Riding the wave of optimism

[Paq]

We seem to be doing things differently this year. Completing transfers early, addressing problem areas intelligently, moving on deadwood.

Our commercial activity is ramping up and we're pressing ahead with exciting development projects.

We've got a talented, young, hungry and increasingly balanced squad, one year on in their understanding of Poch's philosophy. We're largely injury free. We seem to be agro free too.

Do people think we can achieve something this season? If we can foster a sense of adventure and purpose in the team what can we achieve?

The perennial question - could this be the season?

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

We seem to be doing things differently this year. Completing transfers early, addressing problem areas intelligently, moving on deadwood.

Our commercial activity is ramping up and we're pressing ahead with exciting development projects.

We've got a talented, young, hungry and increasingly balanced squad, one year on in their understanding of Poch's philosophy. We're largely injury free. We seem to be agro free too.

Do people think we can achieve something this season? If we can foster a sense of adventure and purpose in the team what can we achieve?

The perennial question - could this be the season?

Catastrophic start. Poch sacked by Christmas

Felt that'd be the case when he was appointed.
Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Paq]

Catastrophic start. Poch sacked by Christmas

Felt that'd be the case when he was appointed.
Hope I'm wrong.

Me too! You know though, if we can take points from our first game, one of the toughest of the season, what could that do for our confidence? Conversely, if we lose we've just got our toughest game of the season out the way and we crack on.

 

[Spurger King]

We seem to be doing things differently this year. Completing transfers early, addressing problem areas intelligently, moving on deadwood.

Our commercial activity is ramping up and we're pressing ahead with exciting development projects.

We've got a talented, young, hungry and increasingly balanced squad, one year on in their understanding of Poch's philosophy. We're largely injury free. We seem to be agro free too.

Do people think we can achieve something this season? If we can foster a sense of adventure and purpose in the team what can we achieve?

The perennial question - could this be the season?

I really don't think the squad we have at the moment is good enough to do much at all this season. It would be an achievement just to get 5th again. If we don't address our midfield and forward issues before the window closes I honestly think the performances and results will be quite poor, the pressure on Pochettino will be ramped up, and there is a very real chance that he'll be sacked before the year is out.

No doubt SC's resident superfan and a few other passive-aggressive optimists will have an issue with that opinion, but it's not as if it's how I want things to pan out.

A midfield of Mason and Bentaleb just won't cut it if we want to finish top 5 this season. Bentaleb is getting better all the time, but he's still going to make mistakes due to his inexperience. Mason's also inexperienced, but I don't think he has the potential to develop as much as Bentaleb, and lacks Bentaleb's ability.

We all know the striker issues with Soldado and Adebayor. We also don't have much pace or much depth in attacking midfield positions. If we can address those areas in this window, and make the great performances we saw against Chelsea, Everton, and Arsenal the norm rather than the exception, I'll start to think this could be a good season. If not, I can see Pochettino being Levy's latest fall guy.

More positively, I'm optimistic about Pritchard and Alli, and switching up the defence can't be anything but a good thing.

 

[Paq]

I really don't think the squad we have at the moment is good enough to do much at all this season. It would be an achievement just to get 5th again. If we don't address our midfield and forward issues before the window closes I honestly think the performances and results will be quite poor, the pressure on Pochettino will be ramped up, and there is a very real chance that he'll be sacked before the year is out.

No doubt SC's resident superfan and a few other passive-aggressive optimists will have an issue with that opinion, but it's not as if it's how I want things to pan out.

A midfield of Mason and Bentaleb just won't cut it if we want to finish top 5 this season. Bentaleb is getting better all the time, but he's still going to make mistakes due to his inexperience. Mason's also inexperienced, but I don't think he has the potential to develop as much as Bentaleb, and lacks Bentaleb's ability.

We all know the striker issues with Soldado and Adebayor. We also don't have much pace or much depth in attacking midfield positions. If we can address those areas in this window, and make the great performances we saw against Chelsea, Everton, and Arsenal the norm rather than the exception, I'll start to think this could be a good season. If not, I can see Pochettino being Levy's latest fall guy.

More positively, I'm optimistic about Pritchard and Alli, and switching up the defence can't be anything but a good thing.

I too am optimistic about Pritchard and Alli - they're both bursting with potential. Can you imagine Alli, Pritchard, Bentaleb, Kane, et al on the crest of a wave and having a Leeds-esq year?

I feel like we're looking to address the areas you point out in midfield and up top/wide.

If we can be greater than the sum of our parts there's so much reason to be positive.

 

[TropicalYid]

Im optimistic. If we can get rid of Ade and vlad ill be happy.
Need a quality CM/DM and a striker. Really looking forward to the season to start.

 

[Paq]

We seem to be doing things differently this year. Completing transfers early, addressing problem areas intelligently, moving on deadwood.

Our commercial activity is ramping up and we're pressing ahead with exciting development projects.

We've got a talented, young, hungry and increasingly balanced squad, one year on in their understanding of Poch's philosophy. We're largely injury free. We seem to be agro free too.

Do people think we can achieve something this season? If we can foster a sense of adventure and purpose in the team what can we achieve?

The perennial question - could this be the season?

I guess more than anything else I'm wondering if we're seeing a change in mindset at the club that might filter to the players, i.e. that we mean business. If that mindset is being cultivated this pre season, we could be in for a hell of a season.

 

[Spurger King]

I too am optimistic about Pritchard and Alli - they're both bursting with potential. Can you imagine Alli, Pritchard, Bentaleb, Kane, et al on the crest of a wave and having a Leeds-esq year?

I feel like we're looking to address the areas you point out in midfield and up top/wide.

