"Pay attention Power. We're discussing the Europa league and finishing in the top four. Redknapp is the only PL manager to get us into the top four. AVB had that chance but attempted to win both the Europa league and finish top four and promptly took us to 5th." No Spurs manager involved in UEFA tournaments for most of a PL season, has finished that PL season in a CL slot. That has to change.
We should be able to compete in the Europa League without having to start our strongest side. Given the weak group that we were drawn into last season, I felt that Villas-Boas got his priorities wrong. Redknapp probably went too far the other way. He picked various kids and played a number of them out of position. Tricky balance to try and strike, but long away trips with our first XI should be restricted to late on, if we progress.
Of course, PNP. There is a middle ground to be had between Arry and AVB when it comes to the Europa. With recent Spurs squads, we should be concerned by managers who cannot literally manage it properly.
No mention of the Avb collapse? 2 years on and no manager can achieve the league position Redknapp finished. I doubt Pochettino will get us top four so you can look forward to hearing Redknapp was the last manager to get us into the champions league for quite a while, possibly take years before we get back into the champions league. Thats up to Levy to provide the manager with funds to build a squad big enough to compete in both. plus have the right manager in charge, we don't have the right manager and the squad isn't good enough to do both so don't expect that to change for a long time yet.
Group stages yes but once out of the group stages then no. Especially as now the winners get a CL slot so all teams will take the competition more serious, its really "all or nothing" you either go out to win the EL or you treat it as a second rate competition. If we go out to win the competition then our league form will suffer and as City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Utd & Liverpool are now the five best teams then we can't get back into the top four unless we are at our best all year.
Finishing 6th is still decent though. I'd rather finish 6th and not take EL that seriously than get to the last 8 of EL and finish 8th in the PL.
If we're being realistic then you're probably right, 6th is decent, as other teams have better managers and squads, so we need others to slip up while we're at our best all year.
We have to be realistic now, can't keep expecting miracles and to be in the top 4 on the budget we're on. If we finish 6th next season then imo it's a good season as that would mean finishing above Everton. I know it's unlikely for them to have Lukaku, Deulofeu etc on loan again but under Martinez they will only improve.
Don't expect strong teams in the Europa League. Judas has been on record saying he's not a fan of it.
No other Spurs manager has had King, Bale and Modric available to them either. Worth a few points surely.
2 points every 8 games if you're a proven winner like Juande Ramos (assuming that without the presence of Bale, Modric and King we would have got 0 from 8). Harry brought many players to the club who contributed an awful lot to us getting 4th twice. Always find it strange when people don't want to give Harry ANY credit for the playing staff that was maintained and built up over his time. Until fairly recently managers got credit for building effective squads rather than it being seen as a mitigating factor in judging their success. I suppose a manger's true sign of greatness must be to create a situation where all the good players he inherits want to go or are sold against their wishes, he buys in a load of crap and THEN they win the league. AVB was half-way to being great I guess...
We have no right to expect top 4 until the new stadium is built as that is when we will be able to compete financially with the bigger clubs. The irritating thing is if the stadium hadn't been held back by bureaucracy and red tape it would be nearly built by now, and other clubs wouldn't have been able to capitalise on our stagnation. When I look back on Arry's reign I don't think about the collapse at the end - fact is he still got us to fourth that season and got sacked for it. All because of Chelsea's gigantic fluke which has now being legislated against I can't see any manager getting us to two fourth place finishes in three years for a very very long time. Yes Harry had some great players but he also had his fair share of bang average ones who he managed to raise their game - ie all of our strike force (Keane, Defoe, Pav, Crouch Have to say though that Harry wasn't without his faults - treatments of Corluka, Kranjcar and Pienaar was frankly ridiculous.
I will be eternally grateful to Harry for the way we played when he was here which was the best since the 60s. But to claim that he 'built up the playing staff' is bizarre. How many of Harry's signings were for the long term? He is a fixer, nothing more, nothing less, which was exactly what we needed at the time
I cannot help but suspect that all of the Redknap supporters on this site are, in fact, golfing buddies of his. It's the only way I can even begin to fathom the extent of the adulation.
"I will be eternally grateful to Harry for the way we played when he was here which was the best since the 80s." Fixed.
If you believe, as many seem to, that the league position is solely down to the manager then Harry is deserving of adulation. Since there are so many other variables it doesn't seem right to me.
