Summer Targets & Plan

[Mr Pink]

I've already seen enough of Jelavic to convince me that he would score and absolute bucket load in this Spurs side.

Get another Croation in I say!

 

[StartingPrice]

Obviously I'm only suggesting this because he's also a Yank, but I think Clint Dempsey would be a great player to add to the squad. He is very versatile, and can play as a center-mid, as a withdrawn forward, or on the (right) wing. At his best, he'll be a more direct alternative to VDV, which I think suits us in certain games. He also has a relatively clean injury history, and only has a year left on his contract, so Fulham may be forced to sell.

I'm also a fan of his teammate Brayan Ruiz, who we were apparently after last season. I admittedly haven't seen too much of him, but he seems to have a Berbatov-esque touch on the ball.

Great. Could he bring his brother, Eastwood with him, and then we can shoot down on their sorry asses (whose? Why every livin' Goddam critter...that's who!).
Maybe they could work on their cousin, Marion Wayne (who seems to have metamorphosised into a strange small orange weasley fella called David 'The Duke' Dickinson) - I know he's dead'n'all, but feel he could still do a job for us.

There's gold in them that hills

 

[StartingPrice]

I can see us trying to sign Ferdinand again.

Dear Lawd No!

See him last night...

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

See Leandro's agent has come out saying that Juventus is his preferred destination.

 

[Mr Pink]

To be honest I don't want anymore older injury prone players...not on your nelly, Levy will have to nip that in the bud now.

 

[RichieS]

I'm in the camp that thinks we don't need a new CB. Kaboul, Caulker, Dawson, Bassong, Gallas. No problem.

 

[mpickard2087]

David James has been released by Bristol City... so theres our new goalkeeper

 

[dvdhopeful]

Strange as it sounds, but we practically have a new CB, Younes Kaboul. For me he is our premier defender and will be in the spine of the Spurs team for years to come. It is all about finding the idea partner for him. Seeing Vertonghen against United he looks a little too similar to Younes. Can Caulker and Kaboul work together? Will be exciting to find out. If you have a team with Sandro and Parker in it, I'd feel confident about giving Caulker and Kaboul time to gel next year.

It is the other end of the pitch we need help. We need Ade or an Ade replacement and, sad as I feel to say this, an upgrade on Lennon. Hazard would be ideal, but despite what ITK say, imo, highly improbable. Say, anyone seen that lad at Everton, Steven something or other, looks like he could do a job....

 

[Bill_Oddie]

Don't forget, everyone will be playing 3-4-3 next season (don't fight it baby. Everyone's doing it. You know you want to.) and I seriously doubt we'll be any different. So we probably do need another centre-half.

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

Don't forget, everyone will be playing 3-4-3 next season (don't fight it baby. Everyone's doing it. You know you want to.) and I seriously doubt we'll be any different. So we probably do need another centre-half.

3-4-3 is a good counter for 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 but 3-5-2 could better 3-4-3 so I guess you are right, another CB is necessary.

 

[StartingPrice]

3-4-3 is a good counter for 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 but 3-5-2 could better 3-4-3 so I guess you are right, another CB is necessary.

When all these equations get churned out, I feel as though Stephen Hawking is on a monitor the other side in his wheelchair, drooling

 

[Bill_Oddie]

3-4-3 is a good counter for 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 but 3-5-2 could better 3-4-3 so I guess you are right, another CB is necessary.

God bless you for trying to rationalise it, but I just reckon every other fucker is, so we will. Bobby Martin has done well with it and when Neil Lennon copies a formation you know it's as good as mainstream. Next year will be the year of 3-4-3. It'll be interesting to see who cracks it first/best.

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

God bless you for trying to rationalise it, but I just reckon every other fucker is, so we will. Bobby Martin has done well with it and when Neil Lennon copies a formation you know it's as good as mainstream. Next year will be the year of 3-4-3. It'll be interesting to see who cracks it first/best.

That is how it always goes though, a new formation comes in to counter a used formation. First one team is the catalyst changing to a system and having success with it, then other teams follow suit until teams that aren't playing in that way look foolish (ala us when we play 442 because the midfield gets completely over-run by a modern 433). Then once all of the teams are playing the same way you are back to square one where it is simply a matter of which team has the best players/most experience/best coached.

