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Match Threads Inter Milan vs Spurs - Match Thread

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,355
87,824
A stranger thing from Balague today was:

“But there is something else - Manchester United will fight for the league this year.
“It will be a miracle if Spurs manage to get top four.
“At some point maybe they can put their focus on the Champions League, unlike Manchester United."

Since Balague and Poch are clearly close...that sort of implies Poch doesn't fancy our chances...which is less than encouraging...thoughts?
Poch is so being lined up for the Man Utd job...
 

Sweetsman

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2011
6,673
6,588
One of the key components to City’s success was Pep having Txiki Begiristain in place before his appointment. The culture was being put in place which included signings, structure, scouting, etc. Pep arrived to bring it all together.

Fergie had similar power and support at United which has all gone out the window since he retired. United are paying the price with Mourinho albeit with trophies still being won.

There are not many clubs in 2018 which will allow a manager total control to shape the club for the long term. If they do they need to let him bring in players, staff, scouting, etc. Pep has it at City and Klopp may have it at Liverpool.

I think Poch has more chance of doing it at Spurs than he will if he goes anywhere else.

My fear with Poch as I have stated a few times here is that he becomes like his mentor Bielsa. Great coach, great style, great philosophy, but doesn’t win much.
The difference with Bielsa is that he doesn't stick around that long. I also don't think Poch is as wedded to Bielsaball as earlier in his career. Bielsa has influenced a number of coaches, including Guardiola. The final step to winning is a mental one, to actually believe you can do it. Given Spurs haven't actually won much, getting top four is quite an achievement, but the squad is so tight that choosing who comes in is difficult.
 

Sweetsman

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2011
6,673
6,588
A stranger thing from Balague today was:

“But there is something else - Manchester United will fight for the league this year.
“It will be a miracle if Spurs manage to get top four.
“At some point maybe they can put their focus on the Champions League, unlike Manchester United."

Since Balague and Poch are clearly close...that sort of implies Poch doesn't fancy our chances...which is less than encouraging...thoughts?
He may just be trying to take heat off Poch. Let's face it, every season for the last three, pundits have written off our chances of achieving the top four.
 

kaz Hirai

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2008
17,692
25,340
Poch is so being lined up for the Man Utd job...

Pressure will only be so much worse and the job even harder.

Look how much silver Jose has won there and it's not enough and under pressure, if they don't win the league or get to at least the cl semi it's a disaster .

For a manager with poch's résumé he's a right club. Ambitious...but not too ambitious:unsure:
 

shelfboy68

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2008
14,566
19,651
I have survived relegation as a fan as well as the late 90s and early 00s, so I will survive a Champions League loss to Inter Milan and a home loss to CL finalist Liverpool.

We will be a top six club for some time to come and right now are only being out financed by oligarch and state owned clubs. Liverpool the exception, but they have bought well. Salah, Robertson, VVD and Wijnaldum were all players within our range, so give them credit for clever purchases. I know we might not have needed players in their position, but making the point that quality was available and none of the four came from any of the top clubs.

Let me get this out of the way. There are many clubs and supporters who would love to have the problems we have right now.
Champions League loss, fighting for a top four spot, having one of the two best training facilities in Europe and a new stadium to come. What we have now both within our own fan base, from the media and within the club is increased expectations.

Last night was disappointing for sure, but I have listened to some great podcasts today and all thought we played well and had done a professional job. We should have held on for 1-0 and at worst 1-1 and there are warning signs for sure in the second goal because we conceded in similar manner v Liverpool and Watford.

The loss last night had nothing to do with the summer transfer window. It had more to do with subs and game management. The defending on the corner especially on the second phase was shocking. That is a training ground, coach controlled situation. I think this is where MP should come in for some criticism. We have been very casual for three games in a row.

The reaction, or more to the point the lack of a reaction from a few players when the second goal went in was more concerning for me. The next few games will be more interesting in terms of body language, attitude and less about performance and result.

We are going through a bad spell. We can come out of it or we can implode. That will be up to MP. If he has lost faith in DL then he should resign. That would say more about his character than remaining in the job and going through the motions. There comes a time when you have to stand on principle. Easier said than done, but I have worked with managers who have done that and their reputation was enhanced and the fans respected them even more.

