Has qualifying for the CL "really" made any difference...?

[StartingPrice]

SunnyD do you have to put the most negative spin on everything to do with Spurs? All last season you told us we'd be lucky to finish 7th, now you're worrying that we haven't gone on a Football Manager type spending bonanza?

We've already got a fantastic squad that is going to be hard to improve on anyway, and I can't help wonder how many more points we might have gained had we not suffered the worst injury crisis season I've seen Spurs have. We will make a couple of signings, but the last thing I want is us to disrupt the squad with an array of signings as the most important thing last season was the team, and we should be doing everything we can to keep this team spirit together with a couple of additions to hopefully turn us into title challengers.

This.

The first, and massive, difference it's made is the new contracts that were signed by Bale and especially Modric. I think it was highly likely Modric would have been the target and tempted by CL regulars this summer.

So I believe CL qualification has made a difference already. I think that with regards to quality recruiting it will help, but we are still part of a food chain and will have to accept this, although we have undoubtedly moved a notch up that chain. Getting through the CL qualifying well help us move up another notch and finishing in the top 4 again would move us further.

This.

I will be happy with acquiring a young-ish aspirational keeper who will want to push Gomez every day in training for his position.

Another quality CB to replace Woody while he is out long term. There's no-one coming through the reserves.

A Striker capable of keeping pace with Defoe to bag 25 plaus next season.

Then I'll be happy.

And this...was what most of us agreed at the end of the season. Could you please wait and see what we actually do in the transfer market before declaring that what we have done in the transfer market (or not done, as the case may be) has been a disaster:roll:

And, also, try to consider that the real difference will, understandably, be seen if we qualify again next year and the year after, and, ultimately,if we get recognised as a regular CL team.

 

[Hoowl]

Still a world of difference between us and United, Chelsea etc. So we're in the qualifying rounds once, big whoop. United, Chelsea and Arsenal have got to the later stages every year for many years and there is a great chance that they'll do it again, whilst challenging for the title. It's a step in the right direction but let's not kid ourselves that we're suddenly a big shot and can compete in the transfer market as such.

This season is the difficult follow up season that tends to derail clubs. Expectations have been raised, clibs like Man City are strengthening and we've got to cope with a huge number of games. We're in a great position but Harrys task this season will probably be enough tougher than the last.

 

[markie]

I would love to sign 3 players. 2 of them CL quality with experience.

1 Goalkeeper - young and good that can learn from Gomez
1 Central defender - CL experience and good enough to play week in week out
1 Striker - This is the most critical position to get right. We need a TOP PROVEN GOALSCORER... This is needed to do anything in the CL...

Joe Cole would be a bonus but may end up pushing Bale out of the first team who I expect to get better this season.

 

[Coyboy]

Well it hasn't stopped people from moaning, so no it hasn't made a lot of difference.

Am I missing something or did the Danish defender actually 'snub' us? He went to a team outside of European football and so did he also snub United et al who were 'apparently' interested in him?

Seriously, how someone can ask this question without taking the piss less than two months after we qualified is baffling even by your standards SunnyD. I mean what the fuck did you expect? As others have said retaining two of our best players was much more important in gaining stability and building for the future rather than signing players on a whim and splashing the cash frivolously. We are most likely working on signing a few players now but these things taken time, only City have really splashed the cash and that is an obvious exception.

Whether it has made any difference, only time will tell. The point of qualifying for the CL is not in of itself to recruit better players but to grow as a team; we are a young team after all. That said one or two additions would be needed if the player is right; but not to spend for the sake of it.

 

[ShelfSide18]

Well it hasn't stopped people from moaning, so no it hasn't made a lot of difference.

Am I missing something or did the Danish defender actually 'snub' us? He went to a team outside of European football and so did he also snub United et al who were 'apparently' interested in him?

Seriously, how someone can ask this question without taking the piss less than two months after we qualified is baffling even by your standards SunnyD. I mean what the fuck did you expect? As others have said retaining two of our best players was much more important in gaining stability and building for the future rather than signing players on a whim and splashing the cash frivolously. We are most likely working on signing a few players now but these things taken time, only City have really splashed the cash and that is an obvious exception.

Whether it has made any difference, only time will tell. The point of qualifying for the CL is not in of itself to recruit better players but to grow as a team; we are a young team after all. That said one or two additions would be needed if the player is right; but not to spend for the sake of it.

Dare I say it...?

This.

 

[jurgen]

Maybe we're seeing the Redknapp effect at work...big european players don't want to come play for some small time wheeler dealer...:wink:

Sorry couldn't resist...

 

[StartingPrice]

Well it hasn't stopped people from moaning, so no it hasn't made a lot of difference.

Is there anything that would.

