the sadly not uncommon lows.

I’ve tolerated all sorts of things over the years and tried to see the best in the way our club was being led. From Irving Scholar to El Tel and Alan Sugar all the way to ENIC and Daniel Levy. In my humble opinion, the current owners have a great job off the field and a frequently piss-poor job on it. People will wonder how I can be upset about Qatar but not about Joe Lewis allegedly dubious activities in South America. It’s a fair comment. Perhaps I’ve turned a blind eye in the past when I shouldn’t, but I told myself there was a difference… Joe Lewis isn’t trying to sportswash his reputation with football.

I’ve been vocal in my criticism of Man City, Newcastle, PSG and the rest. The sportswashing mega money has drastically affected the competitiveness of top-level football. It’s made geopolitics significantly more complicated and has hindered the progress of many oppressed people around the world. I refused to watch the World Cup and was vocal about that here in the Mailbox. 6,500 (at least) of the most vulnerable people in the world lost their lives to deliver entertainment to the masses while a country which continues to trample on the rights of women, foreigners and the LGBTQIA+ was allowed to polish the turd of its reputation. Before that we had Russia and we can all see how that’s turned out. I didn’t watch a single game of Qatar 2022. Ultimately, in my case, it proved quite easy to avoid because my Dad was dying in hospital and strangely, we had other things on our mind.

People have sometimes levelled the critique – “You’re just jealous. If it was your club, you wouldn’t be so vocal.” Well, now here’s the moment of truth. Does is still matter to me when it’s my club that might become a plaything for a regime seeking to influence global politics and launder its reputation by throwing insane amounts of money at sport? Well, yes it does. It does still matter to me. I won’t have it and I won’t give my time, my eyeballs, my money or anything else to such corruption. I’ll be out. I don’t care how much money they spend or what we win. Until such time as Qatar gets bored with football, runs out of money, starts treating all people with value and dignity, or decides there are better ways to improve their utterly heinous reputation, I’ll be elsewhere. I’ll go watch one of the non-league teams nearby or find other ways to get a fix of football. Because I hear a rumour that there is still football around but without all the moral corruption.

Will Spurs miss me? I doubt it. But we all have a voice and a choice. All sorts of people have gotten away with all sorts of corruption over the years because they’ve bet on fans not walking away. They know we won’t change our team. We are who we are till the day we die. True enough. But you do have a choice. It’s a lie to say that any such thing is inevitable and beyond your control. You don’t have to be a part of it. Walk away.
Father Dave, Maidstone (THFC)

READ MORE: Ian King: Spurs fans may have no choice over Qatar money but they do have a voice

Final four
Wouldn’t it be hilarious that after binning Jesus and Sterling, and getting Haaland, with all the hype that we can all forget about winning anything ever again, that City win sweet FA this season?
To all the United fans in the mailbox and comments yesterday of winning this cup, I bet you’ve changed your opinions overnight!
But I’m all in for “Toon Army”
Well done Saints, that performance was bang on. Close them down, attack them, and you nullify them. Not one shot on target!
Bravo!
Gronkie (LFC)

 

Mean on Dean
Thrilled that United are through to League Cup semi final. Laughing at my City mates…BUT if my club has any class they will give permission for Henderson to play for Forest.
Gary (Utd fan in Pennsylvania) B

 

Saints or Brazil?
First off, congratulations to Saints. A very much deserved win.

There is a football thing though that’s always bugged me, and last night’s game was an excellent example.

Back in the day, when City were scrambling about in the third tier, it used to infuriate me (I was a lot younger then) when teams from that league, who had been utter bobbins for yonks, would turn up at Maine Road and play like the proverbial Brazil before resuming a pants season thereafter.

I know I’m not alone. Supporters from other teams like Leeds and, ironically enough, Southampton (amongst others) who fell into what is now League 1 as well will tell you the same thing.

I’ve always thought that, in that instance, there was an element of lower league players, used to performing in front of crowds of 3-8k instead, finding themselves in a ground with 30k+ with all the atmosphere that goes with it. It MUST be in their minds to think “This is what I became a footballer for” and raise their game accordingly. Which is more than fair enough.

Ditto for FA or League cup runs when either at a (ahem) ‘big team’ stadia or when the fixture is televised or both. See last weekend’s FAC ‘upsets’ for further proof.

Now, I can accept all that. On the other hand, I struggle to comprehend how PL players of a PL team can put in a first half and btw, excellent display of intensity and aggression, when they are rock bottom of said league. Big games and big crowds are nothing new to these guys, nor are the TV cameras.

For clarity, after 18 PL games they (Saints) have won 3, drawn 3, lost 12 during which they scored 15 goals and conceded 33.

So why can Southampton put in such a brilliant performance last night and yet be rooted to the bottom of the PL and, therefore, be one of the relegation favourites?

My question is simple. Why aren’t they motivated enough to play like that every week? They have just demonstrated, quite eloquently, that they are more than capable of doing so.

