Glad we didn't sign...

[Mr Pink]

Should've signed Eriksen in 2012. Perfect replacement for Modric.

Modric and Eriksen arn't in the same mould at all. Modric is best at controlling the tempo of the game from midfield....skipping past people and supplying the attackers ahead of him. Often providing the pass before the assist.

Eriksen is at his best in between the lines, in those pockets of space - and of course offers a far bigger goal threat than Modric. He's a number ten.

They're similar in that they both have great footballing brains and can pick a pass but that's where it ends. Their effectiveness is in different areas of the pitch for the most part.

If anything VDV and Eriksen would be more similar actually - well in terms of their effectiveness in certain areas of the pitch. (not that they're really similar)

 

[parklane1]

From a purely footballing point of view, it had a lot to be said from it. From absolutely every other point of view, simply The Worst Idea Ever.

Nope, he played a grand total of 19 lge games after leaving Pompy ( when Redknapp was talking about it). It made no sense at all.

 

[godemand]

Andy Carroll for £35 million+, never been more pleased to lose a player to Liverpool...

 

[IamCelestial]

That guy from Sevilla - Diego Capel. Also, I remember there were speculations in the media about Royston Drenthe - I am glad we didn't sign him.

Although, to be fair - I wanted them both at the club back then!

 

[KingNothing]

In response to the Moutinho stats..

Luka Modric:
2008–09: 44 - 5 - 10
2009–10: 32 - 3 - 7
2010–11: 43 - 4 - 3
2011–12: 40 - 5 - 6

(games, goals, assists)

Since Modric started playing in central midfield, his goals and assists stats got lower. Moutinho plays in that exact same position, central midfield. They are not the ones responsible for scoring goals for the team and such. They are two excellent playmakers that take the ball from defence and pass it forward.

Joao Moutinho:
2013-14: 34 - 1 - 8 (Monaco)
2012-13: 39 - 5 - 15
2011-12: 44 - 3 - 8
2010-11: 53 - 2 - 8

We replaced Modric with Dembele. Hes a slow passer of the ball and often passes sideways and has no vision compared to Modric. This made our play in 2012-13 very slow and struggled to break teams down. Other players in the squad at that time, Huddlestone and Carroll, were deemed not good enough. Dempsey and Sigurdsson didn't impress either and definitely were not the answers post-Modric. Luckily we had Bale.
Let's take a look at Dembele's stats for us. The Modric replacement, though he doesn't like to be called that.

Moussa Dembele:
2013-14: 41 - 2 - 2
2012-13: 44 - 2 - 5

Not too far off Modric's stats. But our play became slower, safe, predictable and boring. Moutinho would have brought us that vision.

 

[Spurz]

I have a couple I wished we didn't sign but we did

 

[barry]

Dempsey was a good signing, but was stupid because he was signed as a replacement. Should have been as a compliment to a better replacement.

Take That back

 

[IamCelestial]

Dempsey was a good signing, but was stupid because he was signed as a replacement. Should have been as a compliment to a better replacement.

Signing him was certainly not a compliment to our transfer policy!

 

[nightgoat]

That depends on when you're talking about. When Harry was supposed to have wanted him, no. A few seasons before that, yes please.

By the time there was any likelihood that we might sign Joe Cole (i.e. once Chelsea decided they were done with him) it would have been a Bad Idea.

 

[yankspurs]

Take That back

On the chance this isnt sarcasm...

Dempsey was a quality player and a good signing. He's massively underrated by spurs fans fir the sole reason he was essentially signed as a replacement for VDV which he shouldnt have been. Clint's a good squad player and someone we could have used this year, especially on the left. We should have signed someone else to replace VDV while still signing dempsey in 2012, IMO.

 

[Chris12]

Moutinho isn't great statistically with assists or goals, but then again he provides usually assists to assists, which can be just as hard and are vitally important

 

[yankspurs]

Modric and Eriksen arn't in the same mould at all. Modric is best at controlling the tempo of the game from midfield....skipping past people and supplying the attackers ahead of him. Often providing the pass before the assist.

Eriksen is at his best in between the lines, in those pockets of space - and of course offers a far bigger goal threat than Modric. He's a number ten.

They're similar in that they both have great footballing brains and can pick a pass but that's where it ends. Their effectiveness is in different areas of the pitch for the most part.

If anything VDV and Eriksen would be more similar actually - well in terms of their effectiveness in certain areas of the pitch. (not that they're really similar)

My head's a bit messed up right now. Meant VDV. Eriksen, Dembele and Clint would have been good to make up for the losses of Modric and VDV and easily could have secured us top 4.

 

[Chris12]

Suarez......

 

[yankspurs]

Suarez......

I think we blame Sherwood for this one. At least according to Ruud.

 

[sweyid]

Rivaldo.

 

[SpurSince57]

Nope, he played a grand total of 19 lge games after leaving Pompy ( when Redknapp was talking about it). It made no sense at all.

I hadn't realised it was that few.

 

[The Scarecrow]

Giles Barnes

 

[parklane1]

I hadn't realised it was that few.

I did not either until i looked

 

[TwanYid]

Moutinho isn't great statistically with assists or goals, but then again he provides usually assists to assists, which can be just as hard and are vitally important

OT but wouldn't you agree that this is actually a statistic that should be both normalized and kept?

It's unbelievably vital- I mean literally integral to any team's success- yet it is not officially recorded and is only nominally mentioned by the few fans who actually understand the game (of which I do not count myself btw). So basically, whenever I would try to explain Modric to some idiot doubter I would always say "he makes us tick" but I couldn't even myself put it into words...they really ought to log this as a tried-and-true "stat," because then we could more favorably compare the Alonsos, Modrics and Moutinhos of the world using numerical evidence. They could call it the "PA"- or "pre"-assist. I'm betting Modders would've led the League his last two years with us.

 

[CheeseGromit]

In response to the Moutinho stats..

Luka Modric:
2008–09: 44 - 5 - 10
2009–10: 32 - 3 - 7
2010–11: 43 - 4 - 3
2011–12: 40 - 5 - 6

(games, goals, assists)

Since Modric started playing in central midfield, his goals and assists stats got lower. Moutinho plays in that exact same position, central midfield. They are not the ones responsible for scoring goals for the team and such. They are two excellent playmakers that take the ball from defence and pass it forward.

Joao Moutinho:
2013-14: 34 - 1 - 8
2012-13: 39 - 5 - 15
2011-12: 44 - 3 - 8
2010-11: 53 - 2 - 8

We replaced Modric with Dembele. Hes a slow passer of the ball and often passes sideways and has no vision compared to Modric. This made our play in 2012-13 very slow and struggled to break teams down. Other players in the squad at that time, Huddlestone and Carroll, were deemed not good enough. Dempsey and Sigurdsson didn't impress either and definitely were not the answers post-Modric. Luckily we had Bale.
Let's take a look at Dembele's stats for us. The Modric replacement, though he doesn't like to be called that.

Moussa Dembele:
2013-14: 41 - 2 - 2
2012-13: 44 - 2 - 5

Not too far off Modric's stats. But our play became slower, safe, predictable and boring. Moutinho would have brought us that vision.

I am really not sure where all this love for Moutinho comes from
Plenty of stats that prove very little to me
I do nor see a queue of teams wanting him
He is 27 not an up and coming young thing
The prem is fast & furious , not a style enjoyed by him

I have no doubt he is a decent player but he certainly is not the diamond he is being portrayed at for me