Never too early to win a title. Seeing Spurs win the PL even just once in my lifetime would be amazing and something I have never expected.
I don't know where the assumption is coming from that the big clubs will spend a fortune over the summer and come back next season so much stronger. If anything, recent evidence has pointed in the opposite direction: due to TV money seriously leveling the playing field, clubs in general have to spend cleverly in order to be truly successful. City have spent countless millions over the past few years and have been inconsistent in the PL and a joke in Europe. United don't need me to waste words describing their predicament but if they've spent 3 summers p*ssing money up a wall I see no reason why they should suddenly choose to act differently. Same goes for Liverpool. We only dedicated one window to bringing in dross but they seem to have made a habit of it. The best performing sides this season have been those who spent wisely rather than impressively. Wenger for the first time in almost a decade actually addressed a glaring flaw in his side. Nothing fancy, no huge transfer fees for the next big thing, just a modest fee for a GK who has vast experience and a good few years left at the highest level. Same goes for ourselves, Leicester and West Ham. Nothing massive, just adding the right players to the right positions and hey presto. It isn't rocket science. If anything, I strongly suspect that United, Chelsea and City will all be in need of new managers come this summer (Chelsea are already a given, Barring a miracle I don't see LVG or Pellegrini surviving). I'd also be willing to put money on Wenger finally retiring if the unthinkable happens and they win the league. It isn't that far fetched that come next season, 4 of the 5 teams with more clout than us will be in transition, gambling massively that their new managerial appointments will adapt to the PL quickly and ruthlessly. We could well be in an even stronger position vis-a-vis our rivals next year than we are now.
Agreed. As I mentioned earlier - our last transfer window was, basically, amazing. (Though I was mistakenly referring to Alli as a summer signing). But since summer 2014 we've signed Alli, Wimmer, Trippier, Son, Alderweireld, N'Jie. Maybe Trippier's taken a bit of time to settle in and it's still a bit early to judge N'Jie (although he looked like an awesome option from the bench early on, providing our attack with exactly what was needed from the previous season). Though it's early to judge I'd say every one of those six signings has been a success. In general I think that 50% of your signings being successful is a good return. And I don't think it's a fluke either - I think our recruitment policy is genuinely up there with the best now. I know it's only been a couple of windows but Poch/Mitchell made some pretty astute purchases at Soton too. They've sold very astutely too. Not only that but some of the less awesome purchases from the Summer of Bale now look like pretty decent players too! I'm thinking of Lamela and Chadli. If you take a club that can buy wisely with a coaching team and system that can make Dembele turn from one of my must-sells to one of my must-plays then you are truly cooking on gas. I genuinely think that we are currently in the hands of more capable staff than are in control of almost all our rivals at the top. If Arsenal somehow have to sort out replacing Wenger that would be beautiful (but I've been saying that for a while).
I reckon Wenger will go if they win the league. He'll know that it'll take another decade to win it again and he'll be patrolling the technical area with a Zimmer frame if he waits that long. I'm torn over this as I think they'll win it this year. Not because they're that great but because, as we're discussing, none of the usual rivals have turned up. Him walking could have the same impact as Fergie leaving United. Arsenal are beholden to his every nuance and tactical belief - the level of control he has over all footballing affairs is, I believe, unique in the PL and filling his brogues will be incredibly difficult. The only worry I have is that they'll somehow convince Guardiola to sign. He's the only manger out there who truly shares Wenger's philosophy and would probably work quite well with the players he already has.
Watched the 2nd half (courtesy of Inda-vision ) . A completely different ball game from Leicester a week ago. The passing was fast and incisive, even when Palace had packed their final third. An ongoing concern of mine about Pochettino has been dogma over things like starting XIs, tactics etc. But the last couple of games have showed that he and the players are picking up the negatives from their most recent game and becoming stronger because of it.
So if it finished Arsenal top, Spurs 2nd, Leicester 3rd, Man City 4th (with them then losing the qualifier for CL) *with* the proviso that Wenger goes, would you take that? Ooh - it's a tough one. I genuinely think that we should all know, as Spurs fans, that managers are hard to replace and even a Guardiola is not even a near-certain success, especially with a club which is fourth or so richest in its respective country as opposed to basically *the* richest (am taking Barcelona and RM to be joint top in Spain) and in an unfamiliar league which is very competitive. (LVG the obvious example of someone hailed "a winner" through getting results with mainly the best teams in a few countries then struggling in the PL). I think Wenger leaving could mess them up for years and unlike Man Utd or Chelsea a season or two outside the CL could be terminal. Wenger's done a brilliant job of just about (or comfortably) getting that club that extra CL money every year - if they lose that and we gain it on a regular basis then that's comfortably covered the difference in our wage bills right there. Add to that the upheaval of new managers wanting turnover of players and almost certainly being less successful in the transfer market than Wenger has been over the years... Yep - I think I'd take that offer above. A kick in the guts for all our big rivals, we have our best-ever PL finish and are going from strength to strength whilst Leicester can have a fun foray into Europe (and good luck to them) which means they'll likely do well to finish midtable with the extra games the following season. Tell you what - chuck in a cup and I'm definitely in. (Blimey, I'm getting greedy. So with the proviso that Wenger leaves Arsenal, none of the other big boys get CL football, they're all in managerial upheaval *and* we win a cup I'll accept us only finishing 2nd to Arsenal's 1st place. I remember the good old days of watching Ceefax and listening to the radio to see if England's Andy Sinton could get a goal and maybe make the games from April relevant as, mathematically, we might still be in with a shout for UEFA Cup qualification should a whole bunch of other stuff go our way).
