Still dont get why we sold VDV?

[Bing]

OK lets get it out of the way....his wife wanted to move back to Germany and he wanted to go with her. Grand.

What a nice chap that Mr. Levy is, one of our players missus' gets a bit homesick and we flog him at a bargain basement price.

Honestly this just doesnt make sense to me. OK he wanted to go, nothing we can do about that but would it not be sensible to have a replacement first before we sell him?

Could we not have talked with the player and agreed to make it happen in January if we did not get a replacement.

Its not like we even got great money for him. It just does not make sense to me.

Only thing I can think of is AVB was worried he might be a John Terry type figure and so wanted him gone ASAP.

But for me it just seems blindingly obvious that if VDV wants to go you get a replacement and then sell him or if no replacement is available you tell him to wait until January when you get somebody then and let him go. The worst part of this is that we likely knew about this months ago...if that is the case it is criminal...if not then only adds to our case to keep until January.

The other reason I have seen bandied about is VDV does not fit with AVB's system...rubbish imo:

--------------Sandro------------Dembele--------

Lennon-----------------VDV-----------------Bale

How does that not fit? phsyicality from Sandro and Dembele, creativity and goals from VDV and pace and width from Bale and Lennon.

That was the debacle of the summer for me and that what has left us in such a shit position and I still dont understand why we put ourselves in that posiiton,

 

[nav007_2000]

It's all about resale value.

 

[$hoguN]

From a footballing point of view his sale make no sense at all, but he wanted to go back to Hamburg so he could be with his and kid. It is not easy to just tell someone they cannot leave to be with their family, as it could have had other ramifications, like him under-performing not intentionally just because he is missing his family.

Family > Football.

I wish him the best of luck, a true legend, best offensive player we have had since Ginola.

 

[Dan Yeats]

Talismanic player, but can't manage 90 any more. AVB's style demands consistent pressure throughout the match, and VDV can't do that these days.

I'd have been very happy to see him used as a last 20 super-sub, but Rafael may well not have been happy with that prospect, and his wages probably made that an expensive option to have on the bench.

We now have a 22 year old to fill that role, who whilst not possessing the same quality yet will only get better over the next 5 years.

Can't deny I'll miss him and I'm sorry to see him go [<3 Rafa], but I can see the logic from some perspectives though.

 

[jimtheyid]

I love Rafa, I mean really love him... but in many a game he was a passenger. And as far as he is concerned, his family comes first. Siggs, Dembele and Dempsey will more than fill the gap he has left.

 

[markdadude]

Yeah, it is wierd and came as a big shock to me. Perhaps you are onto something with the john terry comparison.

Have you heard AVB in post match interviews? He's always lost his voice and sounds like a beaten man - maybe because he's shouted at the players so much. Maybe he's got a foul mouth too - but one thing's for sure, he can't get along with some people. Isn't that a crucial skill of a sucessful manager? I think AVB uses the "stick" approach while harry more of the "carrot". I don't think VDV would have wanted to leave if harry was still here.

 

[Spurger King]

Don't worry. We were assured that Modric and VDV wouldn't be sold unless we had replacements guaranteed.

So say hello to their replacements - Fulham's finest.

 

[Dougal]

He left 2 days ago. We've had one game in that time. AVB has had 3 games in charge. Every other team in the Premier League is able to put out a team without VDV. Can we not have just a little bit of patience and see how AVB wants us to line-up and play without dismissing it completely before it has even happened?

 

[Mikegold]

Don't worry. We were assured that Modric and VDV wouldn't be sold unless we had replacements guaranteed.

So say hello to their replacements - Fulham's finest.

Both of who were in the top 20 players in the PL and if you look at that list we wouldn't have got ANY of the others so although no Moutinho who knows if he would have adapted and we have 2 of the best 2 players in the league no matter how you see it.

Also to the poster who started this, we have Dempsey and Sig so I don't get what you mean in terms of a replacement? We bought 2?

