Tottenham are unlikely to win a trophy any time soon but Amazon could well be onto an Oscar with their All or Nothing documentary.
Spurs fans won’t enjoy it, mind you.
But whether it’s the 7-2 humiliation by Bayern Munich, sacking the iconic Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho’s appointment, Heung-Min Son’s red cards, Harry Kane’s injury, a ridiculous win over Man City, or Eric Dier vaulting seats to take after an abusive fan, the TV series will have it all.
Wednesday’s FA Cup exit to Norwich, though, feels like the moment which could be a real turning point for all concerned at the club.
It was a fourth winless game in a row and leaves Spurs an outsider for both the Champions League and a top four finish.
Mourinho, already complaining about his injury woes with Kane and Son long-term absentees, now has a fatigued group to win with and believes he can only name a strong XI in one match out of the clubs next two, against Burnley and RB Leipzig.
It’s an embarrassing state for Spurs to be left in, but unsurprising given their wild past two years.
Tony Cascarino in latest attack on Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho: ‘He’s not a challenger anymore, his trophies are in the past’
A catalogue of transfer window failures, Pochettino’s stubbornness, and the Argentine’s unwillingness to play full strength teams in domestic cups saw Tottenham stumble into a Champions League final with a broken squad unable to punish a tired Liverpool team in Madrid.
His act of kintsugi was a curse rather than a blessing.
The signings of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon were all going to need time to get up to speed but they weren’t given a chance and have been hindered further by injury and fitness issues.
A battered and bruised group of players needed more help than that.
It must now irk Daniel Levy that failed transfer targets Ricardo Pereira, Jack Grealish and Youri Tielemans are all succeeding at their respective clubs.
Instead, due to mistakes from Pochettino and Levy, it’s all unravelling.
Sacked in November, the Argentine ran his superstars into the dirt.
The sudden decline, physically and technically, of so many players can only be laid at his door with Kane rarely substituted, Kieran Trippier playing through injuries and Danny Rose a shadow of his former self; even Son has struggled for form this season, despite chipping in with goals.
Christian Eriksen, prior to his exit, and Dele Alli are another two who have been drained.
In March last year Jan Vertonghen was the toast of north London after a stunning display at left wing-back against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Now the Belgian is barely featuring however, and, although he had a decent display against Norwich, he struggles against anyone with a touch of pace.
Even the ever-reliable Toby Alderweireld is looking shell-shocked in the N17 trenches.
Mourinho is playing his part in the show, both a tragedy and a comedy, as a talented set of players who were once title contenders now fade into top four also fans.
His decision to start Michel Vorm, a goalkeeper who went into quasi-retirement last summer and had never been much use to Spurs as a player either with errors against Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Leicester, reeked of misplaced arrogance.
His unwillingness to rest his players has seen Kane injured, while Lucas Moura and others have looked burnt out since late January; even recent signing Steven Bergwijn had to beg for a rest after 53 minutes against Norwich.
Meanwhile, Mourinho’s candid press conferences, while refreshingly honest, give the perception he’s throwing players under the bus.
Fans are in a spin, too. There are almost too many people to blame.
Off the pitch Spurs are, whether supporters like it or not, run by one of the best executives in world football, Daniel Levy.
A lack of transfer market action in previous windows can be partially attributed to the boardroom mastermind.
But he’s also delivered infrastructure even the world’s best can only dream of.
Spurs could well be set for the next half-century at least thanks to his investment in a state of the art training ground and a stunning stadium which is envied across the globe and now set to make the club huge money too as other sports clamber to play in the amazing arena.
Pochettino deserves flak too, he’s not as flawless as some imagine.
Had he not flopped at the key moments with strange tactics and selections, Spurs would likely have silverware in the cabinet.
The FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United where Vorm (again) was selected and Alderweireld left out, another FA Cup semi-final where Kyle Walker was benched and Heung-Min Son played at left wing-back.
A Europa League tie with Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion saw Tom Carroll and Ryan Mason in central midfield together.
Great chances for glory were cast aside, heaping pressure on the players.
The supporters themselves need to cast a glance inwards also.
At their brand new stadium, unless a top six club are in town, even the spectacular single-tier stand fails to create a din, while away fans mock with comparisons to the Emirates.
Atmosphere in the stands is lacking but also toxic, a pass back to the goalkeeper greeted with groans rather than the acknowledgement they’re trying to create more space for teammates and draw their opponents out of their block.
If the fans, at the first sign of trouble in six years, get angry rather than getting behind their players it’s not going to be a pleasant situation going forward.
Blame cannot be cast on one individual – the mistakes have been made by many.
Right now it can’t be the fault of Levy, ENIC, Mourinho, the players, or Pochettino alone, so supporters must stand as one and lower their expectations for the season.
This is a rebuild and should be treated as such. Pochettino knew this. He said it would be painful.
We just didn’t realise how much it would hurt and how far the fall would be.
