I never thought that a game that we had no involvement in could have such massive implications for us. So now that Chelsea have managed to do the unthinkable and win the Champions League by playing a brand of football that us Spurs fans could never comprehend, now we have to face the same humiliation felt by Bastian Schweinsteiger and wonder what could have happened if we hit the target we were "really" aiming for. I can't ever remember a season like this one. Forget the title challenge or the eventual final day drama. I mean the huge roller coaster that we had to endure. Seriously... what other teams in the past have had to go through all of this on one season... 1) Our manager goes off for heart surgery, leaving the back room staff in charge 2) Our manager goes off to court, leaving the back room staff in charge 3) Our manager courts the England job, leaving us p***ing in the wind 4) Our manager doesn't get the England job, and acts like it's no big deal he didn't get it. 5) Our season goes from boom to bust! There's been numerous discussion on Harry and his mouth and most of us agree, that he is the king of excuses when things go wrong and full of bounce when things right. I can only begin to imagine the pointless and diversionary drivel that will start to surface in the gutter press over the coming weeks. Finishing fourth as though it was always his target, regardless of the numerous times he utters the words "I want third". How players could leave even though he recently stated that "we're building and can't sell our best players". I'm actually really glad that we have an international tournament this summer, only to divert the attention away from us, even if it is only for a few measly weeks. And wouldn't it be great if England had a successful tournament to really take the spotlight away from our Manager who still gets mentioned in the press, regardless of the fact that Roy Hodgson is our man now and we should back him. But no... I can only predict that Harry will unwisely take up his post as a pundit for the BBC. We have a bad match or two and everyone turns to him to ask... "so Harry, what would you be doing in this situation if you were the manager". England gets knocked out and the press merry-go-round starts all over again, with fans calling for Hodgson's head before he's even got his feet under the table. From this past season of all seasons, I have really learned that you don't get what you deserve in football, you get what you pay for. So as we all wake up to the extreme disappointment of last nights uncontrollable result, I feel we have a really bumpy season to look forward to and I have to wonder if Redknapp staying is the best way to maintain stability as our Chairman appears to have implied in his recent letter to the fans. If he stays, I can only see another 12 months of pain, excuses and more back page garbage. If we get someone of a more stable grounding, some one who can convince our best players to stay, instil so bulldog spirit into the dressing room and more importantly, get some much needed new blood, I think we may have a chance of moving forward. Sadly... I can't see that happening.
You forgot to mention our rotten luck throughout the season with incompetent referees as well, but the main reason for me was the whole England speculation surrounding Harry, it was no coincidence that our poor form began when Capello resigned and picked up again when Hodgson was appointed. Had Capello not left then I am convinced we would have finished 3rd comfortablym and nobody would be waking up today feeling gutted. We must be the unluckiest club around and the strange thing is it seems never ending.
Hi Flaspur, Good comments mate, Lots that many will agree on. but also not a lot we can do about most of them, unfortunately. The quote I've highlighted above, is the one that sticks out for me. All of this comes from not strengthening over the last 2 years, to the level required for CL football. there's a fine line between being "the best of the rest" and getting CL footy. We know about that more than anyone right now. you get what you pay for, just as you've said. sometimes you just have to pay that little bit more. - Which is why this vertonghen situation has been highly frustrating. But we won't get him now, I very much doubt.
Highly doubtful now. Levy's problem is he doesn't move fast enough. Just take United and Arsenal as examples. They go out and get the players they want literally the second the season ends. No pussy footing around. The last time we did, we got Modric in fast and look how he turned out. We should have done this again this season, especially with this dreaded week we had to endure and the unthinkable result happening. The nightmare unfolds!
Levy's a great businessman, no doubt. However, I do get the feeling that we miss out on some players that we want because he spends too much time trying to squeeze the last penny out of the deal. while he's doing that, somebody else steps in, pays the price, and another one goes begging. Same reason, in reverse, that we're still lumbered with the Bentleys of our squad.
