‘I’d be sacked if I just won the Carabao Cup’ - Pochettino more interested in Premier League

[midge]

Poch said

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"If it's only the objective to win the Carabao Cup and be in the middle of the table in the Premier League, I think today we're not talking how we're talking here," Pochettino said. "I think I [would have been] sacked a few years ago, for sure, with two or three Carabao Cups or FA Cups.

"If you don't finish how we've finished in the last three seasons [but win] the FA Cup, I don't know if Daniel [Levy, the chairman] would have too much patience with me or is very nice and says, 'OK you're 10th in the Premier League, I keep you and even give you a new contract.' I don't believe that.”
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I seen many post asking him to take FA and League Cup more seriously but reading this. I feel he has a point. If he had won us Cups but we have not been in Top 4 in CL almost every year, I think we would have had a new manager or 2 by now

If for the last few years under his charge we won a cup or 2 but we were mid table every season or not in CL or Europa every year , would we have been asking for him to be sacked?

 

[dondo]

Sorry poch but I want both ?.
There is no reason we can’t win a cup and challenged at the top of the table, it’s what all the best teams do and it doesn’t have to be one or the other

 

[fluffybunnyuk]

Before poch departs to lead Espanyol to the treble... I expect him to lay the groundwork for the future...so we STAY in the top 4...otherwise we're just poorer neighbours to chelski, and faced with letting arsenal back in the mix again. Along the way if you reach the crockopoo cup semi-final i expect you to field your strongest team in one of the legs to gain an advantage. Same goes for the FA Cup. The deeper poch goes in the champions league, depends a bit on luck of the draw, and seeding, but its also an indicator of how good we are against the best teams year on year in europe.
Poch is still learning, and improving as a coach. There are vague signs he can read the match better and make good substitutions...sometimes. So i dont expect PL titles. I think he also has to realise that if we win something players like eriksen might want to stick around a bit longer if they can smell something more tangible like a cup of somekind.
Am i unreasonable?

 

[Armstrong_11]

I think the plan was always...

1. secure our spot in the top 4. and income from the champions league.
2. hold on to that spot while the stadium is in a transitional stage
3. have enough funds to have a deeper squad and challenge on all 4 fronts.

currently, we are on step 2, might be a couple more seasons before our stadium investment will bear fruit. we are still not out of the woods... but maybe... with some luck, we might get a trophy.

 

[Gassin's finest]

There's no real weight to that arguement when you consider the League cup had been won by a top tier side for years now. Long gone are the days of your Leicester's and Blackburn's winning it.

 

[jimmy-jojo]

There's no real weight to that arguement when you consider the League cup had been won by a top tier side for years now. Long gone are the days of your Leicester's and Blackburn's winning it.

It's true, though. Pellegrini, Van Gaal, Wenger, Conte, Mourinho...all won cups and they all got the sack because it wasn't enough.

 

[Gassin's finest]

It's true, though. Pellegrini, Van Gaal, Wenger, Conte, Mourinho...all won cups and they all got the sack because it wasn't enough.

Those aren't comparable examples really... Pellegrini won 2 league titles, but was replaced with Guardiola because of willy waving from the sheikhs. Conte and Jose won a title each at Chelsea before being sacked because of... Well, Chelsea. Van Gaal and Jose again were booted from Man Utd because they have the temerity to not be Fergie.

And Wenger retired.

 

[Dougal]

I think the plan was always...

1. secure our spot in the top 4. and income from the champions league.
2. hold on to that spot while the stadium is in a transitional stage
3. have enough funds to have a deeper squad and challenge on all 4 fronts.

currently, we are on step 2, might be a couple more seasons before our stadium investment will bear fruit. we are still not out of the woods... but maybe... with some luck, we might get a trophy.

Here’s the ‘painful’ truth. And we broke into the top 4 earlier than expected. And the stadium is later than expected. So strap yourselves in lads, we’ve hit a bit of turbulence but the destination is still the same.

 

[wrd]

Those aren't comparable examples really... Pellegrini won 2 league titles, but was replaced with Guardiola because of willy waving from the sheikhs. Conte and Jose won a title each at Chelsea before being sacked because of... Well, Chelsea. Van Gaal and Jose again were booted from Man Utd because they have the temerity to not be Fergie.

And Wenger retired.

