Now we must aim high…

[provence]

I am tired of hearing about fourth spot being considered the Holy Grail. I acknowledge the pecuniary importance and prestige connected to just qualifying for the Champions League. But otherwise you don’t win anything by being fourth!

OK, why speculate about such things in a year when we have been in Premier League trouble since the first day? Well, because we are flushing the Bill Nicholson and Spurs mantra of 'better to aim high and fail' down the drain by limiting our ambition.

Right now, we must go relentlessly after the seventh spot to qualify for the new Europa League. And next year we must go for the Premier League title…better to aim high!

Have I gone completely mad? Well, I don’t think so.

This season we are currently 4 (or up to 7) points off target, but there are still 27 points at stake. Next season we will hopefully take the momentum from actually reaching seventh despite adversity with us into a serious challenge for the #1 spot.

And why should we all of a sudden be able to do that? In my humble opinion we are very close to having the players to do it. They just need the self-belief and the mentality to not dare to lose that the current top teams possess.

If we take a look at the team, I think we are close to where we should be.

We have a keeper who is commanding with strong reactions when he is not injured. I believe that his early troubles were caused by having to play with injury. And now we even have a dependable stand-in.

We have a world-class central defence with three top class players and even very capable supplement in Corluka and Chimbonda if need be.

The full backs are getting there. Corluka has been solid and his interplay with Lennon is improving all the time. Assou-Ekotto is also getting there. He just needs to keep his concentration for the full 90+ minutes. Here we have capable back ups as well in Hutton (next season), Chimbonda, Gunter, and hopefully Bale will snap out of his current crisis to fulfil his potential. Even O’Hara can fill in on the left back.

The midfield needs to gel. We have finally found the hard man in Palacios. He, Jenas and Modric have nine games this season to work on the mutual understanding, roles and running patterns. But once they find that and find the willingness to pass the ball fast and early, then they can be as good a midfield as any other PL team on their day. With versatile Zokora as stand-in for Palacios and Huddlestone hopefully soon fulfilling his potential competing with Jenas and Modric.

Up front, Pavlyuchenko has not had a break for more than a year. He joined us straight from a tough schedule of the Russian League, the Euros and then more Russian League. He will blossom next season after a good summers rest.

Keane is pivotal. He might be pointing and shouting, but he fires everybody up and he works his socks off all the time. Bent…well the jury is still out. And so is my opinion of Defoe. But he seems to have learned about the off side rule since he was last at the club.

On the wings we have a rejuvenated Lennon and we know we need a body on the left. But we have a Bentley as back up, and he should know by now that he owes us to live up to his potential. Bale can do the left job and then we have a couple of talented kids currently out on loan. I don’t know if Gio and Taraabt will make the grade, but we’ll see.

Anyway, in conclusion I think we are very close to a team capable of challenging for the absolute top. I don’t think Redknapp will need to do a lot of business in the summer. Actually, I look forward to the day when we do not have to change the entire team every season.

The final and most crucial element is the players’ mentality. Do they want to win so bad that the alternative is unthinkable? Can they find that mental strength in themselves? Or will they just be content to count their enormous salaries? I, for one, think they owe us – the fans – to really justify their huge price tags by showing us that mentality. Because they do have the talent and potential. Now, get us 7 and then put on a show to remember starting August. COYS!

 

[Geez]

I think we are very close to a team capable of challenging for the absolute top. I don’t think Redknapp will need to do a lot of business in the summer. Actually, I look forward to the day when we do not have to change the entire team every season.

:clap:

I believe constant changes just destabilise the team

And we now have the same number of points as super-rich Man City who will be trying to sign every Carlos Kickaball they can in the Summer :roll:

 

[doom]

setting your sights high allows you to think which of our players can make the grade. i would say our weakest area is in attack - we don't have a truly outstanding striker. We can match any team in any other area.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

I think the players should "aim" at winning one game at a time.

I think what the fans "aim" for is a matter of supreme unimportance.

I agree that the best thing for us to do this Summer is to sign one or two players, sell virtually no one, sit tight and coach the squad.

Most importantly, I agree that "the final and most crucial element is the players’ mentality". That's what distingishes the teams "capable of challenging for the absolute top". At present, we are many miles from that status. We are probably one of the mentally-weakest teams in the league. We have compensated for our soft mentality and lack of team cohesion with individual talent. That has got us to mid-table and, given the 9 point gap between 6th and 7th in this statistically unusual season, puts us in with a chance of 9th, 8th, or even, if we go on a winning streak, 7th.

