Mauricio Pochettinos Tottenham really did prove that trophies are not the only measure of success

History is written by the victors. Its one of lifes great truisms, and, when it comes to Premier League football, it has a number of direct equivalents: Nobody remembers who finished second, Whatve they won?, Show us your medals.All are well-used lines of argument that essentially amount to the same thing: that trophies are the only true measure of success. That, as Bill Shankly put it: Ifyouarefirst youarefirst. Ifyouaresecond youare nothing.A nice line, but it couldnt be more wrong. History, in football at least, is not really written by the victors. Its simply not a bullet-point list of who won what. And in many cases, its the runners-up, the supposed failures, who are remembered most fondly. We can look to bygone eras for proof of this Newcastles entertainers in 1995/96, Cruyffs total footballers in 74 but we can look to recent years too. The starkest evidence, in fact, lies in the manager Tottenham have just dispensed with and the man who has replaced him.Mauricio Pochettino spent five and a half years in north London putting together the most thrilling Spurs side in decades, forging a bond between players and fans that is nigh-on impossible in the modern game, uniting an entire fanbase in admiration for his talents, and delivering some of the greatest occasions those supporters will ever witness. He has spent the clubs money with exquisite care and responsibility, and leaves a squad stocked with excellent young players that should only get better. Decades from now, he will be remembered dearly by at least one generation of Spurs fans, possibly two or three. He won precisely nothing.IN THE MAG Managers special! Rafa, Sven exclusives plus Simeone, Scolari, Potter, Pep and maddest bosses EVERHis successor, Jose Mourinho, left his last job, at Manchester United, after two and a half seasons, at which point the club had become riven with division: between the fans and the players, between the fans and the board, between the fans and the fans, and between the manager and everyone around him. Sackfuls of money had been fired into the ether, wasted on big-names brought in by a scattergun strategy.Many supporters had long become bored of the risk-averse, wilfully unimaginative football they were served up each week. The squad was stocked full of ageing and grotesquely overpaid players who were fast eroding the club of its identity. He won two major trophies one per season as well as the Community Shield.While you're here, why not take advantage of our brilliant subscribers' offer? Get the game's greatest stories and best journalism direct to your door for only 9.50 every quarter. Cheers!None of which is to say that Mourinhos tenure at Spurs is doomed, more that the USP by which he has always sold himself that, when all is said and done, he is a winner is not quite the foolproof formula he might think. Leaving aside the fact that hes not, actually, the winner he was a decade ago (his trophy count has been dwindling ever since he left Inter, with those yardstick league titles in particular becoming ever-rarer), Mourinho will still have to grapple with an awkward reality that he, more than anyone else, has helped lay bare: that some things are more valuable than trophies. Or, as a smart man once said: "It's not about being drunk, it's about getting drunk."As Mourinho settles into life at Tottenham, he need only look across London to see a club that he left, three years ago, as the most miserable reigning champions in living memory. Chelsea these days are a club transformed, playing freewheeling football under a likeable manager whose youth-centric selection policy has restored the teams sense of identity. The fans havent been happier since, well, the first days of Mourinho.If Mourinho really is going to make a success of himself at Spurs, hes going to have to deliver the best of both worlds. Luckily for him, Tottenham already have a united fanbase, a firm identity and a squad full of exciting players. All he has to do is add the trophies.NOW READCOMMENT Mauricio Pochettino has left a great legacy at Tottenham. Spurs now have two options to build on itQUIZ Can you name the 29 managers who've bossed three or more Premier League clubs?GUIDE Premier League live stream best VPN: how to watch every game from anywhere in the worldNew features youll love on FourFourTwo.com