Comollis' signings.

[WhiteStripe]

Apolgies if there is a post already detailing this, but I did look and couldn't find it in one place. So, as it says in the title. I want to discuss Comollis' signings.

So first up, a list of all the signings I can find....

Dimitar Berbatov - £10.9m from Bayer Leverkusen,
Pascal Chambonda - £5.25m from Wigan
Benoit Assou-Ekottu - £3.5m from Lens,
Didier Zokora - £8.2m from St Etienne,
Ricardo Rocha - £3.3m from Benfica,
Mido – £3.5m from Roma (loan made perm)
Dorian Dervitte - undisclosed from Lille,
Hossam Ghaly - £3.25m from Feyenoord
Darren Bent - £16.5m from Charlton,
Kevin-Prince Boating - £5.4m from Hertha Berlin,
Younes Kaboul - £8.2m from Auxerre,
Gareth Bale - £10m from Southampton,
Adel Taarabt - £2.7m from Lens,
Danny Rose - £680,000 from Leeds,
Ben Alnwick - £1m from Sunderland
Roman Pavlyuchenko - £14m from Spartak Moscow
Vedran Corluka - £8.5m from Man City
David Bentley – £15m from Blackburn
John Bostock – £1.2m from Crystal Palace
Giovani Dos Santos – £4.6m from Barcelona
Luka Modric – £16.5m from Dinamo Zagreb
Alan Hutton - £9m from Glasgow Rangers
Jonathan Woodgate - £8m from Middlesbrough
Chris Gunter - £3m from Cardiff
Gilberto - £1.9m from Hertha Berlin

.....So firstly apologies if I have made any errors, but please let me know if I need to change anything.

Looking at that list, I would split into 3 categories...Hit, Miss, Undecided.
____________________________________________________________
Hit
Dimitar Berbatov, Gareth Bale, Alan Hutton, Jonathan Woodgate.
____________________________________________________________
Miss
Pascal Chambonda, Ricardo Rocha, Mido, Hossam Ghaly, Kevin-Prince, Younes Kaboul, Adel Taarabt, Gilberto, , Benoit Assou-Ekottu.
____________________________________________________________
Undecided
Didier Zokora, Dorian Dervitte, Darren Bent, Danny Rose, Ben Alnwick, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Vedran Corluka, David Bentley, John Bostock, Giovani Dos Santos, Luka Modric, Chris Gunter.
____________________________________________________________

So out of 25 players, I would view 4 as "hits" of which one is now gone. I don't think that I would still be employed if my success rate was this poor in my job, so why should Comolli. :shrug:

I know this is just my opinion, an everyone has their own, but come on, I'm sure you will find it hard pushed to get that "hit" column much higher.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

I'd stick Gunter and Corluka in the hit list.

If he'd replaced Carrick with an Essien or Diarra etc instead of what we got, we wouldn't be having half this trouble!!

5 OR 6 good buys when you've spent as much as DC has is definitely not good enough

 

[talkshowhost86]

When you look at that list it's unbelievable that he's lasted as long as he has.

Levy must look at that and wonder what he's been spending his money on, and for someone who is pretty shrewd with his cash I'm amazed he's kept giving it to DC.

There's no doubt in my mind that DC needs to go. I'm just not sure that it'll make that much positive difference.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

i wouldn't call taarabt and chimbonda misses, both of them performed well enough whenever they were played. but yes if this wasnt football, he would have got the chop a long time ago, businesses don't care about continuity of staff, they care about results. as for football is a 'results business' it's surpising he hasn't been chucked out.

 

[joey55]

Dimitar Berbatov - £10.9m from Bayer Leverkusen,
Pascal Chambonda - £5.25m from Wigan
Benoit Assou-Ekottu - £3.5m from Lens,
Didier Zokora - £8.2m from St Etienne,
Ricardo Rocha - £3.3m from Benfica,
Mido – £3.5m from Roma (loan made perm)
Dorian Dervitte - undisclosed from Lille,
Hossam Ghaly - £3.25m from Feyenoord
Darren Bent - £16.5m from Charlton,
Kevin-Prince Boating - £5.4m from Hertha Berlin,
Younes Kaboul - £8.2m from Auxerre,
Gareth Bale - £10m from Southampton,
Adel Taarabt - £2.7m from Lens,
Danny Rose - £680,000 from Leeds,
Ben Alnwick - £1m from Sunderland
Roman Pavlyuchenko - £14m from Spartak Moscow
Vedran Corluka - £8.5m from Man City
David Bentley – £15m from Blackburn
John Bostock – £1.2m from Crystal Palace
Giovani Dos Santos – £4.6m from Barcelona
Luka Modric – £16.5m from Dinamo Zagreb
Alan Hutton - £9m from Glasgow Rangers
Jonathan Woodgate - £8m from Middlesbrough
Chris Gunter - £3m from Cardiff
Gilberto - £1.9m from Hertha Berlin

......

