Andre Villas Boas and The Tale of Benjamin ‘Lefty’ Ruggiero

Andre Villas Boas and The Tale of Benjamin ‘Lefty’ Ruggiero

By Aniefiok Ekpoudom

Whilst many spend decades finding their calling in life, both Andre Villas Boas and Benjamin Ruggiero embarked on their career paths relatively early. The former, born in Portugal’s second city Porto, originated as a covert scout compiling dossiers on the intricacies of local rivals for hometown manager Bobby Robson; the latter arose as a fleet footed street soldier on the pavings of New York; his bond with the Bonnano crime Family moulded by the time his twenties had swung onto the horizon.

A chasm of 50 years existed between the two; Ruggiero passed away in 1994. Villas-Boas was only 17 at the time and plying his efforts in a field far removed from that of the Mob. Yet as events in North London reached their unavoidable conclusion earlier this month; striking similarities led to parallel end credits.

Embedded deep in the traditions of La Cosa Nostra rests the hallowed ideal of Omerta; a wiseguy’s unwavering commitment to the prohibition of cooperation with the authorities, at least in theory. Amongst the plethora of illegitimate activities and the frivolities involved with ill-gotten yet easy money, there will arrive a period in every Mafioso’s journey where his oath to the Mob is tested; for Manhattan’s Benjamin Lefty Ruggiero, August 1982 was that calling. The Mafia had placed a price on his head and in an opportunistic counter the FBI sat him down in a New York precinct and tabled an escape route; the serenity of the witness protection programme and withdrawal of the myriad of charges mooted against him; in return they asked he turn his back on the organisation that had become family.

Six months earlier, the 56 year olds closest confidant and fellow criminal (or so he thought) Donnie Brasco sent reverberations through the United States when he revealed his true identity as an undercover FBI agent; the hierarchal structure of the Mafia’s criminal empire had been infiltrated and Ruggiero was to blame. Shocking all (and despite several attempts by the authorities) he would repudiate any offer to depart from Omerta, instead opting for incarceration and a pledge of loyalty to a faction plotting to kill him.

“When they send for you, you go in alive, you come out dead, and it’s your best friend that does it.” – Benjamin Ruggiero 

On the morning of December 16^th 2013, Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas was sent for; he arrived at Tottenham’s Bulls Cross training complex and by mid-day was out of a job. Like Lefty, the 36 year olds unwavering loyalty to his principles had engineered his collapse.  In early 2013 the Portuguese native had remarked, “Any match we play to win it and sometimes we pay for that.“ But at what point do you compromise?

For the majority half past five on Sunday the 15^th of December would have been that point; out of substitutions, his side trailing by two goals and now reduced to ten men Villas-Boas saw no need for change. Confident his attacking philosophy would prevail he urged his side forward. The result? Misery. The remaining 35 minutes made for squeamish viewing; Tottenham were exhaustively dismantled; every weakness exploited; every flaw left on display in a Luis Suarez led slaughter. Boyish confidence gave rise to naivety and fundamentalism had ultimately resulted in destruction.

The strife for style; most importantly ‘his’ style had blinded Jose Mourinho’s former sidekick. “The most important thing for us will be our own principles and our style of play,” AVB had eagerly beamed upon taking the job; and he meant every word. Regardless of the opposition, Villas-Boas always has and always will play to win; this brought Tottenham’s record league tally last season but when it fails, it fails spectacularly.

The mauling at the hands of Manchester City an evident extension of this theory; 1-0 up within seventeen seconds the 2012 league champions would go onto hit five more goals. Of course; there would be no compromise, as the situation grew more precarious Villas-Boas’s behaviour would progressively veer towards ultraism, until finally Daniel Levy had had enough.

The idealistic elements of AVB’s philosophy proved admirable for the romantics yet the pressure of success left little room for fantasy, dynamism was needed. To discover that truth AVB needed not leave the North Circular; a glance into proceedings in neighbouring Islington would have sufficed; there he would have found the ever-mellowing character of Arsene Wenger who in recent years has decided to do away with some of his own fundamentalist tendencies.

“A wise guy’s always right even when he’s wrong, he’s right.”- Benjamin Ruggiero 

Andre’s refusal to adapt in his last weeks transcended the football pitch as relationships with the press rapidly soured. Although arguably provoked by false stories and back pages splashed with misreports; his radical reaction in hindsight was a mistake. After the humbling defeat in Manchester, Villas-Boas lashed out at perceived antagonists before sniping at one journalist, "If I had any chance that I was liable to sue, [it would be] something that would give me extreme pleasure.” Following that outburst, criticism from all quarters inevitably intensified; the newspapers were painted with stories about alleged deficiencies as a coach and as a manager; his relationship with Chairman Daniel Levy came under scrutiny and rumours of unrest in the dressing room began to circle.

With the unrelenting backlash from Fleet Street still ongoing and showing no indications of subsiding, speculation of pressure from Levy and Director of Football Franco Baldini festered; their silence was condemning and it became apparent that tension was now genuine. Despite their fractured relationship journalists continued to pour in for scheduled press conferences and Villas-Boas, unremitting, continued to speak.

Following the maiming at White Hart, Lane Boas hinted at an absence of autonomy in the transfer market before disclosing that he and Daniel Levy were not in regular contact, needless material to disclose. Any forewarnings or advice from the Tottenham PR department evidently went unheeded; like Ruggiero thirty years before him a refusal to yield had sealed his own fate.

Whilst Ruggiero’s mishaps left him marked for death; AVB has been marked in a different way but marked nonetheless. The allure of Andre Villas Boas is the opportunity to fashion a long term vision in an industry being pulled apart by impatience and short-sighted chairmen, but at just 36 the former Chelsea manager has already occupied four managerial posts and none has lasted more than two years; a worrying indictment on his resume’s primary selling point.

The appointment at Tottenham in mid-2012 was an opportunity to rebuild his reputation and prove to all that the unrivaled success enjoyed in his hometown could eventually be repeated. But after surviving only eighteen months in his most recent adventure, this is a setback that may prove problematic in recovering from. At the dawn of last season, AVB had remarked that, “Only teams with style succeed.” In pursuit of both with attainment of neither; a steadfast refusal to compromise may have permanently blemished what was once the most promising managerial CV on the continent.

Thirteen years into his sentence, Lefty was released from prison; in an unprecedented move La Cosa Nostra issued a ‘pass’ and invalidated the contract on his life. His unbudging allegiance to Omerta had been recognised and Benjamin Lefty Ruggiero would die a free man ten years later. Perhaps given time AVB’s fierce devotion to his own principles may yet surprise all and yield results; we may just have to wait a while.

This piece was written by Aniefiok Ekpoudom. Comments below please.