Daniel Levy: Hero or Villian?

Lex Luthor. Dr Evil. Thanos. Voldemort. Dr Robotnik. Hollywood is obsessed with its villains being bald. Why? Well, I asked Google - this is what it told me:

"It's easier for directors to achieve the character build-up of a villain's treachery through a bald head. Compared to full heads, the lack of hair paired with a glorious mustache can accentuate facial features, adding a more menacing and intimidating aura."

Menacing and intimidating aura? I would imagine there are some club owners and Chairman that have felt that from Daniel Levy over the years. After all, he holds a reputation for being the most fearsome negotiator in football.

I guess the question is: has that stance pushed Spurs forwards? Or has it held them back? There are a couple of ways of looking at Levy's twenty-five years at the helm of Tottenham. On the pitch and off the pitch. Let's take a look at both.

From rags to riches

Off the pitch, Levy has been a roaring success. In 2001 when he took over, the Club was worth in the region of £80m. A run of the mill mid-table Premier League club seemingly going nowhere. Today it is worth over £3bn, with a training ground and stadium to rival any sports club in the world. Tottenham High Road itself has had extensive regeneration, and Daniel Levy has played a key part in lifting a rundown and under-funded part of London, creating hundreds of jobs as well as improving education facilities in the area. None of this should be overlooked. However....

Let your football do the talking

Tottenham Hotspur is a football club. And it is the job of football clubs to win. Spurs do not do that regularly enough. Perhaps it is fitting that Levy leaves after Spurs have finally won their second piece of silverware under his stewardship. Spurs fans, after all, will care very little for what Levy has achieved off the pitch, when for so long they have frustrated on it. There have been a multitude of 'almosts', more sliding doors moments than 40 years of Eastenders. 'Now is the time to be brave.' 'Can they push on now?' 'Are they ready to take the next step?'

Us Spurs fans have heard it all. After the Champions League final in 2019. When Jose took over the following November. When Conte replaced him not two years after. Sixteen managers have come and gone. If Poch hadn't done such a great job in his five years at the Club, there probably would have been a couple more.

In my opinion (and it is just that, go easy on me) I think Levy did a brilliant job until around 2017. There was a time under Poch when Spurs went from plucky underdog that everyone rooted for to a genuine expectation they compete with the established 'Big Five.' And whilst those expectations changed, the way Levy operated didn't.

"Put your money where your mouth is"

There were some extenuating circumstances, of course. The investment in the training facilities and stadium was considerable. But to see the team come so close to winning a title in 2017/18 and follow that up with a summer transfer window in which they failed to add a single player is inexcusable. There were times when Poch's Spurs genuinely looked like one of the best teams in Europe. They just needed a little boost. Two or three quality additions could have transformed an elite team into an elite squad. And it is very much squads that win leagues, not teams of XI.

But, Tottenham stood still. Chelsea under Abramovich spent and spent and spent. City blew their rivals out the water, and getting Guardiola was a game changer in itself. Even Arsenal, another sensibly run club like Spurs, have invested in Arteta in recent years, and even the most diehard Spurs fan would find it hard to argue the two North London rivals are currently competitive. Recent head-to-head results are proof enough of that.

And so Levy has seen the team that nearly conquered all slowly slip back to where it came from. 'Spursy' is back, and even a Europa League victory will not appease the fans.

#LevyOut

#LevyOut has been a constant trend on my X feed for a long time now. After every defeat, there seems to be more focus on him rather than the players on the pitch. And more and more, I tend to think that is justified. Spurs managers are sent in to bat with one arm tied behind their backs. They're racing F1 cars in secondhand Fords. Ultimately, something had to give.

There were rumours in the summer that outside investment was on its way to Tottenham. That does not seem to be the case, but certainly there has been a change of thought process at the very top. Donna Cullen has left the board. Vinai Venkatesham has been appointed CEO (the first time Tottenham have had one of them) and Peter Charrington has been appointed Non-Exectuve Chairman. What does all this mean?

Hopefully, it means the Club is ready to take a new direction, with as much focus put into growing on the pitch as off it. Spurs find themselves in the same situation Man Utd did after Ferguson. They are a global powerhouse off the pitch, and an inconsistent team on it. It is time for the team to reach the heights of the Club.

There are no guarantees that this change will help that happen. But surely taking a risk is better than sticking to the same principles that have seen the team regress in recent years. Only time, though, will be the judge of that.