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Levy faces mass demo by furious Spurs fans
Simon Johnson, Football Correspondent20.10.08
Tottenham fans will launch a massive protest calling for chairman Daniel Levy to resign at their next home game against Bolton on
Sunday.
Standard Sport understands that a group of angry supporters have already organised 25,000 leaflets to be handed out at White Hart Lane before the match.
The literature calls on the company that owns Spurs, Enic — of which Levy is managing director — to sell its majority stake to new investors.
Protest organisers will ask home supporters to hold up the leaflets for the first five minutes of the match before concentrating on getting behind the team, who are now three points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League after
yesterday's 2-1 defeat at Stoke.
Head coach Juande Ramos may have guided Spurs to the worst start to a League campaign in their history, but many supporters blame Levy for their plight. It is believed the rebel fans' group — which has been newly formed — will stage further protests after Sunday, while board members are set for a hostile reception from shareholders at next month's AGM.
Many fans are also angry that the Spurs chairman has yet to axe sporting director Damien Comolli, who has been responsible for signing most of the players since he was appointed in 2005 with little success.
Comolli was sitting alongside Levy at the Victoria Ground, although the Frenchman's position is still believed to be vulnerable.
Levy refused to comment on Ramos's future yesterday, but it is understood that the club remain determined to stick by the Spaniard, who has three more years to run on a £4million-a-year contract.
Reader views (21)
Why is it when anything goes wrong everyone looks for a scapegoat to blame. The owners are down, the fans, the manager, the team. We have 5 or six new, key players that have never played in the premier, and never lived in London let alone at Spurs. Gazza, Berby, are just two players I remember who turned up at the lane and took six months to settle in. Add to that 6 players all at once and that can be the only explanation. We had to sell Berby and Keane, they wanted to go. Remember when the premier started and we were bankrupt, well we're not now. I don't think any one is particularly to blame, we are having no luck at all and we are in a horrible rut, a horrible rut! Something needs to spark us out of it and it wont be Bolton, it may be a Derby. I hope we don't lose any personnel over this as if we all stick together we will come out all the stronger. No way will Spurs go down!
- Steavesy, Enfield
Levy, do the decent thing and find some new investors who are GENUINELY interested in the welfare of the club. You have presided over the demise of a once great footballing institution. Your one concern is money in the coffers. You have repeatedly stated that we are not a selling club. Well, Berbatov, Keane, Defoe and Malbranque would disagree, to name but a few. As for Comolli, we only have to go back to the signings made the previous Summer (2007). Of the four players signed, I know for a fact that Martin Jol only wanted Gareth Bale. The other three, Bent, Kaboul and Boeteng were forced upon our then manager by Comolli and they cost a combined transfer fee of 27 million. There is no chance of us becoming a top four club with you in charge. You knew Berbatov wanted to leave, so why was it left to the last minute of the transfer deadline? To extract one or two million more from Man Utd? So where has it left us? 5 goals in 8 league games, that's where. We are left with the worst of the four strikers we had last season, plus a Russian and a Man Utd reserve with no Premier league experience between them. I could go on and on. Levy, please go. Comolli, your correct title should be Director of Bad Signings. Don't wait for the axe to fall. For once in your life, do the decent thing, ask Wenger for your old scouting job back and spend the next few seasons destroying his team, like you have ours.
- David Goldring, London, UK.
Jenas sits in a crucial position unfortunately he has neither the skill nor the intelligence to occupy such a position.
As to making him vice captain, what a joke he runs around like a headless chicken.
Sad days indeed.
- Antony, London, UK.
I never known a Spurs side so poor in years, and please play any one but Bent please.
- Richard Murphy, Cyprus
Levy has made a catalogue of errors and Comolli has time and again failed to produce the goods. For example when Jol asked for an experienced centre back Comolli went out and bought the very young Younes Kaboul (now at Portsmouth) and declined the opportunity to buy Silvian Distin (now at Portsmouth).
Levy lost Carrick because when he asked to negotiate Kelmsey (Levy's number two at the time) refused and said he knew a better player - Zokora (oh).
They both forced Jol out and chased Ramos. They got the man Comolli asked for.
Only one team made a profit during the summer transfer window - the team that are bottom. Great business that Mr Levy.
Levy and Comolli it's time to go. You're not up to the job.
- James, London, UK.
Fair enough Spurs have had the worst start to a premiership campaign ever but at the of day is Leavy really to blame? he has built spurs up into a business that without the money he has brought in we would not have a lot of the 'top' players we have now, I mean he brought in who he thought and all Spurs fans thought would start a new era at the club, I mean last season we wont the Carling Cup but that was on a team that Martin Jol had pretty much build and this season the team that Ramos has build he doesn't seem to be able to handle and the players are not responding to his management tactics witch is clear when you see them play, I do think Leavy has done well in making money at White Heart Lane and bringing in big name players and managers, it isn't his fault that they cant handle the premiership.
- Tony, Essex, UK.
I am tired of supporting Spurs for what! for the pass 20 years. I supported Spurs from 1978, young lad of 15 while living in South Africa, you know what! I was often so stressed out that my wife give up on me cause I was so obsessed about Spurs. I love Spurs so much and hoping every year that they would get better, but rubbish for the past 20 years Spurs has never changed. Its high time the supporters take over, educating the future generations. We need to get those guys that love playing for Spurs and with passion and would be able to die for our team in of their emotional energy.
Tell me how can clear thinkers like Levy get a Spanish that does not speak English to lead, M Jol could have, But Levy destroyed the our Coach of the future M Jol,
To Be honest M Jol would have made it happen, if he had the support and the repect of levy
- Tibbs, Great Yarmouth, UK.