No further. Not without mental strength, team spirit and stability.

 

[billnick]

No further. Not without mental strength, team spirit and stability.

I'd add to that "ball control when receiving a pass".

 

[JoeT]

D.M. you are always talking about "mentality" as if, if one sets their mind to something anything is possible. To a point that is true, for example: just about anyone can run a marathon; they just have to set their mind to getting out running (or, probably in their case, jogging), on a regular basis for three months or so. they will probably finish their first marathon in around 3 + hours (if they are extremely talented), or more likely 4 or 5 hours. However, to run a marathon in just over 2 hours, for probably 99.99999999999% of the poulation is impossible....no matter how much "mental strength" they have.
That tiny elite is made up of extemely talented individuals who put in hundreds and even thousands of hours of practice and training, and in fact if every of our Joggers did this probably more (maybe as many as 5%), could get within 20 minutes of 2 Hours.....(but of course they won't.)
So, my point here is twofold: Firstly "mental strength" can only take athletes so far....it certainly can achieve incredible things at 'street level' though.
Secondly, to increase one's chance of bettering performance at top level sports, it takes an incredible amount of practice/training by very, very talented athletes.Those that can do this in turn devlop a "mental toughness"....born out of the routine they have endured (many, many will not make it), plus the more they succeed the more they KNOW they are the best and DON'T WANT to lose, EVER.
What I think you are talking about D.M. really, is more "determination" when things are not going so well. And yes, Spurs are gradually bringing in more players of this nature, who we hope can inspire/motivate others to fight hard in games.......but it can't be turned on if the right individuals are not there; and the right inspirational leader - either on the team or coach - is not there to lead them.Today's game, and even more last week's showed more determination fom the team...Woodgate and King (who is now playing more) are so determined, Daws. has been inspirational, then Keane is back....add Palacous and it's starting to happen.

 

[JoeT]

I would second that 'billnick'; the really top players have practiced SO MUCH that controlling a pass they can do without a mistake, and quicker than other players. Then they have more time to look around and decide what to do with the ball.

 

[Peters]

It is one of life's mysteries how a Stoke or Hull can play to their maximum and beat a team of far better individuals through organisation and determination. Wimbledon showed for years how the team collectively can be greater than the sum of the parts. Spurs have generally had superior players but have always lacked the organisation and drive to compete at the top of the table for extended periods. So if that's the answer to the mystery why have we struggled for so long?
We are at a point where we have some excellent players in all positions, certainly the best squad we have had for many years. Can 'arry get them to play better than sum of the parts? The fact that we have a young squad with potential is our hope for the future. I look forward to 'arry developing the players to reach their full potential.
Modric wll be a superstar if he is not already; Lennon is improving his passing shooting and decision making every week; Palacios and Jenas will be sensational when they develop their understanding; - there really is a huge potential to move the club forward.

 

[WesTheWalrus]

definitely agree. PLEASE lets not sign a whole new team in the summer, I would say all we really need is a top-class defender to replace Ledders. sorry to say it but as great a player as he is, if we have Top 4 aspirations we can't afford to keep a guy who can't even train. the only other area I would look at improving is probably left wing. can I just point out that Bent is currently tied 3rd for most goals in the league this season. more than Torres, Berbatov, Van Persie, Rooney, Adebayor, etc. etc. yet people are still not convinced?!!

 

[davidmatzdorf]

I'd add to that "ball control when receiving a pass".

Indeed - see my half-time post on the match thread:

...The single thing that I find most frustrating about our play this season has been the lack of touch. Our midfielders really ought to be able to control the incoming ball better. Instead, unlike every player who plays for Man U, the ball bounces off and it disrupts our possession and our attacks. Perhaps I'm spoiled by remembering Berbatov's or Kanoute's knack of killing the ball and dropping it neatly onto their feet. But not one of our players can do it, except occasionally Modric and Lennon. It adds an element of imprecision to everything we do in possession and it also means that, when we get a gift of the ball, we usually give it straight back.

 

[Dundalk_Spur]

I was shocked at how solid we looked yesterday, but only because it has not been the norm. Throughout the whole team there was an effort and an attitude of wanting to win every tackle, every challange and if I dont win it I wont make it easy for him.

