King salutes Spurs squad [Archive] - Spurscommunity Forums

mawspurs

08-02-2010, 08:59 AM

Source: Sky Sports

Tottenham defender confident of finishing fourth.

Ledley King believes the strength of Tottenham's squad gives them the edge in the fight for fourth place.

Spurs locked horns with one of their rivals for a UEFA Champions League spot on Saturday as they welcomed Aston Villa to White Hart Lane.

The match ended goalless and King does not expect there to be much between the teams at the end of the season.

However, the defender does not believe Aston Villa have quite as many options if key players are sidelined through injury.

He said: "I think we've got a stronger squad than them. You've seen the likes of David Bentley and Gareth Bale coming in and they're playing great, and they've added to the team, and that's the beauty of having the kind of squad we've got.

"We believe we can still do it, it's going to go down to the wire, but the best team at the end of the day will get fourth spot."

Champions League dream

Having never played in the Champions League, King admits it would be a special feeling to finally take part in Europe's premier club competition next season.

"For the last few years I've felt the club's always been going in the right directions, and finally we've got a manager who hopefully can do that for us," he stated.

"The Champions League is something I sit down and watch and look forward to on the Tuesday and Wednesday. I probably would have liked to have played it a bit earlier in my career, but that's the way it goes.

"Any footballer, playing at club level, aspires to play in the Champions League against the best players around.

"You want to play in those games, the atmosphere, against the best players, that's what you strive to do, you go into training every day and work hard to test yourself against the best.

"All the lads here love watching the games and we'll talk about them on the Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to the games and there's a hunger for us to achieve that."

kcmei

08-02-2010, 09:10 AM

I have lost count of how many times our players state how good our squad is. The fact is we keep dropping silly points

Michey

08-02-2010, 09:44 AM

I'm sooo extremely bored of statements like these!!! :sleepy:

Show it on the pitch instead and shut up between games!

UncleBuck

08-02-2010, 10:20 AM

If we honestly want to break into that top four then we should have picked up 4 points from our last two games.

We have let Liverpool back into it, when you look at them two defeats at home to Stoke and Wolves I think come the end of the season they will cost usa CL place........

shakus

08-02-2010, 10:38 AM

I'm sooo extremely bored of statements like these!!! :sleepy:

Show it on the pitch instead and shut up between games!

My sentiments exactly, less of the gibber jabber,we need action not words....

Garm

08-02-2010, 11:01 AM

I'm sooo extremely bored of statements like these!!! :sleepy:

Show it on the pitch instead and shut up between games!

:clap:

Same shit, different player.

mil1lion

08-02-2010, 11:17 AM

I think its good for the players to keep their hopes up for 4th place. We have a real chance this season. Sure we've dropped unnecessary points, but so have Villa, Liverpool and City. I think we have a great chance to reclaim 4th spot on Wednesday night with Arsenal at home to Liverpool. Lets keep believing and go for it. Hopefully Lennon will be back soon to give us a big boost aswell. COYS!

GlennHoddle

08-02-2010, 11:26 AM

I'm getting bored of people commenting that they are bored of the players talking to journalists !!
The cheek of the players to answer journalists when they ask them a question!

Michey

08-02-2010, 11:36 AM

I think its good for the players to keep their hopes up for 4th place. We have a real chance this season. Sure we've dropped unnecessary points, but so have Villa, Liverpool and City. I think we have a great chance to reclaim 4th spot on Wednesday night with Arsenal at home to Liverpool. Lets keep believing and go for it. Hopefully Lennon will be back soon to give us a big boost aswell. COYS!
Agree 100%

But, these statements we hear year in and year out have just become empty words and mean absolutely nothing.

mil1lion

08-02-2010, 12:23 PM

I'm sure Villa, City and this season Liverpool players are saying the same sort of things though. They're not even promising anything anyway, they're just saying that they believe we can do it. And they're right, we can do it. But will we do it? Who knows.

Son_Of

08-02-2010, 12:58 PM

these interviews or statements are such a pointless exercise. and there have been a lot of games we should've won and haven't. i think we're an outside bet now. just don't have the luck :(

tomo

08-02-2010, 02:02 PM

Would be really surprised to see us finish 4th now, we just lack that killer instinct and are not creating enough.

