Are we getting left behind?

[Spurslove]

I see the BBC is reporting on Balotelli to Liverpool. It's really getting scary how much Rodgers is being backed, and with Chelsea and Arsenal also having made some key signings, and Everton having signed Lukaku on a perm, just how far behind are we falling? We the latest ITK suggesting our targets aren't going to come to fruition, combined with us hoping that last year's signings magically start to all come together, has me feeling that are we going into the season with greater risk and blind hope than our competitors. I'm worried that with everyone else strengthening, if we were to under-perform this season we could see ourselves ending up 7th or 8th.

I wonder, did last year's scatter gun approach to signings harm our ability to subsequently make guy ones under Poch?

Yes, everyone seems to be going round buying players right now, but firstly, there's no guarantee they're going to be able to settle here (as we found out ourselves last season) and secondly, the players we signed last season who didn't appear to settle have now hopefully 'played themselves in' and are now used to the rigors of the toughest league in the world, and are raring to go, so who knows what we have in terms of quality?

What I'm saying is it's far too early in the day to compare us to anyone in terms of quality, and that new players from abroad bring their own problems (Sanchez has looked like crap so far apparently) so I don't think we should be comparing anyone's incoming transfers with our own, and feel in any way inferior. Let's see where we are at Christmas...

 

[Kendall]

We sent money last year and went backwards. I expect Liverpool to do the same.

Still think they'll finish ahead of us - but the gap won't be anything like.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

We sent money last year and went backwards. I expect Liverpool to do the same.

Still think they'll finish ahead of us - but the gap won't be anything like.

AIDS Foundation?

 

[Lucky22]

Yes, everyone seems to be going round buying players right now, but firstly, there's no guarantee they're going to be able to settle here (as we found out ourselves last season) and secondly, the players we signed last season who didn't appear to settle have now hopefully 'played themselves in' and are now used to the rigors of the toughest league in the world, and are raring to go, so who knows what we have in terms of quality?

What I'm saying is it's far too early in the day to compare us to anyone in terms of quality, and that new players from abroad bring their own problems (Sanchez has looked like crap so far apparently) so I don't think we should be comparing anyone's incoming transfers with our own, and feel in any way inferior. Let's see where we are at Christmas...

You know what, you are exactly right. After following last night's game on Twitter and reading some other football related stuff today you'd think we were at the business end of the season, not the start of it. Too many people are quick to judge. According to the press, we should just give Chelsea the title now and Fabregas the player of the year accolades.

The transfer window hasn't even closed yet and we're judging how far behind we are?!? I'd like to point out that many would have had Sandro on a plane back to Brazil after his first season - now he's referred to as a Spurs cult hero! Patience, people - patience!

 

[Coyboy]

Can you tell us the lottery numbers please mate?

Nothing amuses me more than football fans who believe they're more knowledgeable than professionals working in the game and can determine outcomes of things like player signings succesfully.

Not 1 person on this forum or any forum for that matter has a clue how the Balotelli signing will turn out yet. Its a complete gamble, a 50/50, that only time will tell us if it was worth taking. BR is an excellent man manager and if anybody can 'fix' Mario, within football, he has as much chance as anyone. We also have several ex-City officials working for us now who were involved in signing him, and worked with him, so we are not going into this totally blind or desperate as some are suggesting.

However, it seems clear from our ITK this is more a transfer committee than a BR signing. We're told BR was against it as didn't feel he was right for his system, and was only convinced to get on board when Milan dropped the price to £16m.

For me though, as a LFC fan having endured some of our previous signings since the Souness era, getting a potentially class forward who is only 24, for just £16m, who will prob be 2nd fiddle to Sturridge anyway if Daniel remains fit, seems a great deal. Even if he isn't a great success we should be able to get a lot of that fee back.

I'm not worried about the dressing room as doing some research and speaking to a City friend it seems he was always popular with his team mates at City. His issues lie in (many) other areas.

Well we aren't going to be getting them from you as you were so adamant Suarez was going nowhere. What evil has done is express an opinion in a shorthand manner. He's hardly guaranteeing it won't work out.

 

[mark timms]

we need to buy a couple of players in before the season starts not when its started
we have a bloated squad of average players as we dont risk paying big money on great players hence now why we cant get rid of some of them
in levy we trust!!! lol

 

[cookiemonster]

We are not left behind in the one thing that mattered to the little baldy

The balance sheet league

 

[millsey]

We are not left behind in the one thing that mattered to the little baldy

The balance sheet league

Yeah i want us to turn out like Leeds and Portsmouth too

 

[Rout-Ledge]

We are not left behind in the one thing that mattered to the little baldy

The balance sheet league

You want us to spend money we don't have?

 

[Spurslove]

You want us to spend money we don't have?

I'm afraid this is a depressingly commonly held view among Spurs fans. Some people will never be happy until we have overspent grotesquely and have placed the club in a position of virtual insolvency. Bonkers. Utterly bonkers.

