Tottenham proving Gary Neville wrong as pundit’s prediction falls flat
Pundits had their say on Ange Postecoglou’s side before the season began with Gary Neville among those making a prediction
Ange Postecoglou is having the last laugh at his Tottenham naysayers (Image: Will Palmer/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
At the November international break, Tottenham Hotspur are not in a relegation fight. Yes, you heard that right. Crazy, isn’t it?
Because that is what some pundits – even those of a Spurs persuasion – were predicting earlier this year. At the start of the campaign, few people were backing Ange Postecoglou to be a success in North London.
How do we know? Unfortunately for some, modern technology allows people to keep receipts, documenting every word or, in this case, prediction, ever made. Former Tottenham owner Alan Sugar famously forecasted in 2005 that “next Christmas, the iPod will be kaput”, with arguably the most ill-judged prophecy of all time.
Some of the pundits below could give Sugar a run for his money.
Back-to-back defeats may have dampened the mood slightly around Spurs but the truth is nobody expected a title race to begin with. Not least the experts, who anticipated another dismal season after losing Harry Kane.
Only one pundit put his neck on the line and backed Tottenham to succeed under Postecoglou. After 12 games, football.london has delved through the pre-season archives to find out who needs a telling reminder of how wrong they were.
Gary Neville
“I am going to go (with) Arsenal winning the league (and) City second. I think Arsenal can beat them.
“I think Arsenal, City, Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Villa. Newcastle and Tottenham. I think Newcastle and Tottenham, I think Newcastle Champions League and Tottenham, I’m not quite sure what is going on there.”
Chris Waddle
“They’ve not spent enough. They’ve got a side that can finish in the top half but, even if Kane stays, they’re nowhere near the top four. I know they were in fourth place when Antonio Conte left last season, with ten league games to go, but they never really convinced me. There was only the odd moment where they looked good, then their run-in was absolutely terrible.”
Jamie O’Hara
“Obviously we all hope that he (Kane) sticks around and signs a new contract. Because without Harry Kane, I seriously think we could be fighting relegation next season.
“We are that bad without him. We have been solely dependent on Harry Kane to score us goals and do stuff for us. And the lack of ambition we’ve shown and the players we’ve signed that haven’t been good enough. If he leaves, we are in big, big, trouble.”
Darren Bent
“The team that I’m probably worried about the most, you’d have to say are Spurs. They’ve signed one or two players, I understand that, but if they go and lose their main man which is Kane, who is one of the best if not the best on the planet, then what do they do?
“For me, there’s no plan B. If Kane leaves, does Richarlison go up top and give you the same numbers? Probably not.”
Chris Sutton
“I am excited about seeing Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham. I can’t wait to watch ‘Ange-ball’ in the Premier League after seeing him at Celtic. Spurs were a team I was thinking about to finish fourth, but that does rely on Kane staying and they need to solve their centre-back issues.
“The other thing that is crucial to the way Postecoglou wants to play is having someone to play the first quick pass forward from midfield – they still need to get that right.”
football.london Spurs WhatsApp channel
Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Tottenham stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!
Click this link to follow the football.london Spurs WhatsApp channel, where you’ll be kept up to date on the latest Lilywhites news wherever you are.
Just remember to turn on the notifications once you’ve followed, and you won’t miss a beat!
