Europa league win or bust

[Keith Morris]

So with us not sitting at european top table this season, where does this leave us, with a manage who has previously won the competition
(which is part of which his reputation is based apon) and also the fact the winners receive €3m which compares to €3.9m for group stages of champions league, obviously the profile of the club is raised if they win the Europa league,

Or on the other hand do we again use this as a chance to give game time to the kids? I personally am a little divided on this, I feel we should aim to win and play a string side whilst we give the carling cup to the kids, however the Thursday fixtures in Europe do play havoc with weekend games and it's tough to strike the balance,

Strength in depth and squad rotation is key,

So Europa league? Win or bust??

 

[Goldman]

Mixture of reserves, youth and first team players during the group stage. If we progress, include more first team players.

 

[Paolo10]

Concentrate on the league, CL qualification is vital to the future progression of the club IMO. If we can field a decent team, fair enough, but for me the league fixtures should be highest priority.

 

[Keith Morris]

I see league position as the obvious priority, buy the Europa league as a second followed by FA cup and carling cup?

 

[Mullers]

If I was a footballer I'd want to win trophies not just qualify for the CL and win nothing and as a supporter I want the same thing. So what if we have to play football on Thursdays? If we're in the CL we would have to play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that is part and parcel of football. Despite all the heckling and jeering of the Europa, it is a very difficult trophy to win and any true supporter would want to see us win it. There is no point playing a load of kids and failing to qualify, you have to pick the right side according to the strength of the opposing team and you certainly have your best players available just in case things go tits up. Last season VDV wasn't included in the squad at all, which was criminal.

 

[StartingPrice]

As in all of the many threads on the Europa (sorry, but there have been loads):

To me, it is the second competition in europe, and I hate the way it has been devalued. It was no mean thing to win, back in the day - I was around for our 1984 triumph, and it was amazing. In many ways it was seen as harder to win the the European Cup (since revamped as the CL).
It is also true that success begets success, and winning is a good habit to get into.
I also can't help but think that £3 m might be less that CL money, but is still £3 m and, along with all of the match-day revenues generated by a march to the final, ahs to be a significant drop towards making our balance sheet in profit rather than in debit.
I also would imagine it would give us a little added kudos when it comes to payer recruitment. Players want to win things - and winning the Europa would be a good indication that they can do that with us.

 

[TaoistMonkey]

If I was a footballer I'd want to win trophies not just qualify for the CL and win nothing and as a supporter I want the same thing. So what if we have to play football on Thursdays? If we're in the CL we would have to play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that is part and parcel of football. Despite all the heckling and jeering of the Europa, it is a very difficult trophy to win and any true supporter would want to see us win it. There is no point playing a load of kids and failing to qualify, you have to pick the right side according to the strength of the opposing team and you certainly have your best players available just in case things go tits up. Last season VDV wasn't included in the squad at all, which was criminal.

I agree. Lets not be Arsenal and just qualify for stuff. Lets win stuff!

 

[Keith Morris]

If I was a footballer I'd want to win trophies not just qualify for the CL and win nothing and as a supporter I want the same thing. So what if we have to play football on Thursdays? If we're in the CL we would have to play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that is part and parcel of football. Despite all the heckling and jeering of the Europa, it is a very difficult trophy to win and any true supporter would want to see us win it. There is no point playing a load of kids and failing to qualify, you have to pick the right side according to the strength of the opposing team and you certainly have your best players available just in case things go tits up. Last season VDV wasn't included in the squad at all, which was criminal.

Fully agree, and think to be honest that this competition only has the stigma it does in this country, it is regarded much higher in Europe, and perhaps with a European coach now then it will become a real target

 

[Riandor]

Tough call.

If you have the right squad I think you can mix and match much better than we did last season.

I applaud using more youngsters and blooding them in early, but i would rather win the Europa League than the Carling Cup. That said, the cost of entering the tournament, the travel and the possible detriment to key first team players makes it somewhat lunacy to play a close to full strength team other than for the business end and the business end is a bloody faff to reach.

I hope we have enough of a squad to compete a little better than last season, but i on't be sad to drop out if it meant a much better shot at league top 4.

i think the key though is that AVB wants to win it all. Whilst that won't mean playing top strength team in all competitions, it will mean that he expects the team he puts out to perform and not "just gain experience".

Not saying that's what HR did, so let#s not drag that out...

Just saying that in terms of what AVB is saying to us he will definitely have a different expectation and as such will likely field a somewhat more balanced team i feel.

R.

 

[Montasura]

In fairness, it has all been pretty well discussed in this thread http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/villas-boas-the-europa-league.87977/ But I'll repost the post I made there as it covers my feelings towards the Europa this year..

I think it is absolutely perfect for AVB that we are in the Europa this year, rather than the CL and the higher expectations and media coverage that come with it.

I think he will want to do as well as he can, but it also gives him a perfect platform and extra matches to help get his new playing style and philosophy right, without the danger of getting utterly hammered by the tabloids if we don't win it.

 

[hodsgod]

Top 4 would be my prioriy, rotate the squad for EL games.

 

[kaz Hirai]

jenas, bentley, defoe, Huddlestone, Dawson, GDS, Rose

assuming those lot do not get sold they should be good enough to get out of the group stages supplmented with younger players.
from the knockouts i expect us to go all out for it, it's about time we made a European final

 

[Courtneyjd]

I'd be more than happy doing what we did last season, in blooding in a few of the younger and reserve players in to the team and see how they fare.

Looks like we have a much bigger pool of players to choose from this time around, with all of the long term casualties back in training.

Getting a CL place should definitely be prioritised.

 

[Parkie]

I'd like to see the younger players get their chance but not to the extent of fielding a deliberately weakened side in any of the competitions - an approach where the full squad is used and rotated and no player feels they have an automatic right to play (except on merit - through their performances) is what we need.

 

[Monkey Bastard Hands]

I want us to go and win the Europa League. There are some quality teams in the competition - a Tottenham Vs Inter final wouldn't be so bad would it?

 

[Bus-Conductor]

The league has to be the priority, but my second priority would be the Europa over the FA or League cups. But like this:

League
-
-
-
-
Europa
-
League Cup
FA Cup


I think Redknapp got it pretty spot on re the Europa last year. Play a mixture of squad & kid players when possible. When necessary draft in a couple of first teamers to get a result. If we get past the group then treat each round with a little more seriousness.

I don't give a monkeys what he does in the two domestic cups. Unless we get to a final or semi we should just play squad/kids.

I'll take several games against the Bayern's, Barca's and Milan's of this world than a game at wembley for a bauble.

 

[marvel]

Win all 4 of the bastards

 

[parklane1]

I want to see us go all out to win it, and with a manager who does not disregard it ( unlike Redknapp) we may well do so.

 

[kazzah9]

I want to see us go all out to win it, and with a manager who does not disregard it ( unlike Redknapp) we may well do so.

And who has won it before

 

[dontcallme]

It's a harder competition than many give it credit. Utd and City discovered that last season.

I didn't like HR's plan to just throw young and unfit seniors together and hope they do something. It didn't get good performances or help the development of the players.

With proper rotation in all competitions we can compete in all of them. We don't need to drop the entire 1st team every Europa game.