Those I've highlighted are the signings I think people can realisitically blame or credit Comolli for. The coach always has the final say. However, as Jol said both on the BBC the other day and at last years Q&A, sometimes with players from foreign leagues, the coach has to rely on the opinion of the Director of Football. So, if the caoch wants a DM and doesn't have a specific player in mind or we can't get that player, then the D of F must come up with a player. The coach doesn't have to take this player, but if he trusts the opinion of the D of F, then he will. So, whilst every player is signed with the blessing of the coach, it doesn't mean the coach should share blame or take credit for every signing.

There is no way on this planet that Levy would pay huge fees for well known players, or players from this country, that the coach didn't want. Those that aren't highlighted (the majority) would have been Premiership based players (so the coach knows them) or big name players the coach specifically asked for. Modric mentioned he came here as Ramos particualry wanted him and Berba said the same about Jol, which Jol confirmed at the Q&A evening.

Also, the prices aren't really Comolli's fault either. That is down to Levy and Alexander.

Also, sometimes the players are no one's fault and we just need to make last minute signings to give the squad the depth needed to cover injuires ie Murphy, Rasiak and Frazier Campbell. In those cases we have to take what is available.

 

[AngerManagement]

I think it's somewhat harsh to put Chimbonda and Mido in the miss category. Both did a job for us and were sold on for a decent price.

I agree that the key issues are the failure to replace our losses in the sales of Carrick and Berbatov. If we had made inspired signings to replace them (like we did to get them in the first place) then we would be in much better shape now.

To what extent this is down to DC, I honestly don't really know.

 

[DoublePivot]

Rafael Honigstein had a good line in his column this week

Hoffenheim's most expensive player, the injured Brazilian striker Wellington, cost €8m — in other words as much as Spurs "star" Kevin-Prince Boateng.

That's pretty fucking damning to be honest as almost every one of Ragnick's group would start immediately for us as we who follow the Bundesliga are discovering that TSG is the real deal. They probably got Iba, Ba, Salihovic, Eduardo and Gustavo for less than we spent on Bentley.

 

[joey55]

Rafael Honigstein had a good line in his column this week



That's pretty fucking damning to be honest as almost every one of Ragnick's group would start immediately for us as we who follow the Bundesliga are discovering that TSG is the real deal. They probably got Iba, Ba, Salihovic, Eduardo and Gustavo for less than we spent on Bentley.

This is what Honigstein said when we signed KPB:

"he found that most them had been sold, amongst them self-styled "ghetto kid" Kevin-Prince Boateng to Spurs for a frankly ludicrous €8m (£5.4m)."

 

[DoublePivot]

This is what Honigstein said when we signed KPB:

"he found that most them had been sold, amongst them self-styled "ghetto kid" Kevin-Prince Boateng to Spurs for a frankly ludicrous €8m (£5.4m)."

Rafa knows his shit. And I've talked to him and he thinks Podolksi will be a massive bust in the EPL, so be forewarned when people start wanting him as we get into the winter break.

 

[WhiteStripe]

I'd stick Gunter and Corluka in the hit list.

Gunter, although promising, for me is yet to play enough games at top level to prove he is a hit, maybe I should have a fourth "promise shown" catagory. Same goes with Corluka, although I was inpressedwith himat Man City and for Croatia, I'm not sure I have been as impressed so far in a spurs shirt.

i wouldn't call taarabt and chimbonda misses, both of them performed well enough whenever they were played.

Chimbo is an odd one, although he had some good performances, I think he fell foul of being played out of position and therefore yes, you are right, I may have judged him harshly, although he was replaced so maybe that says something. As for Taarabt, I wish I could say he was wonderful, but I think I must have seen every game he has playedat the top level, and there is nowhere near enough consistency shown. I think he fits in the same category as the likes of kaboul - an abundance of talent, but nowhere nearready for top flight premiership football, and possibly not a premiership style footballer.

