EXCLUSIVE: Lord Sugar gives brutal verdict on Tottenham Hotspur season so far - 'Useless'
Lord Sugar gives crushing verdict on Tottenham Hotspur season so far
Lord Sugar has given his verdict on the Tottenham Hotspur season so far - and says he would give the players the same treatment as contestants on his show The Apprentice. Sugar was the majority owner and chairman of the club from 1991 to 2001, but he sold his remaining shares in 2007.
However he remains a Spurs fan and watches their matches on TV even when he is spending parts of the year living in Florida. Lord Sugar was asked about their season after they had lost to Aston Villa in the FA Cup and had very patchy results in the Premier league leaving manager Thomas Frank under pressure.
Asked if Frank should be 'fired' like someone on his BBC series, Lord Sugar said: “I have no comment really about that poor sod. I mean, I think the whole bloody team should be fired. They're useless. Bloody useless. And, you know, they're getting close to the relegation zone. And it'd be interesting to see what the new management [ownership] is going to do. Because, as you know, Daniel Levy has left. So it's now in the hands of Joe Lewis, who's a multi billionaire, and he needs to start throwing some money, some real money at it to get the top players. And if he throws more money at it, they'll do well, I guess. Seems to be the only way that all these clubs do, is buy players for £100million each, or something.”
Lord Sugar spoke to the Mirror about Spurs at the official launch of The Apprentice anniversary series. It celebrates 20 years on screen this year. He has signed a contract which will see the business reality series on screen for another three years as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Asked if the show helps him feel young, Sugar said: “Part of the contract is the BBC has got to provide me with an electronic Zimmer frame! I mean, three years takes me to about 82 I suppose, the time I'm finished, but I'll carry on as long as the BBC want me to and I will know personally when it's time for me to kind of hang up my finger, if you know what I mean. As the footballers say, they hang up their boots, hang up my finger or something. I'm happy about it. I'm a very fit person.”
The 20th series of The Apprentice launches later this week with an increased batch of 20 new candidates looking to impress Lord Sugar and secure his £250,000 investment. It kicks off in dramatic fashion as the contestants - and even Lord Sugar - relocate for a challenge in Hong Kong. But Lord Sugar confirmed the opening episode does not run smoothly.
He said: “Having spent a fortune flying 20 people out to Hong Kong, not to mention 20 production people and myself, yeah it was disappointing.”
He said the candidates got a telling off from him “in technicolour” but it was edited out of the episode and a toned down version is shown. The BBC show will also see the candidates undertake a series of tough tasks including creating a children's book, selling live on television, and hosting a corporate away day on the Red Sea in El Gouna, Egypt.
Advisor Baroness Brady says: “They're full of energy. They weren’t very nervous. Some are a bit overconfident. There's a real mix of personalities. Everyone always asks me, do you know who the winner is when they walk into the boardroom? And of course we don’t, because we don't know what they're capable of just yet. That comes out in the process.”
On the longevity of the BBC series, Brady added: "It's such a great show, it's such an honour and a privilege to be involved. I've always said I'll be doing it as long as Alan's doing it. Not more, not less. So it's really great to be a part of it. It's a great show," she says.
"I think it's incredible to think we've reached the 20th series. That's a real milestone for any television show. And I think it speaks volumes about the strength of The Apprentice as a format and as a brand, two decades on, it's still entertaining, it's still competitive, and actually it's still as relevant as ever. And I think the show's evolved with the times. The business world has changed massively since series one, and the show has changed with it, we've got more entrepreneurial candidates, they're more digitally savvy, they are more aware of social impact and innovation.
"So I'm incredibly proud of what the show has achieved. It's not just about great TV, but it's launched real businesses with real success stories. I think we've helped shine a light on ambition, hard work, and resilience, qualities that are more important now than ever before."
* The Apprentice Series 20 kicks off on Thursday night on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer at 9pm.