Why are Tottenham ignoring the perfect candidate for their manager vacancy?

While Tottenham continually wipe custard from their chops, poor Graham Potter waits patiently to be noticed. Also: mails on Lampard, Lindelof, Liverpool…

Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…

Pottering about
Am I missing something obvious? Is there not a perfect manager for Spurs, who is available for free and capable of working with limited funds and find amazing players nobody else heard of…?
Graham Potter surely is a great option for them. Or did he already turn them down as well?
A

Lose, lose, lose for Everton
Ahead of the final weekend, just a thought on the relegation scenarios and Everton in particular.

Reading a piece this morning got me wondering about just how catastrophic this could be for them, and I say this without malice, but plenty of intrigue.

One thing that seems to be standing out in the situation is the FFP allegation against Everton. Now, as we know these relate to last season, but just keep it in mind , as I can see some really intriguing scenarios coming up. Also hoping people who know more might shed some light.

For what it’s worth I think all 3 win on the last day, meaning Everton survive at the expense of Leicester and Leeds. However, IF Everton do go down then what happens next?

First let’s look at the FFP thing, if found guilty could it lead to a points deduction? Or would this only apply to the premier league? If they go down and are docked points, could they be heading to league one in double quick time?! If they stay up and are docked points does this just delay relegation for one season?

Alternatively, they go down/stay up and are fined – which will be equally troubling given the stadium building – how much of an impact could a large fine have on their ability to come back – could wipe out a parachute payment?

Of course, there is a third possibility too – they stay up, but are open to legal action from Burnley, Norwich and Watford – the teams who went down in 2022? If you recall many moons ago, Sheffield United sued West Ham and ended up taking them for £20m due to the whole Tevez/Mascherano affair. Would those clubs feel aggrieved enough to do the same?

Whatever happens, the final outcome has to be a change of owner, no? Interested to see what Everton fans are making of this all. Feels like they’re only at the start of something here, and as I say, no malice, just find it an interesting situation from the outside. I know how it feels to see bad owners run a club to potential ruin (Hicks and Gillett, anyone?)

Cheers,
Marc (Bring on the UEFA cup, LFC)

Bet on Victor
I know there are two games to go, including one where humiliation/annihilation is possible, but Victor (Jonny) Lindelof has been sensational the last few weeks and a massive part in avoiding that infernal Europa League anthem next time round.

Turns out he’s aggressive, intelligent and effective when deployed next to anyone other than the statistically excellent £85m cursed tugboat.

Hopefully he’ll stick around as a clear third choice behind Varane’s biscuit ankles, but if not send that man to Italy as he’s far too good to deliver to a rival.

Handsome f*cker too.
Simon MUFC

Winners and losers
When Lampard was appointed, I wrote into the Mailbox say that his appointment was “win win for everyone”.

In hindsight, I might have got that one wrong.
James (Chelsea and Fleet), Gravesend.

Lampard in the real world
Lampard, and by proxy, Chelsea seem to have gotten off lightly considering the kicking Arsenal and Arteta have gotten for finishing second.

In any other industry, Lampard would never get another job. He’d have to move to another sector where his sub standard business speak and BS about passion might dupe people. With performance figures that he has, he shouldn’t be allowed near another football club again, but we all know that he will be. We all know some other owner will think he’s got the experience. We all know that he is the newest version of the Proper Football Man. He’s Alan Pardew 2: Electric Boogaloo!

Frank Lampard is robbing a living. He is demonstrably awful, but he inherited a squad that was assembled with close to £1 billion over time. That he is mired in 12th, with a best possible finish of 11th, should be more than enough to hound him out of town. And then he blusters about how United have had investment, and they have players. YOUR CLUB SIGNED AN ARSENAL TARGET FOR £88 Million! You can’t play pauper when you’re splashing cash like that.

A season without Europe did Arsenal a world of good, but now you need to hope that all those players Chelsea signed on ridiculous wages for 8 years don’t continue to stink, or you could have some very expensive albatrosses around your neck.

