Media Coverage of Tottenham's Hiring of Andre Villas-Boas: Off the Mark?

Notice anything a little off about the reporting of Tottenham’s hiring of Andre Villas-Boas?

Headlines as they appeared:

BBC Sport: Andre Villas-Boas: Tottenham Name Portuguese as New Manager

Daily Mail: Villas-Boas Starts Rebuilding Work at Spurs After Being Handed Return from Chelsea Woe

The Guardian: André Villas-Boas Confirmed as New Tottenham Manager

Metro: Andre Villas-Boas Confirmed as New Spurs Head Coach

The Telegraph: Andre Villas-Boas Confirmed as New Tottenham Manager

Goal.com: Official: Villas-Boas Appointed New Tottenham Manager

Yahoo! Sports (via AFP): Tottenham Name Villas-Boas as New Manager

Tottenham Hotspur’s official club Twitter Announcement: The Club Is Delighted to Announce Andre Villas-Boas as Head Coach.

Now, if you've caught onto the pattern, raise your hand.

But if you haven't? Reread the club's Twitter announcement. Twice.

Going back to a previous article, this was exactly what Tottenham was looking for: a head coach, not a manager.

What it hopefully means is that Tottenham's backroom staff, the chairman and the head coach are in harmony with one another.

This is an absolute must in this situation. Managers are known to get aggravated when their chairmen or staff aren’t doing exactly what they think should be done with the club.

Villas-Boas is expected to give the club no such problems. He has been hired knowing full well what Tottenham’s ambitions are and what Daniel Levy has in mind for the future of the club.

That means the transfer funds he is getting in this window must pay dividends.

The club are expected to get into the Champions League and the players are to be young and off-loadable, if the time comes, for a hefty profit.

Part of the transfer kitty, I imagine, is based off the impending sale of Luka Modric. If it isn’t, Levy might have grown a pair.

Granted, those transfers will not be based on Villas-Boas' sole discretion.

The idea of Joao Moutinho's arriving seems a fleeting dream as he is more than likely going to be a sunken cost by the time he would be sold on.

With a nearly €40 million release clause, buying Moutinho would negate any profits from a sale of Modric. Levy will most certainly not accept that deal.

Expect more transfers like Gylfi Sigurdsson, 22 years old.  He is a player who costs around €10 million. Two or three good years with the Spurs could result in his being sold for a profit of anywhere from €8-€10 million.

This is part of the new “old” way of Tottenham dealings.

Players will be taken in at a young age, and they will be developed at the new training facility. They’ll be expected to fill in over time, and, if their market value is high enough, they will be sold on.

That doesn’t mean the squad will be bereft of quality players. It means, rather, that the squad is not going to be headhunting for the “in” player of the moment, unless said player is probably less than 25 years of age.

The squad will pick up the odd veteran here and there as someone who can help marshal the club along at times when injuries hit or when experience is needed.

But those decisions will primarily be left to the board, not to Andre Villas-Boas.

It is the price that the Portuguese manager was willing to pay after his rout at Chelsea only six months ago.

With any luck, the board and Villas-Boas will dovetail nicely. Tim Sherwood seems to be well respected in all corners of the club and will have a significant say in matters.

The possibility of Ledley King in an official capacity—should his knees finally call time on his playing career—will keep the club's morale boosted.

In fact, Andre Villas-Boas would do well to seek out King and win him over. Having the club's captain on his side might do well in smoothing over relations with others on the squad.

In all, Tottenham have gotten what they wanted, and Andre Villas-Boas has gotten a second bite at the cherry.

If both parties coexist as they believe they can, all should be well in the white half of North London.