Being 7th and 8th is quite normal for a club in the top 6, especially for a recent arrival at this status. Our average league performance is slightly above financial expectations over many years so any claim that we've done badly on recruitment compared to the others doesn't hold up.
Last 20 years I’d agree but realistically anything beyond the last 5 years, if that, is almost irrelevant to the current state of play.
Our recruitment over the last 5-6 years is why we’ve not done as well as expected and why we’re not as good as I think some believe we are. The bad recruitment was also somewhat plastered over by having Kane for as long as we did - and to a slightly lesser extent, Son. Two players basically single handedly kept Spurs relatively competitive for the best part of 3-4 years.
Because we could have a genuine chance of winning it and creating an ever lasting memory. If we go into the Champions League next season we’d likely not make it out of the newly formatted league phase.
Agreed but your initial point to CK was saying we have remained top six in recent years, which wasn’t true, hence citing the 7th and 8th spots in the last three seasons.
So why not get relegated and enjoy winning the Championship or better still let's win the play off and get a game at Wembley. I want us to be at the highest level possible.
That’s simply an opinion of yours. I would absolutely love to win the Europa League. As I’m sure almost every team that isn’t a very select few would.
OK DH I should have said, on average to be entirely accurate. I think the point still stands because poor recruitment beyond the normal would have led to a steady decline. Last 15 years 4, 5, 4, 5, 6, 5, 3, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 4, 8, 5. So our average position over that 15 years is 4.73 Better than I thought and suggesting that our recruitment and Managers have exceeded the top 6 expectation.
I though this was about opinions....but if we are in it we should try to win it and I will certainly enjoy it if we do. But I'd still rather try to get into the senior competition.
On average I agree, we’ve done a solid job. But realistically of those 15 years, only really the last 3-5 are relevant as no one from 15 years ago is still here playing and so that far back has little to no bearing on where we’re currently at. As for recruitment, as I said in a few posts back our recruitment over the last 5-6 years (probably longer in fact) has largely been very bad but where we had a bit of fortune was having Kane and Son who done their best at papering over those mistakes as best as they could over the last 3-4 years. Not every club is blessed to have such players to consistently bail them out, especially as one was developed right here.
Of course but that’s where you and I disagree as you seemingly have a lot of disregard for the Europa League as if it’s beneath us, I however believe that it is currently our level and we should try walking before running. Going into the Champions League next season is very much likely going to bring a lot of disappointment, I genuinely don’t think we’d get out of the League phase unless we had an absolutely 10/10 window with about 6 very, very good signings.
I think our first choice XI with everyone fit and on form could be competitive in the CL. But that’s not how football works in reality and the squad as a whole is a way off being able to support a competitive CL campaign while staying where we need it to in the league. I’d love to get 4th but (and we’ve seen this from multiple clubs over the years, most recently Newcastle) it can be a bridge too far for some teams in terms of their development cycles. Ange coming in was, to me, a long-awaited hard reset back to the club having a clear identity on the pitch and strategy off it to support the team. A lot of the stuff behind the scenes seems to be in place now but we’re probably another year away from having a squad deep and good enough to support us on 4 fronts. I think EL football next year would be good for us.
I really don’t think we have a genuine chance of winning the Europa nor the CL. So we might as well aim (although unlikely to happen) for the CL and give the players a chance to play in the CL as they all want this. The players don’t want the Europa tournament. Plus it makes us a more attractive proposition for new signings, a chance to play against the elites and bring us more money that can be invested in the club. A win win and more!
Or by the owners injecting money into the club that the club treats as a loan from an external party, and repays it as/when they actually can.
While players want to play in the CL and obviously it generates revenue for the club I think there’s an element of realism that there are several bigger fish in the pond than Spurs right now. Our recruitment is going to be for the foreseeable to pick up players from underappreciated markets or younger players who can develop. Even if we could afford to shop in the same bracket as City or Liverpool, the competition for those players is one we’re unlikely to win. If the players don’t want EL to the point of not even trying in that competition then that speaks to a far bigger issue at the club that is more likely to reflect the attitude of the coaches and club hierarchy than the players themselves. We should expect players to be motivated every time they wear the shirt and anyone showing the opposite attitude or enabling others to do the same has no business being around an elite sporting environment.
