The Weekend ITK Discussion Thread - 20/21 July 2013

[Teddy the Dog]

Ade is the man to play up top. He will return to form if he gets a full pre-season and no injuries. What we need is the magic of Baldini. He needs to find us the next Higuain or the next Benteke. Lets spend approx 5-8M on that player who is 22 or under and can push Ade. The year we made Champs League Pav came in with some big goals. That's what we need. Someone who can be the future but also weigh in with 10 goals this year. The new kid from Santos could be an option or someone in Belgium or Holland. Come on you Baldini. To me the key but is someone who can up the tempo and unlock a defence when teams sit back. Would take Remy as a squad player to rotate with Lennon but I think Townsend will step up. COYS

 

[Yiddo1982]

I also had info that we were never in for Villa too. I was told this on the day he signed for Atleti after I started moaning to someone who has close connections to the top.

 

[SteveH]

Ade is the man to play up top. He will return to form if he gets a full pre-season and no injuries. What we need is the magic of Baldini. He needs to find us the next Higuain or the next Benteke. Lets spend approx 5-8M on that player who is 22 or under and can push Ade. The year we made Champs League Pav came in with some big goals. That's what we need. Someone who can be the future but also weigh in with 10 goals this year. The new kid from Santos could be an option or someone in Belgium or Holland. Come on you Baldini. To me the key but is someone who can up the tempo and unlock a defence when teams sit back. Would take Remy as a squad player to rotate with Lennon but I think Townsend will step up. COYS

Some common sense here
&
Welcome to the site

 

[SteveH]

I also had info that we were never in for Villa too. I was told this on the day he signed for Atleti after I started moaning to someone who has close connections to the top.

I still think we were in for DV - but maybe not to the same extent as some had lead us to believe.

Same goes for Benteke

 

[Teddy the Dog]

Some common sense here
&
Welcome to the site

Thanks brother. We are close, so close. Just need 1 or 2 and a bit of luck and what a season we will have.

 

[CrazyConrad]

Ade is the man to play up top. He will return to form if he gets a full pre-season and no injuries. What we need is the magic of Baldini. He needs to find us the next Higuain or the next Benteke. Lets spend approx 5-8M on that player who is 22 or under and can push Ade. The year we made Champs League Pav came in with some big goals. That's what we need. Someone who can be the future but also weigh in with 10 goals this year. The new kid from Santos could be an option or someone in Belgium or Holland. Come on you Baldini. To me the key but is someone who can up the tempo and unlock a defence when teams sit back. Would take Remy as a squad player to rotate with Lennon but I think Townsend will step up. COYS

Welcome to the madhouse!

I am also leaning towards the possibility of having Ade as our main striker next seaon and if can find his 1st season form there arent many strikers out there I would have instead. I would like, as you say, try to find the next big thing instead and rather spend most of our money on a Bernard type player (or a similar creative one).

 

[Teddy the Dog]

Welcome to the madhouse!

I am also leaning towards the possibility of having Ade as our main striker next seaon and if can find his 1st season form there arent many strikers out there I would have instead. I would like, as you say, try to find the next big thing instead and rather spend most of our money on a Bernard type player (or a similar creative one).

Thanks mate. I got excited when Insaw the Neilton link on News Now yesterday. That screams to me of a Levy/ Baldini deal. Low risk/ massive reward. That's the kind of thing I'd like to see. That or a Rebic.

 

[Mr Pink]

POTL never mentioned Benteke did he?

JJ never mentioned Villa did he?

Different lines of info for sure.

 

[spud]

Any other deals where that has worked?

Lloris.

 

[mil1lion]

Hello.

Could you please link me to the quotes where David Villa informs the world he almost signed for Spurs before Atletico came in. I'll then gladly forward them on to my source with a note informing him he is in fact an attention seeking liar.

Throughout the Villa saga I was repeatedly told it was BS. There was SO much talk in the press and on here that I myself refused to believe what I was being told. No smoke without fire and all that jazz. Then he signed for Atletico only a day or so after the whole world was claiming we had the deal done. I know where I'm putting my faith from now on. Never been let down.

I stand corrected. I thought I read about him saying it was us but it was just the way it was reported by the Metro http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/ind...-once-atletico-came-calling-says-villa.99293/

I find it hard to believe we didn't really want him at that price though but then nothing really surprises me with Spurs in the transfer window. What is it with Spurs and strikers in the transfer window?

 

[shelfboy68]

Thanks mate. I got excited when Insaw the Neilton link on News Now yesterday. That screams to me of a Levy/ Baldini deal. Low risk/ massive reward. That's the kind of thing I'd like to see. That or a Rebic.

I'm all for buying young players but the problem for us is the fact we need proven quality and thats where it ends for us.

 

[gibbospurs]

I still think we were in for DV - but maybe not to the same extent as some had lead us to believe.

Same goes for Benteke

JJ posted the other nite that people were asking if we were after suarez and that he wouldnt be able to answer without people taking things the wrong way, he was joking, meaninng that we were not in for in anyway shape or form, anyway he followed it up with "if levy wouldnt pay David Villa the wages he wanted then how would we pay Suarez's wages + the signing on fee. So the discussions probably got as far as the wages imo and Levy said no. Just my take on it.

