Antonio Conte to Spurs: Daniel Levy finally takes decisive action

That's the feeling among many Tottenham fans I speak to as Antonio Conte - first choice to take the reins in the summer - was today appointed our new head coach to replace the sacked Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Portuguese boss lasted just 10 Premier League games. I thought he'd be a 'safe pair of hands', but he was just never the right fit - you only need to look at the damning stats, and some horrendous performances, to realise that.

The million dollar question is what changed? We tried, and failed, to hire flamboyant Italian Conte in the summer (along with many others), yet just a few months later he's now at the helm.

Was it the toxic atmosphere inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night? The fans venting at chairman Daniel Levy, Nuno and even turning on 'one of our own' Harry Kane?

Or was it simply the tepid performances that have seen Spurs fail to register a shot on target in a game-and-a-half of football?

We'll probably never know the full answer. But make no mistake, the horror show against Manchester Utd was definitely a watershed moment.

It's a terrible admission from a die-hard fan of 30 years, but once the game was lost I was almost willing Utd to score more goals, to make the defeat as bad as possible, to be absolutely sure a change happened.

Thankfully, it did.

Overnight, I've gone from being bored, disenchanted and totally depressed with watching my beloved Spurs to being refreshed, galvanised and excited for the season ahead.

Let's hope the chorus of boos that rung out on Saturday finally struck a chord with the board. We have a shiny new stadium - one of the world's best sporting arenas - but it's time to focus on matters on the pitch.

We need investment in the right players. We need to continue to clear out players who don't want to play for the badge. We need to finally recover from the hangover which has been lingering since that heartbreaking 2019 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in Madrid.

Suddenly, there’s all to play for. The top four race is wide open for anyone who can find consistency. We're in the League Cup quarter finals. And the Europa Conference League (don't laugh) is there for the taking should we want to go all out for that much sought-after trophy.

With Conte in charge he brings a winning mentality. He will demand nothing less.

Expect fireworks. Those who are up for the challenge will flourish, those who are not will be shown the N17 exit door. For some of them, it's not before time.

Hopefully, at last, To Dare is To Do. Time will tell.

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