Race for the Top 4 - 2018/19

[Tucker]

Not to sound like I'm resigned to it already (ahem) but anyone think a season in Europa might be good for us? Use our experienced players to go deep into it, blood the hungry new guys we get. Develop that Leicester season vibe (OK, 3rd in a 3 horse race but you get my drift)? We were young and buying into Poch Ball. Seems a long time ago.

People talk like it will the end of the world in terms of club finances but it is very nearly a reality, one which we will have to deal with if it comes to pass.

I doubt Levy built the stadium assuming that we’d get CL every year. A season in the EL won’t kill us. It’ll just be very frustrating.

I don’t think it will come to that though. We only need a draw against Everton.

 

[Joeyboey]

Since selling Dembele in early Feb without replacing him in January we’ve lost 7 league games and won 3 and gone from nailed on top 3 to potentially missing out on top 4 altogether.

I have no faith in the spurs hierarchy to str

I don't think so. Just done some Googling and the first relevant results I can find are for Wes Brown appealing against a red he picked up for Sunderland in 2013.

- Red was issued on Sat 23/11/13
- Sunderland appealed on Mon 25/11/13, with the deadline for appeal being 1pm on Tues 26/11/13 (see https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/so...-appeal-wes-brown-red-card-1.1606819?mode=amp)
- FA made their decision (in this case, to rescind) by 4pm on Tues 26/11/13, turning round their decision process within 1 day of the appeal (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/f...appeal-against-sending-off-at-Stoke-City.html)

Based on those timelines, it looks like we should only try to appeal Son's red card if we think we'd win the appeal (which doesn't seem likely) rather than lodge an appeal to try and slow down the suspension process until after the Everton game.

With so much riding on the Everton game surely we have to make an appeal and roll the dice. This game could shape the future of the next chapter of the club.

 

[Seafordian Spurs]

I doubt Levy built the stadium assuming that we’d get CL every year. A season in the EL won’t kill us. It’ll just be very frustrating.

I don’t think it will come to that though. We only need a draw against Everton.

Appreciate what the previous guys were saying. It will be a drain and not ideal but it is quite likely so just seeing the (potential/negligible!?) benefits.

CL semi final and then Everton. Still loads to play for!

X

 

[Seafordian Spurs]

I doubt Levy built the stadium assuming that we’d get CL every year. A season in the EL won’t kill us. It’ll just be very frustrating.

I don’t think it will come to that though. We only need a draw against Everton.

You're assuming the other teams will drop points? We need a win methinks, can't rely on the others.

 

[gerishep]

Tryng to remain positive but I can't see past losing our next 2 games, just to complete the full shit show.

 

[stevenurse]

It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of losing at home to Southampton at the lane, away at Newcastle to finish below arsenal and now away at a shit Bournemouth team

 

[Tucker]

You're assuming the other teams will drop points? We need a win methinks, can't rely on the others.

No I just got my maths wrong

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

Just thought I would cheer everyone up with this bit on BBC who qualifies for what.

If Watford do win the cup, then the sixth-placed team in the Premier League has to enter the Europa League qualifiers on 25 July - which would mean a clash with the pre-season tour plans of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham, who are all due to be in Asia or the United States.

Full article https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47806720 , we could end up sixth but that would mean the others winning both final games and us losing to Everton.games.

Fact is if Poch was manager of say Chelsea or Real etc. and let almost certain top 4 slip like this he would be sacked.

 

[teok]

The idea that "being in the CL doesn't matter" because we didn't sign any one is just stupidly reductive to me. Go and look in the finances thread for how much we earned from the competition in the last few seasons. Going forward we need money and prestige and we need to be in it.

Also this:

 

[jay2040]

Just thought I would cheer everyone up with this bit on BBC who qualifies for what.

If Watford do win the cup, then the sixth-placed team in the Premier League has to enter the Europa League qualifiers on 25 July - which would mean a clash with the pre-season tour plans of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham, who are all due to be in Asia or the United States.

Full article https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47806720 , we could end up sixth but that would mean the others winning both final games and us losing to Everton.games.

Fact is if Poch was manager of say Chelsea or Real etc. and let almost certain top 4 slip like this he would be sacked.

