We are punching above our weight.

[talkshowhost86]

Our squad is not punching above its weight, but the club as a whole is.

Considering the amount of money the teams around us spend, we have done excellently to even come close to challenging them, and to do so on a regular basis.

But the squad that we've assembled, although maybe not quite as strong as those above and around us, is certainly not far off and should be competing.

 

[chinaman]

Punching above our weight? Huddlestone alone carries quite a bit.

 

[beats1]

Mainly the fact that everyone is bad. I would argue that the reason Chelsea, arsenal, Liverpool etc don't dominate like they used to is down to the fact that the rest of the league is more competitive.

Also we have obviously improved or is the fact that we are beating our points total records, away wins records etc also down to Arsenal and Chelsea being crap?

We are improving but in terms of squads this is the worst Chelsea and Arsenal have been. The first down to age and lack of proper management and the second down to lack of spending to replace, As for the bottom half they have struggled more so than ever as the gap in quality between them is less which has lead for two separate leagues almost the top 8 and bottom 12, which imo has lead to us higher points total the usual imo.

If we had the same form of last(before the collapse) we would have secured second where as last season we were constantly third

 

[Anto18]

In my honest opinion, i think Jay-Z is punching above his weight.

 

[mpickard2087]

We are not punching above our weight,we are not a very good team but this isn't a very good league either.

I'd say we are a work in progress after last summers dismantling of the spine of the team, plus management change.

I agree that the standard of the league has dropped in the last 2-3 years, particularly the way top teams defend now.

 

[jonnyp]

I don't think the CFC team are that shabby (much as I hate to say it) but RA's interfering hand along with some right old plonkers like J Terry makes management there pretty difficult.

Arsenal keep selling their best players, rather than buying the kind of quality that might persuade Fabregas and RVP to stay.

Well Cazorla was a pretty damn good buy. The sort of player we're clearly missing in our own team.

 

[spike472]

Watched the game last night and it really hit home how much better City are than us. They have Aguero we have Dempsey and that is the difference. To be fair so they should be. They have spent £100's of millions whilst we in comparison have had a shoe string budget.

Chelsea at times also have looked quality this season and United are still 12 points clear of everyone (Don't know how to be honest)

Arsenal make more money from match days than anyone in the league and have been ever presence in the CL for 14 years.

Liverpool have spent a fortune aswell.

To even be in the mix for a top 4 spot at this stage of the season is a huge achievement for us and AVB has done a great job.

Looks like we will fall short when all is said and done and we will probably lose Bale for 50m. We have still done really well. With a 36k stadium and out budget for transfers and wages we have surely surpassed expectations?!

Just zip up and enjoy the ride

 

[Snarfalicious]

Our fully fit First-Choice XI can compete with any club in this league. From front to back I feel as though we have one of the most solid clubs if everyone was available. Unfortunately, our lack of quality squad depth has been a crux for us, primarily in attack (i.e. the wings/striker).

 

[dontcallme]

In terms of money spent and wage bills then yes you can say we're punching above our weight. But I refuse to believe we have a ceiling.

How a club is run is very important and does translate onto the pitch.

Chelsea went the shortcut route and on hiring Mourinho and giving him the money to do what he wanted he won them successive titles and numerous cups. Problem is, the owner has made it clear that he is running the club and started putting his nose in where it shouldn't be to the detriment of the club.

Buying the club players the manager doesn't want and then saying he has to play creates a horrible atmosphere in the club and undermines the manager. They have a fantastically talented squad but constant manager changes have affected their league performances. With their money to finish 6th is pathetic. If we are run properly we can finish above them and already have.

Man City have also gone down the same route and already got worse after their 1st league title. Dzeko and Ballotelli have already publicly made it clear they are unhappy and one left. I don't believe Mancini is the right man for a club with those resources.

Liverpool have massively messed up with boardroom problems and managerial changes.

Man Utd and Arsenal are much more sensible. They have long-term managers and a board that backs them. Both have consistent CL football and a playing style instilled in their club. Arsenal have bought a few duds in recent years meaning we are getting closer to them but we need to up our game and consistency to get there.

We are improving and come a long way under Levy. Long term projects such as changes to the youth setup, training ground and in time the stadium have improved our infrastructure and on pitch fortunes.

We have struggled to bring in the right management team. Santini left pretty quickly then Arnesen left at the first big money offer. Comolli and Jol weren't on the same page then Ramos wanted completely different playing personnel to what Jol had.

Ramose didn't work out then HR wanted different players to what Ramos brought in. AVB now wants players with different attributes to what we have.

This lack of continuity has really hurt us. We have some long-term players but unlike Man Utd and Arsenal we haven't developed a playing style that we can call our own.

