DL, DC and JR - the three MuskerSpurs!!!!

[sloth]

Taraabt, Olsen, Rose, Parrot, Bostock, Bale, Gunter, Dos Santos...

All under 20, all sought after and secured for around £20m, that's just over £2.5m a man. That's not bad in my book.

I know there's a mixture of for now, almost now and for the future in there, but we have a policy and it's working (just read the Arsenal, Barca and Chelsea forums for evidence of that).

There's been lots of discussion about the management structure and the way we do our business (some of it justified, especially with the Jol debacle), but I think there can be little argument that it's starting to bear fruit. The combination of the the three: DL's business acumen and negotiating skills; DC's contacts and knowledge of European football; and JR's reputation and pulling power, when put together add up to a club going places.

We're not there yet, but we're making progress, so, and this especially to the critics of the trio, what do we think now? Have we got a good system? Is Levy the devil incarnate? Should we still serve DC his P45? Is Ramos an over-rated and expensive mistake?

(PS I deliberately didn't include the likes of Modric and Berbatov)

(PPS of course there will always be misses (Joey if your reading this :wink, but I guess that's where you find yourself when you're not in the CL, I prefer this to the KK defeatest, we'll never compete attitude; this way at least we've a chance!!!!)

 

[Stoof]

I'm excited about the prospect, sloth. I don't think it's possible not to be.

But the proof is very much in the pudding. Each of those are but names on paper with only one of those having any sort of impact in our team, and that impact being on a fifth (if that) of a season.

It's all very promising, and it all looks good on paper. But then again, so did Dumitrescu, Sheringham, Barmby, Klinsmann and Anderton ... :wink:

But credit where it's due. If even half of those fulfil there supposèd potential, then it's only good times ahead for us. I hope. Please.

 

[hughy]

I'm still yet to see Rose, Olsen and Parrot play, but the rest sound really promising. I suppose you could add Gunter to those, he's surely going to play a part for us in the future.

 

[bubble07]

hopefully ramsey can be the next youngster on board

 

[sloth]

I'm still yet to see Rose, Olsen and Parrot play, but the rest sound really promising. I suppose you could add Gunter to those, he's surely going to play a part for us in the future.

Oh yeah I forgot him, I'll edit the title...

 

[KeaneIsKeane]

I really don't think Taraabt is going to be anything special. Yes he has great skill, but those skills mean little if you don't have a feel for the game, especially when you lack the pace of a Ronaldo. Plus, Joey mentioned this earlier, he has really poor ball striking ability. Could he develop, sure, but I don't think he will. He is young though, so I suppose it is foolish to write him off yet. He needs to go out on loan for sure though. I'd go crazy playing with him.

 

[dynamoSpurs]

I really don't think Taraabt is going to be anything special. Yes he has great skill, but those skills mean little if you don't have a feel for the game, especially when you lack the pace of a Ronaldo. Plus, Joey mentioned this earlier, he has really poor ball striking ability. Could he develop, sure, but I don't think he will. He is young though, so I suppose it is foolish to write him off yet. He needs to go out on loan for sure though. I'd go crazy playing with him.

FFS, why single out Taraabt?? What has Rose done for our team??????

Taraabt, helped us kill off West Ham, on his debut, at 17.

If anything, he is the most likely to reach stardom.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I've just posted something not dissimilar in a thread over on COYS.

I nearly started a thread on here the other day. I wanted to revisit the discussion we had last year - mainly you, me, joey, legend10 and some other earstwhile fuckers who I can't remember now.

I posted a few weeks ago that I didn't think our policy would change much or that the signing of Modric was a departure from that policy. It is clear that we are still operating with the same transfer strategy we have always had. The only difference is that the variables have indeed varied. Increased profitability has meant our level of expenditure, wage commitment has increased and the change in management has meant that the quality of signing available to us - combined with the increased spending power has meant that we have been able to secure the number 1 targets instead of sometimes having to drop down the wish list a little.

I'm sure Joey will tell us that the signing of Woodgate proves that our policy has been abandoned but some of us argued that it was never the case that Levy wouldn't step outside the model occasionally when advised or needed (and I argued that certain other signings proved this Chimbonda, even Berbatov maybe) more a case of the players in that age bracket were the most difficult to procure for various reasons (cost/wage/risk ratio-lack of CL footie- etc).

If you look at all the other signings post Ramos's appointment it is obvious they all fit with our normal inherent value biased (Joey it is ok to say this, DL even used the exact phrase in his chairmans statement) strategy; a strategy which most successfull (& Big) clubs have.

Hutton, Gunter, Bostock, Modric, Dos Santos.

