So Where Are We?

[Krafty]

A lot has happened in the first four months of the 2008/9 season. Out went a pair of goal scoring strikers, in came an inexperienced teenager and Russian who didn’t fancy the move, if the papers were to be believed.

Some shocking results, performances, team selections and tactical decision making saw Ramos and company depart, and Harry take over. Results improved remarkably, we are through to the semis of the carling cup and the last 32 of the Uefa cup. However, after so many comings and goings I cannot help but feel we are in a similar position as we were a couple of years ago.

We still need a left winger. We still need a leader in the middle of the park. Ledley still has a dodgy knee. While we now have that creative midfielder we needed in Modric, and I believe an improved keeper in Gomes, what we have gained in one hand has been taken from the other.

Our strikers would be described as goal scorers, not goal makers. None of the three are real target man. They will struggle if they try to play strong, physical centre backs at their own game, and lack the technical ability to come short for the ball into feet. Luka Modric certainly offers us a live wire in the hole, his technical ability is phenomenal, but he is very much an attacking midfielder, not a deep lying striker. Perhaps with time and confidence he will get into the box more, but right now our formation feels very much a 4-5-1.

Last night gave a 90 minute example (was it just me or was there no injury time in the second half?) of our season. First half we were not putting balls into the box, which did not matter because no one was getting forward to join or pass the ‘loan’ striker. We had a lot of possession without really going anywhere; no one was willing to come out of their comfort zone. Then there were a couple of defensive howlers and we were two down. A Gilberto error in Europe? Some things never change, it seems.

Second half we press much higher up the pitch, midfielders and full backs are breaking forward and we are attacking at pace and our two goals come from Modric from about 8 yards out, and Huddlestone getting forward to head one in. We did have injuries, and never before have I felt we are so short of numbers. But even with a full strength team we are still lacking.

I don’t expect solutions in January. It’s hard enough to get the right people, plus the players we should be looking at will probably be cup-tied for the Uefa cup. Come the summer, I will be hoping that we finally start seeing the missing parts of the jigsaw come in.

The new stadium and training ground, and the performances of the academy side, have all been very encouraging, but on the pitch the first team does not feel like it has moved forward at all. Fifteen million was spent on Bentley and although he would not be classed a failure, he is being kept out of his position by the great form of Lennon and is certainly not the answer to our left side problems. He adds quality to the squad, but when there are obvious holes in the starting eleven, its not money well spent.

There have been a lot of mistakes, and a lot of people need to take responsibility for them. With the players we have in the team you could not say we have gone backwards, but I hope that we stop buggering around with stop-gap signings, half-measure solutions, and expensive signings that only provide competition to existing players, and find the answers to our long term problems.

 

[sebo_sek]

While I appreciate your effort, this article doesn't really tell us anything we don't already know.

There were 3 minutes injury time played second half last night.

I think we will get someone like Heskey or Owen in January, the former being my choice. Maybe even defoe, as the window has been extended to Feb 2, making him eligible.

We'll see, but like you said the team is on the up and getting results like last night's will only get their confidence higher.

 

[JoeT]

Where are we? I think we are about three players from having a pretty good starting squad. Whether we can sign these players in January remains to be seen, because even if they are availiable our Board once again appears to be reluctant to back our manager......same old, same old.

 

[spud]

.....our Board once again appears to be reluctant to back our manager......same old, same old.

Pardon?

I assume that you mean that the Chairman won't get the cheque book out. Perhaps I have selective memory, but I have been a Spurs fan for more than forty years and the only time in my recollection when we have not spent money on players was when we nearly went bust in '91. Apart from that, we've always been big spenders.

Or perhaps you mean something else.......

 

[billnick]

Where are we? I think we are about three players from having a pretty good starting squad. Whether we can sign these players in January remains to be seen, because even if they are availiable our Board once again appears to be reluctant to back our manager......same old, same old.

