ENIC

[Jurgen the German]

So basically I could name any striker and you would poo poo it.

The usually line on GG is we can't afford a top name striker so we have to go for a young player who potential but is not yet the finished article. Well Benteke is just that. Berbatov was a gamble and unproven in England before we signed him. How about Bale? Was he a top player when we signed him? The answer is no, he was a prospect but hardly a proven PL player. I would expect our scouts to do a far better job than they are doing now in identifying young players who would be worth a punt and good strikers who are affordable wages wise and transfer fee wise.

Lloris and Vertonghen came to Spurs without CL football, not inconceivable that strikers at that level would too.

Judging by your posts, you seem to think our strikers are good enough or we can't do better and shouldn't even bother to try. Not very to do is to dare is it?

 

[billyiddo]

provide me with a clear first choice striker that would be worth our while signing and is attainable then id be in agreement - but if you keep throwing up these two a penny average Joes im going to have to dismiss them

we need quality, not just someone to make the numbers up - hence our troubles and lack of movement

 

[Jurgen the German]

provide me with a clear first choice striker that would be worth our while signing and is attainable then id be in agreement - but if you keep throwing up these two a penny average Joes im going to have to dismiss them

we need quality, not just someone to make the numbers up - hence our troubles and lack of movement

I have given you some, you are choosing to dismiss them out of some misplaced loyalty to our current strikers. Or I give you some names and you say we'll that's only 2.

I don't know how much football you watch, but are you honestly saying to me that you can't name ANY strikers out there who cold improve us and are attainable?

Have you watched Michu play this season? It's clear that he is a very good finisher and better in that respect than any striker currently at Spurs.

 

[Spursalot]

The Michu that just signed a contract extension because he is happy at Swansea?


That Michu?

 

[scaramanga]

The Michu that just signed a contract extension because he is happy at Swansea?


That Michu?

I think he means the one that's had a whole 6 months of successful Premiership football.

Anyone remember that season Kevin Phillips had? I remember loads of people on here wanting to buy him too.

 

[Jurgen the German]

The Michu that just signed a contract extension because he is happy at Swansea?


That Michu?

And what stopped us signing him before he went to Swansea?

What I'm hearing from you and Billy is we can't afford a top striker but there is also no guarantee that a striker that is affordable would be better than what we have anyway so we might as well not bother.

 

[billyiddo]

it's not misplaced loyalty (and what would be misplaced about being loyal to our own players ) it's seeing these players for what they are - no better than what we have. they might be in form where ours are out of form, but signing a striker who potentially will be on a 60k p/w 4 year deal just because they are currently on form (rather than being a step up from our current strikers) is no way to run a football club

 

[Jurgen the German]

it's not a misplaced loyalty (and what would be misplaced about being loyal to our own players ) it's seeing these players for what they are - no better than what we have.

Was Berbatov a sure thing? Were you absolutely certain he was better than Keane and Defoe? Was he proven In this country?

Ok poor choice of words on my part re misplaced loyalty.

 

[Mackay61]

I have given you some, you are choosing to dismiss them out of some misplaced loyalty to our current strikers. Or I give you some names and you say we'll that's only 2.

I don't know how much football you watch, but are you honestly saying to me that you can't name ANY strikers out there who cold improve us and are attainable?

Have you watched Michu play this season? It's clear that he is a very good finisher and better in that respect than any striker currently at Spurs.

I have respect for Levy but not the gushing lovefest we see from some posters on here. There have been numerous occasions when you think but for a final push, an extra bit if investment, a bit of the "go for it" attitude - yes I do mean extra money - we could have done so much better. Did we properly strengthen the squad in the January of the Lasagnegate season - we didn't. Did we strengthen the squad properly last January to underpin third place? We didn't. Did we really invest in the squad before the season that we were in the CL? Not to my recollection.

In life and business there are times when you simply have to take that risk - back your opportunities - ignore the negative cries of your bean counters. Not to do a Ridsdale but to secure your progress rather than hope you can maintain it on the cheap. This I fear is Levy's principle and continuing fault.
So he gets 4 out of 7 from me - a "steady Eddie" but unlikely to get us regular CL football because he will never go that extra bit to make it happen.

 

[billyiddo]

Was Berbatov a sure thing? Were you absolutely certain he was better than Keane and Defoe? Was he proven In this country?

Ok poor choice of words on my part re misplaced loyalty.

anyone that watched German football would have told you he was streets ahead of anything we had

 

[Jurgen the German]

anyone that watched German football would have told you he was streets ahead of anything we had

But he wasn't proven in England. Llorente is streets ahead of anything we have. Fair enough he's gone to Juve but we didn't even try to get him, even before they were interested. I bet most Spurs wouldn't have thought we could get Lloris in a million years, but we went for him and we got him.

You mentioned that levy isn't infallible and should be open to criticism, but that doesn't come across in your posts and other people's posts either. I don't think I have said anything out of line, I have praised him for the signing of top players like Lloris and the deals he gets when we sell players. But I have raised some concerns that I believe are valid and I'm not the only one who shares them, but there are always some posters who have a defence for everything Levy does.

