Where do we go from here..?

[Hazardousman]

I watched that clip someone posted yesterday with Thierry Henry interviewing HK and towards the end HK actually did say something along the lines of 'I really want to be winning a trophy in the next 3 years' which also sounded like a personal marker for when he might re-evaluate his situation. So yes, I agree with you, it is a subtle warning sign. And hopefully we do win something within the next 3 years otherwise I would not be surprised at all if he gets itchy feet and does a Bale too.

That's how I viewed it as well, it certainly felt like that was the case, I could be wrong but it felt that way.

And if Harry is of that mindset (and he loves spurs) then you can imagine it wouldn't take nearly half as much for another player to be considering their options.

People can laugh all they want but it happens in football, I am not optimistic enough to believe we are going to continue to keep this team together unless we start winning trophies.

 

[whitesocks]

Where do we go? This season I doubt we'll win again
MP's focus was to win the league - he couldn't care less about anything else.
It is all win or bust with him. I guess that is where he gets his intensity from.

Ok we did not get to our destination this time, but the journey was well worth while.
Same again please.

 

[shelfmonkey]

Have all these big spenders squads performed incredibly well? Swear we've had shit loads of injuries and yet sit 2nd.
Is there a better squad player in the league this season than Son?
I agree we need more squad options but suggesting all the top teams squads are streets ahead is nonsense. All those teams are gonna spend the summer attempting to improve these squads, just like they did last year too. Just cos a player is expensive and sitting on the bench doesn't mean he hasn't been a pile of shite.

This season no, but next season they will be stronger and better, particularly man ure and Citeh.

 

[tiger666]

This season no, but next season they will be stronger and better, particularly man ure and Citeh.

This gets trotted out every single season.

 

[squirrel]

This season no, but next season they will be stronger and better, particularly man ure and Citeh.

We will be stronger and better as well

 

[Shadydan]

This gets trotted out every single season.

It's like dejavu...I feel like Bill Murray

 

[shelfboy68]

We will be stronger and better as well

We hope so but difference is they can buy the top level players that make a difference in games of fine margins.
We on the other hand cannot and so target a player that is good but not top level good, I think with change of playing venue next year realistically I can see us 5th/6th at best.
Might be a while before we are back amongst it again hopefully keeping our squad together whilst waiting for another chance will be a challenge I feel.

 

[worcestersauce]

Where do we go? This season I doubt we'll win again
MP's focus was to win the league - he couldn't care less about anything else.
It is all win or bust with him. I guess that is where he gets his intensity from.

Ok we did not get to our destination this time, but the journey was well worth while.
Same again please.

I agree other than the first line, we'll win again I have no doubt.
Where we go from here is onward and upward, I don't believe we have reached Levy's ambition yet however to do that we will have to start paying more money in wages, that will take us into a new bracket and we will eventually do that make no mistake.
The question in my mind is when we start doing that, do we wait until we have the new ground up and running bringing in the increased revenue, do we wait a year or two until we have actually been receiving that money or do we, knowing that increase is now definite, make that change now, from this summer if need be.

 

[Danfunkel]

I agree with some of the above. Getting back into Top 4 again when we hit the new stadium is a must, financially.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, we have this record (along with MU..?) of winning a major trophy in every decade since the 20th century. We've not got long left to get something. Cups and Top 4 is my target.

 

[Stavrogin]

This gets trotted out every single season.

It's a fact of the iniquities of the system. They'll all spend 200m+. Eventually one or both will get it right.

Modern football is such garbage, success relies too much on rich people acting dumb.

 

[jonnyrotten]

Maybe if you had BOTHERED to read the whole post you would have read my paragraph that said exactly that. Let me help you out since you aren't capable of reading more than 3 sentences, so I'll post a part of my original post that said exactly that;

In my opinion we have a conundrum. If we had made top 4 last year and this year rather than push till the last few games for the title NONE of us fans would be screaming.. But the fact of the matter is (as with most fans) now we've tasted a couple of title-challenging seasons we aren't happy with top 4 now. We want to win it!

Entitled BS if you ask me.

 

[JayB]

This gets trotted out every single season.

To be fair it was true last summer, was it not?

All of Chelsea, Liverpool, United, and City (and also Everton) are either outright playing better football or are moving in a better direction than they were a year ago. Each and every one of those clubs is still in the early stages of a new managerial tenure, and all of the squads could do with a bit of moulding to the manager's preferences.

They're all improving and with the resources they have available, all stand to take another step forward next season. The only major club moving backwards is Arsenal.

But that's not to say it's doom and gloom for us. We have an excellent young squad that will continue to get better, and with a couple of shrewd additions in the right places we will be a force to be reckoned with in our own right.

 

[StartingPrice]

Is it just me or is the season not finished yet? We could still win the Prem, yes it is remote, but still possible mathematically. Never give up!

