Poch said he will go back to his village to become a farmer if we win the CL.
Not sure now if I really want to win the CL trophy.
Not sure now if I really want to win the CL trophy.
-
The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...
Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports
Excellent interview, I'm sure our ESP boys will read all sorts of shit from it...
Pochettino talks about Spurs’ project, Lloris handing him the World Cup and why he’s proud despite no titles.. yet
Maurico Pochettino doesn’t give many in-depth interviews to the English press, perhaps due to his own insecurities about expressing him correctly, but when he’s allowed to let loose in …spurspanyol.wordpress.com
How did you feel rejecting an offer from club like Real Madrid?
MP: The situation was difficult. It’s the dream of every coach to coach at one of the best teams that exist. And you have to say no. That’s tremendous. It generates a conflict because you know if a coach wants to leave, he leaves. But I’d just signed a new deal with Tottenham and I didn’t feel I could do anything. Daniel Levy didn’t want to accept any offers to free me from my contract and if they ask me to break my deal, I can’t do it, because that isn’t how I behave. If the chairman thinks I’m going to stay, I can’t turn my back on him. That doesn’t fit within my values. Why would it be good for a club to sign a coach who doesn’t complete his promises?
Here's the
Another handicap for Tottenham is they haven’t signed anyone. At what point does the team need reshaping in order to keep things fresh going forward?
MP: After four years, last summer a line needed to be drawn. Chances to sign players: none. Players who wanted to leave: various. They called me during the World Cup and said: “Coach, if this team wants me I’m leaving.” “Speak with the chairman.” “Yeah, but I’m telling you because I’m interested in playing for another team.” “Good, good.” And I said to the chairman: “I don’t trust the players who want to stay, not the ones who want to leave, because if they want to join a bigger club most of the time it’s because they are ambitious and want to win titles. That is the type of footballer Tottenham need because this player is going to give everything he has.” We started preseason and closed the books. Those who wanted moves didn’t get them and there were no new signings. We had a meeting and they had a couple of options. We either start from scratch or carry on from where we’ve been the last two years. We were honest with them. “Guys, everyone here is looking for something else, we all have our individual objectives.” I promised to judge them from this day forward. I wasn’t going to think that they called me to ask for a move, or if they didn’t play last season, or if they’d behaved incorrectly. “The people that work the hardest will play. I couldn’t care less what happened yesterday. If you are committed, we carry on. If not, go train with the youth team and in January we’ll look for a solution!” I promised to look at them as if they’d just joined the club. If not, it would’ve been impossible. Because if we carry over the baggage from the last four years, how do you manage that? How do you create a comfortable environment? Everyone started at the same level and that’s allowed us to be here today. What we’ve achieved is more important than winning a title.
This too...
Another handicap for Tottenham is they haven’t signed anyone. At what point does the team need reshaping in order to keep things fresh going forward?
MP: After four years, last summer a line needed to be drawn. Chances to sign players: none. Players who wanted to leave: various. They called me during the World Cup and said: “Coach, if this team wants me I’m leaving.” “Speak with the chairman.” “Yeah, but I’m telling you because I’m interested in playing for another team.” “Good, good.” And I said to the chairman: “I don’t trust the players who want to stay, not the ones who want to leave, because if they want to join a bigger club most of the time it’s because they are ambitious and want to win titles. That is the type of footballer Tottenham need because this player is going to give everything he has.” We started preseason and closed the books. Those who wanted moves didn’t get them and there were no new signings. We had a meeting and they had a couple of options. We either start from scratch or carry on from where we’ve been the last two years. We were honest with them. “Guys, everyone here is looking for something else, we all have our individual objectives.” I promised to judge them from this day forward. I wasn’t going to think that they called me to ask for a move, or if they didn’t play last season, or if they’d behaved incorrectly. “The people that work the hardest will play. I couldn’t care less what happened yesterday. If you are committed, we carry on. If not, go train with the youth team and in January we’ll look for a solution!” I promised to look at them as if they’d just joined the club. If not, it would’ve been impossible. Because if we carry over the baggage from the last four years, how do you manage that? How do you create a comfortable environment? Everyone started at the same level and that’s allowed us to be here today. What we’ve achieved is more important than winning a title.
And if Levy would have allowed offers to be accepted? Then what?
I admire his loyalty but at the same time it reads like someone being held against their will because they don't want to look like the bad guy.
And when you pair that with this...
Is the priority to earn money or win titles?
MP: The board will say they want to win titles but to do that you need to invest. Here they say: “You need to win a cup”, “you need to win a title”. And who doesn’t want to win a title? It isn’t easy to reach the semi-final of the League Cup and face Chelsea, like we did this season. We lost on penalties and the press said that the coach didn’t want to win trophies because he didn’t make the cup competitions his priority. The same happened in the Champions League. Of course we want to win! But if you look at our bench and Ajax’s.. they have Huntelaar, Dolberg. Which striker did we have on the bench in the first leg?
You start to see the bigger picture, Poch is wise to Levy, that much is evident.
