Well we were on the cusp for a few years, we finally made the breakthrough and secured a top 4 spot the same year City got their money, by the following season City's big money signings had settled and our years of hard work were all undone, we found ourselves back on the cusp as a new financially doped club took what I believe was our rightful place in the top 4.
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Well we were on the cusp for a few years, we finally made the breakthrough and secured a top 4 spot the same year City got their money, by the following season City's big money signings had settled and our years of hard work were all undone, we found ourselves back on the cusp as a new financially doped club took what I believe was our rightful place in the top 4.
Lazy Forum reply-ism!!
I do know what you mean, why should a newspaper particularly 'like' or favour one club over another... and don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting 'Rose-tinted Spurs Monthly' comments from them, 'cos that would be as skewed in our favour, as it would being a bit harsh on us...
FFS, Sky have Thierry Henry/Charlie Nicholarse/Paul Merson purring over ArseAnal every week!!
...but you have to say, when it comes to not only the ES, but BBC London as well (although they do seem to cover most of our games) when you have a pundit like Tony 'Ammer' Gale on there, who clearly despises us, it's hard not to form the opinion that to the Papers/Media, they don't particularly care if they come across as skewed... even if it gets in the way of formulated opinion!
We haven't been that good this season but still there is a level standard that is quite high now especially in defence. I kind of get the feeling tactically we are at a cross roads, Poch seems from the outside torn between idealism and pragmatism.
Ideally he would play 4141or at least 4231 with main priority being the a rotating dynamic attacking force behind Kane but while we have good attacking players we don't have a point of difference like Liverpool who have the pace of Mane, the explosiveness of Coutinho etc which often makes us to predictable to play against. In an ideal world we would have a Sanchez and Isco to make us devastating with this system.
Our squad is built for a 3412 or 3421 type system. We have wonderful ball playing centre backs and full backs as good as wingers, that is where our strength lies not our AM's who are good but not great. We have now played this twice this season and a few times last season and I feel this may become more common. Not sure this is Poch's ideal solution but if it suits the players then perhaps he may make this more permanent.
When you look at managers you get extremes. Redknapp was the arch pragmatist, if a team was weak he would go for the throat, strong he would sit back, our level and we would go toe to toe. Guardiola on the other than is the arch idealist, one way of playing. I have always felt Poch was more Guardiola than Redknapp (not referring to ability) but there is increasing signs of flexibility and for a team that cannot spend £300 million building the ideal team it's welcome in my view.
Personally until we get a greater variety of attackers 3412 should be the route we go down if we are to progress with the current squad.
Ideally he would play 4141or at least 4231 with main priority being the a rotating dynamic attacking force behind Kane but while we have good attacking players we don't have a point of difference like Liverpool who have the pace of Mane, the explosiveness of Coutinho etc which often makes us to predictable to play against. In an ideal world we would have a Sanchez and Isco to make us devastating with this system.
Our squad is built for a 3412 or 3421 type system. We have wonderful ball playing centre backs and full backs as good as wingers, that is where our strength lies not our AM's who are good but not great. We have now played this twice this season and a few times last season and I feel this may become more common. Not sure this is Poch's ideal solution but if it suits the players then perhaps he may make this more permanent.
When you look at managers you get extremes. Redknapp was the arch pragmatist, if a team was weak he would go for the throat, strong he would sit back, our level and we would go toe to toe. Guardiola on the other than is the arch idealist, one way of playing. I have always felt Poch was more Guardiola than Redknapp (not referring to ability) but there is increasing signs of flexibility and for a team that cannot spend £300 million building the ideal team it's welcome in my view.
Personally until we get a greater variety of attackers 3412 should be the route we go down if we are to progress with the current squad.
Dream on brother .
I can see also that your views come from a good place, a place of loyalty.
But I think that saying we should be finishing in the top four/winning cups just because we are Spurs is the kind of entitlement that people call out Liverpool fans for having. Of course I think we're special. But every club's fans think their own club is special. It does not and can not translate into trophies/success.
What have we achieved? It's clear. We have a great team, a great manager. We challenged for the league title last year. With a bit of luck or a bit more maturity (Kane's shot that hit the bar against Leicester at home, Chadli daydreaming after Alli's goal at Leicester away) we might have won it. Well maybe this is because I was brought up on 90s Spurs but this is something I never thought I'd ever see. Just finishing in the top 4 or top 6 is success when you look at all the facts and what we are up against. It may not be a trophy (and I'd rather see us win a trophy) but I don't think success can only be measured in trophies, otherwise you'd say that AFC Wimbledon rising from the lowest league to League One is not success.
By luck we should stumble onto a decent side? This is a decent side. Redknapp's side was a decent side. Nowadays sadly the cups are undervalued, but if this was the 70s/80s I'm sure we would have won a couple of cups rather than putting our energies into the league. I wasn't around then (well in the 80s I was, but aged 0-5, was born in 85) but I would wager this side is as good as some of the sides we had back then, in relative terms (compared to the opposition of the time).
