What do we need to do...

What do we need to do to make us Premiership Champions, and just how far away are we?

I've been loving and supporting this amazing football club since December 1961 and I held a season ticket at White Hart Lane for 34 years. I've seen all the cup glories and amazing European nights, I've lived through all the dramas, the ecstasies, the horrors and the embarrassments on a weekly basis, I've defended my football club against all sorts of negative and disgusting comments from the fans of other clubs with all my passion, and I will always do so.

But in all my time as a Spurs fan, I have never seen us lift the one ultimate prize which would make us English Champions and that hurts. I honestly cannot remember the last time we came even remotely close, and that hurts even more. I'm afraid something one of my colleagues at work said which infuriated me so much, could actually be true (although I'd never admit it to him...) He told me Chelsea are now a bigger club than we are, and it makes me feel sick to even repeat that on here. They disgust me. That entire fucking club is rotten from top to bottom, including their fans who are an embarrassment to football.

Winning cups is great, don't anyone get me wrong, but once a cup is won, it's pretty much forgotten. Being English Champions would elevate us to an entirely new level. It would place us firmly amongst the elite, where we should always strive be.

In three years time, we are going to be playing at one of the worlds finest new stadiums in front of London's largest capacity, barring Wembley. Bearing in mind that by that time all the other clubs in major contention will have built and developed their own resources accordingly, what will we be able to do to make us serious contenders for the Premiership.

It's going to be a fascinating journey for us over the next ten years but as much as I love to see us winning cups and all our fans going crazy celebrating, I'm far more determined to se us being crowned English Champions before I shuffle off this mortal coil.

Am I asking too much?

You're not asking too much. Glory will come, we are close, just not quite within reach.

I think we'll be well positioned when English football finally eats itself (surely the current situation is unsustainable?) but I can't see us being able to do it before then as the playing field is so far from even.

If Leicester can be top of the league at Christmas (and probably well into January at least) then there's no reason that a club with our resources can't win the title. Even more so when we move to the new stadium

Having a balanced squad and that means a proper set of CF's would help us achieve that. A more mature squad as well because i think we lack a real leader/s on the field at the moment. Watching these lads grow up together will be interesting as leaders emerge. Not selling our best players is also crucial.

Otherwise I think we are on the right track. Pochettino's teams are a sum greater than their individual parts so not having world class players is an issue we dont need to wrestle with as much as other teams. Stability and a balanced squad will be more important factors to get us there. Lastly, we need to back the manager for the long haul.

Adam456 said:

If Leicester can be top of the league at Christmas (and probably well into January at least) then there's no reason that a club with our resources can't win the title. Even more so when we move to the new stadium

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I think being top now and managing to sustain it till the end of May are two different matters altogether. I do however think though that the Prem will become more open in the future and we could potentially have more winners than the usual suspects.

I don't think the club's ever been in a healthier position at the moment and I genuinely think that we will be challenging for honours now going forward especially once the stadium is built, that's an absolute game changer for us.

Last realistic time we should of won the league was in 85 was competing on all fronts but lack of squad depth in them days with burn out costing us and Everton pipped us in the end.

I am all for Leicester upsetting the usual top 4`s Applecart and hope they go onto win it, but for a sustained yearly challenge you need to have 1) a quality keeper.. we are lucky to have one of the world's best between the sticks for a snip at £8m. 2) a watertight defence.. toby`s arrival has helped improve the others massively only 14 goals conceded by xmas is very un spurs like considering we have the youngest team in the prem.

3) midfield balance.. poch`s decision to blood dier there has been a revelation and a great screen in front of defence let alone how much money it has saved us towards being spent improving other positions within the team. We have an abundance of young midfield talent at our disposal that will only increase the performances with competition for places plus experiences gained at the heart of the team.

4) the 3 behind the striker.. still a bit tweaking to be done and a work in progress, but this is the vital part of our team that needs to be more ruthless in front of goal to start making big waves towards a title challenge while complimenting the great defensive work going on behind. If son can put his scoring boots on and find a goal or 2 or 3 every other game with the other 2 being ruthless and taking any opportunity that comes there way heading into the 2nd part of the season skies the limit but until that 3 becomes ruthless we will always have problems seeing out games.

