On Tuesday night the news broke that Mauricio Pochettino had been sacked by Daniel Levy; at 6am Wednesday morning José Mourinho was already appointed Spurs' manager. From a Spurs' fan perspective, I feel Pochettino has been treated unfairly and should have been given more time.
However, I am excited by Jose's appointment and believe he could take Tottenham to the 'next step'-winning trophies.
The timing of the sacking was the surprise, more than the sacking itself. With Spurs' having only accumulated 24 points from 25 games since February. This form is bound to improve under Jose Mourinho, hopefully starting with a win against West Ham on Saturday. However, even if Mourinho wins trophies, Pochettino's influence should not be forgotten.
In his first interview as Tottenham manager, Pochettino stated
I want to make you proud to be a Tottenham Hotspur fan, I want to make you proud".
Mauricio Pochettino
Well Mauricio you achieved that, and more.
Pochettino embraced the club, he became a fan, he made Tottenham a threat. For the first time in my life, he made us believe we'd win trophies. In 15-16 & 16-17 Tottenham became a much more unpopular team to rival fans. Why? Because we were a threat.
"Pochettino has won no trophies". So what? He did something much more important. He made us proud to be Spurs, not embarrassed after the rather questionable days of Tim Sherwood and AVB.
No moment signifies this pride more than the semi-final comeback against Ajax last year. The pride and emotion I felt in that moment won't be matched by a League Cup or FA Cup win (Which I expect Mourinho to bring). I remember my feeling when we won the 2008 League Cup Final and the Lucas Moura moment means more, much more.
The connection Pochettino shared with Spurs fans is special and it's an affection I've never felt for a manager before. I give my full support to Jose, as I would any Spurs manager and I expect him to win trophies, but he'll win them with Pochettino's players, Pochettino's team. Pochettino taught Tottenham to dare, Mourinho will teach Tottenham to do. No matter what José achieves, no one should forget Poch's roll in getting Tottenham there.
Thank you for making us proud. Thank you for the memories, boss.