If we do not sign anymore new players

[@Bobby__Lucky]

I know eriksen was poor against the mls team but he was good in the other friendlies. Can't see him being dropped.

I cant see him being dropped either, however i think he should be. I would maybe reconsider Dembele being included, but Eriksen for me seems off the pace, maybe he played too much last season (which isnt his fault). I really do like him as a player but especially away from home we need to keep the ball better. I think Carroll despite his small frame does have the ability to keep the ball better and think his incisiveness of passing could be crucial in equalising / scoring at old trafford. This was my opinion based intirely on form and post/pre season games.

 

[HotspurFC1950]

Teams around us strengthening as well as Kane being unlikely to equal his last season in terms of league goals.

Kane will start in August not November like last year.

Liverpool strengthened last season To no avail.

Don't see where Soton are stronger nor Swansea.

We are stronger than last season.

 

[Lilbaz]

Liverpool strengthened last season To no avail.

Don't see where Soton are stronger nor Swansea.

Soton have lost Toby and Morgan. I know they brought in Classie and Caulker but that is a step down.

 

[Ribble]

I'm not sure why people are so down on what we've got. Capoue, Paulinho and Stambouli provided bugger all last season so we're not going to miss them. Alli alone looks like he'll probably match their contribution easily. As for up front whilst we're light you could put Chadli up there and he'd provide more threat than Ade and Soldado did last season.

That's the thing about dead wood, it's not actually supporting anything it's just filling space.

 

[tooey]

Kane will start in August not November like last year.

Liverpool strengthened last season To no avail.

Don't see where Soton are stronger nor Swansea.

We are stronger than last season.

I admire your optimism, however I'd be willing to put a £50 donation to SC on Kane finishing with less league goals this year.

Liverpool will be a much better unit this year.

Liverpool, Southampton and Swansea will not be our only threats next year.

I'll wait until we play a few games before I decide if we're stronger or weaker.

 

[Spurger King]

Why does everyone think we would so much worse than last season? Even with two or 3 players that will probably improve our first team. We had a bad start to the season last year. It was only November when the big bust up occured that Poch used the kids and we started flying. Because of the bust up we had a few players that weren't used at all or very sparringly. This meant that our kids got very tired and we had a poor run in. Walker was also coming back from injury and we had to rely on cb's to play at rb.

All those kids now have an extra years experience. They have been added to with Toby, Tripier, Wimmer (we had no back up for Verts), Alli, Pritchard and Carroll. Alli will be first choice soon, Tripier will push Walker and Pritchard will keep both Chadli and Eriksen on their toes.

Also if the squad stays the same we have Ade and Soldado as back up to Kane. Not perfect but both good players that just need to sort their heads out.

We would be much stronger than last year yet some of you think we will drop to 8th or even 10th? Drama queens.

I don't think it's dramatic to think we could drop to 8th without any further signings.

As has been said, it's going to be very difficult for Kane to replicate his form of last season. The same could be said of Chadli. Eriksen's form dropped off massively in the last half of the season, and Lamela ran about a bit.

I do think Alderweireld and Trippier will improve our defence, but they're still going to have a lot of problems with the weak midfield in front of them.

I'm hopeful about Alli, Pritchard and Carroll too, but neither of us can say with any degree of certainty whether they're going to make a difference. I thought Carroll looked good sometimes, and very average at other times. Pritchard has no Prem experience and wouldn't be the first player to impress in the Championship but not capable of stepping up a level. As for Alli, he's had one season in League One, and one game against a motley crew of MLS players in a meaningless exhibition match, yet you've seen enough to say he'll be first choice soon?

It sounds like Ade won't even get a squad number if he stays, so we'll be left with Kane and Soldado up front. That's no way near good enough.

I don't see how that would make us "much stronger than last year". Perhaps at best we'd stay at roughly the same level, whereas other teams that were close to finishing above us last season have improved.

