Simon Jordan has said that while he does not expect Tottenham Hotspur to compete for the title unless the other contenders slip up considerably, he insisted that Ange Postecoglou deserves plenty of praise for the galvanising effect he has had at the club.
Nine games into the campaign, Tottenham are still unbeaten, having won seven and drawn two so far. Postecoglou has set a new record for winning the most points in his first nine Premier League games in charge – 23 (ESPN).
That has got some questioning whether the Lilywhites could potentially sustain this run and challenge the likes of Man City and Arsenal for the title, but Jordan feels they are unlikely to do so.
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Can Tottenham actually challenge for the PL title?
When asked if Spurs could win the league, he told talkSPORT: “If we see a decline in Manchester City, we see a decline in Arsenal, Liverpool don’t pick up their standards from the disappointment of last season, Man United continue their decline, then we can have this conversation.
“If we’re talking about people maintaining a certain level, then no, I don’t expect Tottenham Hotspur to win the Premier League.”
However, Jordan made it clear that he is a big fan of Postecoglou and praised the Australian for the kind of team he is building and the way he addresses the media.
He continued: “I am an absolute stalwart for supporting Postecoglou. I think he’s a very sensible manager. I listened to Tim Sherwood tell me he got all fed up with having nice dryers at the training ground.
“This guy tells me about the fact that they’ve got wonderful training facilities. They’ve got a stadium that is fit for the best and it’s his job to build a team.
“They got a draw against Arsenal. They got a fortuitous win against Liverpool and in previous times, we’ve seen Tottenham being able to get the better of Manchester City.
“I still feel Tottenham have a lot to do and a long way to go but what they are is a far better outfit from the footballing side and the media-facing perspective of what’s actually going on.”
Jordan admitted that he did not expect Spurs to start the season as well as they have and suggested that Harry Kane’s departure might have actually worked in the club’s favour.
The former Crystal Palace owner added: “I didn’t expect Tottenham to be top of the league but I did expect Tottenham to have a Postecoglou effect. That they would be something worth discussing.
“If we were sitting here with Tottenham in fourth or fifth in the league, we would still be saying, ‘this is a really good turnaround’.
“The Harry Kane departure has created an opportunity for others to step into the breach because it is radiators and drains. If you’re listening every year, about the radiator that is Harry Kane and the drain that he wants to leave, it has a debilitating effect. Now he’s not there, it has afforded an opportunity for others.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is clear that the overwhelming majority of Spurs fans are not entertaining talks of a potential title tilt this season, with most being quite happy with a top-four finish.
However, parts of the media appear to be seriously asking questions about Tottenham’s title credentials, and they would be the first ones to accuse the club of ‘bottling it’ if we fail to win it, even though most of these pundits did not give the Lilywhites any chance of a top-four finish at the start of the season.
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