We have less room for error in the transfer market than those around us, apart from Everton, but I believe having young players who have been with us a while in Kaboul, Dawson, Walker, Lennon and Bale does benefit us. We've bought well with Lloris, Vertonghen, Dembele, Sandro and hopefully Holtby and Sigurdsson.

We are doing well but our next step has to be continuing in the same vein. Hopefully AVB will be with us for a long time to come but if something happens and he leaves I hope we employ a manager who wants a squad with similar attributes to what AVB is assembling.

 

[mpickard2087]

Our fully fit First-Choice XI can compete with any club in this league. From front to back I feel as though we have one of the most solid clubs if everyone was available. Unfortunately, our lack of quality squad depth has been a crux for us, primarily in attack (i.e. the wings/striker).

Desperately missing someone who can get their foot on the ball, control the game and pick the lock of a defence I'd say.

 

[Snarfalicious]

Desperately missing someone who can get their foot on the ball, control the game and pick the lock of a defence I'd say.

Yeah, you have a point there. But, I personally feel as though we were a much more potent attack when Sandro was in. It was his ability to take the ball, not doddle on it, and spray it to players who were able to charge forward in attack. When he did decide to charge forward, it was usually to good effect and because he had acres of space.

Parker did a little of that this past week. He sat a little deeper and let Dembele/Holtby take on the attack through midfield (as they should) and I felt that we had one of our more consistent attacking performances but as you said, we did lack that final incisive pass. And when he did charge forward, it was usually a bit 'meh.' Even that decent run he had into the box where he came clean on goal, he could have easily taken a shot on goal but he elected to play it across the face of goal into a swarm of Everton players and one Adebayor.

It's also a reason why when Hudd came on and simply sat deep and pinged balls why we looked like our attack was just a few ticks quicker. Unfortunately, Hudd can't really play that role all the time as he is too immobile.

I think Parker is trying to do too much and if he simplified things and just shielded the defense, won back the ball/break up attacks and distribute quickly we would be far better off. His runs usually lead to dead ends and his passes are often misguided.

 

[Kingellesar]

4th, 5th, 4th.

Hardly punching above our weight competing for 3rd, 4th & 5th this season.

We've been consistent in the league for four seasons running, we have spent a lot of money in recent years too but thankfully we have bought wisely with some youth players too (Lennon £1m, Bale £7-10m or whatever it finally was). The trouble for us is that every team around us except Arsenal is spending £20-30m a pop on each player, even Liverpool who are desperate to get back in to the top 4. Us and Arsenal are the only ones content with finishing 4th and not splashing on a superstar player, this is why our battles each season are so close....but ultimately their mentality and reputation pip it every pissing season and it looks likely they have done it again this season.

Look at City, can't even make it out the group stages of the CL, our first season in and we got to the QFs and went out to one of the biggest sporting clubs in the world. Fuck me it wasn't five minutes ago we twatted them at White Hart Lane and Robinho looked a fucking flop...and he was. They will crumble eventually, I can't see them turning into a Chelsea and winning multiple league titles, I think Aguero will be off soon to Madrid and that will be the start for them. Will be funny watching them fail at the CL yet again next season, which they will.

One thing we do need is a stronger mentality, something we have started to show this season, late draw against United, Everton and Lyon. Clinching a draw from 2 down against Basel, holding on at grounds like Swansea and United for vital wins and late winners against Lyon and West Ham.

Next season will be the real test, can AVB continue this mentality and iron out the wrinkles such as poor home performances? Yes he can if Levy will support him in the transfer market, no more budget £6m players who do the job. Now its time for one or two special players who can turn us from a consistent top five club into a team who can fight for the title until the END of the season, not until January/February then do one complete fuck up.

Ambition is needed this summer, show Bale, Lloris, Sandro etc. that we are going places and we are investing in the team. One prolific striker would be a nice start, then another CM, a back up winger (as well as KEEPING Townsend) and another LB. Job done.

 

[kitchen]

Watched the game last night and it really hit home how much better City are than us. They have Aguero we have Dempsey and that is the difference. To be fair so they should be. They have spent £100's of millions whilst we in comparison have had a shoe string budget.

Chelsea at times also have looked quality this season and United are still 12 points clear of everyone (Don't know how to be honest)

Arsenal make more money from match days than anyone in the league and have been ever presence in the CL for 14 years.

Liverpool have spent a fortune aswell.

To even be in the mix for a top 4 spot at this stage of the season is a huge achievement for us and AVB has done a great job.

Looks like we will fall short when all is said and done and we will probably lose Bale for 50m. We have still done really well. With a 36k stadium and out budget for transfers and wages we have surely surpassed expectations?!