 

[gibbospurs]

Welcome to the madhouse!

I am also leaning towards the possibility of having Ade as our main striker next seaon and if can find his 1st season form there arent many strikers out there I would have instead. I would like, as you say, try to find the next big thing instead and rather spend most of our money on a Bernard type player (or a similar creative one).

Really? Ade should have scored twice as many that season, he misses so many great chances it hurts.

 

[Brazilyid]

We were after Villa and Benteke as far as I'm concerned. I respect others opinions but disagree totally.

 

[playboypaul]

Lots of contradictory shit flying about at the moment. Lots. Really have no idea what the fuck is going on anymore.

Would love either of Bernard or Lamela and a young up and coming striker or not even a young one, just an unknown one who will come in like Michu and bang in the goals.

Funnily enough, I once saw a player called Ibrahimovic play in an obscure match in Luxembourg's top division on eurosport. He impressed me. It was a couple of seasons ago now but because of his name I imagined some team snapping him up on the basis that he shares a name with a worldie (the same thing happened to my cousin but that's another story for another time) and so I have kept an eye out for him here and there to see if it did ever happen. It hasn't (yet) but his scoring record since then has been solid.

He has scored (in seasons) 18 in 24 apps, 20 in 24 apps and 14 in 25. Now I know its not the highest quality league in the world but he obviously knows where the goal is so why not try someone like him? I'm not saying sign him in particular, just someone like him.

There must be hundreds of players out there who have similar goal scoring records and I know the wont all work out, maybe even none but for crying out loud if we cant/wont shell out for a big name player lets go for one of these type players. At least try for Christ's sake, thats all I want. It would cost us relatively fuck all and if it doesn't work out so what? At least we tried and it didn't cost us £25m.

This whole doing nothing at fucking all is just the worst. I'm sure the club could afford a £1m gamble once a season. Someone unproved, unknown and inexpensive. You never know, we might strike gold.

Its the not trying to solve the issue that's the worst bit about it all. If the club has limited funds then so be it, at least try to solve the problem don't just sit on it.

 

[Jamturk]

Whatever has been done off the pitch has worked well on the pitch.

The bottom line

 

[spud]

With respected ITKs not being able to agree on whether we were even interested in a certain player, it's amazing that so many are able to state as fact that we fucked up on deals because 'we didn't move quickly enough' or 'we low-balled them' or 'we dicked around' or any number of variations on this theme. I have no doubt that we have made mistakes or got our tactics wrong in some transfer dealings. I am equally certain that we've got it right in the past - whether or not the player joined us. But I have no idea what those mistakes were or the players that we were after.

We have so many experts on the shortcomings of our transfer dealings it's remarkable.

 

[CrazyConrad]

Really? Ade should have scored twice as many that season, he misses so many great chances it hurts.

Ade had a great first season with us and I am having a hard time finding someone (realistic) that would repeat that. Good luck finding a 30+ striker if that is how you see it...

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Let one of the other people on the committee run the side then if they don't want to get players the coach wants. Good players can play in any system, if you can't trust the coach to select the right players, no point him being there.

This is an old fashioned view Mullers IMO and by and large has been proven to be unworkable for major clubs with the very odd exception.

We have a Head Coach who has three years experience in management and a few more in scouting and reporting. I like AVB and think his judgement is probably very good, but managers, through no fault of their own often, just due to the nature of the business are prone to short-termism, after all, what do they care if a club goes bankrupt, they'll just move on and shoulder no debt themselves.

Managers just want the best player available. But this is rarely possible. Therefore you need a scouting system, and a good DOF who tries to accommodate the needs of the now, whilst in conjunction with the chairman also building a more long term strategy.

Transfers are always made by at least a minimum committee of two anyway. A manager and a chairman. All clubs have some kind of scouting system, so they have input. Transfer by committee is pretty much the norm, and why not ? Why not pool your collective knowledge base. As long as the committee are all working toward the same goal and are all competent.

If Levy is picking players (after watching MOTD) on his own without consulting anyone and these players were duds then he would deserve immense criticism.

 

[Gedson100]

This is an old fashioned view Mullers IMO and by and large has been proven to be unworkable for major clubs with the very odd exception.

We have a manager who has three years experience in management and a few more in scouting and reporting. I like AVB and think his judgement is probably very good, but managers, through no fault of their own often, just due to the nature of the business are prone to short-termism, after all, what do they care if a club goes bankrupt, they'll just move on and shoulder no debt themselves.

Managers just want the best player available. But this is rarely possible. Therefore you need a scouting system, and a good DOF who tries to accommodate the needs of the now, whilst in conjunction with the chairman also building a more long term strategy.

Transfers are always made by at least a minimum committee of two anyway. A manager and a chairman. All clubs have some kind of scouting system, so they have input. Transfer by committee is pretty much the norm, and why not ? Why not pool your collective knowledge base. As long as the committee are all working toward the same goal and are all competent.

If Levy is picking players (after watching MOTD) on his own without consulting anyone and these players were duds then he would deserve immense criticism.

Agree with all of this apart from the 'manager' you speak of.

Supporting your point even more is the fact we have a 'Head Coach'