I have repeatedly said down the years that we need to start winning trophies to become a winning club. The League Cup is now as important as our other competitions. If we bow out against Watford we can all predict the storylines. One of five other clubs will win the LC this year. We need to be in the mix, so please MP, take the competition seriously. We need to get our players in the habit of going to finals and lifting silverware. Success breaths success. A winning mentality only gets instilled by winning trophies.

I know Man City have money behind them, but the attitude of that club has changed. They are no longer the noisy neighbours. I have seen the club progress from the Platt Lane facility to Carrington to the new campus and from Peter Reid as manger to Stuart Pearce to Pep Guardiola. Anyone can spend money, but they have also built a club and their is an attitude around the place than wasn't there before. We need to get that at Tottenham.

I have done professional observations at almost every top club and with every top manager/coach. I want Spurs and MP to be in that category. They are not there yet. They can be.

We have a testing period coming up which will say a lot about the character of our players and staff. We are either a big club or we are not. We are either a winning club or we are not. It will be proved on the pitch and training ground and not on social media or old media.

COYS! Audere est Facere.
I wouldn't say we are a big or winning club as we do neither we are more upper middle club that's where the club is at.
 

Jonesey

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2004
695
391
Rubbish!!
They could say something like, 'its not ideal we didn't sign anyone but we'll do the best we can'. Suits your agenda though to put your own spin rather than deal with facts.
The facts are that we’ve lost three on the spin for the first time since Poch took over, he - and the players - clearly don’t look happy and he has lost his cool with the press in a public forum for the first time.

'Its not ideal we didn't sign anyone but we'll do the best we can' would be reported as “[NAME] unhappy with lack of Spurs signings” and then it would be a big story like Rose talking about signing players he didn’t have to google, after that incident I can assure you the club PR team will have shut that shit down before it even begins.

And I don’t have an ‘agenda’. I have an opinion, I get little bits of information and am constantly trying to understand how we got into the mess that this season is going to become just like most people on here.

And in my opinion it’s been on the way for some time. Certain players were unhappy at the clubs lack of ambition in the 2017 transfer market but Poch and the team surpassed all expectations again last season and ended it relatively well.

Were the players still disappointed not to win a trophy? What do you reckon? Do they get affected by everyone saying “they need to win a trophy”? What do you think?

They’re human beings. They want to do well and win shit. And to be so close so many times and then to see the manager not get backed by the club in this transfer window how do you think that makes them feel about playing for a club which could so easily have showed at least some ambition but didn’t? Especially the players who had a great World Cup and no doubt had interest from other clubs?

All of this leads to a frustrated and fragile mindset within the squad - and for many people that is showing on the pitch big time.

This is where Poch gets to prove what he’s got. The next two games and the way we play against Barca (ie with confidence or scared as hell) are going to be very telling and could end up defining our season. In my opinion.
 

Jonesey

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2004
695
391
I have survived relegation as a fan as well as the late 90s and early 00s, so I will survive a Champions League loss to Inter Milan and a home loss to CL finalist Liverpool.

We will be a top six club for some time to come and right now are only being out financed by oligarch and state owned clubs. Liverpool the exception, but they have bought well. Salah, Robertson, VVD and Wijnaldum were all players within our range, so give them credit for clever purchases. I know we might not have needed players in their position, but making the point that quality was available and none of the four came from any of the top clubs.

Let me get this out of the way. There are many clubs and supporters who would love to have the problems we have right now.
Champions League loss, fighting for a top four spot, having one of the two best training facilities in Europe and a new stadium to come. What we have now both within our own fan base, from the media and within the club is increased expectations.

Last night was disappointing for sure, but I have listened to some great podcasts today and all thought we played well and had done a professional job. We should have held on for 1-0 and at worst 1-1 and there are warning signs for sure in the second goal because we conceded in similar manner v Liverpool and Watford.

The loss last night had nothing to do with the summer transfer window. It had more to do with subs and game management. The defending on the corner especially on the second phase was shocking. That is a training ground, coach controlled situation. I think this is where MP should come in for some criticism. We have been very casual for three games in a row.

The reaction, or more to the point the lack of a reaction from a few players when the second goal went in was more concerning for me. The next few games will be more interesting in terms of body language, attitude and less about performance and result.