Remember, Boro drew with Man City last week!

Even I haven't been mentalist enough to make this suggestion

Yeah, it's possible, I suppose. But I wouldn't be holding my breath. The Chavs would have to drop points in three of their remaining matches...and, of course, we would need to win all of ours, too. Maybe they could, maybe they've shot themselves in the foot by celebrating at Goodison like they had won it - and maybe they did the same last night. But, as said, I wouldn't hold my breath that they are likely to drop points in three of their remaining four games, TBH.

Frankly, I have no interest in any matches other than our own, now. Up to now I have watched all of our rivals matches that didn't clash with our own or one another. But now I have zero interest. I don't want to watch the Chavs on what looks like being a procession to the title with their fans singing songs about us being serial losers and not having the brains to recognise the irony that they're just a bunch financially doped thugs who dealt with winning the lottery by playing anti-football, cheating and brutalising opponents. Being jubilant when they would have no cause to be if the officials and the feeble, gutless FA did their jobs. And, for the first time I can remember I don't want to watch the Cup final...barely even want to know the result. It's a nightmare scenario for us whoever wins.

So, by all means, go on hoping. Y'never know, Monday night might descend into another Battle of the Bridge - and the FA have the courage to do their jobs this time (though I doubt that). All I am interested in now is seeing us clinch second spot, hopefully leave the Lane with a win, and, if we can, win our remaining games which will show us more about whether Poch has us in hand that all the poxy claims that we bottled it

 

[spursfan77]

Our second year in the champions league in a row means I suspect we will have to start paying the players even more. Hope Levy realises this to keep them we might have to pay them more.

 

[spursfan77]

This gets trotted out every single season.

I agree, I doubt Man City will be that much better. They need a new goalie and back four and at least 2 central midfielders before they win the league again. They were not get all that done this summer.

 

[Shadydan]

Our second year in the champions league in a row means I suspect we will have to start paying the players even more. Hope Levy realises this to keep them we might have to pay them more.

We've already broken our wage bracket twice this season (Kane and Lloris) I suspect that we'll break it again with Alderweireld and then possibly Dele Alli.

 

[TaoistMonkey]

Fair play this getting to 7 pages. I would have locked out after the first post.

 

[djw1973]

Even I haven't been mentalist enough to make this suggestion

Yeah, it's possible, I suppose. But I wouldn't be holding my breath. The Chavs would have to drop points in three of their remaining matches...and, of course, we would need to win all of ours, too. Maybe they could, maybe they've shot themselves in the foot by celebrating at Goodison like they had won it - and maybe they did the same last night. But, as said, I wouldn't hold my breath that they are likely to drop points in three of their remaining four games, TBH.

Frankly, I have no interest in any matches other than our own, now. Up to now I have watched all of our rivals matches that didn't clash with our own or one another. But now I have zero interest. I don't want to watch the Chavs on what looks like being a procession to the title with their fans singing songs about us being serial losers and not having the brains to recognise the irony that they're just a bunch financially doped thugs who dealt with winning the lottery by playing anti-football, cheating and brutalising opponents. Being jubilant when they would have no cause to be if the officials and the feeble, gutless FA did their jobs. And, for the first time I can remember I don't want to watch the Cup final...barely even want to know the result. It's a nightmare scenario for us whoever wins.

So, by all means, go on hoping. Y'never know, Monday night might descend into another Battle of the Bridge - and the FA have the courage to do their jobs this time (though I doubt that). All I am interested in now is seeing us clinch second spot, hopefully leave the Lane with a win, and, if we can, win our remaining games which will show us more about whether Poch has us in hand that all the poxy claims that we bottled it

I will always believe until mathematically it is impossible to win. We have to develop that winning mentality and expectation as a club. Strange things happen in football and an upset by Boro might just start something.

I agree about the Cup final. I genuinely thought we were going to the final this year, even bought plane tickets as I live abroad and wanted to be in the UK just in case I could get a ticket. I hate the scum, but I loathe the Chavs and everything they stand for.

 

[shelfboy68]

I will always believe until mathematically it is impossible to win. We have to develop that winning mentality and expectation as a club. Strange things happen in football and an upset by Boro might just start something.

I agree about the Cup final. I genuinely thought we were going to the final this year, even bought plane tickets as I live abroad and wanted to be in the UK just in case I could get a ticket. I hate the scum, but I loathe the Chavs and everything they stand for.

They are most looking likely to secure another double in the next couple of weeks which I have to be honest I'm envious of.

 

[lukespurs7]

Clearly, for 2 seasons in a row now we have come up short. And by short I mean noticeably short. Anyone who thinks we are close to CFC and the rest of the big spenders needs a reality check.
Their squads are far more superior than ours. They have the money to spend on quality players to sit on the bench for most of the season and they can call upon them when the team are tiring to inject the fresh blood needed to push them over the line. And its not even scraping over, their quality squad players are very good players who get them easy 4-2, 3-0 wins...Whereas our squad players make absolutely no difference to the outcome of a game.