Agreed. And I think it was telling that Chadli's substitution changed the game because for once - another thing I'd assumed was dogmatic - it wasn't a like for like change. We've all been on here moaning about how 'their subs changed the game but ours were barely noticable', and I think the main reason it worked yesterday is that he actually tried something adventurous and different. Taking off a DM for an AM and reshuffling the deck visibly threw Palace and even though we lost a bit of cover at the back (resulting in them having a series of good chances), up top we were too much for them to handle. Sometimes, if not all the time, when you're playing against a team defending deeply and in numbers, you need to think out the box. And that's finally what Poch did.
"if not all the time, when you're playing against a team defending deeply and in numbers, you need to think out the box. And that's finally what Poch did." And now he knows that it can/does work, he is unlikely to wait until too late the next time he decides that the opposing team are doing exactly that. Exciting times for this squad. Ageis on their side. A good collective ethic on-pitch. Moments of brilliance frequently possible from several players.
One of the best away days I've gone too. My first time at Selhurst and I'd be lucky to go there again and have a better time than I did yesterday. Pre-match was just full of laughs, beer flowing everywhere, first at Victoria Station then at Thornton Heath, there were shed loads of Spurs fans in multiple pubs around the ground so the atmosphere already had that "Spurs Away Buzz" to it. I went with two Cousins and my Uncle, we then met up with 5 of our mates who then about 15 of their mates join as well, so there was a good group of us singing along on the walk down to Selhurst. We got in the stadium about 10 mins before kick off and our fans were in full voice, both in the stands and in the tunnels. Someone told me that Palace's loud atmosphere was actually a false representation of what goes on inside the ground, they said that there's a section of roughly 40-50 fans acting like Ultras who have a drummer near them that sing throughout the game but as they have a microphone right nearby, the sound seems as if it's a much large proportion when listening on the TV and this was definitely true. They sat on the left hand corner on one of the stands behind the goal and in fairness to them they were jumping up and down and clapping throughout but the noise generated was minimal baring in mind there's only 40-50 of them, so the microphone definitely does them justice and Selhurst Park is really not the ear deafening atmosphere I've been led to believe. Game was a really good game of football, frustrating in the first half for us as we couldn't seem to find a way through and Hennessey made a great save from Rose, then it was sods law that a side who hasn't scored in five goes 1-0 up through a bloody own goal but I did feel as if chances would come eventually. The sub for Dier was key, he was definitely looking out of sorts yesterday, fatigue has caught up with him and after a superb season so far, that was his worst 55 mins for us, bringing Nacer on really helped us on the attacking front as he got the assist for Kane's goal less than 10 mins of being on the pitch. Kane showed great desire to get that too, I thought their CB's should've cleared it but they seemed to just watch the ball coming over the top rather than going to attack it. Then we had a major let off with Palace hitting the bar twice in 3 seconds, you could say that after that it was a sign that perhaps it was going to be our day, luck definitely smiled on us there. I was fortunate enough to be eye level to see the goal of the season, ****ing hell words can't describe how mental when we went in the stands when Alli done that, I even got a crack on the nose from my Cousin during celebrations . At 2-1 there were a few nerves that Palace may come at us in chase of the equaliser but Nacer's finish in the final moments sent us mad again, if it was wasn't for Alli's goal we'd all be raving about that one because it was a quality strike. At the final whistle the players came over and all were applauded, with the likes of Kane, Alli and Dembele all having their own songs sung to them but when Pochettino came over and saluted us the crowd roared and applauded him, it was awesome to see, the fans clearly love what this guy's doing with our side and I think our appreciation showed. We started singing - albeit a little tongue in cheek - the "we're gonna win the league!" song but spirits were high and we'd just seen the goal of the season so I think a little OTT celebratory songs can be forgiven. The journey home was quality, singing all the way through to Victoria station where many then made their separate ways home afterwards. I ended up with my Cousins in my local wetherspoons though didn't have a mega late one as we all wanted to head home to watch MOTD .
Pochettino seems to understand perfectly well that wins are what we need, and that to win you need goals. We should see more of our best goal scoring options, which include Trippier, Son and Chadli. In Son we finally have someone who can score from the right side of the box. Chadli provides us with goals and width on the left. And Trippier both creates some goals and gives us a good default option to keep the tempo up. If nothing’s on, get it to Trippier, who is both industrious in providing an outlet, and quick to fire a cross in. In recent weeks we’ve used the ball over the top more to make the attacking quicker and less predictable as well. The only disappointment yesterday was Rose, I thought. I agree when faced with a dangerous wide threat he is not only exposed defensively, but doesn’t provide the attacking on the left that he’s capable of. And yet he still came close to scoring. The success of our latest transfers is remarkable, and seems to indicate that a couple of people including Paul Mitchell are much, much better than most at buying and selling players. It also seems to make all the difference whether your club prefers to bring on young players. If Pochettino (and others) weren’t so eager to play youngsters, Kane, Bentaleb and Alli, to name just three, might still be obscure loanees.
