Yet by 5pm, after Thomas Frank's era as Tottenham's new manager had got off to a winning start with a 3-0 victory over Burnley, there was precious little moaning from the majority of fans.
A comfortable win, a clean sheet, two excellent goals from Richarlison with assists by new signing Mohammed Kudus, and a tactical flexibility from Frank that was missing under his predecessor Ange Postecoglou – what's not to like?
The biggest gripe from protest organisers Change for Tottenham is that the club's owners Enic, embodied by Levy, have no clear transfer strategy nor a willingness to invest in players.
Yet the evidence on the pitch and on the balance sheet tells another story. In the past five years, Tottenham have a net transfer spend of almost €600m, fourth in the league behind Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, all of whom have spent considerably more. Spurs have a net spend that is considerably higher than Manchester City and Liverpool, the two dominant clubs of the past five years and the only two to win the Premier League in that period.
So is Tottenham's lack of league success down to a lack of investment, or poor management and recruitment? Levy has tried to address the former with five managers in five years, the last of which –Postecoglou – finally won a trophy but finished 17th.
Frank proved at Brentford he is a great motivator, man-manager and is more pragmatic, tweaking his tactics according to the opposition. Last Wednesday in the UEFA Super Cup he played five at the back to counter the threat of Paris St Germain's all-star attack, and only lost on penalties, having held the European Champions to a 2-2 draw.
Against newly-promoted Burnley, he swtiched to 4-3-3, rotated his midfield to give two teenagers a chance, and came up trumps. When Spurs travel to Manchester City next weekend, more changes to personnel and tactics are expected.
In terms of recruitment, sometimes it takes time for signings to show their value. Kudus has hit the ground running since his €64m transfer from West Ham. He set up Richarlison's first goal after winning the ball wide on the right and delivering a clever cross from which the Brazilian hooked in a smart finish. Kudus was also the provider on the hour when Richarlison scored what Frank described later as “the goal of the season”, as the Brazilian produced an acrobatic scissor kick from 12 yards.
Frank was full of praise for the Brazilian maverick, whose time at Tottenham has been beset by an injury-wracked body that the club's new medical staff are managing with kid gloves.
“I'm so happy on his behalf and for the performance and medical departments, who did a top job to build him. That will be continuous and something we need to look at throughout the season. There is a long way to go but very positive with him.
“It is fantastic that he is scoring. I have a striker that takes those two chances and helps us win the game. He was very good against PSG and today he was exceptional, with his work-rate, driving the team, link-up play, hold-up play, just dominating and then the two finishes.”
Richarlison was replaced late on by Dominic Solanke, still the club's record signing at €65m although that could be challenged if Eberechi Eze is tempted away from Crystal Palace. Solanke was first-choice centre-forward last season, but he and Richarlison could swap places more if the Brazilian stays fit.
Frank added: “The dream scenario is to have two good strikers. We need that. We're hopefully playing more than 60 games this season, and for that you need two in every position.”
Scott Parker got Burnley promoted on the back of a defence that conceded only 16 goals, but knows they face a massive challenge, even with former Spurs and Manchester City star Kyle Walker in their ranks. “Kyle was magnificent today, but it's so clinical in the Premier League. Tottenham produced an outstanding, world-class finish to see the game away from us. But I saw a lot of positives today.”
TOTTENHAM (4-3-3): Vicario 6; Porro 7, Romero 6, Van de Ven 7, Spence 7; Sarr 7, Gray 7 (Bentancur 71), Bergvall 7 (Palhinha 80); Kudus 7 (Tel 85), Richarlison 8 (Solanke 71), Johnson 7 (Odobert 80)
BURNLEY (5-3-2): Dubravka 6; Sonne 5 (Tchaouna 74), Walker 7, Ekdal 5, Esteve 5, Hartman 6; Cullen 6, Anthony 7 (Edwards 85) Laurent 6 (Ugochukwu 63); Hannibal 6 (Bruun Larsen 63) Foster 6 (Flemming 74)
Ref: Michael Oliver 8