It was a less than desirable campaign in the Barclays Women’s Super League for Tottenham Hotspur as their 2022/23 season came to an end. Concluding their march with just 18 points to their name, the Spurs only found themselves victorious on five occasions throughout their league season.

As the 2023/24 season loomed close on the horizon, Tottenham Hotspur were eager to make desperate changes in order to commence reconstruction on what was growing to be a struggling side. The summer window saw the North London club appoint the head managerial role to Robert Vilahamn, a Swedish manager previously in charge of BK Häcken.

Since the appointment of Vilahamn, the Barclays Women’s Super League have been the audience to a Tottenham Hotspur side reformed. Ignorance would say the side is near-perfect, however the birth of ‘Bobby Ball’ is something that football fans should be playing very close attention to.

Painting the town Lilywhite

The Spurs commenced their 2023/24 campaign in turbulent fashion, as the opening interval of the league season saw Tottenham gather 18 points as the season reached it’s halfway mark. Vilahamn’s side currently find themselves with five league victories under their belt, a feat that they only just desperately achieved over last season’s entirety.

One of those victories came in the form of Tottenham’s 1-0 feat to Arsenal in this season’s first North London Derby. The fixture saw the fans gathered in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium play audience to a spectacular passage of play that they have been so largely deprived of in recent seasons. The Spurs worked excellently to break down the forward press of the Gunners, as a combination build-up play from the back saw Arsenal only just picking up their jaws, before Martha Thomas provided the final touch to give Tottenham the lead.

The victory over their city rivals did not only arrive as Tottenham’s first win to Arsenal in their Barclays WSL history, but it also provided a meaningful glimpse into the artistry being patiently crafted by Vilahamn at Hotspur Way.

”That’s how we want to score goals, it’s not on set pieces or one quick ball in behind. We want to be playing through lines, we want to have speed and we want to score in those ways. So, that’s basically how a Tottenham Hotspur team should score a goal, and it was really brilliant.”

Not only did the victory arrive in glorious fashion for Vilahamn and his side, but it was carried out on the stage of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Speaking in his post-match press conference following the feat over the Gunners, Vilahamn elicited his pure motivation in making Tottenham Hotspur a regular feature on the silver-screen of the club’s biggest stage.

“My mission is to win games and develop players, but the biggest thing that I need to do is develop the team so that they actually get this environment. I think we need to play a certain way, we need to make sure we show the fans that we play good football. I think this was a big step in this journey.”

Every football fan wants the manager of their club to march to the same beat as Vilahamn, with both an undying passion and mission to grow the club toward it’s full potential.

Football the Hotspur Way

An attacking brand of football, aggressive in the press, decisive in possession, nightmares ensued for the opposition. Those following the Barclays Women’s Super League have already beared witness to the birth of Vilahamn’s style, as the Swedish boss works to develop an integral stylistic identity at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham’s resurgence has had Vilahamn to thank, as the Spurs boss remains certain in the stylistic direction he searches to point Tottenham towards. An attacking brand of football so very exciting to watch, it is safe to say that the Spurs are grafting toward something excellent.

Facing an onslaught of skepticism in regards to his attacking hopes, Tottenham have begun to see their endeavours pay off. Something that Vilahamn spoke of with great levels of excitement.

“I think when you believe in something very much and you know something is going to work, but no one else knows, it’s kind of nice to see it show that it actually works. But it also makes me proud to see the players enjoy it so much. They really want to do this, they really want to play this style.

So we take steps and I am just enjoying seeing the environment around me taking it on, and all of the staff members making sure they give the players the freedom to do that.”

As Vilahamn digs his heels in to the ground in certainty of his decisive playing style, it begins to grow increasingly clear that he has the support of the dressing room. Imperative to any club’s success, Vilahamn spoke in regards to the areas in which he sees the growth taking full flight.

“The players take care of each other and make sure they are there to play this way, and of course it makes you happy, but it is very interesting because we see the potential now. We have only worked together for 5 months and we already look good together when we play football. So imagine one more year with this way that we train and play.

With new players coming with energy, and the players that have even here taking these step as well. So it makes me very happy and it makes me calm that we are doing good stuff here- the club are doing good stuff. All the way up to the board and down to us, we know that everybody is on it and we are going to do it together.”