We are going through a bad spell. We can come out of it or we can implode. That will be up to MP. If he has lost faith in DL then he should resign. That would say more about his character than remaining in the job and going through the motions. There comes a time when you have to stand on principle. Easier said than done, but I have worked with managers who have done that and their reputation was enhanced and the fans respected them even more.

I have repeatedly said down the years that we need to start winning trophies to become a winning club. The League Cup is now as important as our other competitions. If we bow out against Watford we can all predict the storylines. One of five other clubs will win the LC this year. We need to be in the mix, so please MP, take the competition seriously. We need to get our players in the habit of going to finals and lifting silverware. Success breaths success. A winning mentality only gets instilled by winning trophies.

I know Man City have money behind them, but the attitude of that club has changed. They are no longer the noisy neighbours. I have seen the club progress from the Platt Lane facility to Carrington to the new campus and from Peter Reid as manger to Stuart Pearce to Pep Guardiola. Anyone can spend money, but they have also built a club and their is an attitude around the place than wasn't there before. We need to get that at Tottenham.

I have done professional observations at almost every top club and with every top manager/coach. I want Spurs and MP to be in that category. They are not there yet. They can be.

We have a testing period coming up which will say a lot about the character of our players and staff. We are either a big club or we are not. We are either a winning club or we are not. It will be proved on the pitch and training ground and not on social media or old media.

COYS! Audere est Facere.
Best post I’ve read in a long time. The only thing I would question is how not signing anyone affects the mindset of the key squad players.

They’ve grown and become senior members of this first team who have done so well but not won anything, most key players if not all went off and had a great World Cup, most will have had interest from other clubs.

Going into another season with that same squad that has grown together (bar Moura who is new but struggled bigtime last season) but not won anything and all the press around not signing anyone, rumours that the manager was shafted by Levy, etc must have an effect on their mindset. Hope I’m wrong and it’s just a blip but it certainly looks that way.

Other than that, great post. ??
 

beats1

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2010
30,006
29,551
He may just be trying to take heat off Poch. Let's face it, every season for the last three, pundits have written off our chances of achieving the top four.
Not really true, though is it?

Every year before the start of the season pundits write us off due to our signings but then as the season starts everyone pretty much says we will be there and one of the top 4
 

Sweetsman

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2011
6,673
6,588
Not really true, though is it?

Every year before the start of the season pundits write us off due to our signings but then as the season starts everyone pretty much says we will be there and one of the top 4
I was referring to the beginning of each season.
 

spursbhoy67

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2006
1,316
1,475
The difference with Bielsa is that he doesn't stick around that long. I also don't think Poch is as wedded to Bielsaball as earlier in his career. Bielsa has influenced a number of coaches, including Guardiola. The final step to winning is a mental one, to actually believe you can do it. Given Spurs haven't actually won much, getting top four is quite an achievement, but the squad is so tight that choosing who comes in is difficult.
The difference with Bielsa is that he doesn't stick around that long. I also don't think Poch is as wedded to Bielsaball as earlier in his career. Bielsa has influenced a number of coaches, including Guardiola. The final step to winning is a mental one, to actually believe you can do it. Given Spurs haven't actually won much, getting top four is quite an achievement, but the squad is so tight that choosing who comes in is difficult.

Top four is a great achievement and Poch will always have that on his CV. However, his peers - Pep, Klopp, Emry, Mourinho - in the Premier League have all won trophies. Only Sarri hasn't won anything of note. MP needs to become a manager of a team which lifts trophies.

Side note, I hope Leeds get promoted. Bielsa in the league next year would be box office gold.
 

spursbhoy67

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2006
1,316
1,475
Best post I’ve read in a long time. The only thing I would question is how not signing anyone affects the mindset of the key squad players.

They’ve grown and become senior members of this first team who have done so well but not won anything, most key players if not all went off and had a great World Cup, most will have had interest from other clubs.

Going into another season with that same squad that has grown together (bar Moura who is new but struggled bigtime last season) but not won anything and all the press around not signing anyone, rumours that the manager was shafted by Levy, etc must have an effect on their mindset. Hope I’m wrong and it’s just a blip but it certainly looks that way.