Conte and Jose were sacked because their teams weren't making top four, Wenger was booted he didn't retire and Van Gaal and Jose were sacked by United for not making top4 or not being near it. Poch is bang on.

 

[Mr Pink]

Can debate this all day long, but the league and CL are clearer priorities for Poch.

 

[easley91]

He's right. Whether you want to admit it or not. Ramos won the League Cup in 2008 and we all remember how that ended. We should have kicked on, yet didn't.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Conte and Jose were sacked because their teams weren't making top four, Wenger was booted he didn't retire and Van Gaal and Jose were sacked by United for not making top4 or not being near it. Poch is bang on.

Jose was sacked by Chelsea because ofthe player revolt over the physio discrimination.

Again, non-typical situations at non-typical clubs.

 

[wrd]

Jose was sacked by Chelsea because ofthe player revolt over the physio discrimination.

Agree to disagree but they were languishing near relegation when he was sacked. Which adds to Pochs Point.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Agree to disagree but they were languishing near relegation when he was sacked. Which adds to Pochs Point.

Because the players had revolted and downed tools. That was a remarkable and fabricated position.

Not in anyway comparable to what Poch is on about.

 

[wrd]

Because the players had revolted and downed tools. That was a remarkable and fabricated position.

Not in anyway comparable to what Poch is on about.

Okay but you've taken 1 example out of the 5 you've mentioned and the point remains that he was sacked based on results not the revolt otherwise they'd have sacked him instantly. The main point is that there's is evidence to prove that what Poch is saying is true.

Over the last 10 years only 1 manager remains who has won the F.a Cup or the League cup. That's pep who also happened to win the league.

 

[Reece]

I get where he's coming from and let's face it, we haven't had the money some others have, so he's prioritised in his mind what he feels is the best for his and the team's longevity. I can't argue with his reasoning.

It's also worth remembering that we did get to the league cup final, and lost. We did get to two FA cup semis, and lost. In those cases it wasn't about prioritisation, it was about being the better team on the day.

So you could say even though he has prioritised the league & CL, we've still had chances, which also speaks to his point: improve as a team, aim high, and you'll still get chances in the 'lesser' cups anyway.

 

[Seafordian Spurs]

It's because clubs need to be in the top 4 to ensure maximum revenue. For us- playing Big Team with teams around us that are significantly richer- it would is imperative (unfortunately).

I heard a stat on the Totally Football podcast a couple of weeks ago (while they were discussing the worth of Poch to Spurs in monetary terms) which went something like: last year's FA Cup winners got paid £6 million while last season Spurs earned €60 million by getting out of the Champs league group.

Something like that. Either way the difference in revenue from winning a domestic cup and simply progression through Champs League is staggering. Contextualises Poch's comments.

 

[wizgell]

Let's not forget that Chairmen and Boards of Directors get very little pleasure from seeing a team lift a trophy, that joy is reserved for fans.

However, the bank balance after winning the Premier League or Champions League will be savoured by those at Board Room Level.

In the modern game we know what's more important. That's why great competitions like the FA Cup are no longer treated with respect by many.

Whilst the top clubs like City, United etc may pick up the odd FA or League Cup along the way to winning league titles, it's mainly because even when they make 11 changes they still have a strong Premier League XI waiting in the wings.

 

[SpartanSpur]

Poch is NOT saying he doesn't want to win a cup, he is just saying us winning a cup will do little to change our profile aside from stopping the 'wHaT hAs hE wOn' argument (although that'll only shift to League Cup Lolz or something similar anyway). He's totally correct IMHO. Constant CL participation actually increases our profile more. PL/CL is what makes the real waves on the trophy front. I think the league cup lineups have shown a lot of respect for the competition and our ambition to win a trophy.

 

[walworthyid]

This one is like brexit! For me, I am entirely in the top 4 camp. But, at the moment it is either or! I, and poch, am hoping that we get to s point where we can challenge for both!

Being consistently competitive in the league is what wins you cups in the end. But winning cups is not going to make you competitive in the league!

We are on the right path. In my lifetime supporting spurs, since 81, this is the second time that we have been competitive in the league. The rest of the time we were a cup team. Yes we won a cup or 2, but this is what it's all about! Performing at a high level week in week out, playing at teams like Barca, Juve, Madrid. Beating the top teams on a regular basis.

I would take where we are over a cup all day long!