Tottenham Hotspur Women’s managing director Andy Rogers believes Martin Ho’s arrival has transformed the team since his appointment in the summer - and it is hard to disagree.
Spurs found themselves second-bottom of the table at the end of last season, on just 20 points from 22 games, prompting a shake-up at the club.
Robert Vilahamn departed and Ho was brought in after two years managing Norwegian side SK Brann, having previously spent time in the WSL as assistant manager at Manchester United.
Martin Ho's 'passion and obsession' has turned Tottenham around
Speaking after a successful transfer window in which Spurs brought in five players, Rogers outlined the impact the 35-year-old head coach has had in north London.
“I'm really happy with where we are at. Martin coming in as head coach has been a huge uplift for us in terms of detail, knowledge, understanding the WSL and the wider leagues across Europe and worldwide. This window, we have brought in the right characters that have the ambition and belief shared with Martin."
Ho’s influence has extended into recruitment, with Spurs reshaping their squad in the January transfer window, which closed earlier this week.
Defenders Julie Blakstad and Hannah Wijk arrived from the Swedish league alongside forward Matilda Nilden, while forward Signe Gaupset joined from Ho’s former club Brann.
Chelsea midfielder and WSL winner Maika Hamano was also brought in on loan, significantly bolstering Spurs’ options.
In a total change of fortune from last season, Spurs sit fifth in the WSL table, level on points with rivals Arsenal, and Rogers was keen not to understate Ho’s role in that progression.
Support at board level has also been key. Following Daniel Levy’s departure, Vinai Venkatesham was appointed Tottenham’s CEO after 14 years at Arsenal, where his impact on the growth of the women’s game was apparent.
Rogers described Venkatesham as a “phenomenal supporter” of the women’s team since arriving, and both believe Ho has been central to Spurs’ upward trajectory.
“I talk about signings in windows, but Martin's been probably one of the most instrumental signings we've made. One of the things I remember when I first spoke to Martin, the two words I mentioned to Vinai when I came off the call with him were passion and obsession.
“I've never met anybody like him in terms of his work ethic, his obsession for coaching, his detail.”
Rogers believes Ho is the right coach to get Tottenham towards the Champions League places, top three in the WSL, but stressed that it is a work in progress.
“We have huge ambitions,” he added. “We want to be in the Champions League. We want to be sustainable in the Champions League as well and competing on all fronts. We know that we're still a long way away from where we want to be.
“But you can just feel it around the building every single day. People have spoken about the Champions League, which is great noise compared to where we were last year. My job, Martin’s job and the rest of the team is to look at how we sustain the long-term future of the women's team.”
