What the pundits & media are saying about us

[ajspurs]

I thought that the main criticism of Arry was he failed to make the best of the squad he had. Thats not to say he didnt do a decent job only that he should have done better.

I think so but I also think it's a harsh criticsm, especially when you look at what he achieved with us. I actually think his reign was the catalyst to the transition into that next level team. Some people are saying the same about Poch now in that he should have won a trophy in the time he's been here with the team he's got but like with Harry, I think you also have to factor in just where we are now as a club in comparison to when they arrived.

 

[TheBlueRooster]

I don’t care too much about the criticism as I know for the last three seasons we’ve finished in the top four against clubs who have more at there disposal than we have. And two of those seasons we were the only ones mounting a challenge to the eventual champions who both finished below us after winning the league.

COYS

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Harry's easily the second best Spurs manager I've seen in my time, and prior to Poch he brought us the best football and results we'd had in 20 years. Only a churl would begrudge him being remembered favourably overall, whatever views people have on his flaws.

Completely agree. Still the best ever football we’ve played in the last 30 years was under arry.
Not as consistent or solid as now for sure but that midfield of bale Lennon Modric Parker Van Der Vaart with Defoe or Crouch etc up top wow. If we’d just had Kane back then and our defence of Today we’d have been some fucking team

100% agree and I think he was harshly treated by Levy. Yes he did take his eye off the ball, but I think it was understandable to a certain degree. He was linked to the England job heavily, which for a football man of his generation is the pinnacle, and was also getting over his tax trial. Despite the late season collpase he still got us top four, which but for a fluke would have seen us in the CL again and the simple fact is that AVB was no upgrade. We played some great football under Harry and I remember his tenure fondly.

As far as the best football goes, there were about 4 games under Redknapp where we played proper football that was collective, coherent and excellent. The rest of the time it was about chucking out a group of extremely talented individuals into a lottery barrel and hoping their numbers came out more often than a group of less talented individuals did.

The fact that we got one CL qualification with a team that contained King, Gallas, Modric, Parker, VDV, Adebayor and Bale at a time when the PL was nowhere near as difficult as it is now, whilst managers like Rodgers, Ranieri, Klopp and Pochettino have exceeded that comfortably with (in some cases vastly) inferior bunch of individual talent in a much tougher PL demonstrates what a blagger Redknapp was.

This was before the PL contained the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho, Conte, Klopp (at the same time) and the massively enhanced squads and vastly improved tactical competence that we are operating in now. Can you imagine the possibilities if Redknapp didn't leave the coaching to Kevin fucking Bond?

What AVB achieved after Modric, Gallas, Adebayor (mentally) and VDV had departed was more impressive. I only wish we'd hired him instead of Redknapp and we might have got what Porto got with the squad we had at the time. Talented players and good coaching and work ethic.

You only think Redknapp was great because he told you so. Constantly.

Best regards
The Duke of Churlingham

 

[Cavehillspur]

Liverpool.

I know they didn't play last night but I haven't heard any mention of how the wheels might come off during the run in their flamboyant and swashbuckling season.

Not a media ripple.

Yep 100%, 1 win in their last 5 league games and not a thing is said. Would love them to collapse against Brighton and miss out, just to see Thompsons nose melt into his face.

 

[shelfboy68]

Yep 100%, 1 win in their last 5 league games and not a thing is said. Would love them to collapse against Brighton and miss out, just to see Thompsons nose melt into his face.

He would have to be near that volcano in Hawaii for that to happen.

 

[Insomnia]

He would have to be near that volcano in Hawaii for that to happen.

His nose already is

 

[shelfboy68]

His nose already is

Yes whilst the rest of him is in the sky sports studios

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

As far as the best football goes, there were about 4 games under Redknapp where we played proper football that was collective, coherent and excellent. The rest of the time it was about chucking out a group of extremely talented individuals into a lottery barrel and hoping their numbers came out more often than a group of less talented individuals did.

The fact that we got one CL qualification with a team that contained King, Gallas, Modric, Parker, VDV, Adebayor and Bale at a time when the PL was nowhere near as difficult as it is now, whilst managers like Rodgers, Ranieri, Klopp and Pochettino have exceeded that comfortably with (in some cases vastly) inferior bunch of individual talent in a much tougher PL demonstrates what a blagger Redknapp was.