So you would buy players for more than they are worth and sell them for less? Or are we bad at judging value? If the second then its Harry's fault (he is the football man) not Levy's. Or we need a Director of Football to help Levy.
if you're referring to vertonghen here, i'm talking about the extra1-2 mill they want. even if that means we pay 9-11mill. that's a good price for a young, highly rated defender. not spending the 2 mill could be more of a risk. Look at how our activity in the last few windows has resulted in our finish at the end of the season. had we have spent that little bit extra on the players, we might not be in this position. Gary Cahill. couldn't agree a fee with Bolton. - The bloke represented chelsea in the CL final, defended for his life and showed how good he is. Perhaps if we'd got him last summer, it might have helped with the defensive injuries we'd had this season. and wasn't it because we wouldn't pay about 2-3 million more? Well, if CL qualification is worth 20-30 mill to a club, it'd have been money well spent.
What is truely dsiapointing from a supporter of a team not in the CL, I'd watch spurs and their attacking football over that bunch of twats last night Chelsea's whole effort was Totally and Utterly dependent on the opposition missing bags of chances and they' chavs, will call it the greatest CL win ever Harry screwed the pooch, the court distraction, not saying fk off to the england job the minute capello stepped down. He created uncertainty in the team and well you saw the results. Still, apart from being robbed of a CL spot by a team that doesnt play football, ye should be putting in a good shift in the league this year and maybe put in an effort in the EL to boot
Spot on mate. Take Brendan Rodgers' rejection of Liverpool for example. He stated his loyalty to the Swans the minute the rumours started spreading, killing any potential damage instantly. That's what I call management; doing what is right. Harry, on the other hand... just keeps us guessing and f**s our entire season over. But of course, it wasn't his fault. We got fourth. All along, that was his target.
Levy still hangs out for the last penny. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it just blows up in your face. By all accounts, we could have had Leandro last summer, if Levy had paid them much closer to the asking price. Now, they're asking for twice as much. When you've identified what you need, you go after it and are prepared to pay reasonably, not excessively, but leave something on the table for the other guy - not try and take every last penny yourself.
But who in our structure decides what players are worth? It has to be Harry surely, Levy is a businessman not a football man
Well then, he should leave those decisions to someone else. If he's not a football man, who is he to judge a player's true worth?
Let's not go back down the Director of Football path. It simply didn't work last time. Possibly just an advisor or negotiator to work alongside Levy will be suffice.
Value is determined by what someone is willing to pay, whilst loosely based on recent previous sales and player track records. what we're willing to pay is never usually miles off the mark in what the other team wishes to sell for. we just always attempt a bargain and lose out, more of than than not, as someone else comes along and takes our target because they offer the "value". you don't get world class players like Rafa for 8 mill everyday. - That was a massive result. Sorry levy, but you gotta go into double figure Millions at least! and bloody fast. the euro's are coming up!!
i dont think we are that far off..there is a very thin line betwee success and failure..and unfortunatley we have caught the wrong bug. we are always falling short..just short...and even if we do all we can then..football kicks us in the bollocks it seems! however i think that our mentality must change at the club.....some serious intelligence needs to be applied by someone wth the power to do so..because we always approach anything that has any aura of glory attached to it...actually expecting to mess it up..and we do most of the time..now i dont know who or what is to blame here...but i believe that there is some serious need of psychology reqd at Spurs. ive said it before and ill say it again. we need some basterds at the club.
When I was a kid, I had the fortune to see the 60-61 double side play many, many times. They had, inDave Mackay, a player who would leave his blood and guts on the pitch rather than meekly accept defeat. Until we get some of that attitude into our current team, we will struggle to be champions again. Being a champion starts with thinking like a champion - something we don't currently do.
Spot on - a simple, cheap and easy way to get the little bit extra we need. I remember Chris Hoy (the Olympic cycling gold medallist) being asked in an interview how he motivated himself to keep training on a cold winter's night - he said he told himself that if he went home 5 mins early and then lost the Olympic Gold medal by 1/100 sec he would always think that he would have won with the extra 5 mins training and could never forgive himself. Harry and the team need to start thinking like this.
Agreed - I was just asking if anyone knows who he leaves those decisions to - I can't imagine Levy would take it upon himself when he's got an experienced football man like Harry around. However you slice this - you need a process for determining what price to buy and sell at. Otherwise you end up in the Liverpool model, paying mega-bucks for muppets.
And it's that kind of thinking, along with unbreakable determination, that makes champions. The simple refusal to accept when you're beaten.
