We Are A Well-Run Club

[Thelonious]

Sorry, but for me this is straining credulity a bit far. We sweep the transfer dealings under the carpet, as you put it, because we don't think this is FIFA but real life, and we appreciate that Levy is trying like hell to sign better quality than we have and we know that this is not easy. We don't have enough money to pay for them and other clubs who have more money also want them, so we are fucked. I am gobsmacked at what he has managed to do, for a club of our relatively small stature it is incredible that he manages to bring players like Berbatov, VDV, Modric to the club. What he has managed to pull off the window is unbelievable.
Of course he leaves it to the last minute, it's called brinkmanship and it means we can buy better players than we could otherwise afford. It's also gambling, as we can end up with nothing and be forced to buy a basement bargain. But he pulls off a coup more often than I expect.
To imagine we can live with the like of the Sky 4 by getting players early in a window is just fantasy.

That's not really what I've said now is it? We had the money to buy better players than Nelsen and Saha, we also had the entire summer to get players in and bed them in before a season starts. I'm not expecting us to compete with Chelsea and Man City in terms of money and what we can offer.

To paint a picture as if this isn't his fault in any shape or form is sweeping it under the carpet.

 

[RSpurs]

That's not really what I've said now is it? We had the money to buy better players than Nelsen and Saha, we also had the entire summer to get players in and bed them in before a season starts. I'm not expecting us to compete with Chelsea and Man City in terms of money and what we can offer.

To paint a picture as if this isn't his fault in any shape or form is sweeping it under the carpet.

Of course it is. You are saying get rid of the strategy that brings us better players than we can afford, and instead go and buy mediocre players that we can afford early in the window so I can be satisfied and not worry that we'll be left with nothing at the end of the window.

We ended up having to buy Nelsen and Saha because we spent the entire summer trying to buy players we couldn't afford at prices we could afford. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Of course it is his FAULT if you want to call aiming high a fault. It is club policy (you really shouldn't be painting it as individuals ideas) to do this, and IMO it is a damn good policy that is responsible for us being where we are, whereas if we had done what you want we would be a mid-table team - IMO of course. Because club policy gets us better players than we would otherwise get.

 

[Thelonious]

Of course it is. You are saying get rid of the strategy that brings us better players than we can afford, and instead go and buy mediocre players that we can afford early in the window so I can be satisfied and not worry that we'll be left with nothing at the end of the window.

We ended up having to buy Nelsen and Saha because we spent the entire summer trying to buy players we couldn't afford at prices we could afford. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Of course it is his FAULT if you want to call aiming high a fault. It is club policy (you really shouldn't be painting it as individuals ideas) to do this, and IMO it is a damn good policy that is responsible for us being where we are, whereas if we had done what you want we would be a mid-table team - IMO of course. Because club policy gets us better players than we would otherwise get.

We'll never agree on this. I refuse to believe we can't get decent quality players early in a window. I also refuse to believe that waiting until the final day of a transfer window, to get better value, while Spurs falter in the league is sensible.

 

[RSpurs]

Fair enough and good answer

Don't forget there are loads of other clubs trying to do exactly the same as us, and all the selling clubs want to leave it as long as possible to bring in somebody to make it an auction.

 

[ArcspacE]

IMO, Levy's defenders always seem to sweep a lot of things under the carpet. The last 3 seasons, we've been late with transfers, it's almost like our season doesn't start until September. A lot of this has to be down to Levy, Redknapp took some of the blame for Saha and Nelsen but Levy gets away scot-free? I understand he didn't want to bankroll Redknapp but to buy those 2 players and come away spotless is some Teflon Don shit.

FWIW, I don't hate Levy, just highlighting things that for me has harmed his legacy. There are valid arguments against them (Stratford was a ploy, we need to rip fans off because of our limited capacity, etc) but I stand by my points.

