A Realistic Perspective

[Deleted member 27995]

Glad we sorted that out then. My goodness you do try hard.

 

[longtimespur]

Some people eh???????
We haven't won anything for years and I must say that I'm not happy about that but I'm really happy with who we now are. We're a club on the up and are talked about continuously for our performances and have been the best team over the last 2 years in the EPL.
My opinion is we don't have any real leader/s on the pitch. No one vociferous enough to rally the players when we aren't playing well or can make a small change in our set-up to offset the other teams playing style.
None of our current squad are a Roy Keane or a Danny Blanchflower. (Example from each extreme)
Keane would command respect from his team mates and would certainly have a go at them for lack of effort or sloppiness.
Danny Blanchflower wasn't a shouter but he was a very good tactician and would alter the team to combat the opposition if things weren't going right.
We have neither of these IMHO at the moment
I noticed Morinho comment on his teams performance against us saying how they managed the game well.
We're getting there. Just need a bucket of patience which in modern society seems totally against the norm. Nowadays it's a case of wanting everything and demanding it be immediate.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

Glad we sorted that out then. My goodness you do try hard.

and you probably should try harder

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

What has this got to do with this thread?

You're clearly not a Spurs fan ...

Every fucking thread I walk into and there you are either talking utter fucking bollocks or posting utter fucking bollocks memes.

Though i don't agree with his sentiments, they are both factual and to the point. The truth does sometimes hurt. If we can't see the funny side of life at the Club we support then we really are a sad lot.

PS
No way would Levy have a cheap knock off Formica pair of cabinets in his new super-dooper executive office.

 

[Deleted member 27995]

Though i don't agree with his sentiments, they are both factual and to the point. The truth does sometimes hurt. If we can't see the funny side of life at the Club we support then we really are a sad lot.

PS
No way would Levy have a cheap knock off Formica pair of cabinets in his new super-dooper executive office.

I have laughed at a few things today, it's not that hard. I tend to draw a line at a negative mindset (talking about poster of said pic) who has nothing even remotely positive to offer up.

As for the cabinet itself, I'm not so sure, as long as it was kept clean and some better lighting I could see Levy being mighty impressed with it, bar the top shelf, he'd need his much fabled ladder.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

predictable response whenever achievements of lesser teams are brought up. what does their relegation and administration have to do with us? are you suggesting it wouldn't have been possible for us to win something without being relegated and/or going into administration?

True words. Winning turns into more winning in plenty of cases, and people forget those examples. In modern PL history, a vast majority of every PL winning team won a major domestic or European trophy the season before.

 

[SugarRay]

As it stands we are the poor relation of the big six, we need trophies to be seen as anything higher, regardless of league position, unless of course we win that!

Obviously we are all delighted to be in the position we are in as a club, but it’s more than that. It’s 8 fa Cup semi finals without a win, it’s the habit of losing big cup games, which is now a real issue. That’s so frustrating as a Tottenham fan. We were famous for being a ‘cup side’ for the best part of 100 odd years. It’s what put us on the map. Our record in finals for example was and in the case of the FA Cup, still is, incredible.

Now we’re becoming known as perennial chokers. It’s just adding more and more pressure and will only make it more difficult to end our barren run.
Could feel the tension in the ground once United equalised on Saturday. The majority of the support don’t believe we can win these games imo.

 

[Krule]

Great article. I'd certainly take where we are today as a club as opposed to 10 years ago.

That's the thing, we are close, some want it now (society seems to breed this mentality all too often these days it seems)

I too would love to see success through titles and trophies.

But it's going to take time, we're improving, laying some hoodoo's to rest along the way.

Patience grasshopper...patience.

But Master I have waited sooooooooo long.....when do we walk the rice paper ??

 

[thelak]

I’m very grateful for the last few years - the last 10 -12 in fact has been a fun time to be a spurs fan and Poch has kicked us up to a new level

I think for more measured fans we can appreciate how amazing it has been to get where we are on basically no net spend

But equally it feels like this squad is approaching a ceiling and teams and energy levels go in cycles there is only so many times you can pull a Dele Ali or Dier out of the bag - add in expensive tickets going forward and I think both fans, existing players and Poch especially feel now with such good foundations is the time to invest as standing still is going backwards in this league - momentum is so important- just look at Arsenal and for us without the track record or top wages it’s a fragile time

We’re approaching a pivotal time IMO where recruitment will be more important to kick on that training and existing squad development where Poch has already done a fantastic job

That said would hope his subs and tactics sharpen up next season to close out games - and no need to ever play a reserve keeper when trying to win a cup!

 

[beats1]

Funny, if we dont win a trophy next season, it will be the first time since the 40's that we havent won a trophy win each decade

We are now 10 years without winning a trophy, our joint worst streak since WW2

 

[eddiev14]

I understand that everyone is frustrated by the trophy situation but we have to be honest about what money has done to the game, and people are not.

