ENIC...

[rez9000]

Agree, the moment I heard he had no interest in Tielemans who was available, I stated scratching my head. I've never advocated huge money signings and did get all excited when we paid huge fees for Ndombele or Lo Celso. I'm not opposed to such signings but loved it when we stole a March on our competitors and signed Dele, Dier, Eriksen & Toby for like 20-22 million.

I wonder what's happened to our scouting.

This, for me, is a major issue: what the hell is going on with our scouting? What is the setup? As you say, we’ve managed to find some real gems in the past - you mentioned some real steals above and I’d add Son to that list as the crowning achievement on that score - but since then we’ve not uncovered any hidden treasures. And we’ve missed some real humdingers too - Tielemans being a prime example. Leicester found Mahrez and Vardy before Tielemans and Maddison. Maybe we should just poach their scouts...

I think we need a DoF, loath as I was after the Comolli debacle.

 

[Shadydan]

Agree, the moment I heard he had no interest in Tielemans who was available, I stated scratching my head. I've never advocated huge money signings and did get all excited when we paid huge fees for Ndombele or Lo Celso. I'm not opposed to such signings but loved it when we stole a March on our competitors and signed Dele, Dier, Eriksen & Toby for like 20-22 million.

I wonder what's happened to our scouting.

Ndombele and Lo Celso are better and have higher ceilings than Tielemans.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

This, for me, is a major issue: what the hell is going on with our scouting? What is the setup? As you say, we’ve managed to find some real gems in the past - you mentioned some real steals above and I’d add Son to that list as the crowning achievement on that score - but since then we’ve not uncovered any hidden treasures. And we’ve missed some real humdingers too - Tielemans being a prime example. Leicester found Mahrez and Vardy before Tielemans and Maddison. Maybe we should just poach their scouts...

I think we need a DoF, loath as I was after the Comolli debacle.

What was so wrong with Comolli.. He got us Modric, Berbatov and Bale. Yes, agreed mixed in with the good, there were Zokora, Bent and Bentley.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

Ndombele and Lo Celso are better and have higher ceilings than Tielemans.

Trouble with Ndombele, he'll be knackered before he touches the ceiling!

 

[piedpiper]

Ndombele and Lo Celso are better and have higher ceilings than Tielemans.

I'm not sure I agree or disagree with your statement Shady... Oops you don't like that nickname... Im not suggesting he has a higher ceiling than those two but I feel he could get into our team or be an excellent part of the broader team. The moment I heard he didn't rate Tielemans I had my doubt about his ability wrt talent. Aargh I just rate the kid and in truth was very disappointed when hearing that Poch didn't share my view .

 

[Shadydan]

I'm not sure I agree or disagree with your statement Shady... Oops you don't like that nickname... Im not suggesting he has a higher ceiling than those two but I feel he could get into our team or be an excellent part of the broader team. The moment I heard he didn't rate Tielemans I had my doubt about his ability wrt talent. Aargh I just rate the kid and in truth was very disappointed when hearing that Poch didn't share my view .

I think the context I prefer to look at is that he didn't rate Tielemans at £40m or didn't rate him compared to Lo Celso or Ndombele which makes a bit more sense to me. Also even though he has ability on the ball he's slow and isn't the best presser off it and I'm pretty sure there's been calls for our press to come back so I don't know how he'd help in that regard. I don't know where this Tielemans stuff is coming from really, funny thing is he's been pretty average this season for Leicester in all honesty.

Don't have a problem with Shady, it's Dan...if you keep saying you're going on my ignore list like gayboy160.

 

[rez9000]

What was so wrong with Comolli.. He got us Modric, Berbatov and Bale. Yes, agreed mixed in with the good, there were Zokora, Bent and Bentley.

You've just given me three reasons!

 

[dontcallme]

You've just given me three reasons!

Thing against Comolli wasn’t that he didn’t target good talent or attract it but that he had too much power and didn’t build a functional team.

Jol asked for an experienced defender and centre mid and got a very young Kaboul and KPB.

 

[Shadydan]

Trouble with Ndombele, he'll be knackered before he touches the ceiling!

Helps if he isn't flogged to death in a diamond.

 

[spursfan1991]

Its really time we had new owners that have ambition to win trophies. We have done F all in 27 years. 2 league cups in that time for a club of this stature and history is unacceptable.

I am not saying we should be winning trophies season after season, no, but we should hsve done much better than what Sugar and levy have delivered.

Absolutely no point buying a new mansion if you are still going to furnish the house with products from primark.

