TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUPPORTERS’ TRUST
RESPONSE TO OPEN LETTER FROM MATT
JARVIS via @TOTTENHAMLATEST
12th JANUARY 2014
Dear Matt,
Thank you for your open
letter, posted via the @TottenhamLatest twitter account yesterday, which we
appreciate was not intended to cause any offence.
Whilst we are grateful that
you recognise that THST have a difficult job to do, it’s clear to us that the
lack of communication you speak of may have occurred due to the fact neither
yourself or @TottenhamLatest appear to actually follow our @THSTOfficial
account on twitter, or be members of the Trust.
We appreciate that at this
current time, there is a great deal of frustration and disengagement between
the Club and its’ fans.
Please believe us when we
say we feel exactly the same.
However, we don’t feel that
this is due to the level of communication between the Club and the THST Board
but rather the lack of two way dialogue between the Club and its’ supporters in
general.
One of the many ways THST
gauges the current sentiment of its’ members and the Clubs’ greater fanbase is
by reading twitter, Facebook and various message boards.
In terms of your comments
as to why we made a statement regarding the departure of Andre Villas-Boas, the
overwhelming sentiment, a result of that lack of communication, was one of a
high level of bewilderment as to where the Club would turn next.
As one of over 140
supporters’ trusts, THST is somewhat guided by Friends & Industrial
Provident Society rules, meaning that when the Club doesn’t have a manager,
it’s only right for us to speak as that is a matter of football governance.
Once a manager has been appointed, this is no longer the case.
At that stage, if the
Chairman of the football club is deemed to have made an incorrect decision, any
movement that grows from that is consequently a pressure group. Something THST
can never become itself.
Moving onto your questions:
1) The appointment of AVB and the ‘new direction’ mentioned at the
time
We can only believe that
after the tenure of Harry Redknapp, the Club board wanted to move back towards
a two-tiered level of management and one which was tactics-driven rather than
motivational.
It is worth noting that
only one of the current THST Board was in position at that time.
Regarding AVB’s departure, whilst
the Club will not communicate to us the full reasoning for this decision, we
can only assume that it was a combination of reasons, probably consisting of
the style of play and the mismanagement of certain key players.
After our statement of 19th
December, calling for clarification from Mr Levy, we were advised on the 21st
December that a statement would be made on the 23rd, which was the
appointment of Tim Sherwood into the managerial role.
2) Real Madrid/ THFC Partnership
THST was approached in late
August 2013 by @e_spurs to deliver an e-petition they had organised to the Club
calling for an end to the strategic partnership between Real Madrid and THFC.
Clearly, this was not our
campaign. We were merely facilitating another fans group to gain access to the
THFC hierarchy.
The e-petition was
presented to the Club on the 7th September and we have repeatedly
asked the Club for a response. To date, we have been stonewalled and THFC are
not prepared to make any comment on the partnership.
We can only suggest that
fans draw their own conclusions as to whether or not this was a real
partnership or merely spin used in Summer 2012 to make the sale of Luka Modric
seem more palatable.
We would add that we would
be amazed were THFC to now play Real Madrid in Ledley King’s testimonial match,
scheduled for Summer 2014.
3) Long/ short term ambitions
and the new stadium
As Daniel Levy has
repeatedly told THST over the last 13 years, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is
always available for sale. It should be remembered what the ‘I’ in ENIC stands
for.
Quite clearly, much work
has been done to clear the site for the intended new stadium and the
Sainsbury’s superstore and new technical college were erected very quickly.
However, it is our view that no actual work has started in respect of beginning
the build for the new stadium. As yet, the Club have not successfully secured a
naming rights deal, which is absolutely fundamental to financing the stadium,
although we do understand that the Club hosted several potential sponsors at
the recent Liverpool home match on 15th December.
Again, we are as frustrated
as everybody that there doesn’t appear to be any light at the end of this
tunnel as we feel the new stadium is paramount in addressing many of the
problems with atmosphere and fan enjoyment that we are currently witnessing.
We hope these answers have
helped your understanding of the current situation.
To help you gain a higher
understanding of the work THST undertakes, please feel free to follow us on
twitter (@THSTOfficial), Facebook (THST Official), LinkedIn (Tottenham Hotspur
Supporters’ Trust) and read our Updates on our website: www.THSTOfficial.com.
As an aside, we will be
opening up nominations to the THST Board this coming Friday (17th January)
ahead of our Annual General Meeting on February 26th.
All paid members are
eligible to stand for election and we urge those who feel passionately to get
involved.
Thank you.
THST Board.
