What can we do about Manchester City? They have a ‘massive problem’. Ok, not in line with chlorine attacks in Syria, the imminent war with Russia, the gender ‘pay gap’, but still, its a problem. The team have won the league. The hardest, most competitive league in the world (Bayern Munich just won the Bundesliga for the 6th consecutive time, Celtic are about to win the Scottish league as they’ve done every year for 9 decades, Real Madrid and Barcelona pretty much win every Spanish title and no-one cares about the French), and City had it wrapped up last October. They might have faltered against Liverpool, buckled against Man United and (may it please the Lord) get FUCKING HAMMERED AT WEMBLEY NEXT WEEKEND, but its a done deal. Though it is a bit odd that the team I myself even called ‘the best club team in the world… probably’ have started to show vulnerability and even fragility. And from a fan’s perspective (the only one I have) the vulnerability against Liverpool hurts but the fragility against Man United simply kills. No fan wants ever to be on the receiving end of “2-nil, and you fucked it up, 2-nil…” (repeat until the pubs have closed and the last buses long gone back to the depot). Because after that, and I speak from a vast experience, you stop trusting your team even when they have a ‘great lead’. You live in a state of panic. You start hearing things at your ground from fellow fans, just after we’ve taken a 1-nil lead, like: ‘oooh, that’s a bit too early for us to score really’. At 3-nil up you’re really worried.

Spurs used to be like that. For decades. Fragile. Unpredictable in adversity. Unable to close out matches. And yet now I have a confidence in them, in the players, in their mind-set, in the way they play, that I’m comfortable with. I don’t get in (so much of) a panic when we’re 2-0 up and concede a goal in the 63rd minute. Well, only momentarily, perhaps. But I have faith. I believe. And trust me, that’s new.

And attributable to Daniel Levy. The club’s chairman. Who just received a yearly pay award of 6 million quid. And as he’s famously ‘mean’ about player wages to the extent where no-one quite knows how he manages to ‘underpay’ (100,000 a week?? Underpay???? But heh, this is football) our array of superstars, but he does and keeps them happy. He found us the absolute best manager in the world who, coincidentally, earns a similar amount, which is a total bargain. And he’s building us the best stadium in the league for next year.

What Toby Alderweireld thinks he’s worth is irrelevant here. Its like bemoaning Stephen Spielberg earning more than Kate Winslet. Its not comparable. Daniel Levy is the boss. He can earn what he wants. He runs a massive, multi-million pound company which turns a very healthy profit and keeps me very happy. His pay is simply not comparable to ‘the talent’. However talented they may be or think they are or, worse still, their agents think they are. Its facile and stupid to compare salaries of people doing completely different jobs.

Happy Monday and if someone says ‘we need more rain’ at any time in the next 6 months, I’m going to kill them.

A xxxx