Spurs must look to the long-term under Pochettino

Tim Sherwood couldn't live up to Daniel Levy's ambitions, can Mauricio Pochettino?

Mauricio Pochettino won't turn Spurs round in a season and that is ok, they need a long-term plan to challenge for major honours.

With the announcement that Mauricio Pochettino will take the reins as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, hopes are high that the North London club will regain its place in the Premier League top four. 

Re-establishing itself a force in English football may, however, not be quite as easy as simply replacing the man in charge, and Tottenham fans may have to accept a trophy-less season or two if they are to challenge consistently in the future.

Pochettino will become Tottenham Hotspur's seventh permanent manager since 2004 when he takes charge at the club and, with history suggesting that he won't be given long to prove himself, he will be expected to hit the ground running. 

This immediate pressure to succeed, and the knowledge that chairman Daniel Levy will wield the axe if results don't go their way, has engendered a philosophy of short-termism at White Hart Lane. 

The club must accept that Pochettino faces a number of fundamental challenges in returning Spurs to the top four and give him all the time he needs to make the necessary changes. The board must also take responsibility for their own failings in recent seasons.

Tim Sherwood may have boasted the highest win percentage of any Tottenham manager in the Premier League era (59.1%) but it seemed clear early on that he was not considered as a long-term successor to Andre Villas-Boas, having replaced the Portugese on an 18-month contract in December 2013. 

As a result of this instability, Sherwood, at times, appeared frustrated, accusing his players of lacking guts and commitment following a 4-0 defeat at Chelsea and telling his squad that they were playing for their future at the club. Sherwood's honesty and stinging criticism appeared to do little to galvanise his team and Pochettino will certainly have some work to do in building their confidence.

Whilst the loss of Sherwood as a manager may worry Daniel Levy little, he should be concerned about the loss of his knowledge of the club's youth system. Having formerly been youth coach at Tottenham, Sherwood had more knowledge than anyone of what his young players were capable of and his faith in the likes of Nabil Bentaleb and Harry Kane was rewarded with some excellent performances towards the end of the season. 

If Pochettino is to build on Sherwood's legacy then he must get a handle on the youth team talent that Tottenham have and be willing to give them a first team chance.

Arguably Tottenham's biggest problem last season was their difficulty in adapting to life after Gareth Bale. In 2012-13 the Welshman had been absolutely outstanding and had almost single-handedly dragged Tottenham into the Premier League top five.

Whilst there was no blaming the board's decision to accept Real Madrid's 85m offer, they were guilty of failing to ensure that the money was invested wisely. None of Tottenham's 2013/14 signings came close to filling Bale's boots, with the 50m+ spent on two of the players, Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela, representing a particularly poor investment. 

If Pochettino is to succeed then he must be given funds, but he must invest sensibly and be allowed to make signings for the long-term rather than seeking short-term gains. 

If Mauricio Pochettino is given time to settle at Tottenham Hotspur and carry out the rebuilding that is needed then he will be a success in the long-term and Tottenham will challenge again for the top four. 

If, however, Levy continues to push for short-term returns then the club will continue to be inconsistent and the White Hart Lane fans may have to endure a few more trophy-less seasons to come.