4) lone forward.. we have a great kid in kane who is far exceeding many expectations going into games fearless but he is still learning himself, cover is vital to save burn out.

We are not far off bit of tweaking here and thete, and just need to be more ruthless in front of goal to put games to bed alot earlier as we're not letting in many as that is the consistent platform the old top 4 cartel used to cement there annual places. While some of them are in decline we need to be ruthless

I'd love to see us place faith in our academy setup to get us to the next level. Wishful thinking maybe, but not beyond the realms of possibility.
One key signing, a CF to ease the workload on Kane, but also keep him on his toes. Probably going to have to be a signing here, as we don't appear to have any academy prospects quite close enough.
Beyond that, if Fazio goes, place faith in Carter-Vickers to step up as Toby's understudy, and Velkjovic to step up as understudy to Dier at CB/DM option. Oduwa hopefully continues his development at Rangers to be Townsend's replacement. Ball appears to be maturing well with the exposure to senior football, possibly an alternative option to Milos as Dier's understudy.
Onomah and Winks to elevate with experience into the pivotal central roles.

No need for any other major signings beyond that much needed CF.
Maybe just add the odd promising youngster scouted from lower leagues, in the way Alli was last Jan. Shilow Tracey has been mooted this window, and some suggestions Henry from Walsall has been targeted.

Minimal changes. Go with what we have in the main, ingrained ethos throughout the club. Let the team develop and mature together, it will become greater than the sum of its parts that way.

Shadydan said:

I think being top now and managing to sustain it till the end of May are two different matters altogether. I do however think though that the Prem will become more open in the future and we could potentially have more winners than the usual suspects.

I don't think the club's ever been in a healthier position at the moment and I genuinely think that we will be challenging for honours now going forward especially once the stadium is built, that's an absolute game changer for us.

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How will Leicester go coping with Europe too ?

Time

We need a player who's won a few things to see these lads through.

Steady as she goes: But: keep faith with Pochettino and do not be afraid to break the bank if and when the right game-changing attacking player comes along (even if the latter takes two years to materialise).

We are close. Keep the squad together, let it get a bit more experienced, get a striker and I think we're there. Doesn't mean we will win it, but it will be possible - and that'sall you can really do. I'm very positive. To the OP, how does it feel to you? Do you get good vibes? I do.

HodisGawd said:

We are close. Keep the squad together, let it get a bit more experienced, get a striker and I think we're there. Doesn't mean we will win it, but it will be possible - and that'sall you can really do. I'm very positive. To the OP, how does it feel to you? Do you get good vibes? I do.

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Yes, everything feels alarmingly positive right now. I say 'alarmingly' because I know from past experience that we are a club who frequently snatches disaster from the very jaws of success, but we have it within our grasp to break that cycle, and in all honesty, I can't recall a time when so much has been right there in front of us almost ready for the taking, and when I consider the immense infra-structure which is going to soon be in operation, with the new 61,000 seater stadium, the world class training facility and the 45 room players lodge in Enfield being the very envy of the whole of Europe, a young manager with first class scouting and recruiting backroom staff and a management ethos wanting to develop our own top talent and bring it through...I almost have to pinch myself.

If it's all done to plan, there's no earthly reason why we shouldn't be considered as being serious challengers for the Premiership title within five years, not just once, but every season.

There's always a fear we may lose our best players to bigger clubs, although none of our players have expressed any desire (far as I know) to leave. That's always a concern, but my own fear is that our Manager may also get tempting offers from all and sundry once we start improving to higher levels. We need to keep the crew and the ship together if we are going to get this 'project' completed and it's a very delicate balance.

A bit off topic but I would be pissed if Leciester was to finish ahead of us much less win the premiership. We would have been there or there abouts only for them to come out of nowhere and beat us

This league isn't static. That's what a lot of people seemingly aren't taking into account. Everyone needs to realize with upcoming revenue surges, United, Chelsea, City, and Arsenal can spend 100+ million pounds net every summer if they want to refresh their squads. Liverpool can spend slightly less than that doing the same. Leicester has spent 40 million pounds net in the last two seasons, and can probably double that with the new television deal. Lots of other middling teams can do the same. That's very difficult to compete against if you're in our position and want to win the league, especially if you insist on essentially keeping the squad as is and only promoting players from the Academy, with the odd moneyball sabermetric inspired buy like Trippier or Njie.

