Controversial opinion

[JacoZA]

My controversial opinion is that it's better when you care more.

I did in my teens and 20s. Every game, every signing, every newspaper link to a play seemed to matter. So many highs and lows, so much excitement every time a game was shown on TV. Getting knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Kaiserslautern in 1999 hurt more than losing the Champions League final, and to be honest I miss it. Not sure if it's the nature of our football in the last 5 years, or just an inevitability of getting older and perspectives changing, or maybe I'm longing to be young again, but I'd love to have those wild emotions that only Spurs could provide.

Great post, thank you.

I think the changing reality of top-flight football has made this more difficult (for me, anyway). There’s a poetic, bittersweet beauty to losing to a better team. When that team is better because they’re funded by an evil empire, or when you lose to a dubious application of technology, it robs the experience of that quality.

 

[BENNO]

My controversial opinion is that it's better when you care more.

I did in my teens and 20s. Every game, every signing, every newspaper link to a play seemed to matter. So many highs and lows, so much excitement every time a game was shown on TV. Getting knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Kaiserslautern in 1999 hurt more than losing the Champions League final, and to be honest I miss it. Not sure if it's the nature of our football in the last 5 years, or just an inevitability of getting older and perspectives changing, or maybe I'm longing to be young again, but I'd love to have those wild emotions that only Spurs could provide.

I know what you mean, i spent 17 yrs as a season ticket holder from my late 20's to mid 40's and it definitely mattered more back then - the season we nearly went down i postponed a vital operation so i could attend the home game vs Newcastle (we won 2-0, think the returning Klinsmann scored) but i was then whisked straight down to the hospital afterwards and had an emergency op that night - i listened to the away game vs Wimbledon from my hospital bed the following weekend (we won something like 6-2 i think??). I'd also bought shares in Tottenham Hotspur late into that season purely as an extra way to show my support that i thought they'd survive the drop - a truly terrible idea that lost me over £3k ffs.

A few years later i remember driving home from WHL and listening to us being slated after we'd lost to Liverpool, i was so angry i got into a race with a (nother) boy racer and ended up facing the wrong way on the other side of a duel carriageway after a double front tyre blow out at a speed i will not repeat (no one was hurt i hasten to add).

But there is so much shit going on in football these days, the inability or unwillingness from Uefa/PL to really stamp down on clubs flouting FFP rules, the Newcastle takeover being pushed through by Boris Johnson and the general acceptance of sportswashing money to name but a few. And that's before we even start with VA fucking R, it just feels a long long way from the game i loved when i was growing up.

So i relax as best i can and support Spurs knowing there are dozens and dozens of clubs whose fans would love to be in our position, even if we don't think we are in a great place at the moment. We still support the best club in the land and we will have our day eventually.

 

[bigfrooj]

I think Postecoglu will find it hard to get the best out of Harry Kane in his style of play and would prefer to have a fast and aggressive main striker.

 

[Japhet]

I think Postecoglu will find it hard to get the best out of Harry Kane in his style of play and would prefer to have a fast and aggressive main striker.

Know what you're saying, but I think Kane is good enough to adapt to just about anything, other than hard pressing from the front.

 

[Gassin's finest]

I find it risible to consider that a footballer of Harry Kane's calibre wouldn't excel in any system. He's the best centre forward in the world for heaven's sake.

 

[Gassin's finest]

I personally think that we're witnessing a repeat of the Nuno pre-season. New manager in to do a rebuild. Plenty to work with and positives, but with the Kane situation hanging over him and threatening to derail everything. I think that the deal won't happen, to everyone's frustration, Kane will come back into the team and as such neuter other player's progress, resulting in no major squad refresh, and Postecoglu getting frustrated and fed up. Come next summer we'll likely need another head coach and Kane will be signing for Man City.

Yeah, this is all just more doom scrolling, but I genuinely do not expect the people who run this club to do this right, learn from past mistakes, and we just drop further into one of Andre Villas Boas' negative spirals.

 

[hughy]

I find it risible to consider that a footballer of Harry Kane's calibre wouldn't excel in any system. He's the best centre forward in the world for heaven's sake.

I think it's fair to suggest it'll take him time to adapt to it though.

Don't get me wrong I'd much rather have Kane up top for the next 3-4 years than Richarlison, but I think due to their current style of play and the way Ange wants his forwards to press, Richarlison is more suited. I don't think anyone's suggesting that he's even half the player Harry is.

 

[Gassin's finest]

I think it's fair to suggest it'll take him time to adapt to it though.

Don't get me wrong I'd much rather have Kane up top for the next 3-4 years than Richarlison, but I think due to their current style of play and the way Ange wants his forwards to press, Richarlison is more suited. I don't think anyone's suggesting that he's even half the player Harry is.

I wouldn't expect that at all. For at least 3 seasons now he's been light years ahead of anyone other player on the pitch, and include the other teams. He's at that level of experience now where his reading, intuition and touch keeps him three moves ahead of everyone else... the way Scholes and Ibrahimovic became. He'd get 20 assists and 20 goals again, like in that first Jose season.