This was before the PL contained the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho, Conte, Klopp (at the same time) and the massively enhanced squads and vastly improved tactical competence that we are operating in now. Can you imagine the possibilities if Redknapp didn't leave the coaching to Kevin fucking Bond?

What AVB achieved after Modric, Gallas, Adebayor (mentally) and VDV had departed was more impressive. I only wish we'd hired him instead of Redknapp and we might have got what Porto got with the squad we had at the time. Talented players and good coaching and work ethic.

You only think Redknapp was great because he told you so. Constantly.

Best regards
The Duke of Churlingham

I think you have hit the nail firmly on its head. Whereas Pochettino has over achieved, there is a clear argument to say Redknapp massively under achieved with what he had at his disposal.

 

[TheChosenOne]

I'm genuinely perplexed by the hatchet job some pundits and press do on players. Not just our own, but any that go through a bad phase from any team. There's a real negative element to the British psyche that loves to knock people down, rather than being positive and building them up.

It's no wonder some young talent is apprehensive about trying new things in games.

I can't find the quotes now, but when pochettino first started at spurs he talked about the young English players having a lack of faith in their own abilities. I'm sure part of that is the constant negativity you read at times. It's utterly baffling. Cristisism is fine, in the constructive form.

I'm not referring to any imagined media bias here, I don't think that exists. I'm referring to what often appears to be an over arcing sense of negativity towards any teams national treasures. Particularly if they happen to be English.

You can have some of this young English talent that brings the bad press it upon themselves, off field Rooney and many others have done some unpalatable stuff, even Gazza and Defoe but for the current captain of the England football team to be pilloried and abused by his contemporaries and possible international team mates
let alone the FA and the UK media it is unbelievable .

 

[Gilzeanking]

You can have some of this young English talent that brings the bad press it upon themselves, off field Rooney and many others have done some unpalatable stuff, even Gazza and Defoe but for the current captain of the England football team to be pilloried and abused by his contemporaries and possible international team mates
let alone the FA and the UK media it is unbelievable .

To add to this from a different medium , I've just read a few posts after a Guardian review the new Monkeys album . Full on trashing .Regardless of the quality of their work Coldplay or Sheeran would get the same savaging . Yes , its in the DNA of many Brits who don't like their own to do well .

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

You can have some of this young English talent that brings the bad press it upon themselves, off field Rooney and many others have done some unpalatable stuff, even Gazza and Defoe but for the current captain of the England football team to be pilloried and abused by his contemporaries and possible international team mates
let alone the FA and the UK media it is unbelievable .

The sharks were circling around Kane a long time before the goal.claim nonsense. Desperate to disparage and knock down at the remotest opportunity. It was sadly predictable.

Players take note of Paul Scholes. A great footballer who kept himself out the limelight. Mind you, social media wasn't the same in his heyday.

 

[ajspurs]

Martin Keown

Does Champions League football mean ‘more than a trophy’ as Hugo Lloris suggests?

With Spurs moving to a new stadium it is vitally important they qualified for the Champions League. But next weekend they will be watching as one of Manchester United or Chelsea lifts the FA Cup. When you come to reflect on a season without winning a trophy, you do not sit there with complete satisfaction. Champions League qualification was clearly the priority for Spurs this year. Next season, it should be winning a trophy.


How big an achievement is it for Spurs to finish in the top four?

It’s a huge achievement — especially given they have had to play their home games at Wembley. The ground is too big to be a home. There may be an amazing atmosphere when the likes of Manchester United visit but when Wembley is half empty it makes for a difficult occasion. Despite this, they have been without doubt the best team in London — finishing above Chelsea and Arsenal. While I don’t think they could have caught Manchester City, had Tottenham been playing at White Hart Lane this season I am convinced they would have run Pep Guardiola’s side closer. After 18 home games last year, Spurs had 10 more points than they do now. Add those points to their total now and they would have 84 — enough to finish comfortably second.

 

[lukespurs7]

Martin Keown

Does Champions League football mean ‘more than a trophy’ as Hugo Lloris suggests?

