Tottenham’s Andre Villas-Boas is a Very Angry Young Manager

An Angry Andre Villas-Boas

Andre Villas-Boas may have said that he felt no pressure ahead of last weekend’s game against Reading but the Tottenham manager’s comments in the media suggest differently and that he is a very angry young man who feels he has a lot to prove. This type of reaction is so different to the cheeky chappy comments and platitudes that so often came from Harry Redknapp – every player was a ‘great player, nice lad’, all managers were his best mates and match officials were ‘honest chaps’ who ‘might have made a mistake’. Even the blatant ‘non-goal’ in last season’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea failed to raise any real agitation or anger from Redknapp.

It was a  similar situation with Martin Jol during his time with Tottenham. He was like everyone’s favourite grandfather with a kind word about everyone. It’s uncertain how Juande Ramos reacted to the media and critical remarks as his English was so limited. Andre Villas-Boas, however, is prepared to take on his critics and he is still hurting over his treatment at Chelsea and has something to prove to himself and to doubters in the media and in football at large.

Chelsea and Roman Abramovich

When Villas-Boas was appointed as Head Coach at Tottenham, in his first interview, he had critical comments to make over the way he had been treated at Chelsea and he clearly felt betrayed and let down by Roman Abramovich. He launched a scathing attack on the Chelsea owner, accusing him of broken promises and “quitting on me” when he was sacked as manager in March.

"“I respect the decision of the owner of Chelsea …. but I will never accept it. I told him that for me it was him quitting on me when he had been so involved at the beginning in bringing me in. And I told him he was also the one who was not putting up on the things he had promised.”"

He returned to the subject more recently before the first home match against West Bromwich Albion and again was clearly annoyed about what had happened to him during his nine month period at Stamford bridge and how he has been portrayed in the media.

Harry Redknapp

Last weekend Harry Redknapp took a swipe at the ‘modern manager’ with their ’70-page dossiers’. There was no direct criticism of Villas-Boas but it obviously rankled with Redknapp’s successor as he took the opportunity to respond when questioned by reporters after the reading game. Villas-Boas very cleverly turned it away from himself and pointed Redknapp’s criticism at former Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho, but the message was clear from the new Head Coach at White Hart Lane – mind your own business, Harry Redknapp!!

Villas-Boas said to reporters after the win at Reading,

"“It is not about the manager, it is about the players. It is the players that take us to success and different managers have different leadership styles and the ways they go about their business. I’m not sure if Harry was mentioning that about Jose Mourinho but, if he is, I find it strange. He is not referring to me as I don’t use those situations.”"

He went on to say that the most important thing is you have to feel it. When you feel the way you lead and your convictions you can sell your ideas a little bit better and take your players to success.

Villas-Boas wasn’t prepared to have his ideas put down by his predecessor and was prepared to stand up and defend himself. In the coming months such a stance could well benefit Tottenham if Villas-Boas proves to be a manager who is prepared to stand up and defend his club and team. The siege mentality adopted by Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger hasn’t done their clubs any harm over the years.

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