Of the top 15 most expensive purchases of U21 footballers in the last two years spurs have made 5 of those purchases. Kaboul being the only one over 5m.


Personally I don't think Levy's transfer strategy has ever been anything other than correct for a team in our fiscal and footballing position. Not every purchase will always be brilliant but it has been piss easy to understand the rationale behind most of our purchases of late.

 

[Stoof]

FFS, why single out Taraabt?? What has Rose done for our team??????

Taraabt, helped us kill off West Ham, on his debut, at 17.

If anything, he is the most likely to reach stardom.

Spurs play in white.

 

[robin09]

All good prospects. The time to review this policy is still a few years away in my opinion.

 

[sloth]

I'm excited about the prospect, sloth. I don't think it's possible not to be.

But the proof is very much in the pudding. Each of those are but names on paper with only one of those having any sort of impact in our team, and that impact being on a fifth (if that) of a season.

It's all very promising, and it all looks good on paper. But then again, so did Dumitrescu, Sheringham, Barmby, Klinsmann and Anderton ... :wink:

But credit where it's due. If even half of those fulfil there supposèd potential, then it's only good times ahead for us. I hope. Please.

I agree, but my point is slightly different, we are, as BC points out, buying experienced players if they come available and we can persuade/afford them, but my point about the youth is that not only are we targetting the best in their age group, but we're getting them. When Arsenal do the same there are still no guarantees, but getting them is credit in itself and there is no alternative; if you're outside the CL spots you can either throw your hands in the air ala KK, or buy players who'll help you reach 5th but no further ala Everton, or get serious about securing the best young talent that can be identified across Europe - I'd include Ramos in that bracket btw, a top, top coach being more affordable than the equivalent player.

So that's my first point and my second is that the trio of DC, DL and JR have been pilloried in what I've always maintained is a short-sighted fashion by a certain vociferous crowd and I'm wondering whether recent events are starting to make said crowd reconsider. I for one would prefer to be us now than any of the others in our bracket (the Villa's, evertons, Barcodes and City's of this world) and I think our management is due a bit of praise - for a change.

And in that spirit and in the cause of increasing the feel-good factor, here's a nice little thread over on Arsenal Mania to be enjoyed... http://arsenal-mania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=36666&start=240 (Tip: last page talks about us)

 

[SpurSince57]

I don't think anyone in their right mind can complain about our youth policy. We've succeeded in getting some fantastic prospects, and even if only half of them reach their perceived potential that's a huge result. We took a slight wrong turning and got the balance wrong last summer, but let's just put that down to experience and move on. Even we diehard unreconstructed Jolista running-dogs will happily admit that Juande's footballing pheremones are a massively powerful attraction.

Why, I'm attracted myself! I'm not that much older than Coupet, and I'm the same height. If I go on a veg-juice diet, get back into training and lose a few stone I could be the keeper Spurs are looking for. Gissa job!

 

[milkman]

I'm still yet to see Rose, Olsen and Parrot play, but the rest sound really promising. I suppose you could add Gunter to those, he's surely going to play a part for us in the future.

and Bale who has already proven a lot about his talent! :grin:

 

[KeaneIsKeane]

I single out Adel because everyone has such high hopes for him compared to most of our youth players, but I think its mainly based on his sublime skill on the ball. The problem is I don't think he has much else. I also haven't seen Rose play, so I can't bash/praise him. Secondly no one is hailing Rose as the "next Zidane" or saying he will be a superstar. Skill is nice, but end product wins matches and trophies. I'm not rooting for the boy to fail, but if I had to bet my life on his success, I'd be worried.

 

[joey55]

Our youth signings and those involved certainly have been impressive. I think David Pleat deserves alot of the credit as well. He is the one who really insticated our youth policy, but gets little credit and mostly criticism from Spurs fans. You can't go straight from being a bottom half of the table team, to signing some of the best young players in the world. It's been a long and gradual process and the roots of which firmly sit with David Pleat. He was the one who brought in the likes of Gardener, Doherty, Davies, Ferguson and Etherington. People may say they weren't good, but at the time we couldn't get the best, but these signings mark a turining point in our history. He also tried to sign Rooney (or so he claims). Peter Reid said we first went for Lennon when Pleat was in charge and George Burley said that we'd been after Huddlestone from the moment he made his debut. Gradually over time we've moved forward as a club and can now attract the best youngsters, but it was Pleat who saw the best way forward for the club was to invest in the future and he started this, before the likes of DL, DC, JR of FA were at the club.