Not sure why you need to polarise views with 'defenders' and 'haters' - I'm not a Levy defender - I think you may well be generalising here, but want to point out how absolutely turgid shit we were only 10-15 years ago, flirting with fucking relegation (!) compared to what our squad looks like now and the fact we are able to compete for CL spots with G14 clubs who turn-over 3-4 times our wage-roll. Perspective please, mate.

Speaking of the last 5-6 years - that's without mentioning having had Berbatov and Modric (two top class players in their prime) in addition to what could well be the 3rd best player in the world currently playing for us. In addition to Lloris, Soldado, Adebayor, Dembele, 2 Brazilian starters, etc.That is astute business, imv - and yes for every Bale and Modric there would be a Rebrov and Bentley but every big club out there has had shockers in their transfer dealings. His 'record' is definitely more hit than miss, imv.

I also believe we have a long term planning strategy, not only as far as management goes (appointing AVB instead of Mark Hughes or Mick McCarthy) but also as far our new stadium precinct. Look at our new training facility - absolutely top of the fold, and hopefully a sign of much more to come. Imagine what draw card that holds to potential signings

These are really exciting times to be a Spurs fan, and yes Levy isn't blameless and I have many a times criticised some of his transfer dealings but ultimately I would like to believe he's doing it for the best of the club and if he wants to save a few million from a greedy cunting club / agent and takes 3 weeks longer - then so be it - if the end result means brining the French national captain or one of Brazil's young talents. As mentioned earleir - for me the positives far outweigh the negatives and if he was to leave tomorrow - I'd class him without a doubt as our best chariman in decades.

 

[Thelonious]

Not sure why you need to polarise views with 'defenders' and 'haters' - I'm not a Levy defender - I think you may well be generalising here, but want to point our how absolutely turgid shit we were only 10-15 years compared to what our squad looks like now. Speaking of the last 5-6 years - that's without mentioning having had Berbatov and Modric (two top class players in their prime) in addition to what could well be the 3rd best player in the world currently playing for us. In addition to Lloris, Soldado, Adebayor, Dembele, 2 Brazilian starters, etc.That is astute business, imv - and yes for every Bale and Modric there would be a Rebrov and Bentley but every big club out there has had shockers in their transfer dealings.

I also believe we have a long term planning strategy, not only as far as management goes (appointing AVB instead of Mark Hughes or Mick McCarthy) but also as far our new stadium precinct. Look at our new training facility - absolutely top of the fold, and hopefully a sign of much more to come.

These are really exciting times to be a Spurs fan, and yes Levy isn't blameless and I have many a times criticised some of his transfer dealing but ultimately I would like to believe he's doing it for the best of the club and if he wants to save a few million from a greedy cunting club / agent and takes 3 weeks longer - then so be it - if the end result means brining the French national captain or one of Brazil's young talents. As mentioned earleir - for me the positives far outweigh the negatives and if he was to leave tomorrow - I'd class him without a doubt as our best chariman in decades.

I don't think he's a bad chairman, merely pointing out what his negatives are for me.

We started last season with Defoe and Kane up front, bringing in Dembele, Lloris and an unfit Adebayor once the season had started. This isn't something I can or will ever possibly defend.

 

[Mister Clark]

I don't think he's a bad chairman, merely pointing out what his negatives are for me.

We started last season with Defoe and Kane up front, bringing in Dembele, Lloris and an unfit Adebayor once the season had started. This isn't something I can or will ever possibly defend.

For you, what are the positives?

 

[Thelonious]

For you, what are the positives?

he wears nice glasses

 

[Dannyboy]

As with so many things, there isn't a definitive answer when it comes to Levy & co. If there was then you'll likely find the split between support for and against him almost be 50-50.

It must be difficult to be a businessman who also has a personal affinity to the club. Steve Parish at Palace was on radio last season saying he has to now be a businessman and can no longer be a supporter. That, I think is where Levy will always rub some fans up the wrong way, he removes emotion from his job (seemingly).

I wish I was able to say I am on this side of the fence or the other but I can see the good and bad - and am thankful we are where we are as a Club.

