‘It’s important’: Stan Collymore has some advice for Antonio Conte when it comes to Tottenham fans

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Never one to shy away from an opinion, Stan Collymore has been speaking about Antonio Conte and his relationship with Tottenham fans.

Conte has come under fire at times this season. It’s perceived by some that a defensive mindset is hindering Spurs’ chances of success. However, the Italian has his side through in the Champions League and sitting third in the table ahead of facing Liverpool tomorrow.

And writing in his column for CaughtOffside, former Villa and Liverpool striker Collymore believes Conte could offer himself up to the Spurs fans a bit more.

“Spurs fans were excited in pre-season seeing how Conte worked the players. They worked tremendously hard – a proper old-school pre-season. Professionalism, desire, and passion for the shirt. But, he’s also a pragmatist. If he wins 1-0, he wins 1-0. When that philosophy loses a game or two, you’re in a position where fans in the stadium are looking for Pochettino again,” Collymore wrote for CaughtOffside.

“They’re not like a Manchester City or Arsenal playing free-flowing football, but I think you’ve got to go with it Spurs fans. You’ve got a winner and you need to be patient. I think he could go out and speak to Tottenham supporters groups. Let the fans know his plan, it’s important.”

TBR’s View: Conte should just be left to it at Tottenham, this is a bizarre idea

Collymore makes a valid point about appeasing the fans but really, is it Conte’s job to be going out and speaking to supporter groups? What is it going to achieve?

At the end of the day, Conte is a winning manager who is getting more out of this Spurs side than most have. The Italian should just be left to manage the team. From there, he can bring the success they all crave.

Supporter groups play an important part in football. But asking a manager to engage with them directly seems a tad overboard. Certainly, you can’t imagine it’s something Conte would be all for.