"HE NEEDS TO BE AN INSTANT IMPACT AND GET RESULTS!" INTERVIEW ON BBC RADIO LONDON: Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs

This podcast is proud to be part of the TalkSport fan network TalkSport powered by fans.

Yes, good evening. Welcome to the program and confirmation that Roberto DeZerby is the new

men's head coach on a long-term contract at Tottenham. The club confirming that at 445,

this afternoon, a statement from the new head coach on the club's website saying,

I'm delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest

and most prestigious in the world in all my discussions with the club's leadership.

Their ambition for the future was clear to build a team capable of reaching great achievements

and to do that, playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters.

I'm here because I believe in that ambition and I have signed a long-term contract to give

everything to deliver it. Of course, he takes over a side that are in 17th in the Premier League at

the moment, just one point above the relegation zone and without a win in the Premier League

in this calendar year in 2026. Let's speak to Chris Cowlin from the Spurs chat podcast.

Evening to Chris? I'm a good evening to you. I suppose you were expecting this to be the new,

so how do you feel now it's been confirmed? Yeah, I've got very mixed feelings about it. Of course,

this third manager of the 2526 campaign and our fourth manager in 10 months and in all honesty,

we've gone round in circles for a number of years ever since we moved into that stadium because

this is now the seventh permanent appointment since Pogetino left in 2019. We've also had four

interim appointments as well, so we've gone round in circles in terms of managers, but we are

sitting, like you said, 17th, one point above the relegation zone. We could be in the relegation zone

by the time we play Sunderland away on the 12th of April. We are in a desperate state right now

as a football club and we're just hoping now that Roberto Desurbia, third manager of this campaign,

is our saviour and hopefully he can get more out of this group of players which have under

perform this season. I think that's fair to say, yes, we've had a lot of injuries, but we know that

there is more to come from this group, this playing group, so we just hope that Roberto Desurbia is

the man now to get us the points that we need. Yes, I'm just looking at his track record elsewhere.

The Italian has taken over midseason at three different clubs. His record in the first seven

games hasn't been great. Managed just one win at Palermo in 2016 before eventually getting the

sack. No wins at Benavento, is that how I say that at the following season as they were relegated

from Serie A. So, I mean, what's he going to do at Tottenham that he hasn't achieved elsewhere?

Well, Emma, we don't have time. That's one thing we don't have. We don't have time at all. We've

got seven games and these are like seven cup finals, seven huge games in the clubs history.

You know, keep us in the Premier League and like you mentioned there, the last couple of

jobs, Brighton, he didn't start off well in the Premier League. Actually, it was two draws and

and three defeats in his first five Premier League games, but at Marseille recently,

he's first five were four wins and one draw. So, we're hoping that he gets off to a fantastic start,

but like I said, it's about getting the best out of these players, drill the players on the training

pitch to do the job that he wants. He isn't going to get the time to implement his playing style,

and that's one thing I'd really do like about Deserberi. He's playing style, I think long term

Spurs fans will really like the way that he sets up and the entertaining football that he wants

to play, and he talks about ambition there in the short statement that the club have put out today.

And that's of course what all Spurs fans want to hear about the ambition, but we've heard this

for a long period of time. We've heard this type of stuff said in many, many statements,

you know, across all these different managers is about now delivering on the pitch,

because there have been so many poor decisions, ownership level, board level, you know,

leadership group, etc. So, we need to see delivery on the pitch, transfer windows need to be a lot

better, and I've no doubt that Deserberi will really demand the very best in terms of transfer

windows and players coming in, but we also know that he's got a proven track record of falling out

with boards and also players. So, this is going to be a very, very interesting appointment.

We have gone down this route before having a fiery Italian, and look at how that one worked out.

Yes, and it's, we understand there isn't a release clause in his contract,

because previously I understood from reports that he basically said, I don't want to become the

top manager if they're going to get relegated, but now he's saying he won't walk away from the club

if they are in the championship next season. I like that. I like that. I tell you what,

if you're coming to spurs, don't leave after seven games if spurs are in the championship.

If you're going to come being it for the long haul and being it for the project, the long-term plan,

so to speak, so I do like that, the fact that he is in it, and these next seven games, like I said,

are absolutely huge, and they're thought of going down to the championship, makes me physically sick,

if I'm honest, and if I see spurs in the bottom three, I feel I'm going to feel like that as well.

So these are huge games, huge games.

Some of the supporters, Chris, are not happy with this appointment. Let me just

read out to our listeners a few of the comments that have been made by supporters groups.

The Tottenham Hotspur supporters trust actually held an emergency board meeting on Monday night

and contacted the club to say it couldn't support the appointment. Has issued a statement today

after Roberta Deserbi's appointment was confirmed, saying that his comments about Mason Greenwood,

and this is where the issue lies, a player who he had at Marseille, who he appeared to support.