Cheers for the match report SOS and sounds like an amazing day Our away fans were as usual in superb voice. Interesting what you say about the 'Holmesdale Fanatics' being sat next to a microphone as I had that suspicion but then I've seen them play away a few times last season and they really can make a noise when they want to. Also have to admit that some of their songs are quality - the one to the tune of Mrs Robinson is brilliant. Dier is clearly in need of a major rest. No way will he play against Colchester and I'd also to see him rested against Norwich. No disrespect but we really should be able to cope with Norwich without him - we ain't Liverpool All in all a top drawer performance in a game that had banana skin written all over it. Now 11 games unbeaten away from home in the league. Eleven.
There you go again Lenny, confusing dreams with reality. In all honesty, I can't see us finishing above City. Their quality and experience up at the table's summit will tell come the final stretch. I also think that the EL will start to affect us if we progress past Fiorentina as there are some very, very good sides in the draw this year for some reason that will require a full strength side to be dealt with. For me, 4th and no trophy is the minimum I'd accept. Given the low quality of the challengers this year, United, Chelsea and Liverpool in particular, it would be criminal if we don't make top 4. Realistically, I'd say 3rd is achievable if we reel in Leicester. They have a very tough run of fixtures coming up and I just have a feeling that by the end of Feb we'll be ahead of them on GD and will pull away from there. A trophy would be incredible, especially if it's the EL as I think that does more for the club's image than the FA. But again, the essential goal is finishing top 4 as close to the champions as possible so that we can really push on next year when, as we've both predicted, at least 2-3 of the big sides if not 3-4 of them could be in transition again.
Just got back from a 4 day piss up for my brother's 40th so missed the match. Going to watch Alli's goal and pass out for a bit
It’s been a season that has defied expectations to a rare degree, so predicting anything should be even dicier than usual. I agree City are the clear favorites at this point, with Arsenal next. Yet it’s us and Leicester that gained ground this weekend. I think playing each other three times in 10 days was good for both teams. They’re the best countering side ATM, we’re certainly the most consistent and possibly the best attacking side. Maybe both teams honed their skills against each other. I am less worried about squad burnout than I was, thanks to the quality Carroll, Son, Chadli and Bentaleb have shown, and Pochettino’s (eventual) willingness to rest what has been his starting 11. Vertonghen’s injury looks like a big blow, even though it makes Wimmer’s signing look prescient. He’s been the least appreciated of our top players for historical reasons. But he’s been very good this year, IMO--just as he was his first year with us.
Some of Palace's underhand tactics were deplorable. Cabaye trying to get Dele Alli into trouble for lightly bumping into his back in the second half. He was rolling around holding his shoulder. Then he uses the arm on the same side to point at our boy. If you've damaged your shoulder,to any degree the last thing you want to do is roll around on the floor and raise your arm and point at something. I've dislocated one of my shoulders twice and if Cabaye was hurt, I'll eat my hat. Next he's too injured to come back on until the substitute is ready to come on when, huge surprise, there was nothing wrong with him and he's back on and lunging at players. Apart from decking Jan, Wickham spent the entire second half spoiling for a fight as did Jedinak when he came on. They committed a rugby tackle and hacked at anyone with the ball going forward. Cabaye lunged at Dembele (something he's got previous for with Newcastle). Twatkinson let things get out of hand. Unluckily for Palace we're braver than they are.
Not sure that Dele Alli is in the clear over that incident. There was clearly a deliberate bending of his knee to connect with the Palace player.
I understand that we are a humble bunch, not full of hot air. So we are playing it cool. I for one though, do not see any team that is better than us. Might have big squads, experience, bigger mouths in the media etc. I think we do get caught up in cliches. Plus years of being told where our place is. That bit is obvious from listening to the media, the Sky 4 fans, who struggle to grasp Spurs doing well but are happy with Leicester winning it. Somwhere in there is a compliment, if only them idiots could see it. For me as soon as the 2nd half kicked off, the kitchen sink came out. Instead of waiting for the 85th minute as teams usually do. That shows the intent. We need to believe in ourselves. Have some arrogance. For me it's all mental now. Get our heads screwed on and we can win it.
Spurs are playing very well at present - certainly in the last few weeks - and look good going forward. But the issue for every team, as always, is consistency. The PL remains an endurance race. So I wouldn't predict an outcome in May based on performances in January, but there will never be a better chance. Three of the usual suspects are nowhere (Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool), City's best players are over the hill (Aguero aside) and Arsenal are Arsenal. That just leaves Leicester - they couldn't, could they?
