the only likely starter from 12 months ago

[dannythomas]

Robbo, Chimbonda, Stalteri, Kaboul, Gardner ,Tainio, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque , Keane, Berbatov.

That was last season's opening line up at Sunderland. Stalteri CD, Gardner LB, Tainio RM .No wonder we lost ! Interesting that all 4 of those seemingly on their way to Keane's Sunderland all played.

Now our likely line up at Boro ( in the unlikely event of no new signings ) is :

Gomes, Hutton, Woodgate, Dawson, Gilberto, Lennon, Jenas (or Zokora ), Modric, Bale, Dos Santos, Bent

So only 1 from last season's opener ,Sign a DM then maybe a complete new line up .How things change ! But if it is Zokora that plays at DM then who could ever have thought he woul outlast the others ?

 

[thegreatap]

that is pretty mental really. i remember reallly looking forward to last season as well, thinking wed do well, and even happy with that line up.

 

[tippspur59]

How come you left king out of your starting line up for boro game.

 

[dannythomas]

How come you left king out of your starting line up for boro game.

He's been tapped up by Chelski.

 

[guate]

Just like thegreatrap I was also really looking forward to the start of last season but with the line up above, plus Ledley, what a vast improvement this new line up is and how well balanced.

QUE VIVA LOS SPURS

 

[VegasII]

Last season's lineup seems stale & mid table - which is how it ended up. The prospective (at present & to be improved) for this season seems to have more energy & creativity.

 

[KentuckyYid]

I wonder how many other teams are starting with a complete new line up this season?

Good thread, as in well pointed out.

 

[Defsta]

Though only player who had a good game was Tainio and he was playing out of his position and was subbd later, but had to say that looks really shit starting XI :think:

 

[DC_Boy]

yep good point DT - we don't know all the 'ins and outs' yet - but it's a good guess that ours will be the most changed Prem team from last season's starting lining up to the next

My guess would be about 2 starters the same - but much can change

 

[carlito]

so much for consistency , i agree that the new line up is considerably better on paper but isnt the point of having a DoF so that when we change the manager we dont have these transistion periods . I am all for improving dont get me wrong i am extremely happy with the signings we have made i just hope it doesnt take 3 months for everyone to gel , that way all our aspirations for a successful season are almost gone barring an unbeaten second half of the season .

If you look at the top four teams they have a nucleus and then add 2 or 3 quality players every season ( i know we have to have a good nucleus there first )

I just hope all the hard work is done in spain and the imminent departures and arrivals happen soon so that we dont have a start like we did last season where you are playing catch up from september .

 

[Long Lost]

It is worth pointing out that the starting team for last season was heavily weakened by a number of injuries, especially in defence. No King, Dawson, Bale. Also Lennon would normally have been in there.

I'm not too bothered about the changes - we sorted out the defence by buying in January and this summer have mainly focussed on the one area we have struggled with for a long time - creativity in midfield. Although it looks like we'll be forced to change the strikers too, at least this gives Ramos the freedom to get in who he wants.

Edit: Also it is perhaps worthwhile noting that the team that started the Carling Cup final was:

Robbo, Hutton, Woodgate, King, Chimbo, Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque, Keane, Berbs

I'd suggest that come the Middlesborough game our first choice team (if fit) would have at least 5 of those players...Hutton, Woody, King, Lennon and Jenas. That is enough consistency for me to be happy.

 

[TheBigMatch]

Last season's lineup seems stale & mid table - which is how it ended up. The prospective (at present & to be improved) for this season seems to have more energy & creativity.

Strange how Levy, the board, the media, and a lot of Spurs fans thought top four was achievable.

What Ramos is essentially saying with his big clearout is that Jol was right when he said last summer that Spurs would do well to achieve top 6 and that we were not ready yet for top four.

 

[striebs]

Strange how Levy, the board, the media, and a lot of Spurs fans thought top four was achievable.

What Ramos is essentially saying with his big clearout is that Jol was right when he said last summer that Spurs would do well to achieve top 6 and that we were not ready yet for top four.

It's pretty shocking how people got carried away .

Soon as the injuries set in in defence we didn't have the quality to cope and were getting no cover from midfield .

I can't believe Ramos is going to persist with Zokora .

 

[Kendall]

To be fair the last season's opening day lineup was a disaster. We had Dawson, King, Bale and Lennon all injured & they would've all started

 

[Midostouch]

I've just been reading the review of the season that came with the membership pack and was thinking the same thing - how dreadful that starting line-up was - particularly in defence. Martin Jol's quote was that we have 10 defenders and all the fit ones were playing that day (actually this was for the Everton game I think). I too was thinking how on earth could we have believed we were going places with that shower?

Sadly, even when some of the injured recovered things didn't really pick up did they? Now, more than ever, we need a flying start to the season so that we are not having the 'if onlys' about Berba and King.

I am impressed with Ramos and think the pre-season training looks amazing, but as a person I do miss BMJ still. ThankGod for Gus to give us a bit of the passion and the views that we can identify with.

 

[joey55]

It still annoys me that people refuse to acknowledge that Jol got this club to over achieve and therefore expectations were unrealisitic and he paid the price for that. I bugs the crap out of me when people say he wasn't good enough to take us into the top 4. He's the most under rated coach in Europe. Over 2 seasons (76 games) Arsenal only managed to earn 10 pts more than us, with a far better squad, yet Wenger is known as an amazing coach, whilst even some Spurs fans question Jol! I'd love to have seen how the likes of Wenger and Benitez would have faired with our squad.

 

[matjcole]

Can still remember sitting in a pub in Nottingham about to watch AFCB grind out a draw against Forest and having people ring me chanting champs league your havin a laff!

 

[matjcole]

It that true - about the points i mean - is that the two when we finished 5th? If so that is pretty quality, although, weren't Arsenal pretty rubbish the season before last?

 

[paulspursman]

knowing that this seasons lineup you posted will still be improved i cant believe how much more exciting our lineup looks now

 

[StockSpur]

at least (i hope we all be realistic here) we will not start the next season with stupid expectations as we probably wont know the proper new line up until a week before it starts! (vs Roma).