Yes they were, but that was down to playing in so many comps with a threadbare squad thanks to an embarrassing lack of backing in the transfer market. We basically had the best team in the league arguably, but one of the worst squads, even Leicester had more back-up strikers than us. Every year was the same, come the back-end of the season our lads were shagged. It took ages to convince the little bald prick that to succeed a decent bench is required.
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The expectations on him are going to be through the roof, people are going to expect us to get back to the 2016/17 level, I think it's going to be more difficult for him this time around as the league has improved now and last time he needed a season for his style to really bed in, the problem is that we have a team who haven't been playing with any sort of press and intensity.
He will be starting off with a better squad at least though and I guess he and the board will no what to expect off each other so the issues with transfers and backing won't be huge.
He will be starting off with a better squad at least though and I guess he and the board will no what to expect off each other so the issues with transfers and backing won't be huge.
But what is it saying?
That's highly questionable
Whatever you want it to. That's the meme.
Is that article written by a 12-year old or a Woolwich fan??
Oops sorry, they are the same thing!
I think he's actually one of us!
Another point about Poch and expectations is that when he came to Southampton and then Spurs, he brought a style of play and intensity with him that wasn't the norm.
The same with Klopp.
Now a lot of teams are recruiting runners and athletes that can play a similar style and a lot of teams have coaches that can bring that type of intensity out of their team. Somehow Liverpool, City and now woolwich always seem to be that bit more intense, so Poch will need to have spent his time off studying the game for ways to get the same advantages that those 3 and now even UTD have. Especially when you add in that those clubs will likely also get the smaller advantages for fixtures, media perception and officiating.
Still up for Poch coming back but not expecting it to change the status quo.
One important factor that nudges me towards "Poch in" is that we already have number of very promising young and youngish players - Gil, Sarr, Spence, Udogie, Skippy, Kulusevski. And I am dead-certain that he could get tune out of Bissouma and Richie. Now add to that quality players that are Kane and Romero.
Basically we need two good CBs and an AM and we could be flying.
Our current squad is a rancid mess
When Poch first came in , He had a young pressing version of Kane , Eriksen , Dembele , Vertonghen, Prime Hugo , Rose , Walker etc
granted he was able to improve many of them but I can't see him getting a tune out of many of the current clowns
A rancid mess? lol Good Lord over exaggerating much?
The only thing that's a mess is the defence, we probably need 2 new CB's and a creative mid, the full backs are already in and the forward line can be molded to press especially Rich/Kulu/Danjuma.
At the moment hardly any of our players are playing to their potential which incidentally was the same case when Poch came in - he had the post Sherwood versions who were all under performing.
Very similar to when he first joined; a squad with some potential quality players surrounded by a lot of shite.
You missed out Emerson
Nice try but way too soon.
I was also on the fence, but to the quality players list I have to add Bentancur. I don't think he is that extremely brilliant as some suggest here. And not on Kane level. But if he recovers fully, there is potential.
So to revise my initial list -
young guns with lot of promise - Gil, Sarr, Spence, Udogie, Skippy, Kulusevski (+with some reservation White who seemed like a proper baller!)
proven quality - Kane, Romero, Bentancur
Players that can be used so much more efficiently - Bissouma, Richie, Son (based on this season and current form ofc)
Squad players who have smaller or bigger role going forward - Hjojberg, Davies
Questionmarks - Royal (consistency; though should be better in back 4), Perisic (age and pace; though adds lot of experience), Porro (getting up to speed to the league; depending on our formation).
So I got to 18 players.
That is quite a foundation already.
And it leaves out long list out of whom some might surprise us (and not all of them can be moved on at once) - Lloris, Forster, Dier, Sanchez, Sessegnon, Tanganga, Regulion, Winks, LoCelso, Ndombele, Rodon (10 players in total). Or we could get some money to fund new transfers.
I forgot first pick GK to list as well.
So when we'd have -
GK: new GK + Forster
CB: Romero, Davies, New CB1, New CB2 and most likely Dier (hopefully last resort option)
FB: Royal, Udogie, Spence, Porro, Perisic
CM: Bentancur, PEH, Sarr, Skipp, Bissouma, White
AM: Gil, Kulusevski, new AM
ST/RW/LW: Kane, Son, Richie, most likely another option from list of Danjuma, Parrott, Scarlett
EXACTLY 25 players btw!
So it would mean just 4 players (that have to be ALL top quality; so we are talking 200 mil outlay) - it does not seem unrealistic at all actually. Young and raw team, but loads of potential.
Nah Emerson is fine, he's clearly turned the corner.
Besides he was always a decent full back, the issue has always been whether he can play as a wing back.
I'm trusting him a hell of a lot more than Djed Spence at the moment anyway.
A rancid mess in the top 4 (for now) and the Champs Leg (for now)??
If your expectation is to win the prem and CL, then maybe the squad is a rancid mess but if we accept that Top 4 and a cup run is probably the ceiling for a club like Spurs, it's clear this squad is capable of that and has already achieved them.
This squad without Kane is a completely different question.
Agree with everything you say there, but this bit gave me a wry smile:
And it leaves out long list out of whom some might surprise us (and not all of them can be moved on at once) - Lloris, Forster, Dier, Sanchez, Sessegnon, Tanganga, Regulion, Winks, LoCelso, Ndombele, Rodon (10 players in total).
It really would be quite a surprise if any of those turned out to be a long-term-future big success for us!
But as I say, absolutely agree with your thrust - the more I think about it, the more I think our existing squad actually seems nicely set-up for a Poch improvement project. (Not by any clever long-term planning admittedly, but hey ho, our lack of consistent direction manager-wise is another matter...).