I tell you truthfully, there are people on here who would find something to moan about if we clinched the CC/FA/Prem/CL quadruple in the same week they won a £50 National Lottery rollover:roll:

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I'd fucking moan if the rollover was only £50.

 

[mil1lion]

I'd moan if we won all those trophies in one week. At least spread them out a bit.

 

[StartingPrice]

I'd fucking moan if the rollover was only £50.

You know damned well I meant £50 million

I'd moan if we won all those trophies in one week. At least spread them out a bit.

I would be equally happy if they were all in one night...hell, redesign the pitch so we can take on 4 opponents at once:dance:

Actually, if you put your 'thinking' head on, in place of your 'I'm not very bright, me' head, you will note that I specifically said 'clinched' the qualdruple, meaning winning the 4th of the 4 trophies, in the same week as winning the 'massive' £50 NL rollover win, and not 'if we win all 4 trophies in the same week, andit is the same week as we win the £50 NL rollover:razz:

 

[hellava_tough]

An interesting debate

On the one hand we all have to be patient, especially as we don't know what goes on behind the scenes

But on the other hand we must be wary of Man City strengthening; last season we only finished above them by 3pts and they have already strengthened their squad significantly. And they'll probably sign a couple more too (Gerrard and Torres for £150million perhaps???)

Discusion is always good (that's why I'm on this site ) but I'll probably wait until Sept 1st before I consider some REALLY indepth analysis of the situation

 

[Locotoro]

Now lets look at this logically.

We all know that star players don't make a good team and Man City's signings, although great in ability, are both from a very different league and are also both foreign. Silva and Toure will take time to adapt. Man city are still looking to bring in Milner and maybe even Torres. They've sold Petrov and some players like Ireland, Bellamy, Onoura and Richards will also leave. Does anyone honestly believe that this team will do better than last seasons?

In fact I would argue that the signings they made last season, Toure, Adebayor, Tevez et al, raised the profile of the team far more and still they did not qualify for CL when there was early talk of winning the title. If they stuck with the same team I would be worrying but they have done the one thing that we expected them to and that also happens to be the one thing that will slow them down.

Let them bill it up just as we have done in the past and fall miserably flat on their faces.

Its quite simple, familiarity in football wins matches. Even in a team of lesser ability.

Furthermore, I just want to make a point to those individuals asking for a proven goalscorer. I would also like to see a proven goalscorer come to Spurs and its something we do need.

But lets not kid ourselves into believing that any old signing is going to be better than Pav or Defoe (they were our main goal threats).

Will Cavani or Forlan score more goals? Will Huntelaar be anything but the sack of s**t he has been at Milan? Dzeko was a shining hope but that ship may have sailed. Carlton Cole? WTF?

If we cant get that talented goal getter I have no issues with Pavlyuchenko leading the line again as long as we improve our squad and supplement the team with more pace.

On a side note the only player that I have been impressed by in this World Cup is Gyan of Ghana. Now that guy has team ethic.


PS...did someone win the lottery?

 

[StartingPrice]

...did someone win the lottery?

£50, apparently

 

[Lilbaz]

All the big names we have been linked with have been at the world cup. Let them at least get that over and have a week off before deciding whether or not to snub us.

 

[cwy21]

Lets face it. We're in the qualifiers and we're probably underdogs to make it back again next season. We aren't that attractive.

 

[Lilbaz]

We're probably on a par with Sampdoria. No-one will expect much from us in the CL (we didn't do that well in the Uefa and only qualified for that a handful of times in the last 15 years).
Really hope that we can get a couple of great players and get to the knockout stages of the CL. Tbh I don't think many of us expect to get CL footy again next year, unless the Scum, Liverpool and City have another bad season.

Saying that I have a bet with a spammer that we win the CL, a bet with a gooner that we finish higher than them (loser has to wear the other teams kit for a day in the pub) and will be putting a bet that we win the league.
Aim high my friends.

 

[RoyalFlush]

Saying that I have a bet with a spammer that we win the CL, a bet with a gooner that we finish higher than them (loser has to wear the other teams kit for a day in the pub) and will be putting a bet that we win the league.
Aim high my friends.

There's aiming high and actually being high. You sir, are the latter.

 

[Robbiepope]

I think there is a difference between making the Champions League and becoming an established CL side. If over the next five years we were to appear in the CL for three of four seasons, I think our reputation would only increase and this would be reflected in the profile and calibre of players we could attract.

The flipside is that our existing players will gain more profile and possibly attract more attention from big clubs across Europe.

 

[brett.spurs]

I blame City.

 

[Lilbaz]

There's aiming high and actually being high. You sir, are the latter.

It was only a pound on each :wink:. F it we want to go into each competition aiming to win it, otherwise what's the point?
When I do win that pound it will be framed with the back page of a newspaper, and I will tell everyone I had faith.