For the amount of posession we had on Saturday we never put them under intense pressure. They have a very good defence but I think we made them look better than they are.

It can't be a coincidence that we have failed to break down Stoke, Hull and Wolves previously to this and also failed to create many chances against possibly the worst Liverpool team I have ever seen up at Anfield.

Thought Modric was wasteful at times with his possesion in decent areas but without Lennon we lack pace and even Bales decent efforts to get up into the left wing position as often as possible can't make up for that.

Think Redknapp needs to mix it up again at home and when Ekotto is fit get bale out to left wing, modric in the middle with palacios and krancjar back out wide right. Also give Crouchy a rest, lots of good knock downs from him on Saturday but we are too predictable at the moment.

striebs

08-02-2010, 02:06 PM

Nowhere does King say he is confident of getting 4th .

Sky Journalists ....

Cruyff

08-02-2010, 02:36 PM

We have spent a lot of money compared to teams like Aston Villla and Everton but I'm guessing our points total won't be that different to such teams. Is this because we haven't always spent wisely or they have better managers or both?

Boony

08-02-2010, 02:41 PM

10 Wed Away Wolverhampton W
21 Sun Away Wigan Athletic W
28 Sun Home Everton W
06 Sat Away Man City L
Home Blackburn W
20 Sat Away Stoke City D
27 Sat Home Portsmouth W
03 Sat Away Sunderland L
10 Sat Home Arsenal D
17 Sat Home Chelsea L
24 Sat Away Man Utd L
01 Sat Home Bolton W
09 Sun Away Burnley Barclays D
 <o:p></o:p>
 <o:p></o:p>
22 Points + 43 Points is 65 points.
 <o:p></o:p>
2008 / 2009 – 72 points for 4th == 2007 / 2008 76 points for 4th
 <o:p></o:p>
However this year has been a lot closer.. so would 65 points do it ? Does anyone agree/disagree with my predictions ?

Do you think this would be enough for the CL spot ?

doom

08-02-2010, 02:45 PM

The problem for King is that if and when we do get into the champions league, is he going to be picked for the mid week outings or for the league games??

davidmatzdorf

08-02-2010, 03:34 PM

Do you think [65 points] this would be enough for the CL spot ?

History suggests that it sometimes is and sometimes isn't. In the history of the 20 team Premiership, any team with 67 or more points has always finished at least 4th. But with 65, the answer is "sometimes".

This year, the answer will depend on how the unusually tight cluster of 4 teams scrapping away within a few points of each other, then with a considerable gap between 7th & 9th, affects the number of points required for each place. It could affect it either way, depending on whether one of those 4 teams can put together a late run or they all keep losing points to each other and to other opponents.

davidmatzdorf

08-02-2010, 03:36 PM

The problem for King is that if and when we do get into the champions league, is he going to be picked for the mid week outings or for the league games??

King himself is pretty clear about that. If he gets into the CL, he's bloody well playing when fit. It's one of his lifetime ambitions to play in the CL.

Imagine Harry benching him for a midweek game against Inter Milan so he can play against Hull on Saturday.I know Ledley's a mild-mannered guy and all that, but I think that might trigger off the first-ever King tantrum.

shelfsider

08-02-2010, 04:02 PM

can't see 4th now city have two games in hand and i belive 4th will be between them and liverpool see us coming in 6th and maybe FA cup final v chealsea or city and can't see us wining that either so maybe next year, but see city getting stronger.

vigospur

08-02-2010, 05:09 PM

can't see 4th now city have two games in hand and i belive 4th will be between them and liverpool see us coming in 6th and maybe FA cup final v chealsea or city and can't see us wining that either so maybe next year, but see city getting stronger.

You are massively overestimating Man City. Why assume they would beat us in a Cup Final? 50/50 at worst.

