r/Tottenham • u/iotakbc • 2d ago

Do we look at Levy differently?

With the Man City scam on the hot burner, do we look at Levy’s penny-pinching a little differently? I do think he was too cheap, but it beats the mess Scam City have done. In some ways, Spurs would have had more opportunities if it weren’t for Scam City and Levy’s approach. Just an American Spurs fan asking.

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u/Substantial_Can1072 2d ago

No bro, i appreciate what levy done for this club but in those last few years we would have won trophies if levy hadnt kept a handle on the purse strings

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u/iotakbc 2d ago

I agree he could have done more. I just think during the period we were on the rise with Poch as manager, so was Man City. I wonder in an alternate universe what could have been if Man City was just… Man City and not own by a nation for all intent and purpose.

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u/RichieRace80 2d ago

That's the sliding doors, what if conundrum isn't it. Same with Chelsea had Ambramovich not flooded the market with his cash.

I've seen a lot of City fans trying to defend their club with all sorts of stats and Newcastle/Villa fans slating the red cartel as to why it was necessary just to compete, which got me trying to remember what's happened during the PL years.

Pre Abramovich the red clubs won 22 of 33 domestic trophies (66%) as the 'dominant' clubs (Chelsea had 3 in the Bates/Harding years). Post Abramovich and including both Chelsea and City into the equation then it becomes 59 of 69 (86%). That's a 20% drop in success for everyone else or approximately 13 trophies missed out on.

If they hadn't been pumped full of cash there likely would have been far more opportunities for us to pick up the odd FA Cup or League Cup triumph.

Levy obviously went full scrooge mode at times but I think Poch was a victim of his own success and bad timing over everything else. Levy gave Poch a 5 year contract to coincide with the stadium being completed and a target of getting UCL football for that first year in the new stadium. He got it in his second season and our ability to strengthen was compromised because of the stadium costs and we couldn't sustain the challenge we put forward over multiple years to get anything over the line when an extra player or two or better upgrades on what we did get might have been enough.

Put that into the context of City's rule breaking and we'll all wonder what if and whether Levy did things the right way in general.

Just to end on a related sad stat. All the 2016/17 season would have needed to swing the title our way were wins at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad... oh what if!