The Race for 4th

[Ron Burgundy]

I would choose 4th place over the FA Cup because we will probably be in direct competition with Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle for the recruitment of key players. Potential recruits are likely to be more impressed with the immediate opportunity to play in the Champions League. Of course, 4th place and the FA Cup would be perfect.

Totally with you, and anyone that thinks that the players would choose an FA Cup over CL qualification is wrong

 

[Japhet]

Yeah not saying it's not helpful and will give us a boost in the market, but we're a weird club and perversely have often spent more money in times of crisis than from positions of strength. It's rarely, if ever, felt like our degree of spending has had much of a link to our CL qualification or earnings.

Agree, but it's because Levy is reactive rather than proactive. He chucks money in if he thinks we're slipping but holds back when we're doing well which stops us from pushing on.

 

[mil1lion]

My point about Arsenal isn't that their players are going to leave - it's that success on the pitch is not a simple equation based upon the names in a squad. They have beaten most teams they've faced this season but that doesn't mean that they will definitely beat those teams all again next season.

I know that a lot of Spurs fans take a fatalistic approach to things - probably most footy fans in general - but that doesn't ring true for me. I think it leads that binary sort of thinking where if a team "gets ahead of us" then they stay there for the next 10 years no matter what. Of course, getting CL revenues is a benefit all round, but I can very well imagine a scenario where we miss it this season but remain competitive next season.

The money in the PL is dwarfing the other leagues, and there are so many players to go around. No matter what happens regarding CL qualification, we are going to be able to attract players due to the wages we can offer. I think it's really that simple. Levy isn't going to offer out crazy salaries on the strength of one CL qualification, so apart from an occasional edge case, I don't think it will have any sort of lasting impact if we miss it this year.

Arsenal have not been in the CL for what... 5 years I think? So we can say for sure that their current success has zero relation to repeated CL qualification. If they can do it, and if we have greater overall revenues, then surely we are capable of doing it. Any player with half a brain is going to know that joining Spurs is no guarantee of CL footy, so I don't think us not being in it is going to be the deal breaker some might feel.

Like I say, there will be some edge cases where a player completely refuses a move based on that alone. But there are going to be plenty of quality players who want to play in the PL regardless (e.g. Zaniolo), and there will be others who see Spurs as a positive move regardless (e.g. Pickford).

Yeah for sure, Romero signed while we were in the Europa Conference while Kulusevski and Bentancur signed when we were out and were not in top 4 for CL qualification yet either.

I just want CL because I want to see us face the best teams. That's what it's all about for me. Looking forward to see us face Milan as they're one of the giants I have yet to see live. Add that to seeing us face Real Madrid, Barca, Inter, Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Dortmund. The stadium was built for occasions like this and the atmosphere is special on those CL nights.

 

[thebenjamin]

Any hope of keeping Harry would surely disappear without top 4

 

[Wig]

Any hope of keeping Harry would surely disappear without top 4

Unless we win the champions league and qualify for it again next year anyway

 

[spurs mental]

Unless we win the champions league and qualify for it again next year anyway

*When

 

[IfiHadTheWings]

Any hope of keeping Harry would surely disappear without top 4

I think winning a trophy this year and coming 5th would give us more chance of keeping him then just getting top 4.

of course we should aspire to do both but this club really needs some silverware, once the monkey is off our backs i wouldn't be surprised to see us winning them more often.

the longer we go without one the more pressure each year that the drought goes on.

 

[easley91]

Any hope of keeping Harry would surely disappear without top 4

Always thought Kane staying was linked to the club's ambition and showing said ambition. If we have a strong second half of the season and we are in a good place going into the summer with a manager in place who is committed then who knows?

 

[BigVic]

I would choose 4th place over the FA Cup because we will probably be in direct competition with Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle for the recruitment of key players. Potential recruits are likely to be more impressed with the immediate opportunity to play in the Champions League. Of course, 4th place and the FA Cup would be perfect.

When has finishing 4th every helped us get players?

 

[mil1lion]

Any hope of keeping Harry would surely disappear without top 4

I don't know that it's his choice. I can't see us selling him to a rival and I can't see him leave England while chasing the Shearer record.

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

When has finishing 4th every helped us get players?

I think we live in the era where money talks and bullshit walks, CL qualification was just a fallacy fans have been sold.

If a player has an offer from a CL club for 100k a week vs a team without CL for 200k, 99% of the time the player will pick the latter.

 

[RuskyM]

FA Cup over 4th. Isn't close for me.

 

[BigVic]

FA Cup over 4th. Isn't close for me.

Last season my answer would have been different, but this season FA Cup is the priority.

 

[easley91]

Why is it always one over the other? BOTH EVERYTIME.

Besides 4th doesn't necessarily guarantee you players these days. Money talks.

 

[jonnyrotten]

We've got a lot of winnable games in March while the geordies go to Man City and host United 2nd April. Hopefully we go to St James' clear of them

 

[Flobadob]

The money talks point is true but it doesn’t hold much weight when we’re competing with Liverpool (offer more money), Chelsea (offer more money) and Newcastle (signed players like Botman and Guimares due to, you guessed it, money). If we would throw money around regardless like these clubs then maybe CL wouldn’t matter, but as it is, it really does. We need to finish in the top 4 to be an attractive proposition in comparison to these sides in my opinion. We aren’t ever going to offer more money in wages than Liverpool or Chelsea but we did manage to sign players like Bissouma and Richarlison they were both interested in, I don’t believe we would have otherwise not being in the CL. Obviously the proof will be in the pudding but I do think we would suffer for not being in the CL, it won’t be the end of the world but it will make our lives much more difficult getting deals for top players over the line because they will forever be waiting for a big CL club to come in for them

 

[IfiHadTheWings]

The money talks point is true but it doesn’t hold much weight when we’re competing with Liverpool (offer more money), Chelsea (offer more money) and Newcastle (signed players like Botman and Guimares due to, you guessed it, money). If we would throw money around regardless like these clubs then maybe CL wouldn’t matter, but as it is, it really does. We need to finish in the top 4 to be an attractive proposition in comparison to these sides in my opinion. We aren’t ever going to offer more money in wages than Liverpool or Chelsea but we did manage to sign players like Bissouma and Richarlison they were both interested in, I don’t believe we would have otherwise not being in the CL. Obviously the proof will be in the pudding but I do think we would suffer for not being in the CL, it won’t be the end of the world but it will make our lives much more difficult getting deals for top players over the line because they will forever be waiting for a big CL club to come in for them

To be honest if Liverpool or Chelsea really wanted Bissouma/Richarlison and not just a last knockings bid once they have already committed to us then they would be playing for them ala Diaz.

Us having champions league football vs them not having still ends up the same way 9 times out of 10, as a fan i’d prefer to win an FA cup all day long and twice on Sundays, if we weren’t such trophy dodgers then it’d be a different story but there isn’t much like a cup final day and actually winning it, we have got so used to not winning a trophy i think a lot of our fans have forgotten the magic of it all.

 

[guy]

Look how shit we played in half of our CL group games this season. Do you think the players were showing how much CL meant to them, and how eager they were to play in it?

No, most of them don't give a shit, they didnt turn up.

They all spout the same crap to the media because that's all the media spins to the world continuously.

 

[GioW]

Never been this meh about whether we get top 4 or not

Biggest games of the season are Milan 2nd leg and Sheffield United.

 

[Ginola+Tonic]

Never been this meh about whether we get top 4 or not

Biggest games of the season are Milan 2nd leg and Sheffield United.

So Champions league then? ?