 

[bigfrooj]

I find it risible to consider that a footballer of Harry Kane's calibre wouldn't excel in any system. He's the best centre forward in the world for heaven's sake.

That's why it's a controversial opinion. Of course he is an outstanding striker and the best we've had since Klinsmann. The point is that as he has got older Harry has changed his style and where he plays. Ange will find it difficult to find a way of fitting a deep lying, roaming , play-making striker like him in his system - it's almost unique in world football. Some hard decisions will have to be made. Nobody doubts the ability of Harry Kane.

 

[easley91]

I think even if we don't sign anyone now until deadline day we can still have a good season. It's not unheard of when teams have poor starts but get stronger and end up having a decent season (see Newcastle and Man United last year, us the year before under Conte).

It is possible to lose the first few and still finish in a decent position come May.

 

[Timberwolf]

That's why it's a controversial opinion. Of course he is an outstanding striker and the best we've had since Klinsmann. The point is that as he has got older Harry has changed his style and where he plays. Ange will find it difficult to find a way of fitting a deep lying, roaming , play-making striker like him in his system - it's almost unique in world football. Some hard decisions will have to be made. Nobody doubts the ability of Harry Kane.

Yeah I think Kane will end up doing fine if he stays as he's a world class player and we'd find some way of making it work (like...there's no way he's not gonna score plenty) but I think it could be a bit of an awkward marriage. We'll likely either have to compromise some of what make Ange's style of play so effective or some of what makes Kane so special IMO.

 

[tevezito]

I think Harry's playing 4D chess with everyone. He knows Levy will only invest when he's got the money to do so from selling his 'generational talent' and so won't stay beyond this season if he leaves things up to Levy. He doesn't actually want to go to Bayern either - why would he give away his control of the situation, let alone the wife expecting, etc. etc. - but if he could convince both sides the transfer was a goer, he could get Bayern to offer over 100m and then get Levy to spend it in the days ahead of him signing off on the transfer so that we don't get done over on price and levied a Kane premium. He checks to see Levy has spent the 100m well and then turns around to both sides and says he's decided to stay after all. Ange ends up with an extra 100m of talent Levy wasn't otherwise going to buy and Kane can spend next season seeing how it comes out in the wash.

 

[Leoparden]

We will win PL season 23/24.

 

[muffwah]

We will win PL season 23/24.

I think that is more than just controversial.

 

[Hoopspur]

One of my controversial opinions is that the constant berating and insulting of Charlie Kane has certainly not helped in keeping Harry at the club at all. Blood is thicker than water. I think it demonstrates how fickle and also nasty ‘we’ fans can be. What do you think their mum thinks about this or Harry himself when they read this sort of thing? Once upon a time I and some friends sat in the row behind Mum, Harry & Charlie (and partners) on an easyJet flight (yes!) from Faro. They seemed a tight knit group.

 

[E17yid]

One of my controversial opinions is that the constant berating and insulting of Charlie Kane has certainly not helped in keeping Harry at the club at all. Blood is thicker than water. I think it demonstrates how fickle and also nasty ‘we’ fans can be. What do you think their mum thinks about this or Harry himself when they read this sort of thing? Once upon a time I and some friends sat in the row behind Mum, Harry & Charlie (and partners) on an easyJet flight (yes!) from Faro. They seemed a tight knit group.

Agree, it does us no favours. And the “why would Harry give this idiot a job” does make me laugh. It could be possible that he actually loves his brother and knows this agent thing means something to him and helping him in this is very important to Harry and his family. The constant mocking of someone for being supposedly stupid just gets a bit tiring after a while as well.

 

[muffwah]

Here is mine:

Levy did a perfectly good job as Chairman up to the point he started deferring to big-name managers including Poch mid-reign. I think keeping Kane happy had an impact on decisions as well.

I think Poch played a significant role in why things started to go wrong and I have been told that is why he was not targeted for a return under the planned structure.

I don't have any issue with ENIC until the last 5 years.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Here is mine:

Levy did a perfectly good job as Chairman up to the point he started deferring to big-name managers including Poch mid-reign. I think keeping Kane happy had an impact on decisions as well.

I think Poch played a significant role in why things started to go wrong and I have been told that is why he was not targeted for a return under the planned structure.

I don't have any issue with ENIC until the last 5 years.

The Saha & Nelson signings in 2012 were inspirational

To name but 1 pathetic strategic decision from our great leader well before you say he’s been disappointing!

 

[absolute bobbins]

Kane should not be venerated as a Spurs legend when he leaves. He has gone missing whenever we truly needed him to step up, especially the CL final.

Anyone who says he was injured proves my point, to step up in that instance would have meant being a man and telling Poch that he is fit ready to start at a minimum.

 

[nicdic]

Kane should not be venerated as a Spurs legend when he leaves. He has gone missing whenever we truly needed him to step up, especially the CL final.

Anyone who says he was injured proves my point, to step up in that instance would have meant being a man and telling Poch that he is fit ready to start at a minimum.

The absolute state of you.