 

[jurgen]

Well we aren't going to be getting them from you as you were so adamant Suarez was going nowhere. What evil has done is express an opinion in a shorthand manner. He's hardly guaranteeing it won't work out.

Lottery numbers has just enrolled his kids in a Liverpool primary school BTW.

 

[Kendall]

AIDS Foundation?

western union, to unlock the money my great great second cousin fourth removed left for me in a Nigerian cave.

 

[haslemereyid]

Of course we are - but that's not anyone's fault it's just the financial facts of premier league life

We do not have unlimited financial resources like certain other clubs and just have to deal with it as best we can

 

[Sweech]

Everton - Exact same team as last year. Except loaned players were signed. They've only added a young midfielder who is taking a HUGE step up competition wise. I don't see how they've improved at all. In fact now they have to worry about European competition games and all the other teams looking at them as a threat.

Liverpool - Exact same situation as us last year. Lose a world class player and make a bunch of young signings with the hopes that they'll develop. Except for us it was painted as a failure and for them it's a success before we've even finished the season. Why is that?

Then there's City, Arsenal, and Chelsea above us and will be for some time based on money and having already acquired key team talents.

Then there's United who also have the huge financial backing but appear to be floundering somewhat based on a mediocre squad given sky high expectations.

 

[ultimateloner]

Everton - Exact same team as last year. Except loaned players were signed. They've only added a young midfielder who is taking a HUGE step up competition wise. I don't see how they've improved at all. In fact now they have to worry about European competition games and all the other teams looking at them as a threat.

Liverpool - Exact same situation as us last year. Lose a world class player and make a bunch of young signings with the hopes that they'll develop. Except for us it was painted as a failure and for them it's a success before we've even finished the season. Why is that?

Then there's City, Arsenal, and Chelsea above us and will be for some time based on money and having already acquired key team talents.

Then there's United who also have the huge financial backing but appear to be floundering somewhat based on a mediocre squad given sky high expectations.

I think your post is very well reasoned so i would like to add to it. Aside from Chelsea/Man City i dont think any other team can be said to have done better than us.

Man City has now extended the contracts of key players: Silva, Kompany, Nasri (?). Once they get Zabaleta/Aguero on they are all set. This is a team that will be in top 4 in for-seeable future.

Chelsea's made buys that improved them immediately and gave them a few more options so this is a team to stay too.

Arsenal i dont think is alot better now than it was. Sanchez seems more a provider than goal scorer. DM problem still persist (Arteta/Flamini both aging and need backups). Will see them weighed down by CL.

Liverpool i think will have a worse season than us. I think we have a better squad than theirs.

Man Utd still can't defend.

Everton: I can't say better than above. So i think we should do better than them.

This means we have a good chance of CL this year.

 

[Jimbo78]

We are what we are.

The 6th richest club in the league. So guess what?! We will probably finish 6th!

The game is all about money sadly. It's stale and very predictable despite what talkshit, sky and the rest of the media bollocks tells us.

As soon as Uefa revamp the overrated and the very predictable champions league and FFP is properly policed nothing will change.

Football is pretty shit at the moment tbh.

 

[ultimateloner]

We are what we are.

The 6th richest club in the league. So guess what?! We will probably finish 6th!

The game is all about money sadly. It's stale and very predictable despite what talkshit, sky and the rest of the media bollocks tells us.

As soon as Uefa revamp the overrated and the very predictable champions league and FFP is properly policed nothing will change.

Football is pretty shit at the moment tbh.

I disagree. I think luck has a big influencer.

 

[Jimbo78]

I disagree. I think luck has a big influencer.

What like two smaller clubs winning the lottery and being taken over by multi billionaires and completely outspending every other club to win trophy after trophy?!

Yep agree with you on that.

In the mean time these two smaller clubs than ourselves have completely ruined the game in this country

 

[ultimateloner]

What like two smaller clubs winning the lottery and being taken over by multi billionaires and completely outspending every other club to win trophy after trophy?!

Yep agree with you on that.

In the mean time these two smaller clubs than ourselves have completely ruined the game in this country

No by luck i just mean the nature of the game.
Since ref decisions/bounce of a ball etc influence make or break games i think luck plays a big role.
For example i don't think Liverpool, even with Suarez, is a 2nd-PL team.

I'm not alluding to the things you consider luck.

 

[Dinghy]

No by luck i just mean the nature of the game.
Since ref decisions/bounce of a ball etc influence make or break games i think luck plays a big role.
For example i don't think Liverpool, even with Suarez, is a 2nd-PL team.

I'm not alluding to the things you consider luck.

Liverpool showed that when they only had a 42 game season (with Suarez) they were a 2nd-in-the-PL team...

Liverpool sans Suarez and in CL... Different proposition.

IMO Liverpool showed the fine margins between top spot and the rest of the top 7... If we didn't have Europa I think we could make a pretty good run at the title too...