The mainstream media certainly isn’t, and they tend to be the source of most fans’ discontent these days.

They want you to think that this modern football, with all its flashy advertising and glamour, is the best sport in the world. You must watch, read, listen, consume - and do it daily. All the shit that surrounds the game, like the transfers, the gossip, the scandals, the narratives. None of it actually matters, but it creates this weird culture where football is never lived in the present as it’s all about ‘what next for (club x)’.

I’m general, it serves to create debate by making you feel either really happy or really shit. There’s no middle ground.

However, the one massive prevailing narrative that cannot be ignored - but is constantly ignored in the media - is that football is completely eating itself as a sport.

A poster mentions the lack of trophies in this decade. Well, let’s go back each decade since the 30s and see how many different teams won the FA Cup in every 10 year block.

30s-40s: 9 different winners (9 seasons due to WW2)
40s-50s: 5 different winners (5 seasons due to WW2)
50s-60s: 8 different winners
60s-70s: 8 different winners
70s-80s: 8 different winners
80s-90s: 7 different winners
90s-00s: 6 different winners
00s-10s: 5 different winners
10s-pres: 5 different winners

So, taking the major English cup as a guide, since the mid 90s— when the TV money jumped - look what has happened to the competitiveness of English football.

It’s taken a total nosedive and it’s getting worse with the top clubs now gaining a further advantage with financially doped clubs dramatically raising the market value for players, enabling them to fill their squads with quality players that the other teams can now not afford. Thereby widening the divide between the rich clubs and everyone else - who, incidentally now have to buy average players for 3x the price.

Also, please look at the list of historic FA Cup winners. Many traditionally big clubs like Aston Villa, Leeds etc have struggled so badly with damanding fans and erratic business plans that they have totally dropped away from the top flight.

Yet look at us.

Less than half of the budgets of these cash cows at the top and yet we’re up there challenging in the league, still getting to FA Cup semi-finals, beating top European clubs like Real Madrid in the Champions League and about to move into what is set to be one of the best stadiums in Europe.

Saturday was disappointing but - Jesus fucking Christ - some of you need to take a breath, step back and look at the bigger picture of how horribly the cards are stacked against us and any other club who cannot pay a player over £200k per week in wages.

There are lots of us clubs in that position, and - no matter what the media spout - almost 0 of us are making a genuine play for major honours.

The game is fucked and has been destroyed by money. The one silver lining is that SKY have absolutely no idea how they will get the younger generation to pay top dollar to watch it in the future so, within 10-15 years the bubble will burst and hopefully we’ll get our game back.

Until then, please remember to enjoy the ‘moments’ of glory. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that they don’t matter. They do.

And, all in all, just try to be fair. Because the game certainly isn’t.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

absolutely none of that has anything in the whatsoever to do with us losing with barely a whimper on Saturday. we battered United 3 months ago on the same pitch, so no-one is going to come here and tell me money suddenly became an issue at the weekend. we didn't lose because we weren't able to compete against a superior team, we lost because on the day we just weren't good enough yet again. let's just call a spade a spade, we have a problem getting over the hump of winning. that's the players and, yes, even the great and infallible Pochettino himself. none of that changes the fact that we have come a long way and done some very god things over the last couple of season, but all these excuses are pretty embarrassing.

at the beginning of the season, everyone on here got their panties in a twist over a perceived lack of respect from the media, Conte, Guardiola, and anyone else you care to name. Conte said we don't have the same pressures and expectations as the other clubs, and he was running scared because he knew we were a threat to win. Pep refers to us as the Harry Kane team, and he too was running scared because we'd thrashed them last season. no-one in the media tipped us for the title, and we were being massively overlooked and disrespected. didn't they know we had been the best team in the league points-wise for the previous two seasons? what about us having the best attack and defence in the league? oooh and that lovely goals difference also. OF COURSE we were title contenders. after City, we were the best of the rest blah blah blah. fast forward to April now, and the story appears to have changed. we never stood a chance anyway. we're doing amazingly just to be in the conversation. how are we supposed to compete with all these uber-rich clubs?

we really do want to have it both ways, and it's laughable. sometimes it's ok to just accept you've not been good enough, and look to what could be done better next time. it doesn't have to mean the manager or players are crap either, or that they should go. just that they need to learn from their mistakes and improve. for all their good work, we have a team that doesn't yet know how to win, coched by a coach that has never won before. until that changes, then objective criticism is entirely valid.

 

[Doctor Dinkey]

Funny, if we dont win a trophy next season, it will be the first time since the 40's that we havent won a trophy win each decade

We are now 10 years without winning a trophy, our joint worst streak since WW2

It's only going to get harder. Next year Liverpool and Manchester city are likely to be fighting for the big titles, with man united hoovering up behind them. Arsenal as well will likely improve. We need to step up big time to remain competitive.

