Transfer Rumours transfer thread fact and fiction

No those 3 are fine, I mean in general. Richarlison - big fee, Werner- big wages and a couple of others. The youngsters need time.

Look forward with optimism or fear. The facts are the facts.

 

Romero in the Argentina squad

He’s one of them type of players

 

I don't know where to begin Brian, because our views on this are so far apart. For example you think we are going backwards and I think we are going forward. That's a massive gulf. You think Ange is clueless, I think he is right in the way he wants to take the team. I don't suppose we will find agreement in these areas.

I would not describe myself as Pro-Levy I am completely against turning the sport we love into a massive business but it is what it is. All I can do there is stop following Spurs and go and watch Queen of the South, but of course it's not that easy because our football team becomes part of our identity. This is the heart of the argument we have. As you say I, like most Spurs fans, do not attend games in London. I used to when I lived in England. I was a season ticket holder during the 80's and 90's but now I don't go. There is no doubt if you go and see a game and by the time you travel, eat, buy a ticket you will have spent maybe £200, it changes your perspective. It would cost me at least £1000 to attend a game now, travelling from Scotland. If I hadn't got other things to do I might go to one or two games a year but I don't. For sure, if I had been attending games this season and watched us getting beat by Ipswich and Leicester I would be more pissed than just watching at home and turning off the TV.

A very long time ago I decided that getting depressed because Spurs lose a game was just daft. I watch the game to be entertained it's an escape from the real world. For many fans it becomes their world. I watch We are Tottenham TV with Ben & Sim for the same reason I am here on not606. It keeps me in touch with my London roots. Ben & Sim have said Spurs is their life, they eat and sleep the club. They have opposite views on our current situation Sim more like me and Ben more like you, that always has been how Spurs fans are.

Getting back to Levy, I see the positives during ENICs reign, better league positions, better stadium, and a secure financial situation. In my time I have seen Spurs nearly go broke, get relegated and as a mid table club. Fair enough, we used to win cups more often but so did lots of clubs, now it's mostly a select few of 3 or 4 clubs that hoover up the trophies. I grew up in a time when Spurs and Villa were the two most successful cup teams in England.

I think right now with Ange and Lange we are gathering together an amazing group of young players that if we keep could end up as the best Spurs team for many years. I just hope we don't rip it all up again because of a very bad run of injuries and results. This season for me is an incubation time hopefully next season Spurs will blossom.

 

I agree.

We all want the team and situation to improve.

Nobody is saying that simply wanting improvement is entitlement, and if you're getting that from what I said I'm not sure I have further capacity or sufficient intelligence to clarify the difference between wanting the situation to improve and being entitled.

The attitude of some fans though is like that of petulant children pouting and whining and claiming they have the worst parents ever, just because they didn't get the specific gift they want for Christmas when it may well be coming for their birthday in a few months, or seasons. Like absolutely nothing their parents do is worth any acknowledgement. Yes, I know Levy and the board are not parents, and the club isn't a child, but they are the current guardians, the stewards of the club, and they are trying to improve things for the club. Yes, many of their methods deserve strong criticism, and its good to hold them accountable considering how long they've been at the helm, but some arguments are simply short sighted and naive, and to me personally it's gets boring hearing the same moaning ad nauseam with the same holes in the same arguments.

In the exact same way that it's boring hearing Jamie Redknapp compare Tottenham's injuries to, this season, Bournemouth's without even considering we've played much more games, just so he can justify his obvious anti-Spurs skepticism. Or any random pundit saying 'we don't win nuffink' when we actually have won things more recently than other teams that they don't say that crap about on repeat.

If details have to be omitted from the argument to help justify the point being made, then why are we even listening?

If you're gonna say things like 'facts are facts' then please list all of the relevant facts whilst making your point so we can actually see the balance of good vs dud and understand how your point actually stands up.

You can't force top tier players to sign for a club that isn't at the top of the league, and even then, they do have choice. You must become attractive to the best players and managers. We clearly aren't quite there. Levy's attempts at getting us there have been mixed in their effectiveness, he fumbled some good opportunities, but there have been many attempts, and some of those attempts are still in play now.

The time to attract top players, annoyingly, is when you have top players. That ship sailed when Kane left, to some degree, so pivoting back to youth is not the worst idea. (One thing that is refreshing about Ange is the pivot to signing players who actually want to come to the club and working with them.)

By the nature of youth players, it's natural that there is some transition. As you rightly said, they need time. This suggests that they may be a period where we aren't in the upper echelons of the league. So be it.

So why moan and pout when we aren't in the top league for a few months as if we simply deserve to be there because, entitlement. Yes, ideally, we should have a smoother transition from a solid squad to a younger solid squad, and nobody wants to see their team drop points, but we've just come out of some turbulent times. Switching managers as we have done will do that to a squad as it twist through various requirements. Plus, we've been unlucky with injuries, and Bentancur decided to say some stupid ****. (Was that Levy's fault too? )

I haven't seen this many top tier youth come in in the same period before. This is positive to me and I look forward to how this could pan out. Archie winning young player of the year already is a positive. This Croatian defender looks solid, as does Melia, and the Korean winger.

Jury is still out on Ange, but until he has a full squad with decent backup in all areas, and players playing their correct positions, I'll reserve any major judgement.

What we need is stability. Especially around these young players.

 

To be honest it’s getting harder and harder to call van de Ven a good signing when he’s barely available. Missed 10 or 11 league games last season, already missed 18 in the league this season plus countless others in Europe and cups. There’s no denying he’s an excellent player but that’s all pointless if we actually barely see him play.

Gray and Bergvall are super talents but it’s also too early to say if they’re good signings. We’ll find that out in probably 2-3 years once they’ve matured and developed. Same applies to Odobert, Tel etc.

