Redknapp reckons league is priority

[bigturnip]

Just reading this article on the BBC about Redknapp saying that the league is his top priority: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8387662.stm

Is coming fourth in the league really more of an achievement than winning an FA Cup or League Cup? Surely not. In twenty years time do you want to look back and say to your children or grandchildren "2009/10 was a great season for Tottenham, we came fourth in the league and made a few extra quid"? Or would you rather tell them stories of a great day out at Wembley and how we came home with some silverware?

Don't get me wrong, finishing in the top four would be great and qualifying for the champions league would no doubt ease the burden on DL's chequebook, but surely trophies are more important, well they are to me anyway.

We want to finish as high as possible in the league, but as we don't have a realistic chance of winning the league, surely this shouldn't be at the expense of winning, or even the chance of winning, a trophy.

Personally, I don't think the two are mutually exclusive anyway, we should be putting out our strongest available team for every competitive match and giving our younger players opportunities from the bench.

 

[spurdownunder]

I'd have to agree with Arry. Finishing fourth is a building block. Bringing CL to the Lane will hopefully attract better players and help retain the likes of Modric, Lennon and Defoe.

It's not about the money IMO, it's about our club taking the next step and really becoming one of the big boys. Most importantly is to retain our place at the top once we've made it.

I'd happily sacrifice an FA Cup or a Carling Cup for fourth and CL at the Lane.

 

[900triumph]

Got to agree with sdu. 4th could be the step up to the top table, the cups are great but we need to have more than one day in the spotlight to enhance our reputation. The most important aspect is that of player retention - financial inducement must lose it's effectivenesss at the stratospheric pay levels of the prem., there is not much significance to an xtra grand a week when you are already on 40k so for many players there will come a time where the clock is ticking so loudly career wise that they will readily jump ship for Champs League chances. i'm sure we all know this and I'm actually surprised that this stale old chestnut has found it's way on to SC once again, particularly since we have had a couple of recent outings to Wembley unlike our neighbours from Goonerland. The best way forward is to push hard for 4th but that may well bring other rewards anyway purely because of the winning habit becoming part of the culture of the club.

 

[bigturnip]

If coming fourth is a 'winning habbit', I'd rather go with the 'non-winning habbit', for me it's not about winning games, it's about winning trophies. I watch Tottenham play to be entertained and to revel in the glory of bringing the odd trophy back to White Hart Lane, if we don't even try to win any silverware then we have no chance of actually winning any.

 

[claw_diddy]

We've hardly brought much silverware back to the Lane in the past 20 years, so if there is such a sacrifice required to cement a top 4 finish then we aren't giving up much for the step up.

P.S how many times have the top 4 won the FA Cup/CC this decade?, surely if we were ever to become a top 4 'regular' it is more likely to enhance our chances of domestic cup success?

 

[Mullers]

Don't forget that if we finish fourth that is not the end of the story. We still have a qualifying match to get through and if we lose that its back to the Europa cup. I'd like us to be challenging on all fronts, we have a big squad with good quality players, so we can do it. Football is all about trophies . I am sure if you ask the players they would prefer to have some winners medals before they finish their career.

 

[Shanks]

I find it surprising that any Spurs fan would sacrifice finishing in the top four, for the sake of a home grown cup.

Talk about small club ambition!!!

Harry has it spot on, league takes priority every time. All the top clubs know this, and until we start having that mentality, we won't ever achieve better things.

Anyway, him comming out with that is jus a little bit of PR, of course he would like a trophy.

 

[dontcallme]

This is an unfortuante change in mentality with the Premiership becoming more money oriented than ever before.

Growing up it was all about winning cups and the FA Cup was a hugely prestigious award. Nowadays Europe and mostly Champions League participation is the aim for clubs. Becoming a regular in the CL will lead to trophies, so sacrificing a top four spot for the 3rd trophy in England is short-termism.

It's a shame it has gone this way though, seeing Spurs lift a trophy is one of the best things in football.

 

[Legend10]

I find it surprising that any Spurs fan would sacrifice finishing in the top four, for the sake of a home grown cup.

Talk about small club ambition!!!

Harry has it spot on, league takes priority every time. All the top clubs know this, and until we start having that mentality, we won't ever achieve better things.

Anyway, him comming out with that is jus a little bit of PR, of course he would like a trophy.

I completely agree with this.

It has to be about finishing in the CL places and the platform that it provides to try and push on from there.

The likes of Manchester United and Chelsea have had so much League success that they almost win the other domestic trophies by default.

If we lose tonight and against Posh and finish 4th I will be ecstatic, if we win a cup and finish 5th I will be happy but somewhat disappointed at the same time.

 

[indy]

i want Spurs to win a cup... i want us to win the champions league!! the FA cup used to be the most prestigious cup in the world but has now been taken over by the CL... Hence why coming fourth is so important and we gotta be in it to win it!!!

Also coming fourth in the league will show we have consistency... something we have lacked for decades... we have won cups in the past but been inconsistent in the league...

as a spurs fan we should be aiming as high as possible!!!!

Spurs for the league!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Yid-ol]

If we can finish 4th and keep on doingthis for afew seasons then we should and i would hope be then looking to get afewcup runs in as well with a bigger and stronger deepth in our squad, saying that we have a good deepth just now, calling JJ, Keane, bentey and bale into the squad for a shuffle about so i dont see why we cant still do this with a strong squad and still push for a top 4

 

[class of 62]

i think not thinking about winning every game is small club ambition!!... also think putting all our eggs in one basket... i'e prioritising the league ahead of other comps at the moment is wrong....
everyone & his brother seems to be lauding our squad at the minute... hopefully we'll prove by going to yanited tonight and winning we'll show just that... even if it is against 12 men as usual !!.

winning breeds a different mentality.. we seemed to have lost that these past few years.