 

[shelfstandspur]

I think that the policy of buying these young players is a good one. Firstly it is more likely to be profitable as we are buying these players young and cheap, with good resale potential. But the other side of this policy is where the club have sucessfully pushed for 7 on the bench; allowing for the likes of taraabt, Rose etc to get their chance for 20 minutes and get the exposure to first team football on a regular basis rather than playing in the reserves or in the championship where we have lost so many of our 'hot prospects' in the past. (bar O'Hara perhaps) I'm looking forward to next season, the possibility of Adel coming of the bench more often twisting up the opposition, and here's wishing, bang the ball into the back of the net!

 

[yanno]

A few years ago, Spurs had a deal set up for the 18-year-old Andres D'Allesandro, who had just single-handedly played England U21s off the park. D'Alessandro had an Italian passport, so there were no work permit problems, and he was regarded as one of the best two or three young players in the world in his agegroup. Precisely like Dos Santos now.

Our horrible manager, Gooner George Graham, vetoed the deal. He didn't want us signing another flair midfielder: after all he was busy trying to offload Ginola, and had single-handedly destroyed the career of Jose Dominguez.

In truth, I think we've always been interested in great young talent: Hoddle desperately wanted to sign Diego, and at one stage thought Jonathan Blondel was going to be a top player.

However, the big difference now is that we're succeeding in signing some of the very best youngsters. Dos Santos and Bostock could both have signed for pretty much any club in world football, and I'm delighted they're both now Spurs players.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Our youth signings and those involved certainly have been impressive. I think David Pleat deserves alot of the credit as well. He is the one who really insticated our youth policy, but gets little credit and mostly criticism from Spurs fans. You can't go straight from being a bottom half of the table team, to signing some of the best young players in the world. It's been a long and gradual process and the roots of which firmly sit with David Pleat. He was the one who brought in the likes of Gardener, Doherty, Davies, Ferguson and Etherington. People may say they weren't good, but at the time we couldn't get the best, but these signings mark a turining point in our history. He also tried to sign Rooney (or so he claims). Peter Reid said we first went for Lennon when Pleat was in charge and George Burley said that we'd been after Huddlestone from the moment he made his debut. Gradually over time we've moved forward as a club and can now attract the best youngsters, but it was Pleat who saw the best way forward for the club was to invest in the future and he started this, before the likes of DL, DC, JR of FA were at the club.

You crack me up.

I wouldn't argue that Pleat deserves Praise at all. I think he also brought in (as DOF) Defoe, Keane and possibly Kanoute (not sure might have been Hodd post Pleat). In fact I think Pleat was possibly the most shabilly treated spurs manager of the last 30 years when sacked in 1988 for that smooth talking spiv Venables. He put together a fantastic side in 1987 that nearly did a treble.

But is that really the nearest you can get to acknowledging that Levy, Comolli and Ramos deserve some credit.


You're going to have to forgive them for sacking Jol one day Joey old fruit.

 

[spurslenny]

agree with most of the above, can't disagree with the tranfer policy that has been in place at our club for a number of years now. But i find it hard to understand how other clubs don't attempt to follow the same model (ar5ena1, man city and man u aside).
the day teams such as newcastle, villa and west ham start to follow suit, is the day that we may find it EVEN harder to get into the champions league positions (albeit we do have several years head start, so this may not be a relevant concern)
as far as our buying policy goes, its pure percentges.
for example;
buy ten youngsters for, on average, 1mil each = 5 don't make the grade, 2 do but not for a club like spurs, 2 turn out to be very good squad players and 1 turns into the future ronaldo, gerrard or whoever.
anyway you look at it, its hard to see how we could lose out in financial terms.
all in all, i would'nt want us to alter our stratagy even though it may not be bearing fruit now, it will do in several years to come

 

[PT]

There is one particular aspect to our emergence as a player in the market that fascinates me.

We've oohed and aahed when we've splashed the cash on players such as Rebrov who wore the badge of Record Signing for a few years, then Berbatov for the same value, followed by Darren Bent for a new record signing.

however, just recently the expectation has rocketed through the roof. Another major signing with Luke modric coming in preceded by Woodgate and Chimbonda. These players were no less than five millions yet we fully expect to continue to compete for another keeper etc etc.

Where has this cash cow come from? If we've been sitting on it and accruing it, or if we are spending ahead of receipt of it, ie income from the tv deal and sponsorships, why have we suddenly ramped it up with Ramos at the wheel? Were we waiting to pull in a "name" who could ensure our competitiveness? Was it the fact that we didn't trust previous encumbents?

How much is there left to invest with? It surely is not a bottomless pit, even though Daniel Levy is on record as stating that for the right player, the money will be there. how many more ten million plus ticketed players can we go running around Europe after?