The self defeating mutterings telling top players to leave their teams

[LondonOllie]

One thing that I get tired hearing about, is so called pundits who readily recommend top players move on to one of the rich or top clubs to achieve their potential.

Our own Gareth Bale is the latest case and point. Spurs play in arguably the best, and probably one of of the most exciting football leagues in the world. I would have thought that by keeping star players and having that talent spread out so the top team pool becomes bigger, would benefit the profile of the league and make the games more exciting.

I understand some clubs really are selling clubs, but a club like Spurs usually doesn't need to sell their players. If we can hold onto our players and slowly (without being bankrolled) can add to the team, with the goal to competing right at the top.

Why then as soon as a team like Spurs has a player that could really be part of something big and help us push on, do so many pundits and so called journalists seem to 'want' him to move on, either abroad (thus denying our league of a player of his caliber) or to a Man U, Man City, Chelsea etc?

The Premier League would be even greater if teams like Spurs, Everton, etc could keep their best players and push on. Then you would see a league where you might genuinely have 7 or 8 teams in the future who could all actually compete. If you push to have the tier 2 teams assets stripped and removed, that's just never going to happen.

I do understand that it's a story (usually a bad one) to try and sell papers, but I wish they would stop. The ones on TV or radio must have better ways to make a story out of someone like Bale instead of saying he HAS to LEAVE to fulfill his potential. How about how Spurs could push on next year with him in the team and how it would be great for this league?

 

[Wardy]

I agree, but ultimately it's down the player whether they stay or leave.

I have full confidence that Bale will stay with us for a while as we've finally proven we can compete at the top. If Bale was playing for someone like everton, he would move in the summer - Look at Fellaini for example who is already considering a move. This is purely because they've proved they're not quite there to challenge with the elite, as shown by their recent drop in form.

Spurs are similar to Borissia Dortmund in this respect and they've almost finally broken into the 'elite' of the worlds teams, purely because their players have believed in the managers goals. People like lewandowski and goetze could have easily moved already, but they chose to stay as they've proved they are a class act. Don't write them off for the champions league!

Now that spurs have bridged the gap, with thanks to the downfall in the Arsenal camp and Chelsea losing good managers , I believe for this reason, we shouldn't be worried about his transfer to 'the elite' as we are now / very close to being one of them

C O Y S

 

[Harry_Snatch]

Couldn't agree more! 1 of the reasons why football as a sport is on the decline imo. It's not just the premier league either. Spain is the worst for a lack of competitiveness.

 

[guiltyparty]

Journalists want players to leave teams as it gives them something to write about. Transfers are big news, even rumours and hearsay are, which in turn shifts copies/attracts web traffic. It's literally as simple as that, and it ain't going to change

 

[Harry_Snatch]

I agree, but ultimately it's down the player whether they stay or leave.

I have full confidence that Bale will stay with us for a while as we've finally proven we can compete at the top. If Bale was playing for someone like everton, he would move in the summer - Look at Fellaini for example who is already considering a move. This is purely because they've proved they're not quite there to challenge with the elite, as shown by their recent drop in form.

Spurs are similar to Borissia Dortmund in this respect and they've almost finally broken into the 'elite' of the worlds teams, purely because their players have believed in the managers goals. People like lewandowski and goetze could have easily moved already, but they chose to stay as they've proved they are a class act. Don't write them off for the champions league!

Now that spurs have bridged the gap, with thanks to the downfall in the Arsenal camp and Chelsea losing good managers , I believe for this reason, we shouldn't be worried about his transfer to 'the elite' as we are now / very close to being one of them

C O Y S

Not sure we compare with Dortmund. They are European elite. They are more like Liverpool to Bayerns UTD in terms of representing German football. They are also reigning German champs and still in the CL and probably a favourite. We are trying to get to the stage they are at.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

Journalists want players to leave teams as it gives them something to write about. Transfers are big news, even rumours and hearsay are, which in turn shifts copies/attracts web traffic. It's literally as simple as that, and it ain't going to change

What about the pundits? whats in it for them?

 

[ostrov]

The worst example is this.
Rodney Marsh: Exclusive – Tottenham are a team going nowhere and Gareth Bale must...
http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-n...oing-nowhere-and-gareth-bale-must-leave-19313
What a retard!