With Spurs moving to a new stadium it is vitally important they qualified for the Champions League. But next weekend they will be watching as one of Manchester United or Chelsea lifts the FA Cup. When you come to reflect on a season without winning a trophy, you do not sit there with complete satisfaction. Champions League qualification was clearly the priority for Spurs this year. Next season, it should be winning a trophy.


How big an achievement is it for Spurs to finish in the top four?

It’s a huge achievement — especially given they have had to play their home games at Wembley. The ground is too big to be a home. There may be an amazing atmosphere when the likes of Manchester United visit but when Wembley is half empty it makes for a difficult occasion. Despite this, they have been without doubt the best team in London — finishing above Chelsea and Arsenal. While I don’t think they could have caught Manchester City, had Tottenham been playing at White Hart Lane this season I am convinced they would have run Pep Guardiola’s side closer. After 18 home games last year, Spurs had 10 more points than they do now. Add those points to their total now and they would have 84 — enough to finish comfortably second.

Keown is a bloody good pundit and always very respectful about us.

 

[hughy]

Well you can sit at home and be disappointed with everything Spurs related while the rest of us enjoy the fact we’ve just qualified for the CL for the third season in a row, despite this collapse that’s sent us up to 3rd...

I love this line.

 

[rossdapep]

I think so but I also think it's a harsh criticsm, especially when you look at what he achieved with us. I actually think his reign was the catalyst to the transition into that next level team. Some people are saying the same about Poch now in that he should have won a trophy in the time he's been here with the team he's got but like with Harry, I think you also have to factor in just where we are now as a club in comparison to when they arrived.

Martin Jol before that, I think he made the club believe and started to help us fall in love with the club again after many years of doom and gloom. Redknapp did a great job and I'm grateful to him but I've always seen him as an opportunist - he's renown for not really coaching, more man managing - and we did have a very strong attacking team in those years. How much of that was down to Redknapp is hard to say but I think it was the recruitment that had gone on before him mostly. He just allowed the players to become more expressive. I wouldn't have trusted him for another season, especially a transitioning period.

 

[rossdapep]

You can have some of this young English talent that brings the bad press it upon themselves, off field Rooney and many others have done some unpalatable stuff, even Gazza and Defoe but for the current captain of the England football team to be pilloried and abused by his contemporaries and possible international team mates
let alone the FA and the UK media it is unbelievable .

If Rooney was German and had done what he did it would have been swept under the carpet and mostly ignored because they realise the difference between private life and job and the implications going into a world cup. Unfortunately we are have a nation of gossipers who want to be the ones to break the 'news' or start 'the joke' and social media has intensified it, so every little detail is scrutinised to epic proportions. It's ridiculous and people can't see how they are sabotaging the national teams progress/success, etc.

I bet when the first non-Kane goalscorer scores during the WC the first thing to come out of anyone's mouth, social media account is "Kane claims it" or "Kane can't claim that one" and the likes of Lineker or Shearer will be right behind it. Pathetic. Start behaving like true fans!

 

[ajspurs]

Keown is a bloody good pundit and always very respectful about us.

I agree, I like listening to what he has to say and when he's on BT as well. People love to bang on about us not winning a trophy but I'm ecstatic at having finished in the top 4 having practically played away all season.

I think he makes a good point about Wembley being too big as well and when you consider that it makes it unsurprising that our best pest performances there were in the big games when the atmosphere was at a good level.

Martin Jol before that, I think he made the club believe and started to help us fall in love with the club again after many years of doom and gloom. Redknapp did a great job and I'm grateful to him but I've always seen him as an opportunist - he's renown for not really coaching, more man managing - and we did have a very strong attacking team in those years. How much of that was down to Redknapp is hard to say but I think it was the recruitment that had gone on before him mostly. He just allowed the players to become more expressive. I wouldn't have trusted him for another season, especially a transitioning period.

Yeah you might be right there, I'd somehow kind of forgotten about Jol but I also can't greatly remember which manager brought in certain players and such really. I just don't see Redknapps period in a negative way, especially considering what we were used to watching. I don't really want to get into an overdone argument and specifics about what Harry could and should have done and how he underachieved to be honest.