Such a difference from the past year or so.

I think in the Summer Harry just has to work on the balance of the team, drill into them exactly what their roles are in the "team" and let them loose in August.

 

[pistolP]

:clap:

I believe constant changes just destabilise the team

And we now have the same number of points as super-rich Man City who will be trying to sign every Carlos Kickaball they can in the Summer :roll:

Are You Alan Sugar in disguise(i like Alan Sugar by the way)

 

[striebs]

We've got squad strength and our first 11 is decent but it will fall short if you are aiming for the very top or even just to gate crash the Sky 4 . It needs improvements .

Left back : BAE is improving but he always has a mistake in him especially passes that don't quite reach their man . Can the staff coach that out of him ?
Lack of concentration meens unlikely to make good cover .

Goalkeeper : Can Gomes be the commanding keeper we want or would we be better off swapping spectacular for reliable ?

Why weren't we in for Shay Given , because our staff reckon Gomes will succeed or because we couldn't compete with City ?

Tall Striker : What are the chances Pav will be good enough to start for us next season after a rest ? 10% , 25% , 50% ?

Don't we need a striker who can hold up the ball and offer the long ball option . If so we need either an upgrade on Pav or other options .

To break through the glass ceiling we will need a genuine £30+million striker .
Crouch would make us good enough to be to regain our crown of Top of the Plops .

Retention , will we retain Modric ? I don't think so unless the club demonstrates ambition by bringing in big time players to surround him ; the Berbatov he never got a chance to play with .

Our better squad players like Huddlestone are likely to be off too .

Left Wing options

Can Bale regain his form ? Would Modric be more effective in the centre ?


Budget

To get top quality in the 4 positions above would require something like 80m of expenditure .

Sales of Pav and Gomes are likely to recover about 16m , departures of KPB , GDS , Gilberto etc might raise a further 8m . Assuming Levy can stomach 20m that gives a budget of about 44m .

44m is not enough to address all the four identified positions short-term so the club should not try to and should be looking to spend all 44m on a striker and a goalkeeper .


Edit : We've got a manager again with the ability to make us great again and a point to prove - IF he can stand the awful travel from Sandbanks .

 

[davidmatzdorf]

Here we go again with the posts that say "if we just blast a load of money this Summer, we can challenge for the top next season". Forget it. All that would happen would be that we would repeat the problems of the past two Augusts, but perhaps slightly less dramatically than this season's first 8 matches.

Because we'd be starting again with a new starting 11 who scarcely know each other. Unless Redknapp is a major miracle-worker of hitherto unanticipated dimensions, we will not be anywhere near the title next season. But we could, if we just sit tight and have a bit of patience for a couple of seasons, challenge in 2-3 years.

To do that, what we need to do this Summer is to leave the squad as it is. Don't spend £44m - or even £24m - on anyone. Don't keep kidding ourselves that if we get 1-2 world-class players, that will immediately turn us into a world-class squad. We had a world-class player last season and we finished 11th.

What it takes to challenge at the top is not to go out and buy a team full of world-class strangers. What it takes is to coach a tightly-knit squad of very good players for a couple of years, so that 2 or 3 of them grow into world-class players and, better yet, world-class players who are familiar with their team-mates.

We already have some players who could do that: the obvious candidates in the first team squad, speaking strictly of talent here and not of accomplishment, are Modric, Lennon and Bale. But it won't happen for any of them if we keep changing half the squad every Summer.

It seems that all it takes is a short run of 5-6 good results and suddenly the same people who were certain that we were going to be relegated are now planning out our 1-year campaign toward world domination. It doesn't work like that. We've proven that over the past 5 years. The only time we made progress was when we kept the same manager and built a team of promising players. The moment we tried to buy success, it all fell apart.

Just about the last thing we need right now is for fans to start pressurising the club to buy expensive stars. Just a left winger, another striker if Bent leaves and sell no one. None of them, except for the obvious older fringe players like Rocha and Gilberto.

 

[Pillbug]

Iskhkabbile

 

[Boony]

Player for player we are a better team than Aston Villa, and the season they have had this year, is what we should be aiming at (our season 3 years ago). I honestly beleive than the only real secure spots in the Prem are the top two (Chelsea and Man U) as I beleive Liverpool have overacheived consdierably... they have a lot of average players. Without the UEFA next year (probably) will actually do us some favours, as the difference between the top 4 and the rest is competiting in the Champions Leauge AND whilst still competing for the league.

