Daniel Levy - Chairman

[Lemonade Money]

Which is where we do not compete

I would guess we do (maybe through bonuses?). otherwise I can't believe Kane and Son stayed so long earning less than their peers? We are always rumoured to be paying the highest manager wages too?

 

[thfcsteff]

I would guess we do (maybe through bonuses?). otherwise I can't believe Kane and Son stayed so long earning less than their peers? We are always rumoured to be paying the highest manager wages too?

We have a good bonus scheme for sure. We also get players on long contracts. I suspect Mourinho and Conte were fat wedgers for sure. However we are always looking to keep the wage bill down (not necessarily bad practice). Both Kane and Son came as young players. When we arrive at going for already established players, we rarely go overboard.

 

[DubSpur]

90% of players choose the biggest pay cheque.

If the paycheck is reasonably close they will choose the team competing for trophies. A chance to win trophies, more bonuses, plus they'll have a bigger profile meaning more sponsorship to close the gap in the pay cheques.

 

[Bishop]

I would guess we do (maybe through bonuses?). otherwise I can't believe Kane and Son stayed so long earning less than their peers? We are always rumoured to be paying the highest manager wages too?

We don't. Its easy to confirm by just looking at the wage bills of the various clubs. Our wage bill is £80m a year less than the club one position above our own in the wages list. City's wage bill (at the top of the list) is £172m a year more than our own or to put it another way thats 22 players on 150k per week they spend over us.

We pay managers well but usually not the absolute highest.

 

[Mikey10]

We should be rolling out the red carpet for Kimmich and making him our best paid player ever

I may have spotted a slight flaw in your plan…

 

[Glenda's Legs]

I may have spotted a slight flaw in your plan…

You mean ‘never red’ of course.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

We don't. Its easy to confirm by just looking at the wage bills of the various clubs. Our wage bill is £80m a year less than the club one position above our own in the wages list. City's wage bill (at the top of the list) is £172m a year more than our own or to put it another way thats 22 players on 150k per week they spend over us.

We pay managers well but usually not the absolute highest.

Where are you getting that from?
I posted a few weeks back a credible source https://swissramble.substack.com/p/a-spending-cap-in-the-premier-league

I’ve seen lots of people post articles form crap like goal and TeamTalk

Personally if it’s football finance it’s Swiss Ramble (arsenal fan and accountant) or even better Kieron Maguire who lectures on football finance

 

[thfcsteff]

Where are you getting that from?
I posted a few weeks back a credible source https://swissramble.substack.com/p/a-spending-cap-in-the-premier-league

I’ve seen lots of people post articles form crap like goal and TeamTalk

Personally if it’s football finance it’s Swiss Ramble (arsenal fan and accountant) or even better Kieron Maguire who lectures on football finance

Other than the Arsenal anomaly, that table tells the story. And should be remembered frequently by us. If we want to challenge for the title, we need to spend beyond 5th on wages when necessary. That is if we want to believe we can ever beat City to the pot.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Other than the Arsenal anomaly, that table tells the story. And should be remembered frequently by us. If we want to challenge for the title, we need to spend beyond 5th on wages when necessary. That is if we want to believe we can ever beat City to the pot.

And maybe we can’t afford to do that
What we need to do is be clever
But the right players
Develop the team over time
Work the plan
Arsenal have done that and got close
No reason we can’t

 

[Baleforce]

Other than the Arsenal anomaly, that table tells the story. And should be remembered frequently by us. If we want to challenge for the title, we need to spend beyond 5th on wages when necessary. That is if we want to believe we can ever beat City to the pot.

Were we doing that in the two years we nearly won it?

 

[thfcsteff]

Were we doing that in the two years we nearly won it?

No.
Some here (and I am one of them) would argue that if we had, we would not have 'nearly' won, we'd have won. Mane and Winaldjum/losing Mitchell was a switch point. No Mane, instead Clinton N'Jie. And then when we were needed a backup striker, we required Fortnum & Mason calibre yet ended up having to shop at Lidl. People take a pop at Poch's recruitment, but he lost his main guy in Mitchell and was then forced to shop at, well, Lidl, Primark, etc...

We have never, ever properly appreciated the absolute miracle Pochettino conjured. He was 90 minutes from the most improbable of triumphs ever. Sissoko-Llorente-Lucas, three players directly involved in the Miracle of Amsterdam. Poch got them (and players like Winks, Aurier, Skippy) to get us into a CL Final AND scrape top 4 despite injuries to the likes of Kane, Dele, Eriksen and Toby. We had 42 injuries that season (second most in the PL) and did not sign one player in two seasons (fair to say Poch decided that rather than shop at Primark he'd rather wear the old clothes).

I

 

[Batspur]

I know that Ange really wanted him but I'm not convinced that he was absolutely what we needed. I think we need a more positionally sound player. The Michael Carrick that we sold to Man Utd would get this team close to contending IMO.

A long time ago now I know but the story goes that Carricks dad was called in for in a meeting. He thought he was coming in to negotiate Carricks new contract. He came up with a number and Levy just laughed and said he was already sold. This is a long time ago but the itk I had at the time was Carrick was more than happy to stay at Spurs. Levy thought the was getting the steal of the century at selling him for 14m. That season he was the only player Manu signed and they went on to win the league comfortably for the first time in 3 years and got to the final of the fa cup and semis in Europe.