It's the kind of ridiculous actions by so called supporters that have got us in this mess in the first place. Knee jerking, jealous and selfish individuals, who are more concerned about losing face at work than they are for the welfare and long term ambitions of the club.
We had two successive top five placings under Jol and a cup win under Ramos, mainly with Jols team. Levys only mistake was his appointment of Comolli when Arnesen was poached by Chelsea. The main culprits of our dilemma are the top four clubs, all of whom have used Spurs in one way or another and been allowed to get away with it. No manager can lose players as we have done, and key personnel and still be expected to progress. Levy has done a fantastic job, but has made one fundamental error, and that is listening to the fans, who are by and large, ill informed and prone to react adversely when things go wrong, sacking Graham and then Jol were designed to keep the fans off the boards back, but the simple fact that since Arnesen's departure we have had instability and crisis' each and every season.
Support the damned club, instead of howling for change season in and season out. There's not a single fan who wasn't in praise of Ramos in March and for crying out loud its not even November, and there's not one of Ramos's buys that wasn't welcomed was there?
- Peter Lyons- Mccarthy, Wickford, Essex.
If anyone Comolli should go. None of the "Big 4" have a director of football why do Spurs feel they need one. It never worked with David Pleat. I could do a better job of picking the team and buying players. Jenas is a complete waste of space - he didn't make one good pass yesterday and his free kicks were useless. He has no leadership qualities at all. Modric loses the ball too often and they don't use Lennon in the right position.
Bring back Martin Jol I say.
- Loraine, London
Liverpool fan here.
For the sake of football Spurs cant go down, although it prob seems like the end of the world right now, I am 100% certain you will stay up. You have too much quality.
Just get behind your team - and it will turn out OK in the end
From the outside looking in, Comolli has done a bloody awful job, and is the one who should carry the can.
- Steve P, Liverpool
So good to see the fans have worked it out at last. Levy so out of his depth the sooner he goes back to using his Arsenal season ticket the better. All his senior mangers off the field have left, including board members, disillusioned with the ENIC objective to put business before trophies. What about the stadium; millions wasted on planning and consistent failure to meet deadlines. I could go on. It's a shame the great institution of THFC has been so abused by Levy and ENIC that we now have to resort to public protest. Daniel, you have 5 days to fall on your sword and regain some respect in this sorry state of affairs.
- Gary, on holiday in Turkey
I am sick and tired of all this rubbish about Levy and Comolli.The only one to blame for the plight our team is in is Ramos!With the players that he has had at his disposal his team selection and tactics defy belief.Most premiership managers would love to have the players that we have at Spurs.Ramos's record is diabolical since taking over at Tottenham.Its there for all fans to see,how players like Jenas,and Bent play week in week out is beyond me.Bent was fourth choice striker last season and is now first choice! it a joke.Jenas has had no more than a handful of good games since coming to the club four years ago,as captain he is a waste of space.So don't blame anyone other than Ramos, he picks the team.
- Smooth And Round, ST.NEOTS CAMBS. ENGLAND
Bought all the flare players, but if Levy and Comolli, understood the values of a Spurs player, he don't have cost a arm and a leg, someone who wants to wear the shirt.
Ramos, to keep your Job, take the captaincy from Jenas, he done nothing yesterday, apart from passing backwards, didnt assist and service the strikers, Zokora, the player who wont and never score1
At least with Steffen Freund, not the best player but gave his heart and soul for the club..
J.R. its time to change the team, bring Huddlestone and O'Hara, look at Man City, they have players who came up through their ranks in the 1st team. How many do we have?
- Adrian, London
to be honest i dont care who gets sacked and who buys team, all i want is to see tottenham hotspur a great team not go down 
- Joe, worcester
it will make no difference to get rid of staff ...the most important things is to survive relegation this year.......so it will take a collective effort to acheive this.....levy has a succesful business with thfc , it is the players and the manager who have to dig deep.....
and develop some consistency and form with sound positional play on the park.spurs supporters have to show solidarity whatever......no newcastle rubbish
- Billopsur, london
On behalf of all fair minded chelsea, arsenal and hull fans, i implore the board to stay where you are - what's happening at 3 point lane is a welcome break from the daily grind of the credit crunch
Levy In !!!
- Simon Bucknell, enfield
Good. It's time for Levy to go. I'll be supporting the protest.
- Steve Ferguson, London, UK
What is this with Levy and Comolli? One spends millions on players who are not fit for purpose and the other does nothing to stop our slide into the lower divisions. They wanted Jol out not the fans. For God sake go.
- William, Ilford. Essex
Why do these idiots want Levy out ? What other teams outside of the top 4 get the amount of money to spend year after year which Spurs do ? If anyone needs to be sacked its the Pre Madonna players like Bale, Corluka, Gomes, Lennon, Zakora, Bentley, Jenas, Modric who are not played like they care about the club but why would they ..... if Spurs get relegated they will get a transfer to another team !!! The team lacks heart and the desire. The players in the team do not care about Spurs . Bring back Venables even if its as a number 2, as a Sporting Director or even if its just someone who cares about Spurs and can speak English !!!
- Mr Boyd, Surrey
so your a levy fan not a spurs fan,far too many of this lot at the club support the team demand the sacking of this board,
spurs fan for 57 years
- Michael Keane, london england
Newcastle fans protested against the "cockney mafia" and they now have Joe Kinnear as temporary manager and are completely rudderless.
Spurs are in real trouble but absolutely nothing can be done until January regardless of who is in charge so we need to stay united and get behind the team against Bolton.
The players are short on confidence as it is, without the added distraction of a protest at the start of a must-win game!!
I will not be supporting the protest on Sunday.
- Dr M, London