I think it's somewhat harsh to put Chimbonda and Mido in the miss category. Both did a job for us and were sold on for a decent price.

I've talked about Chimbo above, however as for Mido, I'm afraid I disagree. Early on in his loan spell, he looked good, worked hard and scored goals, however towards the end he became less and less effective, somuch so, that I nearly fell off my chair when I heard we had signed him permenantly. If we judged it on his whole loan period, then yes,probably just a hit, but the signing was not a good one IMO.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

then maybe they have learnt from their mistake with kaboul and our waiting with taarabt until he is ready. he's been at the club a whil but has made so few appearances it's a tad unfair to call him a miss as of yet. would put him in the undecided category.

 

[WhiteStripe]

then maybe they have learnt from their mistake with kaboul and our waiting with taarabt until he is ready. he's been at the club a whil but has made so few appearances it's a tad unfair to call him a miss as of yet. would put him in the undecided category.

True enough, but Taarabt aside, I think the list above is a real eye opener mg:. I really couldn't believe it myself until I tried sorting them out.

 

[Bobishism]

Modric mentioned he came here as Ramos particualry wanted him and Berba said the same about Jol, which Jol confirmed at the Q&A evening.

Warped logic.

 

[joey55]

Warped logic.

This is what Comolli said when Ramos tookover:


"Juande will say what he thinks he needs – 'this is the kind of characteristic I need in players'. As a scouting department, we have to come up with solutions. If he's got a name, that's fantastic."

Do you seriously believe that Levy would spend £16 million on a player as well known as Modric unless Ramos had specifically aked for him?

 

[WhiteStripe]

This is what Comolli said when Ramos tookover:


"Juande will say what he thinks he needs – 'this is the kind of characteristic I need in players'. As a scouting department, we have to come up with solutions. If he's got a name, that's fantastic."

Do you seriously believe that Levy would spend £16 million on a player as well known as Modric unless Ramos had specifically aked for him?

Yes I do, as Levy has put Ramos in charge of coaching, and Comolli in charge of buying. Ramos may have input, but the blame lies with Comolli. His comments above are just his way of trying to shift any transfer blame onto the head coach. He has the final say on who we go for, not Ramos, otherwise there is no point in Comollis' role.

 

[eddiebailey]

then maybe they have learnt from their mistake with kaboul and our waiting with taarabt until he is ready. he's been at the club a whil but has made so few appearances it's a tad unfair to call him a miss as of yet. would put him in the undecided category.

He has been left out of not only the Premiership squad but also the UEFA Cup squad, so Ramos has decided even if you have not.

 

[joey55]

Yes I do, as Levy has put Ramos in charge of coaching, and Comolli in charge of buying. Ramos may have input, but the blame lies with Comolli. His comments above are just his way of trying to shift any transfer blame onto the head coach. He has the final say on who we go for, not Ramos, otherwise there is no point in Comollis' role.

There is, because if the coach doesn't have someone in mind (or we don't have the right money or can't pay the wages etc), then the scouting department (run by Comolli) must provide him with another solution. As the quote says. Comolli isn't passing blame, but pointing out that a coach doesn't need him to recomend a player he (the coach) already knows. If Ramos wants someone of Modric's stature, he wants him. It's as simple as that. He really doesn't need a D of F to recommend the player. If Modric wasn't available/feasable and nor were others that Ramos had in mind, then it is upto Comolli to find a player that has the characteristics Ramos is looking for.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Those I've highlighted are the signings I think people can realisitically blame or credit Comolli for. The coach always has the final say. However, as Jol said both on the BBC the other day and at last years Q&A, sometimes with players from foreign leagues, the coach has to rely on the opinion of the Director of Football. So, if the caoch wants a DM and doesn't have a specific player in mind or we can't get that player, then the D of F must come up with a player. The coach doesn't have to take this player, but if he trusts the opinion of the D of F, then he will. So, whilst every player is signed with the blessing of the coach, it doesn't mean the coach should share blame or take credit for every signing.

There is no way on this planet that Levy would pay huge fees for well known players, or players from this country, that the coach didn't want. Those that aren't highlighted (the majority) would have been Premiership based players (so the coach knows them) or big name players the coach specifically asked for. Modric mentioned he came here as Ramos particualry wanted him and Berba said the same about Jol, which Jol confirmed at the Q&A evening.