 

[guiltyparty]

What about the pundits? whats in it for them?

Pundits need to have something to say, otherwise they don't get paid. The good pundits, like Neville, Dixon or Richardson, analyse football and have insight to offer. Most are lazy and turn up purely for the money, and literally spout off the same old diatribes they know the media companies want. It's like footballers being media-trained, it makes them all say the same thing - "taking every game as it comes", etc. Lazy pundits have been media-trained by newspapers, radio stations and TV channels to give them what they need, or they'll ring another pundit who will. Pantomime journalism

Unfortunately, the general public seems to like flashy, trashy, zero-analysis, maximum-drama sport shows like Soccer Saturday and TalkSport to get all excited about, so it's the shock-jock end of things that gets the ratings, in turn takes the advertising money and can afford to pay the most, so this is why most of the pundits go down this 'playing to the paymasters' route.

Look at Dixon's treatment on MOTD, or how Ian Richardson has done such an amazing job on Italian football for years yet never got a proper prime-time gig. They don't play the sound-bite game. It's why Neville's rise to prominence, regardless of what you think of him, is such a good thing, as he genuinely analyses the games AND is getting big pundit gigs at Sky and in the Mail. That's been a very rare thing indeed.

 

[Wardy]

Not sure we compare with Dortmund. They are European elite. They are more like Liverpool to Bayerns UTD in terms of representing German football. They are also reigning German champs and still in the CL and probably a favourite. We are trying to get to the stage they are at.

I agree again, but my point was we were leaning towards the path of what Dortmund are doing. In Klopp they have an exceptional manager and hopefully we will follow suit

 

[chinaman]

All these inflated costs in transfers and wages are causing the problems. I'm sure the bubble would burst in the not too distant future.

 

[yid1o]

The worst example is this.
Rodney Marsh: Exclusive – Tottenham are a team going nowhere and Gareth Bale must...
http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/130307/exclusive-–-tottenham-are-team-going-nowhere-and-gareth-bale-must-leave-19313
What a retard!

I despise that man more than he hates us. Wanker of the highest order

 

[StartingPrice]

I'm sure it happens for a variety of reasons (meeja wanting stories); sad wankas who get some sense of personal power if they fell like they have aided in the creation of just two super-power clubs to compete with one another; folk connected to clubs wanting to aid in the process of unsettling a player in the hope that their team will hoover the player up; smug rival fans who imagine you should just accept their inherent superiority and conduct your transfer business accordingly. Whatever.

No matter what the reasoning, however, there is nothing so fecking annoyin - especially for a club like ours who, as far as I am concerned have every right to aspire to compete at the very top, but have fallen behind in terms of resources, but have tried to bridge the gap within mean, the smart way, rather than just throwing money at it. Just makes even minor victories for us so much sweeter - as Bob Marley said:
The harder Jah battle, the sweeter Jah victory!
COYS

The worst example is this.
Rodney Marsh: Exclusive – Tottenham are a team going nowhere and Gareth Bale must...
http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/130307/exclusive-–-tottenham-are-team-going-nowhere-and-gareth-bale-must-leave-19313
What a retard!

Yeah, just read this drivel on Talk-Sheeeeeeite. It's like logic for two year old children (interesting fact: it is estimated that an adult cat has the intelligence of a two year old child - notice anything feline about Rodney?). No concept of checking improving league position for our Rodney; no concept of checking improvements through youth set-up and the state-of-the-art training ground; no concept of checking whether a new stadium, with far greater capacity, is underway for our Rodney; no concept of whether the quality of the squad is improving for our Rodney. Oh no! Not for our Rodney
No, the clubs mentioned have more money to spend, so that is the be-all and end-all of whether a club is going anywhere (yes, Rodney, lets, just for the moment, pretend that United weren't bullied into selling Greasy Ronaldo, just for now).
And let's not mention the fact that, on our current level, we sign plenty of players that club and fans get excited about: even as we speak, we are talking about signing Christian Eriksen - a very highly rated player that would cause excited talk at most clubs. So, even on teh very simple level, Rodney, you are wrong.
And the funniest thing of all - so, what you are saying, Rodney, is that Spurs aren't going anywhere because they don't keep their best players so, er, yeah, let's urge their best player to not stay even though they are trying to keep him. Yeah, great logic Rodney

Rodney Marsh - good football, intellectual flea

 

[Rout-Ledge]

Pundit: X will be getting all sorts of offers and Y won't be able to hang on to him because he'll probably want to leave.