John Matrix AFC (I’d never call Bergkamp a maverick. I would call him a Brutalist – form and function in the most efficient way possible – and he threw a cheeky elbow too)

Read more: Man Utd answer £85m Mount question but Lampard must retire after all-time worst season

Guilty conscience
Levenshulme Blue, Manchester 19, you are so blindly defending indefensible behaviour.

I have previously been investigated by the police (it was mistaken identity) and I cooperated fully. I wanted to make sure I was cleared and could carry on with my life. What good would it have done to say to the police “Nah, I don’t want to talk to you. Charge me first then I’ll defend myself in court.”?

At the very least it’s arrogant power play and shows disdain. That alone should get you a points deduction.

City have been champion ar5e wipes for the last decade and that’s ALL they’ll be remembered for.
Ben, Cheltenhamshire (Give the title to Arsenal)

…Thing is, City’s hierarchy say it’s a flawed investigation and refuse to cooperate as they know full well that they are guilty – they approved the industrial level financial cheating campaign in full knowledge of what they were doing.

The only avenue open to them then is to attack the process as seen in the playbooks of D. Trump and B. Johnson in the hope that they either time out (as previously seen), the prosecutors lose interest or their knowingly false claims of a witch-hunt can get enough wilfully blind balloons to side with them to make it difficult to proceed clearly.

Try not to burst when celebrating, passionately or otherwise.
AD – Scouser exiled in London

City are the good guys
Re: Paul McDevitt . The first draft of FFP was written so that clubs couldn’t be in debt. This would protect clubs from “unchecked spending” and being in debt by not allowing debt. Simple. Sounds great. No debt, no administration or extinction. Except the G14 clubs didn’t like this (as most of them had debt) and got it changed to be about limiting spend by income. Then it was clearly about protecting legacy clubs, as that is the only version they would sign off on.

And i’d argue that City has made the PL a better league. If we rewind back to the period before City’s takeover then the Big Four of United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all finished in the top 4 for six seasons in a row between 03-04 to 08-09. City disrupted their combined hegemony such that in 09-10 Spurs got into the Top 4 and then City the following season. Each of the original Big 4 all had multiple seasons outside the top 4 since then. And we have seen the football level rise because of the brilliant managers that have come into the league since 2008. No more 1-0 big 4 attritional football clashes and instead wonderful, elite technical matches between City and Liverpool.

Leicester would not have won the league in 2016 without that disruption. The Big 4 would be the same Big 4 without City, all locked in a virtuous circle of getting Top 4, getting CL money, using additional money to get better players and then getting Top 4. It would be dull now as it was dull then. Now we have a Big 7 and much more competitiom to get CL places. Yes City have dominated recently, but that is more to do with Pep’s genius. Watch what happens when he leaves City.
Andy D. Manchester. MCFC.

See for yourself
Calum says that the supposed narrative that Antony is a flop and Gakpo has lit up the world, is not based on reality. Calum provides loads of statistics to prove this. I watch loads of football, far too much even, and it’s just not possible to draw such conclusions based on statistics. Statistically, Ronaldo was one of Man U’s best performers last season. Have they missed him this season, though? Even though he was replaced by someone who can run and nothing else? Yes, you Wout. It wouldn’t surprise me if Chelsea’s head scout has never watched a game in his life, but just receives and studies the statistics of all the matches played in Europe. How else could you spend so much money and up with a load of nothingness? A good scout needs to see players in action; statistics are just an additional tool, that’s all.
G Thomas, Breda

Flying the flag
Let us be absolutely clear, if it wasn’t for city this season and our London brethren, West Ham, English football would be the laughing stock of Europe this season. All that money spent on players, ruining football and they cannot even get a club to the latter stages of any of the European competitions. We would be ridiculed.

So to those fans complaining, wipe away your salty tears and take a hard look at yourself in the mirror and thank Westhamchester City for retaining those coefficient points your owners rely so heavily upon.
Rosie Poppins

Fact-checking the fact-checker
Not one to be petty but I’ve got a lot of work on today so naturally I’m just on Football365 doing absolutely none of it. David from Atlanta I’ve got to fact check the fact checker. Straight away I raised an eyebrow at the comments about no Man Utd signings of £30m before the City takeover? Rio Ferdinand I believe was precisely that sum. Not sure about the exchange rate but Veron must be close too.

