Just Where Are The Club Going?

[Jurgen the German]

I really am concerned at the direction of the club, and its ambitions (or lack of it).

Ridding us of Redknapp was unquestionably the right thing to do, due to multiple reasons, IMHO. Already debated to death. But where from there?

Stock Market

Just why did Spurs de-list from the stock market at the beginning of the year? I would have thought for one of two reasons (or both):

a) to rid the club of the liability to shareholders, i.e. having to to act in the best interests of shareholders/shareholders dividends/limitations on wage levels and transfer fees because of liability to shareholders. The latter has been a big weight around the neck in the transfer market in the past. We couldn't compete for the best. Plc's and football clubs don't mix. That model may have worked in the early days in the 1980's, but not now.

or

b) a move in advance of a takeover. MUFC and CFC delisted very quickly after takeover. others?

There have been rumours and rumblings of a takeover. Whether there is any truth in that, remains to be seen. Spurs must be seen as the next big target for takeover.


New Management

AVB? The jury is out, and he should be given time (but of course, how much time?).

I cannot believe that AVB took the job without huge assurances over big transfer funds available, and backing of the board (especially after his Chelski experiences). Assuming that to be so, he hasn't got his no. 1 target in Moutinho. A total lynchpin of his tactics. I cannot believe that he isn't concerned at that.

Are AVB's tactics of a lone striker workable? Defoe cannot be that, so why a new contract?. So that leaves Adebeyor. He blew hot and cold last season.

The first three performances this season have been pretty dire, and today against 'mighty' Norwich, it was a shambles. Against more robust opposition? I am worried. Crucial to this system is a fantastic playmaker in the middle of the park, like Hoddle, or Modric, or Moutinho. The long sprayed accurate pass to the flanks or over the top. Just who is going to do this now?


The Transfer Window

How many more times must Levy insist on this absurd last minute brinkmanship that he adopts in transfer windows, to try and get the player(s) he wants at the best deal (???). It is a well know quantity now, and is increasingly so, as demonstrated in this window.

We desperately needed a Modric replacement. It was Moutinho, and by far AVB's main choice, as widely reported. Porto couldn't lose. They knew we were desperate for their man, that we were/are minted, especially after Modric going, and that they could afford to sit back and wait for Spurs to pay what they wanted, or no deal. They didn't want to lose the guy anyway. To get the guy, we were always going to have to pay a packet in transfer fee and wages, and we had ages to sort this out. We wait to the end, and then it goes tits up. Priceless! We walked right into that. It was entirely predictable. Did we think that we would get the bloke as a record signing, and then not pay him top whack wages?

A striker. A world class, mobile hitman striker. Our no. 1 priority IMO (not another goalkeeper; that could have waited). This has been going on for a decade now, since Hoddles days as manager. Morientes would have been it. Berbatov is the nearest we have got. We could have got him back in this window? What we need. A snip at £4m. Fulham get him and we get an AM in Dempsey instead. After Liverpool can't afford him, mind!

Squad

We had three Premiership-experienced world class players before the transfer window, in Bale, VdV and Modric. Now we have one.

Strikers? We have two.

Goalkeepers? We have four. Double the number of strikers! That is absurd. It should be the other way round.

For a squad to be able to be successful at the top, four strikers are needed. SAF knows that. How many times have Spurs struggled to score? Defoe is an upmarket Robbie Keane; a scorer of great goals, not a great goalscorer.



Last of all, to the really cynical, a rather nice profit has been made for ENIC after the transfer window. About £20m+? If there is any truth in a takeover, it looks like a very smart bit of asset stripping and money generation by ENIC, prior to new owners coming in. Was Moutinho ever a real prospect? Still no quality striker? Result: an unbalanced squad.

I am worried for the future, where we are going and how we are doing it.

That's what gets my goat more than anything AVB has done. I would always want someone like Levy in my corner when it comes to negotiating a deal, but I have yet to see any of the staunch pro Levy posters answer the question when it comes to questioning why we fudge about so much when it comes to the transfer windows.

 

[Sheffield Spur]

That was my obvious conclusion too! So Dempsey is Ade's competition? I think we needed someone of slightly more exhalted stature than that. You know like the players we were linked with.

Precisely. Llorente would have been perfect to play up front alone, or in any combination of strikeforce (Defoe can't). So too could Ade, I think. But he gets injured, and...... Dempsey? An AM. Good player but not an out and out striker.

We really should have made an early extra quality striker purchase our no. 1 priority, not another goalkeeper.

 

[Spursalot]

Precisely. Llorente would have been perfect to play up front alone, or in any combination of strikeforce (Defoe can't). So too could Ade, I think. But he gets injured, and...... Dempsey? An AM. Good player but not an out and out striker.

We really should have made an early extra quality striker purchase our no. 1 priority, not another goalkeeper.

Brilliant. Lets buy players who don't want to come here. i'm sure that's easy.

 

[Sheffield Spur]

Brilliant. Lets buy players who don't want to come here. i'm sure that's easy.

Said who?

