Welcome to the plateau!

[sloth]

I think thats the point we signed all of these bar Hugo and Ade before they made their name. All of them for under 15m. We don't have the ability or will at board level to complete sigings above that range. When it comes ti strikers, it's very rare that you get an established striker for less than 15m, so we should take a punt on a striker in a similar mould to these guys when we signed them.

Yes. And I'm sure the club's working hard to do just that! Or is it your belief that they're not trying to do that?

 

[Harry_Snatch]

Yes. And I'm sure the club's working hard to do just that! Or is it your belief that they're not trying to do that?

It's got fuck all to do with my belief. It's a fact that they have wasted god knows how many transfer windows on chasing impossible deals for Damiao who is Brazils no 9 and has never shown any interest in coming to us and Inters chairman has never shown any interest in budging on price.

In fact it has gone on so long in terms of chasing a striker that fans are starting to question how genuine our interest in actually signing the player is or of it is a PR stunt to fein ambition. I am not saying I fully believe that either but if has gone on long enough to even be suggested and discussed as reasonable then something is very wrong with our recruitment strategy when it comes to strikers.

 

[sloth]

It's got fuck all to do with my belief. It's a fact that they have wasted god knows how many transfer windows on chasing impossible deals for Damiao who is Brazils no 9 and has never shown any interest in coming to us and Inters chairman has never shown any interest in budging on price.

It's a fact that we haven't signed Damiao, but that wasn't what you were saying was it? I thought you were saying that in trying to sign Damiao we missed out on players we could have picked up for a smaller transfer fee whom the club had identified as having a similar potential to Bale et al. I wondered what makes you think the club are passing up on these opportunities? Surely if the club identifies a player it thinks has the potential to be something great and he's at the right price, the club would purchase him? Surely the club is working constantly to identify and purchase these players? Or are you of the opinion that the club isn't doing this?

Also didn't we just sign a top-class striker in the summer, for under £10m? Augmented by Fulham's top scorer, also for under £10m, and the prolific Icelander from Swansea, for £7m? Before that we identified and purchased VdV, Keane, Berbatov, and Defoe - personally I think some of those were over-valued - and we've also bought a couple of £10m duds along the way, Pav, Rebrov, Postiga... I'd argue the club has a good as record as any of purchasing strikers, at a decent price... or do you disagree?

 

[Harry_Snatch]

It's a fact that we haven't signed Damiao, but that wasn't what you were saying was it? I thought you were saying that in trying to sign Damiao we missed out on players we could have picked up for a smaller transfer fee whom the club had identified as having a similar potential to Bale et al. I wondered what makes you think the club are passing up on this opportunities? Surely if the club identifies a player it thinks has the potential to be something great and he's at the right price, the club would purchase him? Surely the club is working constantly to identify and purchase these players? Or are you of the opinion that the club isn't doing this?

Also didn't we just sign a top-class striker in the summer, for under £10m? Augmented by Fulham's top scorer, also for under £10m, and the prolific Islander from Swansea, for £7m? Before that we identified and purchased VdV, Keane, Berbatov, and Defoe - personally I think some of those were over-valued - and we've also bought a couple of £10m duds along the way, Pav, Rebrov, Postiga... I'd argue the club has a good as record as any of purchasing strikers, at a decent price... or do you disagree?

No that's not what I said at all. I said that the players listed were signed before they made their names for affordable fees and have become successful at Spurs. Apart from Lloris and Ade who were already established. I then said we have wasted time chasing Damiao and other unattainable strikers when maybe we should have been using the same transfer strategy that brought us so much success previously when it comes to targeting strikers as we are consistently failing when it comes to the bigger names.

 

[sloth]

No that's not what I said at all. I said that the players listed were signed before they made their names for affordable fees and have become successful at Spurs. Apart from Lloris and Ade who were already established. I then said we have wasted time chasing Damiao and other unattainable strikers when maybe we should have been using the same transfer strategy that brought us so much success previously when it comes to targeting strikers as we are consistently failing when it comes to the bigger names.

And I said what makes you think we're not still using the same transfer strategy? For some reason you equate the non-signing of Damiao, with evidence that we've given up trying to find strikers - and indeed players of any type - at prices which represent value, why?

 

[Harry_Snatch]

And I said what makes you think we're not still using the same transfer strategy? For some reason you equate the non-signing of Damiao, with evidence that we've given up trying to find strikers - and indeed players of any type - at prices which represent value, why?

If we are trying we are doing a shit job of trying as evidenced by the lack of trying. Name a target that we have chased that fits the bill for that kind of striker?

 

[sloth]

If we are trying we are doing a shit job of trying as evidenced by the lack of trying. Name a target that we have chased that fits the bill for that kind of striker?

What makes you say we are doing a shit job of it? And where's the evidence that we're not trying? How do we know about the targets we've chased? How do we know the criteria for determining whether they're good value or not?

