Football London

Vinai Venkatesham admits there's one key thing he wants to fix at Tottenham

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The Tottenham Hotspur chief executive officer wants to improve one major thing that has existed at the club in recent years

Vinai Venkatesham is looking to bring the Tottenham supporters and the club back together to repair the "strained relationship" that has existed for years.

Spurs have struggled on the pitch in recent seasons with former chairman Daniel Levy and the club's owners ENIC the focus of protests inside and outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the decades. Levy departed last year while new members of the Lewis family that own ENIC and therefore the club have come to the fore.

Tottenham were one of the biggest spenders in the recent summer window and while there are frustrations as the new-look side gels under Roberto De Zerbi, with the club bottom of the table after five matches, CEO Venkatesham is keen to bring the fans and the club closer together again after years of mistrust from the fanbase towards those running the organisation.

There has been a concerted effort in recent months to bring more of a community feel to the club's operations and also connecting stars from the past to their current group of players to ensure an understanding of what it means to play for Spurs.

In newly-published minutes from a meeting between Venkatesham and club staff with the Fan Advisory Board at the stadium last week, the CEO made it clear that the relationship with the supporters is a priority.

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"Vinai Venkatesham acknowledged that the relationship between the club and its supporters had been strained for some time, and reaffirmed the club’s commitment to strengthening that connection and rebuilding belief," read the minutes.

"The Hall of Fame, an initiative proposed by the FAB, had been celebrated at an event the previous evening recognising Bobby Buckle, Chris Hughton, Ledley King and Jenna Schillaci, and the Women’s Legacy Numbers had recently been launched.

"A number of former players had returned to the training ground to meet the current squad, with Dimitar Berbatov and Edgar Davids attending recently, and the Legends Lunch initiative was helping to bring people together. Venkatesham said that he wanted former players and the club's history to have a more visible and regular role around the club."

One very positive aspect of the club this season has been the women's team, who are flying under Martin Ho, and sit second in the Women's Super League table after four matches. Venkatesham spoke about their success and the work that has taken place this summer around the team.

"The club had invested significantly in the women’s team during the transfer window, with all signings completed before the start of pre-season in a well-executed window," read the meeting minutes of Venkatesham's address. "The squad combined established WSL and international experience with younger players of high potential, providing greater strength in depth and competition for places.

"There had been greater prioritisation and investment both on and off the pitch, and the team had made a strong start to the season. The immediate focus was on improving existing facilities to keep pace with the team’s growth. The long-term ambition for the women's team's base at Whitewebbs is unchanged and remains subject to an ongoing legal process.

"In the meantime, the club is investing in the team's current facilities, including changing space, gym and a briefing room, because the current building has been outgrown. Current improvements are a temporary requirement, not an alternative to Whitewebbs. A new Director of Women’s Football was being appointed to succeed Andy Rogers, in a role weighted more towards performance and technical than operational."

Football London

Tottenham transfer deadline day star admits he made a mistake in leaving

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Tottenham transfer deadline day star admits he made a mistake in leaving - Football London

The attacker was one of the north London club's biggest transfer deadline signings and he admits making a mistake in leaving Tottenham

Rafael van der Vaart has admitted once again that he made a mistake in leaving Tottenham back in 2012 after becoming a popular figure at the north London club.

The Dutchman remains Spurs' most famous transfer deadline signing in recent memory after the club's former chairman Daniel Levy stunned their fans by making a last-gasp swoop to bring him in from Real Madrid in the summer of 2010 after the World Cup.

The £8million move, made just two hours before the window closed, was only ratified after the Premier League confirmed Tottenham had been given special dispensation to get the deal done due to technical problems.

Wearing the number 11 shirt, Van der Vaart would go on to become a hugely popular figure at Spurs under Harry Redknapp with 46 goal involvements in 77 matches, starring in both the Premier League and Champions League. However, a couple of years later, with Andre Villas-Boas having just taken charge, the Netherlands international decided to return to former club Hamburg.

Van der Vaart admitted in a podcast appearance this week that his move back to Germany was a mistake at that time in his career.

"It sounds strange now, but I don’t think it was smart to go back to HSV. I was at the top of my game at Tottenham. I wanted to help HSV and thought: They can’t be relegated. My heart beats for HSV, but from a sporting perspective, it wasn’t the best decision," he said on the podcast Phrasenmaher and reported by Bild and Sport Witness.

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This is not the first time Van der Vaart has bemoaned his decision to swap N17 for Hamburg and he had admitted that just three years after leaving Tottenham.

"It was a stupid decision, the most stupid in my career, to leave Tottenham. I absolutely regret it because it was the best two years in my football life," he told the Daily Mirror back then. "When you see that team - when you have [Gareth] Bale, [Luka] Modric, me, [Aaron] Lennon - it was an unbelievable team. I think every game we played we were the better side. We had a lot of possession and a lot of fun with each other."

He also praised former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, who left the club shortly before him.

"He was like your dad. I would give everything for that man - I was really sad when he left. I think the England job would have been the best job for him and also for England," he said.

"[Leaving] was a little to do with everything. It was private things, but also when what's his name [Villas-Boas] came he said to me, 'You're not my number one,' and I had played two years, like, unbelievable, so for me it was really strange that he said that to me. So then I said, 'Well, it's better to leave,' and that is what happened."

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