 

[Bulletspur]

Slightly off topic but I had the TV on in the back ground when the Sky Sports News Commentator said that "Fulham had the most difficult fixture over the Christmas period as they had to play the League's top three"

In my mind I was saying "Oh they have to play Chelsea, Manu and Liverpool then".. Only to hear the commentator say "They will be playing Chelsea followed by Tottenham and then Manchester United!"

It really felt good us being called one of the top three, long may it continue!! COYS!

 

[Shanks]

Yeah that is awesome BUllet

You make a good point that we have already played the big four, and don't have to play Arse, Chels or Utd, until April - surely we need to nail down 4th place before that time, starting with a good fricking run over xmas time.

See were we stand come Jan.

 

[dooey123]

As others have said getting into the top 4 will make us more attractive to quality players and get more money into the club which in turn should give us greater success in the future. We have always been a cup side so doing well in the league is the only real indicator of progression.

 

[Bulletspur]

Just reading this article on the BBC about Redknapp saying that the league is his top priority: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8387662.stm

Is coming fourth in the league really more of an achievement than winning an FA Cup or League Cup? Surely not. In twenty years time do you want to look back and say to your children or grandchildren "2009/10 was a great season for Tottenham, we came fourth in the league and made a few extra quid"? Or would you rather tell them stories of a great day out at Wembley and how we came home with some silverware?

Don't get me wrong, finishing in the top four would be great and qualifying for the champions league would no doubt ease the burden on DL's chequebook, but surely trophies are more important, well they are to me anyway.

We want to finish as high as possible in the league, but as we don't have a realistic chance of winning the league, surely this shouldn't be at the expense of winning, or even the chance of winning, a trophy.

Personally, I don't think the two are mutually exclusive anyway, we should be putting out our strongest available team for every competitive match and giving our younger players opportunities from the bench.

I am with you 100% here. I remember I opened the same debate after we won the League cup two seasons ago.

We go into competitions to win things, not to come in second best or runner ups. I would rather us win a cup and finished 15th, than get 2nd place in EPL having won nought! Yes while getting into the CL place is good, especially financially, it is not silverware. (I am not saying that we should not strive to get into the CL)

If I was given the choice that I we were guaranteed a cup or a top four finish, I would ever only choose the league position if it was 1st place. In other words I always would choose the cup over 2nd, 3rd or 4th places!!

 

[rez9000]

Anyone who believes that we have the muscle to challenge on all three fronts this season is viewing things through seriously rose-tinted specs.

We do not have the depth to attempt to win a domestic trophy and aim for a Top 4 berth at the same time. We just don't. We have a strong squad, but if we keep the pedal to the metal, then we run a very real danger of fizzling out, just like Villa did last season. Therefore, we have to prioritise.

What should our priority be? The League, pure and simple. Why? Because if we're in the Top 4, playing Champions League football, we can then afford a bigger squad, attract better players with the lure of increased wages and Champions League football. The extra revenue would help in our stadium redevelopment plans too, which in turn leads to regular increased revenue, again allowing us to up our wages and attract higher quality to the club. Additionally, we would also be able to hold on to our better players, because they wouldn't need to seek CL football elsewhere.

Thus, with CL football, we would then be able to assemble a squad that can go for domestic cup glory as well as challenge for the Champions League places.

You have to take the long view, not the short-sighteed, short-term gratification of winning a trophy. Yes, trophies bring bragging rights, but let's consider the Scum. They lord it over us every season, yet they haven't won anything for nearly 5 years now. Why? Because they consistently finish in the Top 4.

Ask yourself who's got it better. Us, with our League Cup, or Arsenal with regular CL football?

To prioritise a domestic cup over potential CL football is unbelievably short-sighted and as far as I'm concerned Redknapp has his priorities 100% correct.

 

[stemark44]

Its all about the money and being in the biggest competition in world football,these are the things that will attract the stars of tomorrow,winning a domestic cup won't.

 

[Bulletspur]

I find it surprising that any Spurs fan would sacrifice finishing in the top four, for the sake of a home grown cup.

Talk about small club ambition!!!

Harry has it spot on, league takes priority every time. All the top clubs know this, and until we start having that mentality, we won't ever achieve better things.

Anyway, him comming out with that is jus a little bit of PR, of course he would like a trophy.

While I understand your sentiments, I would not call it a small club mentality. I will bet my mortgage that everyman and his dog here on this forum want us to be playing in the CL, and we can only have a chance by coming 4th. I think the argument is if there is a posibilty of us winning a cup in a season should we sacrifice or forego it in order to get CL spot? I would say no, win the cup 1st and then try to finish as high up the league as is possible still aiming at a CL spot. Concentrating only on the league position should only be done when there are no other cups to play for, that is not thinking small. A small club mentality is when you are out of the cups, then do not strive to make CL, but just happy to stay in mid table mediocrity. Ask Charlton, they were good at this!

 

[Kendall]

The league is your bread and butter and a real guage of where you're at as a club. If we can finish in the top 4 we can attract a top calibre of player and people willing to join and CL squad.

This will be a catalyst for more domestic glory. We must try to make the CL. I don't believe we will, but we do have a chance.