The top spot is a definate no no for the next few season, but with out financial clout, new stadium and history.. we are one of the few clubs who could sustain success, if we can just get our chance one year.

 

[Pallyali]

its been said many times now, but BAE is alot better then many (striebs) give him credit for. he was excellent again yesterday and this is without anyone in front of him really helping him.

was also impressed with jenas yesterday, his work all over the park was brilliant.

they were all great and as someone else said look like a different team. the work rate was what we want/need.

 

[striebs]

Here we go again with the posts that say "if we just blast a load of money this Summer, we can challenge for the top next season". Forget it. All that would happen would be that we would repeat the problems of the past two Augusts, but perhaps slightly less dramatically than this season's first 8 matches.

Because we'd be starting again with a new starting 11 who scarcely know each other. Unless Redknapp is a major miracle-worker of hitherto unanticipated dimensions, we will not be anywhere near the title next season. But we could, if we just sit tight and have a bit of patience for a couple of seasons, challenge in 2-3 years.

To do that, what we need to do this Summer is to leave the squad as it is. Don't spend £44m - or even £24m - on anyone. Don't keep kidding ourselves that if we get 1-2 world-class players, that will immediately turn us into a world-class squad. We had a world-class player last season and we finished 11th.

What it takes to challenge at the top is not to go out and buy a team full of world-class strangers. What it takes is to coach a tightly-knit squad of very good players for a couple of years, so that 2 or 3 of them grow into world-class players and, better yet, world-class players who are familiar with their team-mates.

We already have some players who could do that: the obvious candidates in the first team squad, speaking strictly of talent here and not of accomplishment, are Modric, Lennon and Bale. But it won't happen for any of them if we keep changing half the squad every Summer.

It seems that all it takes is a short run of 5-6 good results and suddenly the same people who were certain that we were going to be relegated are now planning out our 1-year campaign toward world domination. It doesn't work like that. We've proven that over the past 5 years. The only time we made progress was when we kept the same manager and built a team of promising players. The moment we tried to buy success, it all fell apart.

Just about the last thing we need right now is for fans to start pressurising the club to buy expensive stars. Just a left winger, another striker if Bent leaves and sell no one. None of them, except for the obvious older fringe players like Rocha and Gilberto.

I'm not saying that we can challenge for the top next season , I'll leave that to Man City's owners .

This thread is about aiming perhaps unrealistically high over the short-term rather than the medium term which appears to be what you are aluding to as the problem .

I don't think Pav will ever be World Class and believe Spurs need a tall striker who can act as a target man and hold up the ball - an uninjured Ashton would be ideal but that really is in the realms of fantasy .

There is no point in having such a good back 4 + Lennon + Modric , Keane/Defoe if we don't have the strike force to go with it .

 

[striebs]

its been said many times now, but BAE is alot better then many (striebs) give him credit for. he was excellent again yesterday and this is without anyone in front of him really helping him.

was also impressed with jenas yesterday, his work all over the park was brilliant.

they were all great and as someone else said look like a different team. the work rate was what we want/need.

I agree that BAE has become a good player .

My concern is about his propensity to repeat the mistake of sideways/backwards passes that either the intended recepient is not expecting or which does not reach them .

Could be a communication problems . Whatever he definitely warrants the time to try and correct it .


Neither Pav not Bent give us all the options we need from a tall man which is why I see that area of the pitch as the priority - it will relieve pressure on everybody else .

 

[Jaispurs]

Guys can we just calm down. This is the problem with us fans is we get carried away and become laughing stocks.

Our players are the same players (bar Palacios and Keane) that took, as 'arry keeps reminding us, 2 points from 8 games and only won 3 games from March to October.

We are not a top 4 team and won't be for quite a while.

We have players who have the potential on their day to beat any team i.e Ar5ena1, Chelscum, Liverpool, Villa etc but we also have the potential to lose to Wigan, WBA, Sunderland, Newcastle, Bolton etc.

We don't travel well to the NE or NW. Until that is sorted we won't be up with the Villa's and Evertons of this world let alone the top 4.

I agree that we have the players but I don't agree that we have the team yet.

'Arry will sort it out though as he is a top top manager and is proving that and I hope his doubters now shut up a little