Yeah, it's about time our board backed a manager with some money for players! We haven't spent any for years, and there'll be plenty to spare now we're planning a new stadium!

 

[JoeT]

Hi 'spud'; my comments were not so much related to just splashing out the chequebook, but to answer the question "where are we?" As I said, I think we are very close to putting a couple of finishing touches on a good starting squad.
I think our manager knows this and, (in spite of his recent comments) has no intention of dismantling the team (over again). I believe he has a pretty good idea what positions need strengthening, and if they are availiable he will, sure, need that "chequebook" to go after them.
When H.R. came here he said that he was going to have the say on all future player buys. Now the recent message from the Board I believe is that he can only sign loan players. Is this the way to go about strengthening the team? Could we have interested players such as Diarra, who would have certainly fitted the bill as a strong midfielder, and a player who H.R. may have gone after, under those sorts of conditions?

 

[bigspurs]

With the players we have in the team you could not say we have gone backwards, but I hope that we stop buggering around with stop-gap signings, half-measure solutions, and expensive signings that only provide competition to existing players, and find the answers to our long term problems.

I think that the last decent left winger we had was Ginola, ten years ago!

 

[martinj]

I am mystified. I keep reading that Harry can only bring players in on loan this january. However I remember when Harry arrived there was talk of funds available to strengthen the squad as part of the lure to bring him and we should certainly have some money left over from the failed bids for Arshavin, Diarra, Several strikers and all the others that Comolli failed to buy on the 1st September. Lets face it - last summer Ramos supposedly had a war fund of around £40 mill. We then sold Berba, Keane and the Sunderland three for over £70 mill plus a little small change from minor sales. Of that £110 mill we spent between £ 60 and 70mill on Luk, Pav, Bentley, Gio and Gomes. Admittedly some of the money coming in is on the never-never but please could someone do the math for me and tell me why we can't afford a replacement for Berba/Keane, a defensive midfielder or a left winger?

 

[davidmatzdorf]

Indirectly, I would expect the stadium plans to have an effect on our player spending. The money comes from different places: player spending has largely been funded by player sales and revenue surpluses over the past few years, whereas the stadium will be a huge capital investment funded largely from secured loans.

Nevertheless, getting our hands on any borrowed money at all is going to be challenge, at least until the banks and venture capitalists awake from their current state of shocked catatonia. If I were the Board, I would want to make the club's financial solidity and profitability look as impressive as possible - and that could mean reining in player investments to a degree.

As always, the Board will have to balance this against the potential financial benefits of investing our way into the Champions League. Had the Ramos experiment worked out, i.e., were we currently lying in the top 8, shelling out to get 2-3 more key players might have been worth doing. But we're not going to qualify for the Champions League in the near future - not this year, anyway. So I can see how they'd be reluctant to blast a load of money on expensive star players in a January transfer window, especially if we can get a bit of daylight between us and the relegation zone over the next couple of weeks. Harry will know that already.

 

[That Guy]

I think you are right in that we still need the same players. I would try and keep as much of this squad together as possible and new signings are additions to the squad, and not replacements. Bentley was needed in my eyes. We were lacking someone on the right if Lennon wasn't playing and we needed someone who could take a set piece and cross a ball. Yes he hasn't played well since signing but he will do in time.
Loan deals can make up the numbers for the rest of the season, but next year we need to get a left winger, a striker or 2, a defensive midfielder, and a centre back. We could do with a back up goalie too.

In terms of players leaving I'd hope that only Gilberto, and possibly the likes of Stalteri, Boateng, Rocha, and Ghaly will be out the door. And to be honest all of those players (except maybe Gilberto) are decent players who can do a job for us.