 

[Jody]

People are doing their best. Levy/AVB/the players. Good intentions. Some people would have it believed that they're hell bent on destroying our club. I'm not saying I agree with the decisions or like the way things have panned out so far but I like to trust peoples intentions and their professionalism.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

I love Rafa, I mean really love him... but in many a game he was a passenger. And as far as he is concerned, his family comes first. Siggs, Dembele and Dempsey will more than fill the gap he has left.

Great sig, jim. I actually feel let down by Rafa but that's the irrational football fan in me.

Have you heard AVB in post match interviews? He's always lost his voice and sounds like a beaten man - maybe because he's shouted at the players so much.

He always sounds croaky.

 

[senseispab]

We wouldn't have sold unless AVB considered him surplus to requirements.

Personally, I wouldn't have sold him without replacing flair with flair at least.

It's just another nail in the coffin of the continuity that we should have carried into this season, that we seem to have completely disregarded....

 

[Spurger King]

Both of who were in the top 20 players in the PL and if you look at that list we wouldn't have got ANY of the others so although no Moutinho who knows if he would have adapted and we have 2 of the best 2 players in the league no matter how you see it.

Also to the poster who started this, we have Dempsey and Sig so I don't get what you mean in terms of a replacement? We bought 2?

I don't have any issues with Dembele or Dempsey themselves, but neither of them are replacements for Modric or VDV. Sig certainly isn't either. At best Sig is a Kranjcar replacement (though personally I would have preferred to see Kranjcar playing yesterday).

We were told that Modric wouldn't be sold until we had his replacement lined up. So who was that? Dembele? A very different type of player that doesn't fill the role left by Modric's absence. Dembele would work brilliantly in a midfield three that included a playmaker and Sandro/Parker, but he's certainly not going to adequately fill that role himself.

I understand the comments about VDV being inconsistent, unfit, and injury prone. However he also had guile, passion, incredible skill, and a habit of scoring important goals. Who have we brought in that can come close to bringing those positive attributes to the team. Dempsey? Sig? No not for me.

Not replacing Modric was bad enough but holding onto VDV would have been some consolation. Equally selling VDV would have been far easier to take if we have brought in Moutinho. To get rid of both was a massive fuck up by the powers that be at Spurs, and no matter how people might try to put a positive spin on things, it doesn't change the fact that we messed it up big time. Why else do people think that we appealed for extra time to frantically get the Moutinho deal sorted? It's because everyone involved knew just how important it was to get that deal done.

They didn't. We're a worse team as a result, and I have no positivity at all right now when I thnk of the rest of this season. I'll continue to support the team like I always do (and certainly not boo them like some idiots), but I think people need to face up to the reality that this team has been left completely unbalanced and will do well to get near the top 6.

 

[Mikegold]

I don't have any issues with Dembele or Dempsey themselves, but neither of them are replacements for Modric or VDV. Sig certainly isn't either. At best Sig is a Kranjcar replacement (though personally I would have preferred to see Kranjcar playing yesterday).

We were told that Modric wouldn't be sold until we had his replacement lined up. So who was that? Dembele? A very different type of player that doesn't fill the role left by Modric's absence. Dembele would work brilliantly in a midfield three that included a playmaker and Sandro/Parker, but he's certainly not going to adequately fill that role himself.

I understand the comments about VDV being inconsistent, unfit, and injury prone. However he also had guile, passion, incredible skill, and a habit of scoring important goals. Who have we brought in that can come close to bringing those positive attributes to the team. Dempsey? Sig? No not for me.

Not replacing Modric was bad enough but holding onto VDV would have been some consolation. Equally selling VDV would have been far easier to take if we have brought in Moutinho. To get rid of both was a massive fuck up by the powers that be at Spurs, and no matter how people might try to put a positive spin on things, it doesn't change the fact that we messed it up big time. Why else do people think that we appealed for extra time to frantically get the Moutinho deal sorted? It's because everyone involved knew just how important it was to get that deal done.

They didn't. We're a worse team as a result, and I have no positivity at all right now when I thnk of the rest of this season. I'll continue to support the team like I always do (and certainly not boo them like some idiots), but I think people need to face up to the reality that this team has been left completely unbalanced and will do well to get near the top 6.