He said that the supporters trust issuing a statement saying, Deserbi's comments about

Mason Greenwood were unnecessary, ill-judged, and deeply offensive to a significant number of

supporters. It's concerning the club would put us in this position right when the team needs

the fans most. If these remarks reflect his genuine views, they cast a troubling shadow over the

values of the club we love. The club must reassert its commitment to the values that fans hold

dear, chief among them, equality, respect, and integrity. Our preference would have been for a

short-term appointment of an individual or individuals who understand the club. Also,

there was opposition to this appointment from the women of the Lane Supporters group. Ali

Speechley, who's the co-founder of that group, said that if Deserbi was appointed, she would

stop attending matches over the issues. This is what she's had to say today.

I think for me, especially someone who I coached for the ball for the best part of ten years,

and I know that actually you can't really separate out the character of a coach from their

ability to then coach players. The reason I say that is because I think actually the best

coaches are authentic coaches and the coaches that are true to themselves. My issue with Roberto

Deserbi is that he has shown his character very clearly over the years, but specifically with

his treatment of Mason Greenwood, the fact that he hired him as a player when no one else wanted

him for a very good reason, and then continue to publicly back him and support him, sympathise

with him around what a difficult time Mason Greenwood has supposedly been through. For me,

that's just unforgivable, and I think that speaks to the character of Deserbi,

and therefore I don't want him anywhere in my football club.

Well, Ali Speechley also in that interview saying that, I say, she would stop attending matches

if Roberto Deserbi was appointed. The proudly Lee Whites have also issued a statement this

evening, another Supporters group saying, while we disagree with the managerial choice in terms

of culture and competence, we will continue to support the players without pretending to be

comfortable with the appointment, staying silent is not the answer, but choosing when and where

to be vocal matters. Managers come and go, executives come and go, players come and go, fans remain.

We are the constant in this club. We will continue to represent the views of our members to the club

alongside the other supporter associations. Chris, some strong views from some supporters groups

understandably. I mean, the supporters trust saying the club needs to reassert its commitment to

the values the fans hold dear, equality, respect, integrity, hearing from Ali there as well,

the feeling that maybe this isn't a manager who has demonstrated his integrity. And that is a concern.

Yeah, Emma, I don't know what else really to add there, because it has already been said,

and I completely agree with all of those comments. And you know, very, very disappointing to hear

that Roberto Deserbio has supported Mason Greenwood through all of that situation. And I don't

think there's anyone in this country or in the world actually that would agree with, you know,

what happened there. So yeah, very, very disappointing. And it's very disappointing to hear that

some people will not now attend games because of Deserbio's appointment. And he's support of Mason

Greenwood, etc. But yeah, it's a very, very difficult situation and interestingly, because

the support is trust and a lot of these fan groups, they are actually in fab meetings and they're

actually in meetings with board members. So the board members clearly haven't listened to what

the fans have wanted. And another interesting situation as well is the fact that the fans for

such a long period of time, particularly this season where Spurs have been so poor on and off the

pitch, that the fans have wanted someone like Maurizio Pogetino back at the football club. And

I felt that or I do feel that a lot of the fans thought that they would be listened to and the

board would actually give the fans what they wanted. But of course, they've gone down their own

route. They do what they want to do. But like, by the comments said there, you know, the fans

are always there. The fans are there for life. You know, board members are there for a short period

of time. Managers are there for a very short period of time and so are the players. But you

need to look after the fans and make sure the fans are always happy.

Yes. And it feels like perhaps for some of the supporters, some of these fans groups,

they feel that yet again, they're not being listened to. And there is this divide, isn't there

between supporters and the board? There's a lot of divide. And this has been going on for some time.

And you know, a lot of decisions have been so poor in recent years and recent seasons. And

this season has been particularly poor. I think we're in this situation because a decision wasn't

made to let Thomas Frank go sooner because that clearly wasn't working. Then Igor Tudor came in

for 44 days. That seems to be an absolute waste of time. And now we're on our third manager

of this season. And yeah, like you said, there was a real divide amongst the fan base. You know,

normally when a decision like this happens, there is normally a lot of excitement about a brand new

manager coming in. And sadly, I don't see any excitement about this manager coming in because

of course, we're all sitting here worried about our Premier League status and you know, the real

reality of us playing in the championship. And then of course, you know, he's comments about

Mason Greenwood, etc. You know, not a lot of people are happy at all with with what he said.

Chris, great to speak to you as always. Chris Cowlin there from the Spurs chat podcast reacting

to the news confirmed today that Roberto Deserbie has agreed a new long-term contract

to be the new Tottenham head coach.

Now on a Tuesday evening, usually between 6 and 7, we dedicated a lot of the program to