 

[JimmyG2]

Some would argue that we are further back than we were,with Berbatov and Keane not being replaced by players as good. However in a sense the Berbatov saga was bad for the club and though he is difficult to replace his going was inevitable and perhaps in the long run necessary.
Keane is different,if we had got Arshavin we would not have missed him.But surely we still have the money and I don't think Harry would have come without some funds being available.
I take David's point about the stadium but feel that money will be spent in the short run as higher league positions is worth 1/2 million per place I think.and 2or 3 cup runs will be worth at least £5 million,perhaps more.In view of our current stretched playing resources hrough injury and Harry won't have too difficult a job to get Levy to slip him a few million in January.
The signing of Modric was a vital piece of the Jigsaw. The return to form of Lennon, Ledley is playing when it matters,Corluka is a quality player, the real Dawson is back and when Bale and Bentley step up and show their real abilities we seem to me to be making progress. Gomes is starting to be the legend I thought he would be
If we had taken 12 points instead of 2 from our first 8 games,not an over ambitious target, we would be 1 point behind Arsenal now.
As you say there are encouraging signs everywhere: the Harry effect, new stadium, some promising youngsters and if you are Spurs fan the future is always bright.
Thanks for the opportunity to take an overall view.Columns and postings are after all just a peg to hang a discussion on.

 

[gibb]

I dont think we have to worry about future signings, redknapp will know what way he wants us to play & the players we will need to improve us.

The days of commolli are long gone, i trust under redknapp we will improve as a team & a squad after every transfer window, you just have to look at how pompey got better & better with redknapp around. The future is looking very good for THFC...

 

[JimmyG2]

I dont think we have to worry about future signings, redknapp will know what way he wants us to play & the players we will need to improve us.

The days of commolli are long gone, i trust under redknapp we will improve as a team & a squad after every transfer window, you just have to look at how pompey got better & better with redknapp around. The future is looking very good for THFC...

Poor Damien is still getting it in the neck.
Berbatov,Ekotto,Zokora,Malbranque,Bent,Gunter,Woodgate,Bale,Hutton,Modric,Giovani,Gomes,
Bostock,Bentley,Pavlyuchenko,Corluka all quality players ,some of whom have yet to make their full impact .
I would also add Rose,Ghaly,Dervitte,Rocha,Alnwick,Taraabt,Mido,some of whom are young or though decent players didn't suit the club or the manager at the time.
Now I realise that this topic would make a good party game if the club were to market it. 'Damien Comolli was he any good' and I wrote a column on it some time ago but his record was by no means poor. Arguably 20 reasonable players and maybe 6/7 flops.Not bad out of 31 signings.

 

[JoeT]

If H.R. can get us up to mid-table with some loan players....great, but I'm not so sure. It could be a gamble that backfires on him. Right now we are barely above the bottom three again and we have a tricky away game tommorow. I.m.o. we will have to go after at least a top midfielder and striker with a view to permenantly adding them to the squad.
When I said "same old, same old" earlier, it was that again we seem to be neglecting the playing team requirements for other things....i.e. last year for profit, now for a stadium.

 

[striebs]

I think you are right in that we still need the same players. I would try and keep as much of this squad together as possible and new signings are additions to the squad, and not replacements. Bentley was needed in my eyes. We were lacking someone on the right if Lennon wasn't playing and we needed someone who could take a set piece and cross a ball. Yes he hasn't played well since signing but he will do in time.
Loan deals can make up the numbers for the rest of the season, but next year we need to get a left winger, a striker or 2, a defensive midfielder, and a centre back. We could do with a back up goalie too.

In terms of players leaving I'd hope that only Gilberto, and possibly the likes of Stalteri, Boateng, Rocha, and Ghaly will be out the door. And to be honest all of those players (except maybe Gilberto) are decent players who can do a job for us.

I was quite happy at the time that we had signed Bentley .

Now many of us can see exactly why Arsenne Wenger didn't want him and none of the other top teams wanted him .

When Harry talks about "proper players" he means guys with balls and Bentley does not have a pair .

He's Rohan Ricketts with a fancy haircut but without the ball control .