That's why it's essential in a uniquely tumultuous season like this that we absolutely take our chances. We can't just count on internal growth propelling us every season moving forwards to match heavy spending by others. Players go backwards, get injured (look at the much heralded Mason/Bentaleb duo of last season, who have been essential non-entities absent one game this season), and get their heads turned by other offers and leave the club.

So, this season I think is our best chance at a title push in a chaotic season with losses piling up for other teams. Absent this season, our route would entail finishing top 3 this season, guaranteeing CL revenues to allow for wage and transfer spending increases, and bolstering the squad with 2 top class signings not far off from what Arsenal did with Ozil and Sanchez. With CL football, our turnover would explode to nearly 275 million pounds next season, double what it was only a few seasons ago. That gives you a lot of flexibility financially, if you choose to use it, to reward your best players with contract extensions, and allows for certain purchases in the transfer market that wouldn't have been feasible years ago that help you do things like finish off games against Newcastle and Stoke, and help you rotate with confidence against teams like Watford.

Leicester being top of the league has put to shame all the plastics (Manure, Chelski, Citeh, the bin dippers and last but not least arse anal with the small fortune they've spent on Ozil, Sanchez etc)
Like the OP I too believe this is a special time for us and if it does all come together we will be a sustainable force to reckon with for many many more years.
Merry Xmas everyone from a delightfully hot and bright Guatemala City where it's 30 C

Spurslove said:

What do we need to do to make us Premiership Champions, and just how far away are we?

I've been loving and supporting this amazing football club since December 1961 and I held a season ticket at White Hart Lane for 34 years. I've seen all the cup glories and amazing European nights, I've lived through all the dramas, the ecstasies, the horrors and the embarrassments on a weekly basis, I've defended my football club against all sorts of negative and disgusting comments from the fans of other clubs with all my passion, and I will always do so.

But in all my time as a Spurs fan, I have never seen us lift the one ultimate prize which would make us English Champions and that hurts. I honestly cannot remember the last time we came even remotely close, and that hurts even more. I'm afraid something one of my colleagues at work said which infuriated me so much, could actually be true (although I'd never admit it to him...) He told me Chelsea are now a bigger club than we are, and it makes me feel sick to even repeat that on here. They disgust me. That entire fucking club is rotten from top to bottom, including their fans who are an embarrassment to football.

Winning cups is great, don't anyone get me wrong, but once a cup is won, it's pretty much forgotten. Being English Champions would elevate us to an entirely new level. It would place us firmly amongst the elite, where we should always strive be.

In three years time, we are going to be playing at one of the worlds finest new stadiums in front of London's largest capacity, barring Wembley. Bearing in mind that by that time all the other clubs in major contention will have built and developed their own resources accordingly, what will we be able to do to make us serious contenders for the Premiership.

It's going to be a fascinating journey for us over the next ten years but as much as I love to see us winning cups and all our fans going crazy celebrating, I'm far more determined to se us being crowned English Champions before I shuffle off this mortal coil.

Am I asking too much?

Click to expand...

If we sign a strike we'll be there or there about a I reckon

OP - I posted the following thread a month or so before the start of the season and I'm hugely impressed with our development so far http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/riding-the-wave-of-optimism.120414/

This year is a great opportunity to win the league but I don't think we will because we draw too many games. Not taking advantage of the opportunity shouldn't mask the very tangible progress we're making, however. We're becoming consistent and that will only improve. Once we find a little more creativity and cutting edge to our play we'll be right up there.

We'll win the league, or be very close, within the next 10 years.

Very young squad who are already one of the best teams in the country

6th highest wage budget which will jump to 3rd/4th once the new stadium is here

Best training centre in the world

A manager who has a clear philosophy and already looks like he knows how to build a side

Once the new stadium is here, assuming Levy then doesn't sell our star players, we WILL win the league.