Their lack of backing for one of our best managers has been horrendous. Whilst we rot away at 5th and 6th (if not worse) for next few seasons, poch will go to man u or real and achieve something he deserves for the work he has put in over the last few years from owners that want to win things.

Sport is about winning trophies last time i remembered.

 

[For the love of Spurs]

Its really time we had new owners that have ambition to win trophies. We have done F all in 27 years. 2 league cups in that time for a club of this stature and history is unacceptable.

I am not saying we should be winning trophies season after season, no, but we should hsve done much better than what Sugar and levy have delivered.

Absolutely no point buying a new mansion if you are still going to furnish the house with products from primark.

Their lack of backing for one of our best managers has been horrendous. Whilst we rot away at 5th and 6th (if not worse) for next few seasons, poch will go to man u or real and achieve something he deserves for the work he has put in over the last few years from owners that want to win things.

Sport is about winning trophies last time i remembered.

time for them to sell up and leave.

 

[Lilbaz]

time for them to sell up and leave.

Problem with that is you need a buyer.

I'll be happy if someone comes in and splashes cash to make us great. Until then it is what it is.

 

[dtxspurs]

They are 100% the root and core of this issue. You cannot let a squad get this stale. That lineup today had 1 new player in the last 4 years!

 

[nedley]

Time for Levy to step down.

Thanks for all your efforts.

 

[For the love of Spurs]

One of the reasons I would like Levy to go is that he has essentially served his purpose. He has made us financially stable and done wonders getting the infrastructure done.

However on the football side of things none of our managers ever look truly backed. This squad has gone stale and that’s not the first time it’s happened. Even with choosing his managers that have done well, Redknapp was an emergency choice that did better than expected and Poch was not first choice, that was Van Gaal who rejected us thank god.

The business side now good we need a chairman who is better at the football side or at least isn’t as controlling and therefore will allow a Director of Football to come in and completely run that side of things and not get in their way building everything from the philosophy of football/style of manager to the scouting network.

Like Poch I am thankful to Levy but it’s time to leave. I doubt Lewis would sack Levy but the most stale thing around the club now is Levy.

 

[For the love of Spurs]

Problem with that is you need a buyer.

I'll be happy if someone comes in and splashes cash to make us great. Until then it is what it is.

Don’t disagree, best case scenario.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

If ENIC were picking the team, choosing the tactics and selecting transfer targets, then I’d have more sympathy with the criticism. But frankly their biggest mistake has been not sacking Poch earlier. On business, the mantra is always that if a hard decision needs to be made, make it early and don’t look back.

 

[VanZan]

Hang on I watched the Colchester, Munich and today's game and felt wretched after them. But do people remember pre-ENIC? We were regularly fighting for mid table spots or against relegation. If anything ENIC are a victim of their own success. They don't want to spend the necessary amounts to satisfy the manager's, players' and fans growing ambition and increased expectation. Ironically caused due to their shrewd running of the club as a business.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Manager after manager after manager not backed
No change now with the best of the lot who predicted this situation and now here we are

Personally I think he’s done a magnificent job but can no longer hold back the tide. Has been let down by the club

Sad that it’s only/always us, the supporters, that really suffer

 

[RichieS]

Hang on I watched the Colchester, Munich and today's game and felt wretched after them. But do people remember pre-ENIC? We were regularly fighting for mid table spots or against relegation. If anything ENIC are a victim of their own success. They don't want to spend the necessary amounts to satisfy the manager's, players' and fans growing ambition and increased expectation. Ironically caused due to their shrewd running of the club as a business.

This seems to be the base assumption of the ENIC-out squad (not saying you are) but I'm not sure it's built on solid foundations. Personally, I think they've always spent as much money as is available - the problem they've faced in the past with this is that they've been trying to compete with other clubs who have much more available to spend (until very recently Arsenal and Liverpool had virtually twice the turnover and, for different reasons, the Manchester clubs and Chelsea were on a different planet again). It seems strange to me that, having got us to a point where we can sensibly start spending much more money on the playing squad, people aren't willing to see whether there's actually any factual basis for their belief that ENIC are unwilling to spend on players.

In summary - there's a difference between being unwilling to spend and being unwilling to spend money the club doesn't have.

@For the love of Spurs - thank you for putting your points across in a much more thoughtful manner than many manage. Just on the Director of Football point though - Levy has always wanted one but has at times left the decision up to the manager. In the current era, Poch vetoed the idea. I don't think it's fair to criticise the desire for van Gaal to come in either - his record prior to United was good and he had a history of bringing youth through to boot.