 

[billyiddo]

what makes you think we didn't go for Llorente? his contract is up and clubs are free to sound him out over a move, id be surprised if there wasn't contact

**

yeah i see what you're saying there tbf, i just think there is a defense to be made for why we never signed a striker

we have scouted, targeted and pursued a striker we feel to be of the required quality - we failed to bring him in for reasons we are not entirely privy to. I back us not clutching at straws and bringing a player just to make up the numbers, id rather see us put faith in the players we have here and rethink the situation come the summer.

 

[Ginola99]

anyone that watched German football would have told you he was streets ahead of anything we had

Not wanting to get involved but it just reminded me the first time I ever took notice of Berbatov... wow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZnX...KzKmZO0ZhrQRkWgkumXsX6eS&feature=results_main

 

[billyiddo]

Berba

should have been all over him in the summer, although im not sure he's quite up to Villa Boas' type of game :lol:

 

[Jurgen the German]

what makes you think we didn't go for Llorente? his contract is up and clubs are free to sound him out over a move, id be surprised if there wasn't contact

**

yeah i see what you're saying there tbf, i just think there is a defense to be made for why we never signed a striker

we have scouted, targeted and pursued a striker we feel to be of the required quality - we failed to bring him in for reasons we are not entirely privy to. I back us not clutching at straws and bringing a player just to make up the numbers, id rather see us put faith in the players we have here and rethink the situation come the summer.

It's not just one window though mate, we have failed to identify good strikers for years now, that's what frustrates people. Admittedly not all Levy's fault.

I genuinely thought AVB would get Levy's full backing, I don't think he has so far. But AVB isn't the kind of person who will publicly complain about it.

 

[billyiddo]

seeing us sign talented players elsewhere just makes me think that the striker issue is nothing more than an anomaly to be honest - we have been consistently picking up good young players in all positions outside of the forwards for years now, i can't think of a reason to explain why we haven't been doing so in this area of the team as well.

last summer we signed on a permanent deal a forward who played a part in 28 goals for us last season, as well as a wide forward from elsewhere who tallied 23 (17&6) - it's not like we aren't trying mate.

re backing AVB : im not entirely sure that it's fair to say we haven't backed AVB - squad went under quite a transition over the summer - key players leaving and plenty of new faces coming in - i have always been of the opinion that our squad is quite bloated and that once it is trimmed of the fat and some room made then we will see us a bit more involved in the market - this summer should see a lot of extra room made Gomes, Bentley, Jenas (already gone tbf) Gallas Huddelstone - that's a lot of wages to be freeing up, as well as space in the 25 man squad.

 

[parklane1]

Let me get this straight - Levy, who has got the 6th biggest club in the league (in terms of turnover and or Wages) consistently punching above it's weight in becoming serious challengers to the top 4, built a training ground that is the envy of every club in the world and has brought us within touching distance of finally starting to build a new stadium - should step aside if we don't qualify for the Champions League this season?

Sorry to be blunt here but people calling for Levy to step down are fudging idiots imho

That's not to say you have to agree with everything he does or that he is imune from critisizim

Amen to that.

 

[Golfball]

I think he means the one that's had a whole 6 months of successful Premiership football.

Anyone remember that season Kevin Phillips had? I remember loads of people on here wanting to buy him too.

We could probably do with Phillips in our team right now. He was available this window as well.

 

[Robspur12]

Aston Villa, Saudi Sportswashing Machine & Everton (comparable size clubs) have won nothing while Levy has been chairman. Is this not more about CL and sugar daddy money putting the top clubs in a different league and sweeping up all trophies? The only other teams outside the top table to win anything since 2001 are Blackburn, Middlesbrough, Birmingham and Portsmouth, and look where their chairmen have got them.

=D>

Have posters forgotten what Levy has had to contend with ?- Lasagnegate, finishing in 4th place only to see Chelsea winning the Champions League, petro-dollared fuel teams and not to mention the damage left by the Sugar era. Not only 1 Carling Cup, 2x4th place finishes, 2 league cup runners up. We are the only team to seriously challenge the Sky 4 without a sugar daddy. All this with only a 36000 seater stadium and 1 champions league campaign. Seriously are those criticising him wanting us to replace him with a Sugar Daddy? because that is the only chairman who would be better.

 

[Golfball]

It's not just one window though mate, we have failed to identify good strikers for years now, that's what frustrates people. Admittedly not all Levy's fault.

I genuinely thought AVB would get Levy's full backing, I don't think he has so far. But AVB isn't the kind of person who will publicly complain about it.

Could be why AVB was brought in. Because he is easy to manage from the chairmans pov.

But I have read a lot about people assuming Levy will be different with AVB. He won't. AVB will be backed within budget if he is doing well, not backed if he is unsure. Just as he'll be fired at the end of the season if things don't meeting Levys expectations.