I know we now lack creativty from Modric, but as people have stated, having someone like Dempsey to get on the end of Bale crosses, and having Sig taking corners to an overall big team means we'll just score goals in different ways.

PPS - This window we are basically stronger defensively and in attack, we're just weaker in creativity, which as stated above we'll need less of as we have more obvious ways to score now.

 

[tototoner]

Everyone says he wanted to go but he was hardly kicking up a fuss to leave, unlike a Croatian I could name.

If AVB had said to him I need you here to help me out in my 1st season at Tottenham I am sure he would have stayed and performed.

The main reason I think he was sold was because AVB couldn't guarantee him a starting place and didn't want the hassle that that would cause.

 

[dagraham]

Both of who were in the top 20 players in the PL and if you look at that list we wouldn't have got ANY of the others so although no Moutinho who knows if he would have adapted and we have 2 of the best 2 players in the league no matter how you see it.

Also to the poster who started this, we have Dempsey and Sig so I don't get what you mean in terms of a replacement? We bought 2?

They are decent players but are nowhere near the quality of vdv.

It's not just his goals and quality but his ability to play between the lines.

But his biggest quality was that he never hid and always made himself available for the ball in tight situations and never wasted it. His use of the ball was impeccable.

I agree with the original poster, we should have made an agreement that he could go in jan or at the latest next summer after we had bought a player nearer to his level.

Dempsey and dig are good signings (particularly Dempsey) but they are the sort of players we should have bought to boost the squad and provide genuine competition for places

 

[Ribble]

Everyone says he wanted to go but he was hardly kicking up a fuss to leave, unlike a Croatia I could name.

Maybe that's because VDV isn't a massive cunny?

 

[tototoner]

Also when Van Der Vaart walked off the pitch after being subbed at around 60 mins ( wrongly again ) against West Brom last week did he really look like a man who was saying goodbye to the fans for the last time ??

Not to me he didn't which again tells me Tottenham were pushing him out, not that he was pushing to leave.

It really is so sad, he could have been our Bergkamp

 

[Spurger King]

I know we now lack creativty from Modric, but as people have stated, having someone like Dempsey to get on the end of Bale crosses, and having Sig taking corners to an overall big team means we'll just score goals in different ways.

PPS - This window we are basically stronger defensively and in attack, we're just weaker in creativity, which as stated above we'll need less of as we have more obvious ways to score now.

I agree that we're better defensively. Lloris and Vertonghen were brilliant players. Unfortunately I'm not convinced by Sig. I feel he's more of a squad player rather than a first team player, but unfortunately we've put ourselves in a position where he'll probably start most games out of necessity rather than design.

As for Dempsey I'm looking forward to seeing him play. Still not entirely sure how we will set up with him in the team (unless he takes Lennon's place as part of a three player forward line of Dempsey-Ade-Bale?).

We just looked so flat yesterday. No invention. No movement. No players to execute the style of play AVB needs to get across to his team. For me this is the very heart of the team, and it's been ripped out without replacing it. We might be stronger at the back, and possibly stronger up front (not so sure about that), but we're weaker in the middle of the park, which is where most games are won or lost.

 

[Bing]

Everyone says he wanted to go but he was hardly kicking up a fuss to leave, unlike a Croatia I could name.

If AVB had said to him I need you here to help me out in my 1st season at Tottenham I am sure he would have stayed and performed.

The main reason I think he was sold was because AVB couldn't guarantee him a starting place and didn't want the hassle that that would cause.

I think your spot on with that..I cant imagine if AVB had sat him down and explained the situation and showed we understood where he was coming from and gave a shit and genuinely tried to get a replacement VDV would've kicked up a fuss or gave less than 100%...just not his style.

I just cant believe Levy is that benevolent...especially with so much at stake....more to this than VDV's family issues.

He was surplus to requirements...not fitting with a system....lack of fitness...maybe...just seem like poor reasons to me.