Ironic you going on about the bigger picture...but only using part of that answer...here's the bit you missed...
It’s true that we are victims of our own success. When you see Barça-Liverpool it’s another level. We are competing on that level due to other circumstances: because we were brave, ambitious or because we got lucky. We’re there, but we still don’t belong at this level. Barça-Liverpool you can analyse on a football level, when both sides have almost everybody available. What can you say about Tottenham-Ajax? We have players who are pushing their limits. That’s why there’s a high risk of picking up injuries because there isn’t anyone else available.
Oooh look there's that brave word in it's full context...
That part literally has no impact on what I am saying though, he is still bemoaning our lack of activity in the market and is still saying in order to compete we need to spend money.
If anything that makes it even more damning because he is saying we have players who are pushing their limits because nobody else is available!
I don't see how that's taking things out of context? I didn't include that part because it was irrelevant.
Unless it benefits ENIC and gives them a steady profit, like you know, a shiny new stadium that can be used for things other than just football.
The thing is that we could have put a £17m striker we purchased under Poch on the bench - more expensive than anybody Ajax have EVER bought, and on bigger wages than ANYONE in their squad. But he's so shit that we didn't even register him. You can't just say "fucking Levy, where's all the money?!" when the money we have had hasn't been invested that wisely in terms of recent transfers. If Poch wanted Huntelaar, he was available on a free. If we'd identified Dolberg, he cost £250k. But instead we bought Janssen. And right now if we had another £17m I fear we'd buy another one.
He's saying, as he has ALLWAYS said, if Levy wants him gone then he's gone. Honestly EVERY single time and it's 20 times a season for the last 5yrs, he's asked about other Clubs because he's linked with other clubs. And every single time he's answered almost the same.
If you look for a negative in everything he says, then you will find a negative in everything he says. The fact remains he is here at Tottenham, held against his will, chained like a prisoner only let out for training and match days, and yet despite all the talk all the chat about him leaving his prison cell door remains unbreached for FIVE insufferable years.
For 5yrs media and some Spurs fans (I guess just like you) have been consistently doing it, year after year, month after month, week after week, day after day, inventing a fractious relationship between him and the club. Yet here we are 5 years on!!! A League Cup final, a League Cup semi-final, 2 FA Cup Semi-Finals and now a CL semi-final, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd and either a 3rd/4th in PL.
He's our longest serving manager since Burkinshaw (35yrs)!!!
I'm bored of it mate, knock yourself out, hold hands with those that think he's off, what a waste of time.
What, the bit where he says we've got to the highest level without spending is irrelevant to your point that we need to spend to get to the highest level...
We'll need to bookmark this page, that quote will be needed in the future...
Exactly. He is saying he has to keep flogging the same players because there is no one else to take their place.
I think you heard wrong, said he was going to the doctors to get his farmers sorted.
I agree with this. I don't trust his eye for a player. He has been involved in the buying of some awful trash since he came through the door.
What I envy about the way Liverpool do things is they seem to have quite a clear idea of the type of player they need to improve themselves. They don't seem to buy anyone who hasn't got terrific athleticism.
That's not me saying that, that's Poch saying it.
The way you are framing it is that the part I left out makes what he says about our lack of spending redundant, as if me leaving the rest of the quote out exhonerates Levy or somehow disproves the notion that Poch is unhappy with the way we operate.
It doesn't, he is quite clear in the fact that he wants us to spend because he wants us to win trophies which means, matching City and Liverpool, that's the only way we will ever realistically win the league or CL (barring a miracle like we might have this season.)
I mean you don't have to be a genius to understand what the man is saying, he has essentially been saying it in the press all season.
What do you believe that quote is saying?
That Poch wants to be here? Or that he is loyal because that's the sort of man he is and Levy wouldn't allow for him to talk to Madrid so he respected that and didn't kick up a fuss?
Let me highlight the telling parts of that quote...
MP: The situation was difficult. It’s the dream of every coach to coach at one of the best teams that exist. And you have to say no. That’s tremendous. It generates a conflict because you know if a coach wants to leave, he leaves. But I’d just signed a new deal with Tottenham and I didn’t feel I could do anything. Daniel Levy didn’t want to accept any offers to free me from my contract and if they ask me to break my deal, I can’t do it, because that isn’t how I behave. If the chairman thinks I’m going to stay, I can’t turn my back on him. That doesn’t fit within my values. Why would it be good for a club to sign a coach who doesn’t complete his promises?
This is about his own moral objections to going against his word with Levy which makes him a loyal decent human being but it doesn't mean if actually given the opportunity in a situation where he wouldn't feel morally conflicted about sticking to his word that he would have rejected Madrid.
Last edited:
Some of you really do over think things. Try finding a hobby or something!!
Mate, just stop putting your shit over those quotes, the parts you ignore or don't highlight are just as telling as the parts you think are important. You go on about the seeing the bigger picture yet insist on only looking at the part of that bigger picture that suits your negativity...