 

It's easy to forget that, 6 years ago, my views were mostly positive. I could see the benefit that ENIC had brought to the club. I saw a potentially positive future...

BUT

...during the build, after the failure to heed Poch's concerms and the 18 months without a signing, it was becoming all too apparent that Levy and ENIC had not a clue what came next. There's no conclusive evidence to suggest that they do now. They've appointed coaches that were clearly terrible fits for the club, Levy and the players. It was bloody obvious that Levy would fall out with Mourinho and Conte sooner rather than later. 2 spend thrifts working for a miser? It's so obviously going to fail that it beggars belief that anyone else could be that deluded to make those appointments.

Nuno was just ridiculous. They brought him in on a 2 year contract and had a cancellation clause after 1 season. The guy was ****ed from the off.

Ange shows very little sign of working and he needs putting out of his misery this summer. We'll get nowhere under his leadership.

In 24 years, Levy's single first pick coach to have done anything like a proper job is Harry. Levy appointed Santini over BMJ and wanted van Gaal over Poch. The bloke couldn't pick a winner to save his life.

I'm fully behind recruiting the top young talent. I was calling for it and a proper coach when Poch left. I'm still waiting. Most of the time, our players look lost. Any decent team can pick us apart.

I understand optimism and that hope is the best of things, but when the ship is sinking, other travel arrangements need to be made.

 

I think the appointment of Football Directors shows that ENIC accept a lot of what you are saying. Paratachi was doing a great job IMO before life caught up with him. Lange has a clear vision and I think it's worth persisting with.

Yes I do remember when you were optimistic I hope this has not translated to your personal life. I hope your love of music (or what you call music) is keeping you happy.

The way you put your case against Levy is powerful, I just see that it is not in our power to change it. As I see it Levy has used his business skills to create an increasingly profitable Spurs. In the PL era the only way to bring success is money and loads of it. You can see how they spend the money because it's a public company. In reality Spurs are a huge success. In the top 10 richest clubs in the world. Unfortunately, 5 of the even richer clubs in the world are also in the PL. 6th and no cups is our place. BUT we are close now to overtaking the income streams of at least one of the clubs and that in the end will be a game changer. You also have to remember that PL financial rules are a factor. Newcastle are now the richest club in the world but they cant spend it because of the rules. Spurs are in a better position because of Levy's fiscal nouce. As far as I can see Levy runs the best financial club in the league. He is not stupid he has recognised his football limitations by employing Lange now surely we have to see this play out.

 

I'm OK. I'm not what you'd call well. As a 61st birthday present, I found that I suffer from the Irish curse, Hereditary
Haemocromatosis. In those years, the iron overload has ruined my joints, damaged my liver and other things will reveal themselves as we go forward...

...but Mrs B and I retire in a few weeks and that means no more winters in this country. The coming winter will be spent in Spain, Cape Verde and Cambodia. With time off to see The Damned in November and December.

In June, I shall be in Glasgow to see the Sex Pistols on my 63rd birthday and back to drive the Scottish coast after Rebellion in August.

I've got to fit in double hip and knee replacements...and possibly ankles and shoulders...but such is life. I hope to ride my bike again, sometime.

I started my concerns about the direction of the club whilst in rude health and a meaningful change of direction will put a smile on my face, even if I'm in the middle of my death scene.

ENIC and Levy aren't forever, although it does feel like it sometimes. Someone will come after them/him and we can dream again. In the meantime, "He has to go...".

 

Bloody hell Brian. You will become Bionic Man. Good news about your winters and your music. Forget Levy you have my thoughts and I'm sending love for all to go well.

 

The Boot Room claim that Dean Huijsen's agents have offered him to us and Liverpool and are very keen to mention his £49m release clause to anyone who will listen, by complete coincidence at the exact same time Bournemouth are considering offering him an improved contract

 

Always back in time for them but misses too many Spurs games.

Good player on his day but his lack of availability (like Micky) is a huge issue for Spurs

 

Wouldn't be an issue if we didn't keep playing him while he was injured

Anybody fancy updating the board of players we've said that about lately?

 

It’s an issue though, Whatever that is down to.

Romero and Micky have missed far too many games in their Spurs career.

 

We seem to have a track record of playing Romero in particular when he's injured: Conte certainly did (and Romero confirmed this), and the 10,000 megaton brainfart of rushing him (and Mickey Van) back for the Chelsea game further underlines this

 

That's not the issue here though for me. He's been injured for months, yet to even appear on the bench for us, yet makes himself available for his country.
We pay his salary and he shouldn't be even considering his presence in the Argentina squad until he is back and playing for us. It's disrespectful in the extreme.

 

So Romero’s injury problems are down to multiple managers?

Wasn’t his injury against Chelsea a complete different issue to what he was suffering with before?

 

It doesn’t look like the action of someone who respects the club and intends to stay.

It is probably time to part our ways, especially if Levy's going to persist with Ange and a system that destroys centre backs. Let him go to Spain and use the money to buy 2 more. We're going to need them.

 

Injuries shouldn’t be as bad next season as likely to be a lot less Thursday/Sunday fixtures so players will get more time to rest

 

It was a hamstring injury against Chelsea, though I can't recall if it was the same one he also did under Conte

The main issue with Conte's handling was after rushing Romero back he was trying to avoid putting his weight on the leg, which caused niggling hip and thigh injuries that would have been avoidable if he'd had the time to properly recover

 

That feels almost quite wishful, we had the sixth most injuries in the Prem last season with no Europe lol.

Chelsea were the only side that also weren’t in Europe that had more injuries than us. The other 4 above us had either CL, EL or ECL to deal with.