This is the truly gut wrenching factor for me. 5th (or 6th) is about where we are, and it's where we will probably end up. However, if we were to get 4th, the dream is that we build on the squad and add to it, and won't have to sell Bale.

I agree with you but you know what really annoys me about this phrase; it implies that we shouldn't be anywhere near these other teams when in reality we should be. We've earned the right to up there competing at the top end of the table through brilliant on and off the field management, so when people always blame Levy for the fact that we didn't buy a striker or we didn't give the manager his specified targets remember where we are and compare it to where we were 10 years ago.

We have and we've done exceptionally well, but it looks like we're going to fall short again. We would all love Spurs to compete with the big boys without the aid of a sugar daddy, but it really is fairytale stuff to expect it to happen. Money really has ruined football as we know it. Just think that if City and Chelsea were never bought out, by now we'd be top 4 regulars....

There are a few exceptions to the rule (Dortmund do well with meagre resources for example, but even they have lost out to Bayern this year) but money rules, and we're not rich enough.

Unfortunately the billionaires have come in and the probability is that our team will take a step backwards whilst the richer clubs all take a step forwards, and we will then fall short again next year, and that's the current state of the game we all love.

 

[Shea]

This whole post sounds like the war cry of the loser, defeatist and excuse making

We've been in and around the top four for quite a while now and we've spent and generated a decent amount of money doing so

We're still below the Manchester teams and Arsenal and Chelsea though catching the other two and in recent years we've seperated ourselves somewhat from the pack and also moved above Liverpool

I don't really think that means we're punching above our weight though, we've won 1 cup in the last decade -so have Pompey, Swansea and Brum- and we've been in the CL once too

We've improving yes and we've come a long way but are we punching above our weight dramatically? I dunno about that we've not fighting lions with our bare hands, we're playing football against a few teams who have spent more than us and getting closer to competing with them - spending a lot of money over a consistent period of time in the process

 

[Locotoro]

We're only overachieving if you use finances as the comparative.

If you compare things like youth development, we're doing very well against our competitors.

Or maybe you want to compare club development and infrastructure with the new networks established in South America, the USA and Australia then again we're ahead of Chelsea and City at the very least.
What about a comparison of club facilities? I think we kno who comes top.

Football is not all about money - it doesn't even equate to value. £35m on Carroll is not like £35m on Aguero.. It's about so much more and takes so much more to create a winning club.

 

[Flashspur]

Buying players that AVB wants is the key and its up to Levy to deliver on that

 

[not_tenth-again]

We're not overachieving. Everyone else is shit too. Chelsea are a disgrace.

Chelsea have and always will be a disgrace. Safe to bet your house on that one!

 

[not_tenth-again]

I don't think there is any doubt we're punching above our weight. We make do with much less resources than the others but we're competing with them on the whole. I doubt you'll find a better run club behind the scenes and I'd argue on a results to wage bill basis we'd be pretty high up too.

Even though we are doing well I'd argue we're short of our potential. We have the potential to challenge for the title

We have a spine of
Lloris
Kaboul-Vertonghen
Sandro-Dembele

Can you spot the missing piece? yes, you guessed it, a striker..... I know really good strikers aren't easy to come by but why should we not even chance our arm in the market? I know we bought Adebayor but seriously who didn't see a need to strengthen further..... 2 strikers, 4 keepers in our squad at the start of the season, do I need to say more?

My version of football/soccer/wog ball whatever you want to call it is

You win by scoring goals at one end and keeping them out at the other.

Currently our lack of striker depth = less rotation for strikers = heavier reliance on form and fitness = more reliance on others to chip in = less blow out games = closer games = less rotation for other starters = more strain of starters fitness = less opportunity for squad/youth players = more injured starters towards the crunch time of season = tougher game environment for squad/youth players to enter into = more pressure on team in general = less points on the table and a weaker goal difference column = not_tenth-again giving it these ones

The moral of the story is - buy a fucking striker Daniel!!!!

 

[tobi]

We are consistent and deserve to be where we are but if we had a suitable striker (doesn't have to world class etc) we'd be in an even better position.

Players make mistakes but good strikers can hide other issues, look at Man Utd.

We capitalised on Liverpool's recent failures and overtaken them but others are failing too. If we don't finish in the top four (above Arsenal) we've failed.

 

[Jimmypearce7]

You could take the view we are punching above our weight based on wage bills. The league ends up virtually the same as the wage bill list of the clubs and Liverpool's wage bill is much higher, along with the four CL participants this season.

But we have the best opportunity we are ever likely to have to catch up at the moment because we have a decent team and most importantly one amazing player. This is the time to splash on one or two players who can play with Bale and particularly others who can score goals, grab trophies and event the CL and push on.