 

[Lilbaz]

I admire your optimism, however I'd be willing to put a £50 donation to SC on Kane finishing with less league goals this year.

Liverpool will be a much better unit this year.

Liverpool, Southampton and Swansea will not be our only threats next year.

I'll wait until we play a few games before I decide if we're stronger or weaker.

Why would Liverpool be much stronger this year? They lost their captain and Sterling who just happened to be their top goal scorers.

Who else are going to challenge? Stoke? Please say West Ham, the wankers are probably going to resign Carlton Cole they are that desperate. Crystal Palace? Alright.

Everton without EL are the only ones that might bounce back but they are struggling to hold onto their best player.

 

[TH1239]

The squad as currently constituted cannot cope with any serious injury crisis while attempting to compete in 4 separate competitions. People's expectations seemingly are we finish 5th in the league and make at least 1 domestic cup run and do well in Europa. I don't see how anyone can expect this current squad lacking experience to do that over the course of a season, while attempting to play a high pressing game. Injuries, loss of form, and regression of development happen all the time in football. Go look at Dortmund last season. They got a rash of injuries, started slowly, and had to fight themselves out of a relegation battle in a league far weaker than the upcoming Prem. If we had an injury crisis like they had, or Arsenal had last season (imagine Kane and Eriksen missing the game time Giroud and Ozil did) we'd be in big trouble, too. Liverpool and the four other squads ahead of us have way more depth to rotate and keep players fresh, so finishing ahead of any of them will be highly unlikely if things stay as is.

I also think people need to seriously temper their expectations for some of our players. Kevin Wimmer has played exactly 1 season of top flight European football in a team that wasn't playing an attacking, high pressing game with a high line (Koln scored a paltry 34 goals last season). Players like Trippier also will have a steep learning curve, as playing at Tottenham with the expectations people have and playing at Burnley are two very different propositions (we saw this with Ben Davies last season, where people were expecting huge things from him and he simply wasn't good enough defensively).

 

[Lilbaz]

I don't think it's dramatic to think we could drop to 8th without any further signings.

As has been said, it's going to be very difficult for Kane to replicate his form of last season. The same could be said of Chadli. Eriksen's form dropped off massively in the last half of the season, and Lamela ran about a bit.

I do think Alderweireld and Trippier will improve our defence, but they're still going to have a lot of problems with the weak midfield in front of them.

I'm hopeful about Alli, Pritchard and Carroll too, but neither of us can say with any degree of certainty whether they're going to make a difference. I thought Carroll looked good sometimes, and very average at other times. Pritchard has no Prem experience and wouldn't be the first player to impress in the Championship but not capable of stepping up a level. As for Alli, he's had one season in League One, and one game against a motley crew of MLS players in a meaningless exhibition match, yet you've seen enough to say he'll be first choice soon?

It sounds like Ade won't even get a squad number if he stays, so we'll be left with Kane and Soldado up front. That's no way near good enough.

I don't see how that would make us "much stronger than last year". Perhaps at best we'd stay at roughly the same level, whereas other teams that were close to finishing above us last season have improved.

Alli has played over 70 games at senior level. He has helped destroy Man Utd. I know what class looks like whatever the age and the boy has got it.

Eriksen was knackered by the end of last season because he didn't have anyone to rotate with. Pritchard will be able to take the slack especially in Europe. Your argument is that basically you think our players will have a shit season yet have no evidence for it. Chadli and Kane might be even better next season, who knows?

 

[tooey]

Why would Liverpool be much stronger this year? They lost their captain and Sterling who just happened to be their top goal scorers.

Who else are going to challenge? Stoke? Please say West Ham, the wankers are probably going to resign Carlton Cole they are that desperate. Crystal Palace? Alright.

Everton without EL are the only ones that might bounce back but they are struggling to hold onto their best player.