The question is where do we go from here as a club if we want to win 'big things' as Poch remarks..?

In my opinion we have a conundrum. If we had made top 4 last year and this year rather than push till the last few games for the title NONE of us fans would be screaming.. But the fact of the matter is (as with most fans) now we've tasted a couple of title-challenging seasons we aren't happy with top 4 now. We want to win it!

So how can we win it with our setup?

I think we have to wipe the board for a minute and think about it, can we ever achieve the title with our team and squad? The answer has to objectively - No.
We've had a large amount of player injuries that couldn't be replaced with like quality, therefore that's the 1st problem. Upgrade is needed for a few players. Davis is clearly no Rose and Trips is no Walker when Walker is playing great.
When Toby or Jan are out we will have problems. We need a quality CB to cover 1 or the other. Its impossible to have 2 quality CBs sitting on the bench. Wimmer clearly isn't Poch's fav.
Sissoko is no replacement for Lamela. And Jansen is no striker that fills any of us with confidence when Kane is out.
My concern is we clearly wont be replacing all those players this summer in 1 hit. So we will have to accept that for 1 reason or another our wing backs will be an issue next season - just like it has been evidenced at this late stage this season. The only issue is with Walker quite possibly leaving I cant see who can replace him for like as a starter..

Then theres the issue with poch. Last season he ran the players into the ground, this season he hasn't rotated enough to keep them fresh.When our defense was so solid high profile players could and should have been subbed in earlier games I feel to keep them fresh later into the season. Kane, Deli, Eriksen and even Son all looked very slow tonight against West Ham. Could those players have been rested more in games we were winning comfortably? I think so. And I feel for all Poch's greatness he is still not a world class manager to see it.
Conte rested big game players like Willian, Pedro, Fabregas and even Eden and Costa for seemingly big games, only to bring them back into games just at the right time to make a difference.
Poch has got zero acumen in this area. Why? Is it because our squad is so thin that he has no choice?

Then comes the bit about Poch that is all about inexperience. I really think he (all too regularly) picks players based on what he thinks their ability is vs what our opposition are likely to play. And this results in the wrong players being picked with the wrong skillset for the opposition. This results in a 2 prong resulting mistake;
1. The player(s) picked wont get any joy against certain opposition
2. It knackers the player(s) out cos they try too hard with no success and thus makes them more fatigued in the longer run.

If he played the right players for a certain game we would have more of a chance of winning and it will also give the other starter that got dropped a chance to rest and recover.

With the last 2 years' worth of unexpected CL revenue and TV money in the coffers are we to expect good quality incoming players? Or will Levy take the piss and use the money too frugally again or worse - waste it on useless players?
These last 2 seasons we have over-achieved, but sharp management in my opinion, would use those unexpected bonus seasons as a springboard to propel us to the next level. I think we actually need to spend big this summer and throw caution to the wind, regardless of the fact we are building a new stadium - and buy quite a few top quality players. That risk is worth it as we could realistically get top 4 again next season which would offset any outgoing money spent on players. The risk of not spending big is more dangerous imo as we could just as easily end up as a Europa League qualifying team again next season if our competitors spend big and get top 4 at our expense.

I think the only thing we can and should do is give Poch the money he needs to overhaul the squad. I repeat squad - not team. If we sold some players we should be able to recoup 50-80M and then add on another 60-70M and I think with the 150M spending money we could get the extra quality needed to keep us in the hunt.
I think next season could be a make or break season for us and we really must use sense and carefully look at what we have to lose rather than win. We'll be playing at Wembley, we'll be under more pressure to win, so we cannot allow any weakness the drag us down next year. Having to play in CL again, at Wembley all season - to me it strikes as a red flag straight away, and the only way we can give ourselves any chance is to spend big to get the players in we need to keep us near the top and with a real chance of winning trophies.

I think all the bad feedback/rep here for you mate is very unfair. I think your post is mistakenly understood. Whilst I don't agree with the final part that next season is all or bust or the need for us to spend big as really we're just continually building something.

I think basically what you're whole post is asking is what do we need to do to improve to win the league. Now winning the league is no small matter, Chelsea have some world class players we can never afford and Leicester was a fluke. You also now have man.city improving under pep and a squad full of world class players, the same for man.u and Liverpool are improving under Klopp. What we have is a manager and squad which is well balanced and are all pulling together. What we need to do is add to this squad astutely, improve each year with experience both the players and poch and be patient as next year at Wembley and probably our first year in the new stadium will be tough but the main thing is we are progressing and eventually I think we will have success again.