The point being discussed was driven by the suggestion that this is going to massively enhance our status.
It hasn’t and is barely being discussed outside of our club. It’s a training complex that is it. And when Championship clubs are building complexes ( again the fact that it is still being constructed is irrelevant) like that it’s never going to be a USP for us - that’s the standard now. The top 6 all. have very good facilities - even Everton have finch farm. It’s being presented that we have a world class training complex whilst everyone else has ports cabins and muddy pitch.
And it’s not a major driver behind player decisions - the vast majority of transfer activity occurs in the final weeks of the window. Do you honestly believe that footballers will have the capacity to visit each respective clubs training ground when preseason is occurring ?
Do you think VDV cared much when he turned up at Spurs Lodge when signed for us in the final stages of the window when he had been used to Real Madrid’s facilities. Of course he didn’t - you only have to see how he speaks about us to see it had no bearing on his time at the club.
And Hotspur Way and no bearing on William who was there before going to Chelsea ( despite Cobum being inferior) when he found out about their interest.
I’m not even going to get involved with that United PSG comment because that’s another clear sign of someone distorting reality to create another comfort narrative for themselves.
Well, I'm NOT talking about our status being massively enhanced by the Training Ground. I stating that it is vital to our position of a team that is trying to break into the elite group of clubs. You can't be an elite club if you don't have an elite training ground, you can't call yourself an elite club if you don't have an elite Stadium, you can't call yourself elite if you don't have elite squad, elite manager.
You say no one is talking about Hotspur Way!! That actually is utter bollocks, it's spoken about all the time within the media, and now the media are talking about the stadium too! Go onto rival fans forums and many of them are talking about our facilities with envy, some even have dedicated threads, just as they do on the Stadium too!
You also say all the top 6 have a great training ground, of course, they fucking do, that's the point, we do now! We've joined them and gone past them, ours is better. Does this enable us to sign a player? NO!! Does it demonstrate that we are a serious club? Absolutely it fucking does, it's real, it's not an architect drawing or a Club Chairmans fantasy?
Fucking Hell you don't half think in straight lines. I don't think you read what I wrote, only picked out the bits you want to fight with, missing out the ones that clearly state that they DON'T sign because of the Training Ground. Let's face it you are here only to exist to create a row.
1. Players sign because of the contract offered to them
2. Players want to go to the best club they possibly can. This is subjective based on the player's age, what playing time they think they can achieve, where they are at in their careers (on the way up, at their peak, on the way down - VDV was on the way down!!). Join a prestige Club is different than "best" club too but may or may not have an effect on their decision and how it affects their CV.
3. All the top clubs have great Training Grounds - Ours enables us to compete with them. I guarantee you if we have a shit one we wouldn't be competing with those that do (we never have before is my evidence to this). In fact, ALL the Clubs with great training Grunds also promote the fuck out of them too, just as we are. It's an arms race, all clubs trying to proport they are the best, or they have the best. Tottenham is now in this arms race, this big swinging dick race.
4. You've completely ignored our marginal gains that the Training Ground presents to those elite athletes looking for that edge. This is real.
5. It's not only players that this impacts on but the staff that work there, the best facilities will attract the best coaches, best medical staff. There were a couple of jobs posted on the OS for roles at The Lodge, they were looking for people who have had experience in working at a Top Hotel, they want the best in the business to provide those staying the best support and attention.
6. You say it does affect a players decision, yet Spurs where they can try to get the player to visit the site before they sign. We did this with Son, Ndombele recently, others too. Why not meet them in a hotel? Why not us fly out to met them in their country? Was it the reason they signed for us? NO!!!! Did it impress them, probably? Also, remember we don't have the greatest of rep in Europe, we haven't been in CL up until recently, we aren't an established big roller in Europe, maybe players have preconceived ideas of what we are? Maybe they think we are 3rd or 4th tier football club with facilities to match? Maybe those preconceived ideas vanish when they get to see what we have. Just makes them "feel" better, "feel" good about their decision.
(Willian had NO say in what club he wanted to join, this decision was made for him and completely out of his control, he joined Chelsea because they took Eto, then the Worlds highest-paid player in at the time of the books of the club where the owner was getting out). BTW Cobham isn't inferior, it doesn't possess a lodge but everything else is pretty much the same as ours, it's elite, so even if this was important to him he wasn't going to inferior facilities, so I simply don't get your argument here, we have elite facilities and they have elite facilities).
You don't want to get involved in us competing with PSG and Utd and getting the player to come here instead of them, but introduce Willian to make a comment!! Stop trying to "win" agreements by typing shit. It's OK to admit that you are guessing with what you say and that maybe things are simply not black and white. That there is a reason why football clubs are building better and better facilities for a reason other than ROI.
It's a part of the pitch, it's part of the validation, it's part of the dick measuring. It's NOT the sole reason, but in many cases, neither is the contract, just ask our players who could all double their contracts elsewhere.