 

[Super Jan Fan]

When I was a kid we were average at best, and the future didn't look that promising.
Now:
- Best player in the league is ours
- Lots of talented players throughout the team
- Decent manager
- The squad is getting there, and is certainly miles better than ever before
- Great training facilities
- Good commercial and exposure acitivies
- Good (and ever improving) sponsorship deals and revenues
- Beating Man United at last
- Regularly beating Woolwich
- Played in the CL and more to come
- Stadium on it's way (has taken longer than it should, but it does look like it's probably going to happen soon)
- Arguably a better team and squad than Woolwich
- Genuinely able to beat any team in the league this coming season (no foregone conclusion that we will lose a match)
- No crippling debts or obvious worries about our future as a club

These are just some of the improvements in recent years. There have been one or two fuck ups too, but that list would be shorter IMO. The biggest positive for me is the last one. Some of my family are Pompey fans and they have just come through a nightmare which means they finally got rid of bad owners, but not before they drove their club into the ground and almost destroyed it completely. They are happy to have a club left at the end of it, in any division frankly, so we are very fortunate to be secure and well run and not have those substaintial worries. There are many clubs in the Prem where fans can not be feeling so secure, even if right now things aren't dire. So am I happy with the way the club is run, overall? Fuck yeah!

 

[Belgian Spur]

I don't think he's a bad chairman, merely pointing out what his negatives are for me.

We started last season with Defoe and Kane up front, bringing in Dembele, Lloris and an unfit Adebayor once the season had started. This isn't something I can or will ever possibly defend.

but we bought Vertonghen early on

 

[Thelonious]

but we bought Vertonghen early on

and Sigurdsson..... If you're gonna par me, do it properly.

2 players early, 4 players late in that window.

 

[Spanish Spur]

@ ArcspacE
If it wasn't for heroic solo efforts from David Ginola and Jurgen Klinsmann coming back and scoring a shed load of crucial goals in the last few games of the season we would have been relegated, I'm sure of that. If I remember rightly we had to play Wimbeldon 3 times in a week or something like that as well as deal with a relegation battle. We probably would have come back up again fairly quickly but you never know.

 

[ArcspacE]

@ ArcspacE
If it wasn't for heroic solo efforts from David Ginola and Jurgen Klinsmann coming back and scoring a shed load of crucial goals in the last few games of the season we would have been relegated, I'm sure of that. If I remember rightly we had to play Wimbeldon 3 times in a week or something like that as well as deal with a relegation battle. We probably would have come back up again fairly quickly but you never know.

Is this a question or criticism, apologies?

 

[Spanish Spur]

Is this a question or criticism, apologies?

just reminiscing since earlier you said we had been flirting with relegation 10-15 years ago and I figured you were talking about 97/98. Do you remember that season? It lives on in my nightmares along with Gerry Francis' haircut and a Swiss fitness nazi named Fritz.

 

[ArcspacE]

just reminiscing since earlier you said we had been flirting with relegation 10-15 years ago and I figured you were talking about 97/98. Do you remember that season? It lives on in my nightmares along with Gerry Francis' haircut and a Swiss fitness nazi named Fritz.

Don't scratch those wounds, mate - I've tried hard to forget, haha

Started following in 94/95 - there were some dark days indeed

 

[Belgian Spur]

and Sigurdsson..... If you're gonna par me, do it properly.

2 players early, 4 players late in that window.

haha i wasnt parring you , it just occured to me

 

[ArcspacE]

and Sigurdsson..... If you're gonna par me, do it properly.

2 players early, 4 players late in that window.

I don't think it can always be that black and white - perhaps those players' deals could only be finalised then, agents were stalling, player was waiting to see who else we buy, etc.

Many clubs do business late in the window, not us only :harrylick:

 

[Thelonious]

haha i wasnt parring you , it just occured to me

:adebaehug:

 

[Thelonious]

I don't think it can always be that black and white - perhaps those players' deals could only be finalised then, agents were stalling, etc. Many clubs do business late in the window, not us only

Seems to happen to us more than anyone else.