Sure but they would have given him cash to buy players and he would not let that happen so your points a bit shit!

 

[murichej]

No

Financial POV: hell no
Team POV: if we make huge overhaul with lots of new young faces in the team, then yes maybe

 

[SteveH]

Come on people take the Spurs tinted goggles off.
Son was provoked yes but he retaliated and was wrong.

If there is one bad trend starting to appear it is one 'poor and unprofessional decision making' not totally unexpected with the pressure they must be under.

Yesterday 2 reds due to ill-discipline.
Diving into 'unnecessary' tackles - (Kane) has become a huge case of heart ruling head.
The pressure got to us 'big time' yesterday which has built for the last few months.

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

Sure but they would have given him cash to buy players and he would not let that happen so your points a bit shit!

Money or no money he was in a fantastic position and has let it slip through failing to grind out vital points .

Also giving a manager plenty of money doesn't always mean they know what to do with it . David Moyes comes to mind, highly regarded although he didn't win much and recommended by Fergie himself, given loads of money at United and what was the end result.

I am not saying Poch should be sacked quite the opposite he should be kept regardless even if we only make EL with a July start.
but other clubs just would not be happy with his with recent results and would show him the door.

Apart from maybe some tactical errors it has been individual player errors that have let him down.

 

[shelfboy68]

Come on people take the Spurs tinted goggles off.
Son was provoked yes but he retaliated and was wrong.

If there is one bad trend starting to appear it is one 'poor and unprofessional decision making' not totally unexpected with the pressure they must be under.

Yesterday 2 reds due to ill-discipline.
Diving into 'unnecessary' tackles - (Kane) has become a huge case of heart ruling head.
The pressure got to us 'big time' yesterday which has built for the last few months.

The club always struggles in pressure situations there was no surprises about yesterday other than a feeling of inevitably.

 

[Colonel Dax]

For the past few rounds of matches I’ve been praying for other teams to get us out of the shit. Wolves, Palace, Burnley etc in taking points off our rivals have mitigated the effects of our own ineptitude. But perhaps today that strange run of good fortune will finally end ?

 

[Mr Pink]

For the past few rounds of matches I’ve been praying for other teams to get us out of the shit. Wolves, Palace, Burnley etc in taking points off our rivals have mitigated the effects of our own ineptitude. But perhaps today that strange run of good fortune will finally run out ?

It surely will mate. I think all three of them will win today.

Huddersfield already relegated and pretty terrible for a PL team.

Brighton already safe so unless they put in a performance like they did against us I can't see Arsenal messing that up, even though they played Thursday night.

Chelsea probably have the hardest fixture but again Watford won't have much to play for.

Unfortunately I think they'll all win and there's no point people getting angry about it, the problem is very much ourselves.

 

[SUIYHA]

Yes, we've been unlucky in some games but this is just plainly not good enough. Redknapp was sacked for something similar...

That's now as many defeats in our last 11 matches since February alone as we lost in the entirety of last season, and more than the entirety of either of the two seasons before that.

 

[Colonel Dax]

It surely will mate. I think all three of them will win today.

Huddersfield already relegated and pretty terrible for a PL team.

Brighton already safe so unless they put in a performance like they did against us I can't see Arsenal messing that up, even though they played Thursday night.

Chelsea probably have the hardest fixture but again Watford won't have much to play for.

Unfortunately I think they'll all win and there's no point people getting angry about it, the problem is very much ourselves.

Agreed. Tired of relying on other teams. We only have ourselves to blame.

 

[Mr Pink]

Yes, we've been unlucky in some games but this is just plainly not good enough. Redknapp was sacked for something similar...

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That's now as many defeats in our last 11 matches since February alone as we lost in the entirety of last season, and more than the entirety of either of the two seasons before that.

But the all important context is that Poch has had us finishing higher up the table with more points, consistently, more than Harry ever did.

There's also the small matter of reaching a CL semi final, and potentially more.

Context is everything so that comparison doesn't mean much, not now anyway.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Redknapp was sacked for something similar....

Not picking on you personally, yours just happens to be the post that broke the camels back so to speak. I've seen several posters say this. Is there a growing opinion Pochettino should be sacked?