Death, taxes, David Pleat. That’s what it’s felt like over the past two decades at Tottenham Hotspur — the 79-year-old Pleat has had a remarkable 20+ year association with the club, starting with his stint as manager back in the 1986-87 season. Today, the club announced that Pleat has “stepped back” from his role with Spurs’ scouting team, ending his official duties after fourteen years as a scout.
Pleat’s had a remarkable run with Tottenham, despite not playing for the club as a footballer. His stint as full manager in 1986-87 resulted in a third-place finish in the table and a run to the FA Cup final and League Cup semifinal while managing Glen Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles, Chris Waddle, and Clive Allen. While he left the club in October the following season he returned as caretaker manager on three separate occasions — 1998, 2001, and 2003. He clearly has a brilliant mind for the game, because there’s no other way you can stay associated with football for as long as he has.
He’s been an omnipresent part of Tottenham’s scouting operations over the years, and fans will probably know him best as the man chiefly responsible for identifying and bringing in Dele from MK Dons, as well as identifying Jan Vertonghen, Ben Davies, Jermain Defoe, and many others. Whatever other contributions he’s had for Spurs’ recruitment efforts, we’ll always have that.
Speaking on the club website, Pleat had this to say about his decision to step down:
“Football is my life and continues to be. Spurs has been a huge part of that. However the game and its methods change and it’s time for me to now step back from my scouting role. I look forward to watching the Club have great success in the coming years. I hope to continue my association with the game.”
—David Pleat
As fans, we can parse that statement however we want. It does seem to suggest that Spurs’ move to data-driven analysis and recruitment methods in recent years is a departure from Pleat’s skill-set, and fair enough! It’s no longer enough to just send an old, sharp football mind like Pleat to a bunch of games and say “pick us out a good lad, Pleatey” (though there’s clearly still a role for the “eye test” in modern scouting). Regardless, there does seem to be a sense encoded in Pleat’s remarks above that the game has moved on past him and it’s time to make way for people more comfortable with computers, advanced metrics, and data.
It’s hard to say whether stepping down is fully Pleat’s decision or whether the club decided they wanted to move in a different direction. Either could be the case, but it hardly matters. Pleat’s been a fantastic and long-standing part of the club and deserves recognition today for his years of service. Thanks, David.