Also channeling my inner Chris Sutton, it’s Manchester United, not ‘United’, they aren’t even the main team in their own city. Although if you were referring to Colchester United, or Scunthorpe United I take it all back.

Have a nice day,
Tarqs, Woolwich, NUFC

…Re: David, Atlanta – And his statement Manchester United didn’t but players around the £30 million mark before Abu Dhabi took over City.

Abu Dhabi takeover of Man City – 2008

Wayne Rooney – Everton to Manchester United – 2004 – Fee – £30 million
Rio Ferdinand – West Ham United to Manchester United – Fee – 2002 – £30 million
Juan Sebastian Veron – Lazio to Manchester United – Fee – £28.1 million

Maybe just double check before making grandiose statements trying to defend Man City?

Just a thought, I mean google is right there (other search engines are available)
Alan, Belfast

…So David, Atlanta, no £30m players signed by Man Utd prior to the City takeover?

So where does Rio Ferdinand’s £30m transfer in 2002 fit?

United benefitted hugely from Sky money I’m nineties and dominated for years thanks to be the richest club. So they could hover up all talent at inflated prices. Rio signed for Leeds for £18m only 2 years before that transfer…

My team Blackburn Rovers, were able to compete with them for a short time due to a hugely wealthy owner. I don’t think Jack Walker’s investment would be possible under FFP, which is the point City fans are making . FFP is just designed to protect the status quo.

As a Rovers fans I’ve also experienced the horrific ownership of Venkys (at least in their early days), and FFP would not have prevented them destroying my club.

Supporters of big clubs who are critical of City are just jealous that their owners are incapable of running their clubs so we’ll.
Andrew, BRFC, Nottingham

Good for something
If there’s one team that you can beat 4-1, comfortably outperforming them on xg, and yet still somehow feel that we played pretty sh*t against them, it’s Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.
Calum, MUFC, Wokingham

Liverpool and United’s reversal complete
But not in the way you might be thinking by the title of this mail..

I don’t know if it’s just amongst my friends or if this is a wider spread phenomena, but Utd fans I know are sort of over-the-top delighted to have finished above Liverpool. It doesn’t really seem to be mainly the champions league piece really, its more getting on over on the merseysiders.

Last year when Liverpool were chasing the quad, I honestly couldn’t have told you where Utd were in the league, I really just didn’t care. Utd are a team that will get champs league every second year but ultimately fall short of anything meaningful. This point fairly neatly encapsulated by Utd spending about 700 mil in the last 6.5 years all for the joy of a league cup…But back to my point – rewind a decade or so and the joy I felt at Liverpool finishing above Utd the second Fergie left was brilliant. Liverpool didn’t win anything that year, but by god they finished above the mighty Utd. Back to present day and Utd fans are over the moon to have finished above the mighty Liverpool.

Reversal = complete
Patricio Del Toro

League of their own
Man United’s victory over Chelsea (hurray) was the final match between the “Big Six” for the season.

The mini league had the teams finishing in exactly the same order as in the full table. Man City 21 Pts then Arsenal on 19, United on 17, Liverpool 15, Spurs 8 and winless Chelsea on 4 Pts.

The top four of those teams each lost three times, and all bar Arsenal were unbeaten at home, with United and City winning all their home games against the other five teams.

Throw Newcastle into the mix to make it a Big Seven, and the story changes, with Liverpool up to third, and if Newcastle beat Chelsea, United will be down to 5th. Which leads me to wonder, if another couple of teams were bought by multi billionaire investors, would the league become even more even ? Once Pep and Robot man bugger off elsewhere of course.

cheers,
Ged Biglin

MS word
This, in my humble opinion, is the finest example of written sh*thousery this season, well played Matt Stead, well played indeed:

‘…the independent decisions of both Kai Havertz and Mykhaylo Mudryk to translate the term ‘counter-attacking’ to its most literal definition’
JH