*X leaves after protracted transfer saga*

Pundit: Y have shown themselves to be a selling club. Where's the ambition? Z will be thinking 'why should I stay now?'

 

[Misfit]

Just get rid of the CL bollox. This would all settle down quickly. Talent would naturally sread itself out were only one team from each to compete in the CL each yr. Also, create greater parity in the financial rewards for EL football. Obviously CL should earn more but why £20m/£30m/£40m for CL success but £2m/£3m for EL success. It's bullshit.

Ach. Fuck it all.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

I don't really believe that the best players demand CL football.

The best players want money or to play for an absolutely top club (Real or Barca or United). It's pretty much as simple as that. CL is an excuse, but there are plenty of players who left CL teams (see: every top player Arsenal have had in the last decade, Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano, countless players from 'lesser' leagues) and plenty of world class players who've gone to non CL teams (see: every top player City have signed before 2011, Falcao, our very own Lloris).

 

[Misfit]

Was that in reply to me? I fso, I agree. I didn't mean the fact that teams play in the CL is the reason all players desire to play there. It's that more teams get given massive yrly cash injection as a consequence of playing in the CL and can therefore pay bigger wages and attract better sponsorship deals, thus giving them even more money to lure the top talents with.

Getting rid of 3 club each yr and making the EL not seem like a stint in a Siberian salt mine would drastically help stop the pooling of all the top players in a dozen clubs. Sure, many would still be at those clubs but we might have 2 or 3 ourselves. As would Pool or Newcastle etc.

 

[Rout-Ledge]

Was that in reply to me? I fso, I agree. I didn't mean the fact that teams play in the CL is the reason all players desire to play there. It's that more teams get given massive yrly cash injection as a consequence of playing in the CL and can therefore pay bigger wages and attract better sponsorship deals, thus giving them even more money to lure the top talents with.

Getting rid of 3 club each yr and making the EL not seem like a stint in a Siberian salt mine would drastically help stop the pooling of all the top players in a dozen clubs. Sure, many would still be at those clubs but we might have 2 or 3 ourselves. As would Pool or Newcastle etc.

Yeah, sorry; I did understand your point I just ran off on a tangent!

I agree re the money issue. The Europa League is the competition in need of overhaul in my opinion. In order to make it more appealing and therefore more profitable the first thing that needs to be done is to reduce the amount of teams involved and the amount of knockout rounds. If the group stages lead straight to the quarters (or at least last 16) then top teams would take it more seriously.

 

[double0]

I agree, but ultimately it's down the player whether they stay or leave.

I have full confidence that Bale will stay with us for a while as we've finally proven we can compete at the top. If Bale was playing for someone like everton, he would move in the summer - Look at Fellaini for example who is already considering a move. This is purely because they've proved they're not quite there to challenge with the elite, as shown by their recent drop in form.

Spurs are similar to Borissia Dortmund in this respect and they've almost finally broken into the 'elite' of the worlds teams, purely because their players have believed in the managers goals. People like lewandowski and goetze could have easily moved already, but they chose to stay as they've proved they are a class act. Don't write them off for the champions league!

Now that spurs have bridged the gap, with thanks to the downfall in the Arsenal camp and Chelsea losing good managers , I believe for this reason, we shouldn't be worried about his transfer to 'the elite' as we are now / very close to being one of them

C O Y S

I get what your saying.

The other day I nearly fell over when I saw that Borrisia Dortmund home attendance against Shakta was 80k plus.

We need to build that stadium...wish we could build at least 61K instead of 56k

 

[Dempsey2]

Some teams are small clubs, some are big. The way it is and the same it always will be. Tottenham might be having a good spell but the finances aren't there to sustain it and turn them into a big club. It's modern football. Tottenham won't win any league or champions league title, with Bale, with 3 Bales on the team. Best case scenario is an EL win and a CL spot. But championships? No. Therefore all the biggest players will be linked to the billionaire clubs of the world. If not in the "big" elite world-class 1st tier, the "almost there but can't due to financial constraints" 2nd tier with the Dortmunds, Arsenals of the world.