Other than that, great post. ??

Funny thing is that every player wants new signings except in their position.

I was disappointed that the club did not sign anyone and strengthen, but the window has closed so time to move on until January. It depends on how MP wins to sell the window. He could say we have Moura with a full preseason behind him, Foyth and KWP will compete to start, Toby and Rose have stayed, Rose, Winks, Wanyama and Lamela missed most of last season so why sign players unless they are better than them?

Not saying I agree with the above, but that is one way to put a positive spin on it.

Would a new signing have stopped Vorm, flapping at the LFC corner? Eriksen heading back into trouble? Vorm letting a ball go through his hands? Winks not stepping out with his team v Inter? Toby on the bench v Inter might have made sense, but we have had enough quality on the field to have done better v Watford, Liverpool and Inter.
 

Sweetsman

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2011
6,673
6,588
Top four is a great achievement and Poch will always have that on his CV. However, his peers - Pep, Klopp, Emry, Mourinho - in the Premier League have all won trophies. Only Sarri hasn't won anything of note. MP needs to become a manager of a team which lifts trophies.

Side note, I hope Leeds get promoted. Bielsa in the league next year would be box office gold.
I think Poch should go for the low hanging fruit, but I'm sure the club would rather have the finances of the top four.
 

UbeAstard

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2005
3,354
2,413
Were the players still disappointed not to win a trophy? What do you reckon? Do they get affected by everyone saying “they need to win a trophy”? What do you think?

What I think is I hate people telling me what I think/thought as they are invariably wrong, so I wont do it to anyone else. Neither will I pay attention to someone telling me what someone whom they had no conversation with is thinking. Let them speak their minds and I will listen. They are speaking, and they are not supporting your agenda.
 

UbeAstard

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2005
3,354
2,413
'But Lamela says the belief within the group is strong.
“I don’t think we’re losing our confidence,” he said. “We believe in each other in this team.
“That’s why we always fight until the end of the season.
“Of course, now you’re thinking like this. But inside the dressing room, I can tell you it’s not like this.'

Needs to say what he really means, instead of beating about the bush....;)
 

Mighty Spurs

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2008
583
466
I'm not in the same league, clearly. On the other hand, you might want to tell us how you would build the finances of the club to allow us to compete when we don't have the wealth of nations?
Sell the club to investor/s who is/are willing to invest heavily into the squad besides the stadium. ENIC have not spent a penny in investing into the team., they also bought the club with stocks from the club. ENIc did the same to other tems they once owned. Good to keep the books afloat but NOT in investing into the club.
 

Gb160

Well done boys. Good process
Jun 20, 2012
23,646
93,314
Sell the club to investor/s who is/are willing to invest heavily into the squad besides the stadium. ENIC have not spent a penny in investing into the team., they also bought the club with stocks from the club. ENIc did the same to other tems they once owned. Good to keep the books afloat but NOT in investing into the club.
Yeah, I bet there's a queue of investors like that, falling over themselves to pump their fortunes into THFC.
 

Sweetsman

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2011
6,673
6,588
Sell the club to investor/s who is/are willing to invest heavily into the squad besides the stadium. ENIC have not spent a penny in investing into the team., they also bought the club with stocks from the club. ENIc did the same to other tems they once owned. Good to keep the books afloat but NOT in investing into the club.
Are you such an investor or do you know any? And tell what they are doing building a stadium if that is not investment in the club?
 

Mighty Spurs

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2008
583
466
Do you know how to correspond without any of your sarcasim?. I doubt it, you must have left school at the age of fifteen without any qualifications. There are investors out there, some have already approached the club, but apparently ENIC are asking for £2billion. With regards to investment into the club, it is not Enic's money, if you bother to read my post again and maybe with help of a dictionary, you will be able to see and hopefully understand what i wrote. The money invested into the satdium belongs to the club and not ENIC. All loans taken out are from the club with HSBC and not ENIC. Furthermore, not a penny was invrested in bringing in and strenghteing our squad in the last window. Levy thought that the three players we were interested in were too expensive, as stated by Keano recently on Sky Sports. Obviuosly, one has to pay for top notch players but Levy always wants to get a bargain or splash out on the wrong players like he has done in the past and recent.
 
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