The growth of Grace Clinton

If you were to scour for evidence to confirm what Vilahamn is building in North London, you’d have to look no further than 20 year-old Grace Clinton.

Signing on loan from Manchester United over the summer, Clinton has found her feet remarkably under the management of the Swedish boss. After what was a stellar stint in Vilahamn’s consecutive starting eleven, Clinton earned her first call up to represent England on the senior stage. When reflecting on what she put her first senior Lionesses camp down to, Clinton praised the trust instilled in her by her club manager.

“I think just the manager giving me confidence, giving me minutes, which is important. Any young player needs minutes to play, and the manager is really letting me go and express myself on the pitch and I think I’m just doing that.”

Tottenham’s recent 4-3 victory over West Ham United saw fans at Chigwell Construction Stadium play audience to a special episode of ‘The Grace Clinton show’, as the 20 year-old found herself with two goals and an assist on the derby occasion. Once again putting her performance down to the confidence she has been given by the club, Clinton smiled from ear to ear when she spoke.

“They’ve [Tottenham] just given me the confidence and the freedom to express myself. I’m really enjoying being around the group and I’m just enjoying playing football.”

Clinton arrived in North London over the summer as a fresh face amongst a league of experienced professionals. 12 game weeks on, she has established herself amongst the highest calibre of talent in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

When I asked Vilahamn how he has viewed Clinton’s development, he answered in delight.

“When she started training I loved her energy and how she wanted to improve. The first few weeks she struggled because she was frustrated because she wanted to do the stuff she is doing now, but she couldn’t do it then.

Then I saw the potential in her and we tried to surrounded her with a good environment and good trust. Every week since then she’s taken steps. The games this year she’s been brilliant, making the right decisions and scoring goals.

She’s been playing really well and fighting very hard to get better. I love working with her and she’s a big part of this journey with Tottenham for me.”

The 20 year-old has been a consistent starter throughout Tottenham’s Barclays WSL campaign thus far, her only absence from the squad being a clash with her parent club in Manchester United. It’s unclear whether Clinton will arrive at the opportunity to extend her stay under Vilahamn beyond the conclusion of this season, but regardless, the exponential growth of the midfielder’s talent showcases the significant impact that Vilahamn has gathered over his dressing room.

“I feel like that’s showing the world that Tottenham can develop players to this national team, and I think that’s good proof that if you’re going to come to a club and develop, Tottenham Hotspur is one of those clubs in England that you should go to. I think Grace Clinton is the best proof of that.”

Destination Club

Tottenham have been busy over the winter transfer window, having welcomed an impressive calibre of new signings to Hotspur Way. Australian defender Charli Grant found herself in N17, closely followed by Swedish duo Matilda Vinberg and Amanda Nildén. The Spurs also welcomed Shuang Wang, as well as the arrival of Araya Dennis on what will be her first professional contract.

The Spurs have seen a transformation in the market since Vilahamn’s arrival, as the narrative shifts from that of a side scraping along the same talent, to that of a destination club in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

“When I came here, it was not that easy to sign players, I can actually be honest there. Then this window it’s very easy to sign players, a lot of players want to come to Tottenham. In one way we have already succeeded in making people understand that Tottenham is building an environment that you want to be on this journey.” Said Vilahamn in December before the opening of the transfer window.

The Spurs added some exceptional talent to their armoury- a calibre of players that English football fans should be very excited to spectate.

Vilahamn’s Way

Despite all that has been said, there is still work to be done at Tottenham Hotspur. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the side still occupy a position in the midst of the mid-table scrap. However for Vilahamn, his driving motivation is growing the success of the club in order to build a brand of football that will have Spurs fans proud to wear the badge.

The main thing is for me to show the fans that come to the stadiums that this team is all about playing the way we want to, not trying to focus on the opponent. I want to show our fans the way we want to play, how we are right now, and how we are going to improve this team.

The main thing I’m going to show them is we’re going to play the way we want to do it. I think that’s what the fans want to see, they want to see us trying to play really good offensive football and try to score many goals. That’s my way to create an environment where you want to be watching our games, it’s about how we perform and how we play.”