Answers not on a postcard please but, rather, through this mailbox.

Ta muchly.
Mark (Next up for Saints is away to Everton. Looking forward to seeing how they play there). MCFC

 

Name on the trophy?
Hard to believe that Southampton beat City 2-0 last night…looks like Pep was focusing on the Manchester derby instead which is fair given he has won the League Cup like 4 times since arriving to England.

Given City are now out of the tournament, United have NO excuse to prevent them from winning this this Cup with Newcastle, Forest & Southampton still in the competition. Yes, Newcastle are now a decent side, but haven’t won anything since 1955.

Simple message to the United players, don’t f*ck it up/be Spursy lads, you won’t have an easier chance to win a trophy…
Rami, Manchester

 

Football’s nepo babies
Ian King misses out LOADS of talented sons-of-their-fathers when he alights on Johann and Jordi Cruyff as the best examples of sons living up to their players talents. Perhaps better examples might be: Cesare and Paolo Maldini, Pablo and Diego Forlan, Manuel Sanchis Martinez and Manuel Sanchis Hortileyo and Juan Ramon and Juan Sebastian Veron. You might argue that none of those were generational talents, like Johan Cruyff, but given that the parallel is being made with David and Romeo Beckham, it’s fair. Beckham was a fine player, but all the fathers in that list of players stand comparison with him both in terms of abilities and silverware.
Dara O’Reilly, London

 

…Feel like Ian King should have maybe done a bit more reading before he published his Romeo piece on father/son combos…

Omitting the current Premier League top goalscorer is one thing, but the two greatest Danish goalkeepers? Or the Maldini’s? The Chiesas? Thurams? Ayews? Come on man, this isn’t difficult.

Across the pond, American Football is stacked with fathers, sons, brothers and cousins.

No issue with the rest of the article, but come on subs, help a writer out here.
Tom, Walthamstow

 

The Heat is on
Watched the United game last night and one of the main things I took from it was how easy Tom Heaton made goalkeeping look. He’s always been a good keeper but for some reason United don’t seem to want to trust him. Signing all these older keepers on loans and short term deals when they have him sitting there.

He came for crosses with ease and made some decent saves but whole time he just looked so calm.

I hope he gets some more chances after that performance.
Chaz (Essex)

 

Double dutch
I have always enjoyed reading views on this platform, so many great takes and at the same time many annoying takes. I never felt the need to reply to any annoying take but this one from a certain Gitonga got me pissed.
He labeled Erik Ten Hag a jingoist because he went after Dutch players. Now let’s take a look at the players he have signed:
Tyrrell Malacia – a Dutch player who has been doing well as back up to Shaw.
Lisandro Martinez is Argentine, Antony is a Brazilian, Casemiro also.
Dubravka is Slovenian or so. Jack Butland is an English guy.
Note that he has only signed one Dutch player and he is going for Weghorst who is the only striker available on United’s budget. I don’t even know what to tell that guy
Joe Praise (Nigeria)

Celebration police
Ah, I see the celebration police are back. Weldoninhio is upset because Newcastle fans have the temerity to enjoy their club are winning and reaching their first semi-final for ages. I can’t understand the mindset of people with that mindset. Isn’t football supposed to be fun? What is the problem with actually enjoying it? To me, it’s brilliant to see fans creating an amazing atmosphere and enjoying their football. If all fans celebrated like that, there would be a lot more joy in football. But Weldoninhio feels the need to write into the mailbox and put them down. And he calls them the pathetic ones…
Mike, LFC, London (Also, it wasn’t the last 16, it was the quarter finals. At least get your facts right)

 

…RE: Weldoninhio, BAC – I thought we had gotten past this celebration police nonsense. We’ve been so badly mismanaged that we haven’t gotten to a semi final in 18 years, any fan would be happy with such clear progress or going far in a competition and this being a sign of both is incredible to watch and enjoy. So if the people that want to deem what is and isn’t celebration worthy could kindly f*** off that would be much appreciated.
Additionally, as much as folks belittle the league cup if we were able to win it, the city would explode with celebration, and that would be amazing!
Davie, Newcastle

 

…Weldoninhio, knob off. I’ve had enough of the celebration police. I’ve had enough of other fans judging other fans for having the temerity to enjoy a result. It doesn’t matter if it is the Champions League final or a midweek game mid season, if you love your team, and want them to do well, you celebrate when you win. I don’t care that it was ‘only’ a Carabao Cup game. Those players don’t care, they have pride, they have their want to succeed. The fans shouldn’t care as a win is a win.

Who are you to judge them? Sometimes I think some of you don’t enjoy football at all *cough Stewie cough*.

Only one team can win the league in a season. Only one team can with the CL. Should every other team view their performance as abject failure? Or should they be proud of their wins regardless?

Look at you, making me defend a petro-state club! I feel unclean but it is true.
John Matrix AFC