As for our success in what we do, I point to the quality of our squad, our achievements on the field, and the resources we've had to assemble our squad, and compare that to the quality of the squads or our rivals (Villa, Everton, Leeds, Newcastle, Sunderland, Liverpool, Arsenal, City, Chelsea, Utd), their achievements on the field, and the resources they had to assemble their squads.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

What makes you say we are doing a shit job of it? And where's the evidence that we're not trying? How do we know about the targets we've chased? How do we know the criteria for determining whether they're good value or not?

As for our success in what we do, I point to the quality of our squad, our achievements on the field, and the resources we've had to assemble our squad, and compare that to the quality of the squads or our rivals (Villa, Everton, Leeds, Newcastle, Sunderland, Liverpool, Arsenal, City, Chelsea, Utd), their achievements on the field, and the resources they had to assemble their squads.

going in circles. cba anymore.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

This is not a dig at Levy. I think he's doing a good job of keeping the club solvent at the peak of it's potential.

But


This is the umpteenth window where anybody with half a brain can see that the very public chases of expensive players aren't going to happen and these players are always the 'push over the threshold' type players. It's actually an insult that we are still meant to buy into the Leandro chase now.

What is the fear at board level?
If the club doesn't at least fail in a high publicity, big money move every window, the fans will see that as a lack of ambition?

Right now, Spurs is very similar to Stoke, we have gone as far as we can. It's not really the club or Daniel Levy's fault but more of an indictment of the premier league and the lack of salary caps or competitive chance in the structure of football in general.

I don't think that the club should risk insolvency and blow the wage structure / transfer budget for 1 or 2 players if they can stay where they are without doing it. 5th with the odd 4th is where we are in the grand scheme of things. You can either be depressed and stop buying tickets or become disillusioned with football.... or just get on with it and enjoy when the quality players we have perform and not really give a shit about the odd drab game that will always happen same goes with the eventual fail to get champions league football. So what?


The new stadium, promised land is exactly the same as well. It won't make us bigger than the goons or any more likely to compete financially with Chelsea or City or UTD. We won't suddenly start signing the Wilians and Damiao's of the world because there are more people at the game. Newcastle have a huge stadium, they ain't buying no 20m player either. We will sell Bale in the summer or at best the summer after and we'll make a very tidy profit and have provided the elite with a very entertaining player. Basically we will have performed our function as a club to perfection.

Contrary to all the Levy out, no ambition BS, surely Spurs are one of the best run clubs in European football especially when it comes to doing our job. Levy deserves credit for that. At least our role isn't to provide laughing stock fodder for the rags anymore as it was for years.

As the season draw to an end I stick by this. We will probably finish 5th which is where we are and will be for the foreseeable and that's the way football is. We have had some fun this season. Been in 4th / 3rd long enough to sell some season tickets next season and have had some great games along the way.

 

[dontcallme]

I love how positive people are at us being 4th in a season where we lost 3 keys players and our manager.

WHL is a hotbed of joy and positivity as Spurs have defied early season odds and new manager is proving a hit.

Fans are piling onto internet boards and radio phone-ins to declare their pure joy at seeing the France number 1 put in superb performances, the former Ajax captain adapting quickly to the Prem while Belgian international Dembele has quickly become a first name on the teamsheet player with some dominant displays.

AVb was touted by many as a risky appointment and someone who could be among the first Prem managers to be sacked in the 2012/13 season but instead has steered Spurs to 4th place with 6 games to go and tonight they play in the Europa League quarter final.

Granted there have been a few disappointments with Kaboul, BAE, Parker and Sandro getting injured and after a good start by Defoe the club's strikers have struggled to put in good performances.

Fortunately however Spurs fan seeing the bigger picture and are literally brimming with optimism as they look to finish in the top four for the 3rd time in 4 seasons.

Great days to be a Spurs a fan compared to the 1st 15 years of the Prem and Spurs fans are clearly enjoying the ride and upturn in their club's fortunes.

 

[Harry_Snatch]

I love how positive people are at us being 4th in a season where we lost 3 keys players and our manager.

WHL is a hotbed of joy and positivity as Spurs have defied early season odds and new manager is proving a hit.

Fans are piling onto internet boards and radio phone-ins to declare their pure joy at seeing the France number 1 put in superb performances, the former Ajax captain adapting quickly to the Prem while Belgian international Dembele has quickly become a first name on the teamsheet player with some dominant displays.

AVb was touted by many as a risky appointment and someone who could be among the first Prem managers to be sacked in the 2012/13 season but instead has steered Spurs to 4th place with 6 games to go and tonight they play in the Europa League quarter final.

Granted there have been a few disappointments with Kaboul, BAE, Parker and Sandro getting injured and after a good start by Defoe the club's strikers have struggled to put in good performances.

Fortunately however Spurs fan seeing the bigger picture and are literally brimming with optimism as they look to finish in the top four for the 3rd time in 4 seasons.

Great days to be a Spurs a fan compared to the 1st 15 years of the Prem and Spurs fans are clearly enjoying the ride and upturn in their club's fortunes.

I have not said there that this season has been anything other than a success in that post. I just said that we are at the level we are at and can get to within the structure of the Premier league. There has been some great entertainment this season.