Or we don't offer enough £ to attaract a top striker, more like. We got Ade on the cheap, remember.

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

Brilliant. Lets buy players who don't want to come here. i'm sure that's easy.

You don't know that. You don't even know whether we actually made a bid for him.

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

Where was the Berba cash spent again? We have been net recoupers in the transfer market for as long as I can remember and that goes back a long, long way.

 

[Spursalot]

I get the feeling some in this thread have unrealistic expectations about the players who are going to be attracted to a non-CL club.

In addition to unrealistic expectations about how much we can afford to spend and our wage structure.

 

[Jordinho]

Said who?

Or we don't offer enough £ to attaract a top striker, more like. We got Ade on the cheap, remember.

If we offer more we have less to spend on other players, we can't afford our other targets. It's a question of priorities. Biggest problem here would probably be his wages, giving one player a massive wage will impact the total wage bill even more once other players are done asking for a pay rise.

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

I get the feeling some in this thread have unrealistic expectations about the players who are going to be attracted to a non-CL club.

In addition to unrealistic expectations about how much we can afford to spend and our wage structure.

Well what are we doing supporting Spurs in the league? Given your attitude, we may as well just throw our hands in the air and walk away from the EPL. Let's just hope for an easy draw and a sneaky quarter final in the League Cup then. If spurs are to compete then we have to sign those sort of players and also nurture up and comers. otherwise why bother?

 

[Dicko]

Just to add some ITK said we had agreed a fee for Llorente but he wanted 150k a week and we weren't gonna go there. Still begs the question why we couldn't manage to find an out and out striker within our budget over the last 3 months!?

 

[Spursalot]

Well what are we doing supporting Spurs in the league? Given your attitude, we may as well just throw our hands in the air and walk away from the EPL. Let's just hope for an easy draw and a sneeky quarter final in the League Cup then. If spurs are to compete then we have to sign those sort of players and also nurture up and comers. otherwise why bother?

I support spurs because i have become emotionally attached.


My attitude? because i think some players are out of our price/reputation range?


I think we're well in the mix for fourth with the players we've currently got. That's all you need to know about my attitude.

 

[Jordinho]

Just to add some ITK said we had agreed a fee for Llorente but he wanted 150k a week and we weren't gonna go there. Still begs the question why we couldn't manage to find an out and out striker within our budget over the last 3 months!?

I think that's the biggest problem with our transfer dealings, we aren't going after the right targets. We need to find those that haven't yet become super stars and who wants to come here. They do exist, as proven by Saudi Sportswashing Machine and the odd bargain at other clubs.

 

[paxtonwolf]

Re: Just Where Are The Club Going?


Back to the late 90s by the look of things so far this season. I know its only 3 games, but it's 3 games in which we have squandered 5 pts.
Thank GHod we werent playing City or United today.

The 2 week break could do us good. Reading and QPR after that before a pointless trip to Old Trafford. We need a minimum of 4 pts from the 2 games or else the vultures will really be circling by Oct 1st

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

I support spurs because i have become emotionally attached.


My attitude? because i think some players are out of our price/reputation range?


I think we're well in the mix for fourth with the players we've currently got. That's all you need to know about my attitude.

Some of us are not content with a mid table finish and nice little run in the cups anymore. Look back over the seasons and you will see that money earnt from out goings has not been reinvested in new signings. It is not about not having the cash. It is about the club choosing not to spend it.

 

[Spursalot]

Some of us are not content with a mid table finish and nice little run in the cups anymore. Look back over the seasons and you will see that money earnt from out goings has not been reinvested in new signings. It is not about not having the cash. It is about the club choosing not to spend it.

If you're not content then that's something you have to deal with.


I'll just keep supporting spurs in the mean time.

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

If you're not content then that's something you have to deal with.


I'll just keep supporting spurs in the mean time.

Ha, ha. I will too, but having done so now for over 45 years, I'm getting heartily sick of commercial decisions, taking priority over sporting ones. "There used to be a football team over there" and all that!

 

[Spursalot]

Ha, ha. I will too, but having done so now for over 45 years, I'm getting heartily sick of commercial decisions, taking priority over sporting ones. "There used to be a football team over there" and all that!

Swings and roundabouts mate.


Always will be.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Genuine question, for all of Levy's great business acumen, do people think he knows what he's doing when it comes to the football side of things?

 

[Joesh]

I think a lot of clubs in the league have improved vastly over the last 3 or 4 years. There isnt as much room for error anymore where you can play poorly and win. I think we have been punished for not doing our business earlier and allowing our players to get a good pre season done and get in to our new system. Unfortunately well have to wait for another 7-10 games to get a proper idea of how this team will fit together.

 

[Jordinho]

Genuine question, for all of Levy's great business acumen, do people think he knows what he's doing when it comes to the football side of things?

He has advisors (one of them being Pleat) and of course Sherwood in addition to the head coach and his team. He's been around for over 10 years now. After Hoddle he spent a lot time learning about the setups of clubs around the continent and has surely been adding to his knowledge since.