 

[Spurs 1961]

There is no question that we have come a long way under Poch. Better football, improved players, competing for the first time in memory for the league title, beating the best teams in Europe and at last a new stadium.

Our problem is that we now have several teams who are also improving, who have top managers as well, but who have far more financial clout. If we can find the. Only to keep the players we want to and add a key player or two whilst developing talent then we can continue developing. That might mean we still struggle to win the two trophies that matter most but competing regularly for them gives us the chance to win.

I don't usually watch it but was pleased on The Debate last night to see Strachan and Wright rubbish in the idea that somehow we are failures and bringing a balanced perspective on where we are. For al the money of our rivals it is Spurs who have managed the most consistent form over the last few years and the joy of going to matches expecting always to win in a rare feeling in decades of following Spurs

 

[1882andallthat]

Generally speaking I'm extremely happy with where we are at the moment, we have as good a side as I can remember since being a Spurs fan from the mid seventies onwards even though it's an extremely bitter pill to swallow that the Semi Final losing streak has now been extended to 8 in a row.

I am realistic enough to know that we can't slug it out in a financial bidding war at all costs with the likes of City or Utd or Chelsea when trying to acquire the final pieces of the jigsaw to take us to that so called next level, but by the same token it doesn't sit easily with me that Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth, Birmigham City and Leicester City have more domestic silverware than us to show in the last 9 seasons. It doesn't mean I want to swap places with fans from those teams but I'd like to think you kind of understand where I'm coming from.....

 

[eddiev14]

absolutely none of that has anything in the whatsoever to do with us losing with barely a whimper on Saturday. we battered United 3 months ago on the same pitch, so no-one is going to come here and tell me money suddenly became an issue at the weekend. we didn't lose because we weren't able to compete against a superior team, we lost because on the day we just weren't good enough yet again. let's just call a spade a spade, we have a problem getting over the hump of winning. that's the players and, yes, even the great and infallible Pochettino himself. none of that changes the fact that we have come a long way and done some very god things over the last couple of season, but all these excuses are pretty embarrassing.

at the beginning of the season, everyone on here got their panties in a twist over a perceived lack of respect from the media, Conte, Guardiola, and anyone else you care to name. Conte said we don't have the same pressures and expectations as the other clubs, and he was running scared because he knew we were a threat to win. Pep refers to us as the Harry Kane team, and he too was running scared because we'd thrashed them last season. no-one in the media tipped us for the title, and we were being massively overlooked and disrespected. didn't they know we had been the best team in the league points-wise for the previous two seasons? what about us having the best attack and defence in the league? oooh and that lovely goals difference also. OF COURSE we were title contenders. after City, we were the best of the rest blah blah blah. fast forward to April now, and the story appears to have changed. we never stood a chance anyway. we're doing amazingly just to be in the conversation. how are we supposed to compete with all these uber-rich clubs?

we really do want to have it both ways, and it's laughable. sometimes it's ok to just accept you've not been good enough, and look to what could be done better next time. it doesn't have to mean the manager or players are crap either, or that they should go. just that they need to learn from their mistakes and improve. for all their good work, we have a team that doesn't yet know how to win, coched by a coach that has never won before. until that changes, then objective criticism is entirely valid.

To a certain degree you’re right. Poch is occasionally naive with the way he sets us up for big knockout games, and he has a lot to learn from the likes of Mourinho.

However it’s a fact that United are able to properly rotate their squad to cope with loss of form, injury and freshness without losing their quality. IMO that’s a key reason they’re above us in the league.

Despite a great run of form, we’ve hit a dip and our best players are looking jaded. Our depth is nothing like United’s and we’re struggling to freshen it up and maintain the quality.

Also, as stated, we’re not talking about the bigger picture here. We’re talking about a one-off match which was fairly even. I mean, if Dier’s shot hits the inside of the post and goes in we probably win that game. The margins are tiny and we lost the game.

My point is it’s fine to be upset at the defeat but to totally meltdown, ask for Poch’s head, say Levy should go etc - and I’ve seen a lot of that sort of thing since Saturday- is not fair.

It totally overlooks the bigger picture that is the amazing job they have done to get us even competing in this era.

In a few days hopefully those fans will have calmed down enough to have some perspective.