It all remains to be seen, since, you know, nobody has actually kicked a ball yet. However I think if you take off your spurs cap for a minute you'll concede that Liverpool (on paper may I add) have added well to their squad, losing Gerrard is a bad thing for them in terms of dressing room presence but in terms of losing him as a player, who cares? His legs have completely gone.

Yet again as I don't have a crystal ball, I don't know who will push on this season. The candidates are West Ham, Newcastle, Palace, Stoke, Southampton, Liverpool, even one of the newly promoted sides might make a push, it's been known.

 

[Spurger King]

Alli has played over 70 games at senior level. He has helped destroy Man Utd. I know what class looks like whatever the age and the boy has got it.

Eriksen was knackered by the end of last season because he didn't have anyone to rotate with. Pritchard will be able to take the slack especially in Europe. Your argument is that basically you think our players will have a shit season yet have no evidence for it. Chadli and Kane might be even better next season, who knows?

I never said that I thought our players would have a shit season. I implied that it's a possibility that should be considered. On the other hand your argument seems to be that all our young players are going to have a fantastic season, without any evidence to suggest that.

I'm actually confident that we'll sign at least two players that will improve the team, and I don't think I'm being particularly pessimistic. I do, however, think you're being a bit too optimistic.

 

[Lilbaz]

It all remains to be seen, since, you know, nobody has actually kicked a ball yet. However I think if you take off your spurs cap for a minute you'll concede that Liverpool (on paper may I add) have added well to their squad, losing Gerrard is a bad thing for them in terms of dressing room presence but in terms of losing him as a player, who cares? His legs have completely gone.

Yet again as I don't have a crystal ball, I don't know who will push on this season. The candidates are West Ham, Newcastle, Palace, Stoke, Southampton, Liverpool, even one of the newly promoted sides might make a push, it's been known.

Gerrard was their top goalscorer for them last year. He also gave the team leadership and confidence. Don't underestimate the effect he had on that team. And Sterling? There was a reason City paid over the top for him. He was their second best goalscorer last season and their best player.

If we are talking squads at the moment West Ham have got no decent strikers. Valencia is probably out for the season and Carroll is out till November (which for him probably means January).

The only contenders we have for 5th realistically are Liverpool and Southampton both of whom have lost their best players.

 

[TH1239]

Why would Liverpool be much stronger this year? They lost their captain and Sterling who just happened to be their top goal scorers.

Who else are going to challenge? Stoke? Please say West Ham, the wankers are probably going to resign Carlton Cole they are that desperate. Crystal Palace? Alright.

Everton without EL are the only ones that might bounce back but they are struggling to hold onto their best player.

They've made outstanding signings, that's why. Milner was beloved on this website before he signed for Liverpool. He is a better all around footballer than Gerrard at the latter's current age. They've signed Clyne, who you could argue was the best right-back in the entire league last season. They've signed Benteke, who was from January on one of the hottest strikers in all of Europe once his recovery from his achilles injury was complete. They've also added Firmino, who according to a statistic I read recently, was only one of two players in Bundesliga to score 20 goals and get 20 assists over the last two season (Thomas Muller being the other). These signings are much better than the punts they took on an inexperienced Markovic and a Balotelli that was clearly regressing at Milan. You mix how difficult they are to beat at home, with squad depth brought by the likes of Ings (who many here were coveting), Ibe, Sturridge (even half fit he's good enough to score against most), Coutinho, and Lallana, and you have a team that will blitz most of the bottom 10 in the league. They also have plenty of money to go out and spend in January if they need anything to improve their squad.

 

[Lilbaz]

I never said that I thought our players would have a shit season. I implied that it's a possibility that should be considered. On the other hand your argument seems to be that all our young players are going to have a fantastic season, without any evidence to suggest that.

I'm actually confident that we'll sign at least two players that will improve the team, and I don't think I'm being particularly pessimistic. I do, however, think you're being a bit too optimistic.