If we can be greater than the sum of our parts there's so much reason to be positive.

If our forward signing is Moses I suspect this wave of optimism will soon be parting.

 

[tototoner]

Top marks for optimism

Personally I think we as a squad have lost more ground on those ahead of us last season and quite a few of those behind us also.

Not Levy's fault though, always the manager to blame

 

[tototoner]

I guess more than anything else I'm wondering if we're seeing a change in mindset at the club that might filter to the players, i.e. that we mean business. If that mindset is being cultivated this pre season, we could be in for a hell of a season.

You have much to learn, young padawan

 

[WiganSpur]

As long as we address our issues in a couple of positions then yes I very much agree with you.

 

[Mattspur]

It's encouraging that we seem to be getting the deadwood out of the club and as you say, the commercial side of the club seems to be going from strength to strength, but being honest, 5th is the best I think we can hope for. the squads of Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal and Man Utd are superior to ours and will all finish above us.

If we play good football on a regular basis and finish in the top 6, I'll be happy.

I'd also like to see us give the Europa a proper go. I really think that if we approached it with the right mentality from the beginning we could go all the way. Then it really would be our season.

 

[thinktank]

We seem to be doing things differently this year. Completing transfers early, addressing problem areas intelligently, moving on deadwood.

Our commercial activity is ramping up and we're pressing ahead with exciting development projects.

We've got a talented, young, hungry and increasingly balanced squad, one year on in their understanding of Poch's philosophy. We're largely injury free. We seem to be agro free too.

Do people think we can achieve something this season? If we can foster a sense of adventure and purpose in the team what can we achieve?

The perennial question - could this be the season?

We're still in transition, mate. This year is to consolidate poch's methods with a team much better suited/balanced to do so.

Last season was reconnaissance more than anything for poch and his team.

This season he will have had most of the players in for a proper pre-season and not after a world cup and most of them will have a good idea of what he wants and we can therefore assimilate new players more easily into the system.

So this is the season of consolidation of our style.

Next season, with further tweaking and us maturing as a poch team, will be the one to watch imo.

The top four are spending money like they print the stuff; we have to be realistic.

I suspect the fans want to see consistency and us properly challenging game after game; being relentless and, especially, taking points off of, and being competitive against, the top four.

Cups and 5th place are up for grabs and I'm sure we'll be well in the mix but it'd take something special to actually make top four the way things are going in the market with the money-is-no-object set.

 

[yiddo23]

I suspect we will win the league

 

[Dougal]

I think we'd be mad to look any further than the first league game.

But mental stability has never been a great strength to a Spurs fan.

 

[Bobbins]

Top marks for optimism

Personally I think we as a squad have lost more ground on those ahead of us last season and quite a few of those behind us also.

Not Levy's fault though, always the manager to blame

Yeah I also don't think it's anyone's fault that we've lost ground when City have just spent £50m on one player (off our closest rivals), are going to spend another £40m on another one, and United are into their 56th cheque book of the summer and have effectively turned into another bankroller money club just like City and Chelsea.

Of course we've lost ground to the likes of those doped-up wideboy clubs and we always will, especially since they voted, along with the other most successful and richest clubs in Europe, to close off their little exclusive club to new members with the introduction of FFP.

Does my head right in when I see posts like this. Maybe we should really one-up the big clubs and do £100m to get Pogba in yeah? Screw the stadium, don't need it anyway.

 

[Paq]

We're still in transition, mate. This year is to consolidate poch's methods with a team much better suited/balanced to do so.

Last season was reconnaissance more than anything for poch and his team.

This season he will have had most of the players in for a proper pre-season and not after a world cup and most of them will have a good idea of what he wants and we can therefore assimilate new players more easily into the system.

So this is the season of consolidation of our style.

Next season, with further tweaking and us maturing as a poch team, will be the one to watch imo.

The top four are spending money like they print the stuff; we have to be realistic.

I suspect the fans want to see consistency and us properly challenging game after game; being relentless and, especially, taking points off of, and being competitive against, the top four.

Cups and 5th place are up for grabs and I'm sure we'll be well in the mix but it'd take something special to actually make top four the way things are going in the market with the money-is-no-object set.

Certainly agree with this being a transition season but I wonder whether we're all just a bit too rational at times. Our young squad are ambitious and hungry, like our manager. A core of the squad have come up together. Let's tap into that and install the belief that this is a special group that can achieve something special together, starting now.

 

[thinktank]

Certainly agree with this being a transition season but I wonder whether we're all just a bit too rational at times. Our young squad are ambitious and hungry, like our manager. A core of the squad have come up together. Let's tap into that and install the belief that this is a special group that can achieve something special together, starting now.

Sure, no harm in that.

 

[goughie1966]

Top 4 is a no goer now and for the foreseeable future. I just hope the management aren't going to give priority on chasing the impossible.

But there's no reason why we can't win the FA Cup. None of the top 4 will give it priority but we should be going all out to win this and the Europa league. It's been way too long since we won the FA cup and I'd give my right arm to see Lloris lifting that in May.

 

[wearetheparklane]

We finished 5th last season after what was deemed by most as a poor season, with much the same personnel as we will start this season. Just think what we will achieve now everyone's had a year to adapt to the system (and each other). We are getting rid of dead wood at a pace not seen for years, and are bringing in young tested talent. There is no reason to think Kane will fail to match last seasons highs, let's say second season syndrome is for clubs not players (!).

The players that 'underperfomed' last season will by and large play at the same quality this season or improve.
Don't worry about the bin dippers, their new chaps will fail as usual and Balotelli will get a runout before christmas.