 

[shelfboy68]

absolutely none of that has anything in the whatsoever to do with us losing with barely a whimper on Saturday. we battered United 3 months ago on the same pitch, so no-one is going to come here and tell me money suddenly became an issue at the weekend. we didn't lose because we weren't able to compete against a superior team, we lost because on the day we just weren't good enough yet again. let's just call a spade a spade, we have a problem getting over the hump of winning. that's the players and, yes, even the great and infallible Pochettino himself. none of that changes the fact that we have come a long way and done some very god things over the last couple of season, but all these excuses are pretty embarrassing.

at the beginning of the season, everyone on here got their panties in a twist over a perceived lack of respect from the media, Conte, Guardiola, and anyone else you care to name. Conte said we don't have the same pressures and expectations as the other clubs, and he was running scared because he knew we were a threat to win. Pep refers to us as the Harry Kane team, and he too was running scared because we'd thrashed them last season. no-one in the media tipped us for the title, and we were being massively overlooked and disrespected. didn't they know we had been the best team in the league points-wise for the previous two seasons? what about us having the best attack and defence in the league? oooh and that lovely goals difference also. OF COURSE we were title contenders. after City, we were the best of the rest blah blah blah. fast forward to April now, and the story appears to have changed. we never stood a chance anyway. we're doing amazingly just to be in the conversation. how are we supposed to compete with all these uber-rich clubs?

we really do want to have it both ways, and it's laughable. sometimes it's ok to just accept you've not been good enough, and look to what could be done better next time. it doesn't have to mean the manager or players are crap either, or that they should go. just that they need to learn from their mistakes and improve. for all their good work, we have a team that doesn't yet know how to win, coched by a coach that has never won before. until that changes, then objective criticism is entirely valid.

Whilst the term Harry Kane team was a tad insulting to the rest of the squad it does carry an element of truth, because without him in the team or as Saturday showed not on firm we don't quite carry the same threat for the opposition, and yes I know we have won game's without him I believe we have a better chance on the big occasions with him in it.

 

[Graysonti]

I understand that everyone is frustrated by the trophy situation but we have to be honest about what money has done to the game, and people are not.

The mainstream media certainly isn’t, and they tend to be the source of most fans’ discontent these days.

They want you to think that this modern football, with all its flashy advertising and glamour, is the best sport in the world. You must watch, read, listen, consume - and do it daily. All the shit that surrounds the game, like the transfers, the gossip, the scandals, the narratives. None of it actually matters, but it creates this weird culture where football is never lived in the present as it’s all about ‘what next for (club x)’.

I’m general, it serves to create debate by making you feel either really happy or really shit. There’s no middle ground.

However, the one massive prevailing narrative that cannot be ignored - but is constantly ignored in the media - is that football is completely eating itself as a sport.

A poster mentions the lack of trophies in this decade. Well, let’s go back each decade since the 30s and see how many different teams won the FA Cup in every 10 year block.

30s-40s: 9 different winners (9 seasons due to WW2)
40s-50s: 5 different winners (5 seasons due to WW2)
50s-60s: 8 different winners
60s-70s: 8 different winners
70s-80s: 8 different winners
80s-90s: 7 different winners
90s-00s: 6 different winners
00s-10s: 5 different winners
10s-pres: 5 different winners

So, taking the major English cup as a guide, since the mid 90s— when the TV money jumped - look what has happened to the competitiveness of English football.

It’s taken a total nosedive and it’s getting worse with the top clubs now gaining a further advantage with financially doped clubs dramatically raising the market value for players, enabling them to fill their squads with quality players that the other teams can now not afford. Thereby widening the divide between the rich clubs and everyone else - who, incidentally now have to buy average players for 3x the price.

Also, please look at the list of historic FA Cup winners. Many traditionally big clubs like Aston Villa, Leeds etc have struggled so badly with damanding fans and erratic business plans that they have totally dropped away from the top flight.

Yet look at us.

Less than half of the budgets of these cash cows at the top and yet we’re up there challenging in the league, still getting to FA Cup semi-finals, beating top European clubs like Real Madrid in the Champions League and about to move into what is set to be one of the best stadiums in Europe.
t the media spout - almost 0 of us are making a genuine play for major honours.


Until then, please remember to enjoy the ‘moments’ of glory. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that they don’t matter. They do.

And, all in all, just try to be fair. Because the game certainly isn’t.

Great post
I’m actually delighted with how my club is shaping up (ST pricesaside) and an Fa Cup win or not, makes no difference to that.

We have the best stadium and training facilities with awesome revenue generating potential.

All this “must win a trophy” crap spouted by uneducated footballers is just click bait.

Be happy spurs fans - we are in a good place and our future is very very bright.

 

[cider spurs]

Tee hee...So, we have a better chance with a World class striker in the team and on form as opposed to one not playing.

Who'd have thought.

 

[double0]

The more reasoned and considered fan will truly understand how far we’ve come along. We do get envious eyes on our raise the style of football our home grown players the new stadium being built a lot of praise really on the face of it however something to the naked eye just isn’t right , that’s where pundits and the like will ask the question where’s the thropies. It a fair enough question to ask seeing Leicester city winning the league of recent. Until we accumulate with this squad some silverware, regardless of all the individual acclaim’s it will mean nothing others . I hope our fans can see this journey with Pochettino through without jumping to hard on the narrative of silverware.