By natural progress we should be finishing in the top four? But everyone else is also naturally progressing...and they have a lot more assets to ease that progression.
fucking bellend !!!!
Bottomline is we are one of the most tactically diverse teams in the League, not bad for also being the youngest team in the league!!!
Tom Huddlestone
"They [Spurs] have improved the squad definitely from last season and they came close last season.
The Manchester clubs and Chelsea are obviously doing well but they are all going to go through a bad spell. It is who has the worse bad spell.
I think this team are probably a bit more organised than the good teams I played in here. Pochettino has got them playing the right way and they have got three or four different systems they can play. It all looks good for the future."
The context of Huddlestone's comments are they would have sat down before the game and tried to workout their game plan, how do they or any team cope with a side that can change their formation (and play all of them competently) so frequently and with in general gain positive results from it. (Some of our draws are not looking so shabby given where those teams are now in the league and we were away from home for many too).
patronising and daft reply to be perfectly honest.
There was nothing in my response to you that isn't self evident or well documented.
Money in sport buys better equipped humans to play the game and provides them with the best coaches, training, methods, support and back up.
It ain't rocket science.
don't be ridiculous - fancy suggesting that capability exists at Tottenham!
You only have to look on any of the match threads to see TFC's host of experts constantly bemoaning the "lack of a plan B" and the paucity of team selection.
We've won the title twice. We all know when the last one was.....Spurs should be challenging for titles every year, yes.....so should Hull though. Thats the point, win every game.
The reality is a tad different though. Historically we are a cup team, and we became world famous for it, so trying to measure progress by title challenges is off the mark. Last year was our first for 30 years.
Id like to see us challenge, and I dont think we're far off, but Id happily prioritise the cups now.
As Guido pointed out, we are becoming more flexible with systems...also, if we had these injuries last year we would have finished mid table, but now, that extra depth has kept us right in it for months, despite the expected flaws.....so have the signings been so bad? Really?
If people stop looking at last season and this, as if football ends forever in May, then they will see how irrelevent the whole "gone backwards" argument really is. Everyone screams about longevity, but not everyone can see the building blocks for the next decade are being put down.
The reality is a tad different though. Historically we are a cup team, and we became world famous for it, so trying to measure progress by title challenges is off the mark. Last year was our first for 30 years.
Id like to see us challenge, and I dont think we're far off, but Id happily prioritise the cups now.
As Guido pointed out, we are becoming more flexible with systems...also, if we had these injuries last year we would have finished mid table, but now, that extra depth has kept us right in it for months, despite the expected flaws.....so have the signings been so bad? Really?
If people stop looking at last season and this, as if football ends forever in May, then they will see how irrelevent the whole "gone backwards" argument really is. Everyone screams about longevity, but not everyone can see the building blocks for the next decade are being put down.
I like what Poch is doing, we need players to compete for their spots in key positions the side and not assume they will be picked, it keeps them hungry!
People need to realise us trying to win the top 6 league is like Bournemouth finishing 7th and winning the "rest of the league" as there are many other teams with much more resources than us, like Bournemouth we rely on philosophy, management, youth and hunger to compete
The stadium should last longer than that - surely?
If we're falling short though, who isn't, and how can we do what they do instead?
Yes, the top 6 is a mini-league, but we're bringing a knife to a gun fight every time, and will continue to do so until the new stadium is finished. If we should be achieving more, then where are we missing out, and how can we do better at it?
It's easy to want more, and we all do. But wanting more, and doing more are entirely different things, and the latter demands a concrete plan of action. So what would that be?
I'm not sure that the new stadium will be the start of a period of massive squad enhancements, the costs of completion will ravage the team for years, as money will be channeled into servicing the debt, at the expense of team development
We seem to be moving forward at the moment. We have a good team/squad-coach and all the rest of it. Its not about this or last season. You build over many years and allow things to develop. I do not want to dwell too much on the pass but we have had opportunities to push on but failed to take them. We are in a good place at the moment and hopefully we will get better-however that is.
I can only agree with you although I reserve the right to be disappointed in where, I believe we should be.
Anyway , my initial reaction was in reflection to the article, feeling there was no point to it because why should I be forever grateful for where we are, i want more and there is no reason why I shouldn't expect more..
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I cant agree fully, yes the gulf is wide and money is key. We have money - we just do not seem to spend it wisely. we seem to spread the money on many players rather than the one or two who might just give us the edge. I honestly believe we could have been title challengers this season-it may still happen. We have a decent side and this includes Wanyama, a new signings?
I disagree with, we cant get better as we are. You can try harder and get better performances out of players. it can be achieved with the same personnel. Some coaches have the ability to get players to play better. Maybe Pouch is doing that with us at the moment- It does happen.