 

[Marty]

Martin Keown

Does Champions League football mean ‘more than a trophy’ as Hugo Lloris suggests?

With Spurs moving to a new stadium it is vitally important they qualified for the Champions League. But next weekend they will be watching as one of Manchester United or Chelsea lifts the FA Cup. When you come to reflect on a season without winning a trophy, you do not sit there with complete satisfaction. Champions League qualification was clearly the priority for Spurs this year. Next season, it should be winning a trophy.


How big an achievement is it for Spurs to finish in the top four?

It’s a huge achievement — especially given they have had to play their home games at Wembley. The ground is too big to be a home. There may be an amazing atmosphere when the likes of Manchester United visit but when Wembley is half empty it makes for a difficult occasion. Despite this, they have been without doubt the best team in London — finishing above Chelsea and Arsenal. While I don’t think they could have caught Manchester City, had Tottenham been playing at White Hart Lane this season I am convinced they would have run Pep Guardiola’s side closer. After 18 home games last year, Spurs had 10 more points than they do now. Add those points to their total now and they would have 84 — enough to finish comfortably second.

Never has a Gooner spoken a truer word about Spurs. Especially the sentence about priorities. Getting CL for the opening season in new stadium was an absolute priority above all else this season.

 

[MyNameIsNicolaBerti]

As far as the best football goes, there were about 4 games under Redknapp where we played proper football that was collective, coherent and excellent. The rest of the time it was about chucking out a group of extremely talented individuals into a lottery barrel and hoping their numbers came out more often than a group of less talented individuals did.

The fact that we got one CL qualification with a team that contained King, Gallas, Modric, Parker, VDV, Adebayor and Bale at a time when the PL was nowhere near as difficult as it is now, whilst managers like Rodgers, Ranieri, Klopp and Pochettino have exceeded that comfortably with (in some cases vastly) inferior bunch of individual talent in a much tougher PL demonstrates what a blagger Redknapp was.

This was before the PL contained the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho, Conte, Klopp (at the same time) and the massively enhanced squads and vastly improved tactical competence that we are operating in now. Can you imagine the possibilities if Redknapp didn't leave the coaching to Kevin fucking Bond?

What AVB achieved after Modric, Gallas, Adebayor (mentally) and VDV had departed was more impressive. I only wish we'd hired him instead of Redknapp and we might have got what Porto got with the squad we had at the time. Talented players and good coaching and work ethic.

You only think Redknapp was great because he told you so. Constantly.

Best regards
The Duke of Churlingham

No offence mate, but go do one if you're going to have that sort of snotty superior attitude. Your last comment is incredibly patronising. You're basically calling us idiots who didn't understand what we were watching.

As for only playing well in four matches? Utter bollocks. You don't get into the top four two times, and the CL quarters, with 95% shit performances.

AVB managed 5th, turgid football and subjected us to drubbings, and that was with Bale on his best ever form for two thirds of his tenure as manager.

 

[slartibartfast]

As far as the best football goes, there were about 4 games under Redknapp where we played proper football that was collective, coherent and excellent. The rest of the time it was about chucking out a group of extremely talented individuals into a lottery barrel and hoping their numbers came out more often than a group of less talented individuals did.

The fact that we got one CL qualification with a team that contained King, Gallas, Modric, Parker, VDV, Adebayor and Bale at a time when the PL was nowhere near as difficult as it is now, whilst managers like Rodgers, Ranieri, Klopp and Pochettino have exceeded that comfortably with (in some cases vastly) inferior bunch of individual talent in a much tougher PL demonstrates what a blagger Redknapp was.

This was before the PL contained the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho, Conte, Klopp (at the same time) and the massively enhanced squads and vastly improved tactical competence that we are operating in now. Can you imagine the possibilities if Redknapp didn't leave the coaching to Kevin fucking Bond?

What AVB achieved after Modric, Gallas, Adebayor (mentally) and VDV had departed was more impressive. I only wish we'd hired him instead of Redknapp and we might have got what Porto got with the squad we had at the time. Talented players and good coaching and work ethic.

You only think Redknapp was great because he told you so. Constantly.

Best regards
The Duke of Churlingham

What an utter load of shit.