JoeT

08-02-2010, 05:13 PM

Good try 'Boony'...let me look at my tea leaves; rub my silver alladin magic pot and pull my lucky rabbits foot out; then maybe I can examine the games you listed!!
Seriously, even if we don't win or lose some of those games your 65 points will probably be close and as D.M. says: "Maybe; maybe not"
This season is turning out to be SO interesting!

sebo_sek

09-02-2010, 01:05 PM

10 Wed Away Wolverhampton W
21 Sun Away Wigan Athletic W
28 Sun Home Everton W
06 Sat Away Man City L
Home Blackburn W
20 Sat Away Stoke City D
27 Sat Home Portsmouth W
03 Sat Away Sunderland L
10 Sat Home Arsenal D
17 Sat Home Chelsea L
24 Sat Away Man Utd L
01 Sat Home Bolton W
09 Sun Away Burnley Barclays D
 <o:p></o:p>
 <o:p></o:p>
22 Points + 43 Points is 65 points.
 <o:p></o:p>
2008 / 2009 – 72 points for 4th == 2007 / 2008 76 points for 4th
 <o:p></o:p>
However this year has been a lot closer.. so would 65 points do it ? Does anyone agree/disagree with my predictions ?

Do you think this would be enough for the CL spot ?

For me the 3 pointers are: Wolves, Wigan, Everton, Stoke, Portsmouth, Burnley, Blackburn, Bolton
The one pointers are: Sunderland, Man City, Arsenal,
Zero: Chelsea, Man Utd.

So that's 27 which would amount to 70 points and that should be enough. If we beat City, which we very well could that takes 3 points from them and gives us an extra 2.

These are reasonable predictions IMO.

And we are also in a good position to beat Arsenal, as they seriously lack experience, so we would have to attack them with passion - they lose their way then.

1882andallthat

09-02-2010, 02:45 PM

10 Wed Away Wolverhampton W
21 Sun Away Wigan Athletic W
28 Sun Home Everton W
06 Sat Away Man City L
Home Blackburn W
20 Sat Away Stoke City D
27 Sat Home Portsmouth W
03 Sat Away Sunderland L
10 Sat Home Arsenal D
17 Sat Home Chelsea L
24 Sat Away Man Utd L
01 Sat Home Bolton W
09 Sun Away Burnley Barclays D
 <?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p>
 <o:p></o:p>
22 Points + 43 Points is 65 points.
 <o:p></o:p>
2008 / 2009 – 72 points for 4th == 2007 / 2008 76 points for 4th
 <o:p></o:p>
However this year has been a lot closer.. so would 65 points do it ? Does anyone agree/disagree with my predictions ?

Do you think this would be enough for the CL spot ?

In a word NO.

Furthermore we cannot afford to lose away at City and pick up only 1 point from 9 against 'those three on the 3rd, and 17th April'
In my humble opinion we will need at least a draw at City who have two games in hand, and as Ive consistently said we will have to step up to the plate and get at least 5 or 6 points from Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man Utd to stand any chance. (You will also need to factor into the equation that if we battle through to the semis of the FA Cup that will be 4 big games in a row). At that crucial stage I just cannot see our nearest rivals like Liverpool, City or Villa just getting the same return of1 point from 3 consecutive games in April. It will leave us too little time left to make up the ground.
Im not ruling us out of it but we will seriously have to step up a few gears especially in April (The cup semi if were still in and chasing 4th, that month will be a one of the toughest real tests for us in many a year !!)

Im afraid 65 points will be lucky to get us 5th let alone 4th.

davidmatzdorf

09-02-2010, 04:22 PM

In a word NO. ...
Im afraid 65 points will be lucky to get us 5th let alone 4th.

In the fourteen seasons since the Premiership has had 20 teams, 65 points was enough to finish 3rd four times, enough to finish 4th eight times and enough to finish 5th twelve times. Just in case anyone wants to check the tables, I am not saying that is how many points those teams actually had. I'm saying that the club right behind them had fewer points, thus 65 would have been enough.

As you can see from the figures above, 65 points is nearly always enough to finish 5th, enough about half the time to finish 4th and rarely enough to finish 3rd.

So it's a bit more complicated than "no". There are a lot of factors at work this season, because so many teams are packed together in the top 8, with the rest quite a distance behind.

the shelf

10-02-2010, 08:40 AM

King himself is pretty clear about that. If he gets into the CL, he's bloody well playing when fit. It's one of his lifetime ambitions to play in the CL.

Imagine Harry benching him for a midweek game against Inter Milan so he can play against Hull on Saturday.I know Ledley's a mild-mannered guy and all that, but I think that might trigger off the first-ever King tantrum.

I think the first 'King tantrum' happened outside the Punk nightclub to be fair!