On Monday, Marca published an article on Tottenham’s history, and whilst they did praise the attacking style of the club, the overriding feeling of the article was that Spurs are hated because of their Jewish connections.
It was a mess, and Marca’s apology in their Tuesday edition is almost as cack-handed.
Over at AS, who won’t have been blind to the Marca controversy, there’s a Tuesday piece on Tottenham’s history, without a Jewish mention in sight. Hurrah, the Spanish newspaper have put together an article praising Tottenham, without a hugely negative slant, and they’ve even managed to cover Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa without mentioning the war.
Tottenham are described as ‘elegant’ and ‘refined’, a club with a ‘that has had the capacity to form or attract some of the classiest players in English football’.
Despite a long, very long, title drought, AS are impressed that Tottenham have ‘maintained their prestige’ and continued to bring through and sign good footballers.
Arthur Rowe is covered, and the influence he brought from a new style learned in Hungary. AS say the ‘push and rush’ of Rowe has been adapted by several managers, and they even note that Liverpool’s success under Bill Shankly was simply the perfection of this style debuted by Tottenham.
Tottenham’s Cup Winners’ Cup success gets a mention, but it’s pointed out that ‘Since then, disappointments have been greater than joys, but always with an eye for class players’.
AS round things off by suggesting Tottenham could again lose some of their best players, and say ‘Tottenham has always liked the touch of class, but has always ended up losing their best players. This Spurs of Pochettino maintains the tradition. The eyes of the Bernabeu will today be on Harry Kane and the Dane Eriksen, dignified representatives of the great school of Tottenham.’
Gushing stuff, and it must be said the hugely positive slant on Tottenham is repeated across the Spanish media. That includes Marca, apart from that one disaster of an article.