Also, the prices aren't really Comolli's fault either. That is down to Levy and Alexander.

Also, sometimes the players are no one's fault and we just need to make last minute signings to give the squad the depth needed to cover injuires ie Murphy, Rasiak and Frazier Campbell. In those cases we have to take what is available.

Personally I've always thought it a little more blurred than that. lets take Zokora for example. A regular international for - at the time - Africas most exciting nation The Ivory Coast. So had had plenty of TV coverage playing in the ACN, then appeared at the World Cup - which Jol attended and commented on for TV I think. Add in that French league games are fairly easily accessable. Could Jol really have had no idea exactly what he was getting with Zokora ?

Transversly, take Bent. Of course, as your list shows, Jol must have known and sanctioned this purchase, maybe even requested it ?
But as DOF I've always held Camolli very responsible for this massive waste of money on such a limited player as even if Jol demaded him, at 16m Comolli should have known better and realised that as DOF he would have to sign off on such a huge mistake.

When I look at that list I can pretty much understand why a club like ours, in our position, made most of them.

You yourself have argued with me that young players often mature after 20-22+. I think in tandem with those easy purchases (ie the Berbatovs, Modric's, Gomes's and Woodgate's) we have run a policy of trying to find an uncut diomond here and there.

If we consider that Devitte and Kaboul were France under 18 and 21 captains respectively we can easily understand this kind of purchase.
I still don't think we should have binned Kaboul quite so quickly.

There actually aren't too many complete turkeys on that list when taken from the viewpoint of the logic at the time not the all knowing hindsight.

 

[WhiteStripe]

There is, because if the coach doesn't have someone in mind (or we don't have the right money or can't pay the wages etc), then the scouting department (run by Comolli) must provide him with another solution. As the quote says. Comolli isn't passing blame, but pointing out that a coach doesn't need him to recomend a player he (the coach) already knows. If Ramos wants someone of Modric's stature, he want him. It's as simple as that. He really doesn't need a D of F to recommend the player. If Modric wasn't available/feasable and nor were others that Ramos had in mind, then it is upto Comolli to find a player that matches that has the characteristics Ramos is looking for.

Ok, fair point, but the fact is, the signings made under Comolli are on the whole, not good enough to take the team any further. When Levy changed the structure he made it clear that the DOF would be responsible for transfers, therefore by his own admission, the blame has to lie with the DOF, not the coach.....

We are operating in an international market and it's vital we put in place an appropriate management infrastructure and expeprtise to achieve our aspirations. It's important we have stability and a consistent strategy for first-team and youth development. I firmly believe this can be best served under a new continental structure and that Frank Arnesen is immensely qualified to oversee this for us. For many years now, not just for the time I have been here, this club has failed to achieve a league position commensurate with the financial investment that has been made in the team.

The continental approach has never actually been tried in England, so if it is good enough for Real Madrid then I think it is good enough for Tottenham. The previous structure we had at Tottenham was a bit of a hybrid. David Pleat, who was director of football, often gave the board different opinions to what the manager had and the board's attitude was always to back the manager. That is not the continental structure, where the coach is responsible for coaching the players and the sporting director is responsible for bringing the best players into the club. Any changes need time to have an effect but I am confident we shall have success, and it would be inappropriate to put a time limit on it.

 

[shakus]

I know what you mean about time consuming, I did one on an xl spreadsheet and it took much longer than I thought, so well done for making the effort.

We've got a higher staff turnover that your local McDonalds. I guess the essence is quality not quantity, I hope that Levy & Co take heed that taking a scatter gun approach is not efficient and causes more problems than solving them. Arnesen was involved in wholesale changes as we were low on numbers when he started, but since then we've always had a large squad, but paradoxically short on key positions ( either too many / too few midfielders or strikers).

I'd probably swap Zokora with Rocha,as it's been well documented that, although useful, Didier does not have the skills were require. Rocha was unlucky as he made that error against Arsenal in CC Cup but was not forgiven for it and then got injured. Gomes on the other hand was at fault for the Villa goal but has since saved our bacon and kept the scoreline against low.

I don't know if you'd include Mpoku and Ranieri in there as well, might be a while before they get into the 1st team squad though so would probably go in undecided.