I'm thinking that naturally they will improve. They will have had a years experience and be better suited to each other and Poch's tactics. We have also got rid of most of our deadwood and have already added 6 first team squad players and have the likes of Oduwa (depending on his injury) Onomah, Winks pushing for minutes.

 

[tooey]

Gerrard was their top goalscorer for them last year. He also gave the team leadership and confidence. Don't underestimate the effect he had on that team. And Sterling? There was a reason City paid over the top for him. He was their second best goalscorer last season and their best player.

If we are talking squads at the moment West Ham have got no decent strikers. Valencia is probably out for the season and Carroll is out till November (which for him probably means January).

The only contenders we have for 5th realistically are Liverpool and Southampton both of whom have lost their best players.

Ok, we'll just wait an see, because after all, it's all hypothetical since we look nailed on to add to the squad. I do think that you lack any serious sort of rational when it comes to discussing other teams though. Very obviously bias.

 

[Strikeb4ck]

Gerrard was their top goalscorer for them last year. He also gave the team leadership and confidence. Don't underestimate the effect he had on that team. And Sterling? There was a reason City paid over the top for him. He was their second best goalscorer last season and their best player.

If we are talking squads at the moment West Ham have got no decent strikers. Valencia is probably out for the season and Carroll is out till November (which for him probably means January).

The only contenders we have for 5th realistically are Liverpool and Southampton both of whom have lost their best players.

Gerrard took pens and some free kicks, Liverpool looked much better last season when he wasn't playing which is why the grand retirement season was a bit antiromantic.

Sterling is a loss sure, but he was a bit mercurial/inconsistent and they have loaded up their front line with that money.

 

[Lilbaz]

Ok, we'll just wait an see, because after all, it's all hypothetical since we look nailed on to add to the squad. I do think that you lack any serious sort of rational when it comes to discussing other teams though. Very obviously bias.

No it's just I saw it all last year and many years before that. Teams go out and splash a bit of cash, our fans get nervous then get frustrated that we don't spend the same then panic and think we are going to fall down the league.

Go back to last year and read the threads from the Summer. Everyone saying that Liverpool will be challenging for the title etc... what happened? They got smashed 6-1 by Stoke and we finished above them.

I will fear their players when I have seen what they can do in a Liverpool shirt.

The grass is always greener to some of our fans.

 

[Spurger King]

I'm thinking that naturally they will improve. They will have had a years experience and be better suited to each other and Poch's tactics. We have also got rid of most of our deadwood and have already added 6 first team squad players and have the likes of Oduwa (depending on his injury) Onomah, Winks pushing for minutes.

Hmmm. Maybe. There weren't any real signs of improvement in our style of play over the course of the season. A couple of amazing performances, surrounded by almost AVB-esque plodding dullness.Not sure how useful a year of playing poor football can really be.

It's great that we've got a lot of exciting young players competing for places, but I wouldn't pin our hopes of a top 5 finish on them.

 

[Lilbaz]

Hmmm. Maybe. There weren't any real signs of improvement in our style of play over the course of the season. A couple of amazing performances, surrounded by almost AVB-esque plodding dullness.Not sure how useful a year of playing poor football can really be.

It's great that we've got a lot of exciting young players competing for places, but I wouldn't pin our hopes of a top 5 finish on them.

We might not get top 5. I was just saying that thinking we are going to finish 8th or 10th when we have stengthened is a bit ott.

We will be challenging Liverpool all the way. I just don't think they are suddenly much better than us.

 

[Spurger King]

We might not get top 5. I was just saying that thinking we are going to finish 8th or 10th when we have stengthened is a bit weird.

Fair enough. I think we've improved a bit (mainly at the back, like we thought we did last year), but we still haven't sorted out the two key areas (DM and another forward). I don't think it's outlandish to think that Liverpool, Southampton, and possibly another team could finish above us, considering we pretty much crawled over the line in the race for 5th.

However, if we were to bring in, say, Berahino and McCarthy, our squad would suddenly look a lot more balanced and a lot stronger.