Following year they win the CL and the PL again. All with Chelsea at peak Russian scum moneys.

levy the football genius strikes again.

 

[thfcsteff]

I know that Ange really wanted him but I'm not convinced that he was absolutely what we needed. I think we need a more positionally sound player. The Michael Carrick that we sold to Man Utd would get this team close to contending IMO.

Indeed. But if we are backing the manager -and if we are giving him his choices- then this is a player we should've signed. As you said, financials...

 

[Batspur]

And maybe we can’t afford to do that
What we need to do is be clever
But the right players
Develop the team over time
Work the plan
Arsenal have done that and got close
No reason we can’t

Arsenal didn’t get close…… Arsenal have won more trophies in daniel Levys tenure than we have won in our entire history….

But sure, there’s no reason we can’t.

 

[Batspur]

Indeed. But if we are backing the manager -and if we are giving him his choices- then this is a player we should've signed. As you said, financials...

He’s pulling up trees in Spain. He would have been a major player for us. Unfortunately Chelsea will not do business with Levy. A lot of clubs won’t. A club names a price. Levy agrees then decides at the last minute he needs a sweetner to sugar the deal. Clubs are exasperated with his pointless tactics to save 2 million. Look at Villa and Grealish. He passed at 26 million…Imagine us having Grealish and Gallagher in the team.

 

[thfcsteff]

He’s pulling up trees in Spain. He would have been a major player for us. Unfortunately Chelsea will not do business with Levy. A lot of clubs won’t. A club names a price. Levy agrees then decides at the last minute he needs a sweetner to sugar the deal. Clubs are exasperated with his pointless tactics to save 2 million. Look at Villa and Grealish. He passed at 26 million…Imagine us having Grealish and Gallagher in the team.

I believe that particular business thought disappeared with Abramovich. There would always have been a slighly higher 'tax' given the clubs involved, but a deal was there to be done. As for the rest, yes. Indeed. Exhausting. And cost us Grealish.

 

[thfcsteff]

so many thoughts and various threads i wasn't sure where to post.

As Chief Grumpypants i usually ask to sack the manager. I'm kind of ambivalent now. I don't think sacking Ange is worthwhile, as whilst he's done some infuriating things, he's also not the root cause of the issues.

I wildly, wildly over anticipated our squad beginning of the season. Foolish of me. I often hear how Ange ball is predicated on wingers.

We have a 32 year old Son (looking every bit of his age this season), Timo Werner, and literally children. I mean, changing the manager isn't going to improve fortunes if those are your options.

Our defence is woefully undercooked to the point where Ben Davies is both our back up LB and CB, with a massive lack of full back options especially on the left side to the point we've had to play our best CB at LB in Cup Games.

I've been anti-Levy for a long time. We had an opportunity to sign a starting XI winger this Summer (Neto perhaps). Instead we went for a 19year old from Burnley. We've gone full circle to wanting Mane and getting N'Jie. Nothing will change.

I've reached the conclusion that being charged the second highest prices in the league, have 2 STs in the North... i'm just part of the problem. Sure, there will be another mug to take my STs and expect different, but it won't change.

Too many Ex Pro's have come out and said the same thing about Levy. He's not interested in winning things, he just needs enough to fill the stadium, and keep the money flowing in. He's showed us this time and time again, it won't change. We signed ONE player that was needed for the First XI this summer. It's not enough when our peers are upgrading all over the shop. It's not enough when we're charged some of the highest in the league whilst concessions are continually cut to the bone.

I'm done. end of the season i'm giving up my seats.

Hate to say it, but unless finances dictate, the sheer binary levels of pseudo-biological gene-sharing and addiction with/to Tottenham Hotspur will have you back. I agree that we are all complicit to a degree. I am especially bad. As often said on our pod, I am a merch kitten! Daniel LOVES me!!! :-(...but I LOVE my club and LOVE to wear our colours all over the world!

Great post BTW

 

[Bishop]

Where are you getting that from?
I posted a few weeks back a credible source https://swissramble.substack.com/p/a-spending-cap-in-the-premier-league

I’ve seen lots of people post articles form crap like goal and TeamTalk

Personally if it’s football finance it’s Swiss Ramble (arsenal fan and accountant) or even better Kieron Maguire who lectures on football finance

The same place you did. If you look at that chart, Manchester United wage bill is 80m a year more than our own and City's 172m more.

 

[Bishop]

He’s pulling up trees in Spain. He would have been a major player for us. Unfortunately Chelsea will not do business with Levy. A lot of clubs won’t. A club names a price. Levy agrees then decides at the last minute he needs a sweetner to sugar the deal. Clubs are exasperated with his pointless tactics to save 2 million. Look at Villa and Grealish. He passed at 26 million…Imagine us having Grealish and Gallagher in the team.

But not playing the rle DM that we need. I'm all for signing the players the manager wants but this one wouldn't have solved the positionally issue we have at the base of midfield.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Other than the Arsenal anomaly, that table tells the story. And should be remembered frequently by us. If we want to challenge for the title, we need to spend beyond 5th on wages when necessary. That is if we want to believe we can ever beat City to the pot.

Arsenal being below us in the table is also a temporary measure. They have been increasing their wage bill again recently. I suspect their wage bill will be back above ours in the next set of numbers.