4-3-3 has clearly worked in the modern football and especially in the premiership because it can over-power the midfield versus 4-4-2 and with the wide forwards cutting in it causes problems for centre backs, who now suddenly have to face both a central striker and likely two tricky wide men cutting in from deeper position completely disrupting the defensive line. The full backs can't really follow them as the opposition fullbacks usually get so high in that system as the central midfield can cover. That is where the 3 centre backs come in with a 3-4-3, as they can instead have one central defender picking up the oppositions forwards without worrying about breaking the defensive line.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a lot of teams go 3 at the back to try to stop the teams who play 4-3-3 and maybe it will mean some of the smaller teams will have more success. A team will try 3-5-2 next season and do well with it against a 3-4-3 as you have the advantages of defending against the 3 forwards, still having 3 central midfielders to dominate the centre of the park, can play two pacy wide men who will have a bit more freedom than in a 4-3-3 and cause problems to the 3 man defence and may see the return of a true striking partnership where the strikers work in tandem to set create space for each other and play off each other. 3-4-3 may be a good move but 3-5-2 could change the game for a team willing to do it.

 

[StartingPrice]

That is how it always goes though, a new formation comes in to counter a used formation. First one team is the catalyst changing to a system and having success with it, then other teams follow suit until teams that aren't playing in that way look foolish (ala us when we play 442 because the midfield gets completely over-run by a modern 433). Then once all of the teams are playing the same way you are back to square one where it is simply a matter of which team has the best players/most experience/best coached.

4-3-3 has clearly worked in the modern football and especially in the premiership because it can over-power the midfield versus 4-4-2 and with the wide forwards cutting in it causes problems for centre backs, who now suddenly have to face both a central striker and likely two tricky wide men cutting in from deeper position completely disrupting the defensive line. The full backs can't really follow them as the opposition fullbacks usually get so high in that system as the central midfield can cover. That is where the 3 centre backs come in with a 3-4-3, as they can instead have one central defender picking up the oppositions forwards without worrying about breaking the defensive line.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a lot of teams go 3 at the back to try to stop the teams who play 4-3-3 and maybe it will mean some of the smaller teams will have more success. A team will try 3-5-2 next season and do well with it against a 3-4-3 as you have the advantages of defending against the 3 forwards, still having 3 central midfielders to dominate the centre of the park, can play two pacy wide men who will have a bit more freedom than in a 4-3-3 and cause problems to the 3 man defence and may see the return of a true striking partnership where the strikers work in tandem to set create space for each other and play off each other. 3-4-3 may be a good move but 3-5-2 could change the game for a team willing to do it.

I'm all in favour of a 1 - 10 ultra cautious formation, myself...oh, wait, Alex McLeish is already using it

 

[RichieS]

Barca have been playing 3-4-3 a lot this season haven't they? Sometimes with only one real defender (they've definitely played Busquets, Puyol, Mascherano at least once).

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

Barca have been playing 3-4-3 a lot this season haven't they? Sometimes with only one real defender (they've definitely played Busquets, Puyol, Mascherano at least once).

And Puyol can't be classed as a real defender. Barca have done well in spite of having him in defence.

 

[RichieS]

And Puyol can't be classed as a real defender. Barca have done well in spite of having him in defence.

Do you not think that he provides a bit of general thuggery and for want of a better word, a certain "Englishness", that balances their team well?

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

I think he is reckless and rash and lucky that Barca have so much possession and press so well in front of him that he isn't caught out too often.

 

[EJWTartanSpur]

Lloris(10m)/Krul (9m) - one of these for fresh blood between the sticks

Hernanes(10-12m)/Sigurdsson(10m)/Ganso(15+m) - any one of these would be a great signing to compete with VDV. First two would cost the least

Jovetic (17m) - tenacious, explosive and adaptable. Could cover ST, AMC and LW

Giroud (17-20m) - he is the MAN, in my eyes, the one we need, the one who could be our main man upfront and propel us into being CL regulars. Looks like a better version of Ade to me. Despite Montpellier throwing a spanner in the works by apparently being about to win the league, he wants to play in the PL, isn't at a massive club, and could prob be affordable in wages


Any of these signings above would be fantastic and might be within the realms of feasible. Other good suggestions - Soldado, Kagawa, Kovacic, Ilicic maybe, Redmond, Afellay

 

[spursandbarca]

in
lloris 10 million
albert botia cb 4 mil
ibrahim affelay rw 5 mil
vertognan 12 mil
Hazzard 28 mil
Keita 3 mil
Remy 17 mil
dempsey 11 mil

out
bale 50 mil
Modric 40 mil

Lloris
walker kaboul vertognan bae
Keita Parker

Lennon Hazzard
vdv
Remy
subs
friedel
Dempsey
Defoe
botia
affelay
dawson
Rose