A lot on top, it's probably worth about £1.5 Billion now. Providing ENIC dont sell it to someone who has to borrow to purchase it, no issue.
Very much agree, that's why I have no issue with barrow boy Alan Michael Sugar, he's a Spurs fan and rescued us, put in a lot of time and his own money. The boy did good. He just couldn't take us any further so he moved aside and left the club in very good hands.
See what I mean...he's got us conditioned to think that...there was nothing to stop us moving forward a bit more imho
Spurlock I just find it hard to believe people are complaining when we are about to move into a brand new stadium that WILL take us up a level. That is the point of it. I cannot believe how you think Levy is not ambitious. Is an 800 million stadium not ambitious? Is searching for managers until he found MP not ambitous? Is fighting to the end to hang on to Berbatov and Bale and Modric not ambitious. Do you not see that building of the new stadium is Levy's response to losing the battles to keep top players. He knows what we have to do to hang on to top players and he is setting out a stall to do that. Levy is probably the most ambitious chairman in the history of THFC. If Carlsberg made chairmen? Are you smoking too much Spurlock?
Ok...its a valid point that we need to generate the money from the stadium...so will you ever question Levy? When will Levy critisicsm be justified? will we be told to be grateful that we are a top 4 team and not languishing in mid table like we used to be? And I need to smoke more ..especially if we don't get off to a Stormer on Saturday. This is the other thing that grates on me...how so many fans are so casual about dropping points early on
Is it compulsory to be critical of chairman? I have complained in the past when he appeared to meddle in football affairs, when he employed a DOF especially Comillee. and then repeated it with Baldini. When we signed Darren Bent (was that Enic?) He has made mistakes but IMO it was always for the right reasons and what is even better is that he was aware they were mistakes and he rectified them. Football is not a science even Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson made mistakes but overall Levy has headed in the right direction throughout. He knew when to employ Redknapp and he also knew when it was time to say thankyou and goodbye. When Levy has gone wrong it's usual on the football side on the advice of others. In MP he has found the perfect Manager for Spurs. Someone who knows what the investment in the training facilities was for and someone who has ambition but also realises what the limitations are and is willing to work with his chairman to overcome them. 'The Project' MP always refers to. I just think we are very lucky to have two very intelligent guys running Spurs and I think it shows.
I would also say that with our academy, Levy and Poch are doing it right. Using it to bring through new talent. Yes a few leave but they are generally the ones who have issues with discipline or application. This is opposed to the chavs and the citeh academies, and perhaps I'm being cynical, but to me the purpose appears to be to accumulate good young players with potential to stop their rivals developing them.
The bbc are now reporting that Daniel Levy and Ed Woodward had one meeting during the window. The subject discussed was not Alderweireld but how much would United accept for Martial and Mata.
I honestly ain't digging but EVERY transfer window there are demands for us to take a risk. The thing is, we take risks but they are relatively small ones. sometimes they work...sometimes not but they are always affordable. We gambled on 7 signings when Bale left: Capoue Stamboulie Chiriches Paulinio Soldado Eriksen Lamela Lamela (injuries aside) was a success as was Chadli. Eriksen a huge success. Paulinio flopped along with Soldado and Chiriches. Stamboulie did ok. We lost a lot of money on Soldado...£16m plus £7m on on Paulinio, £4m on Chiriches and £1.5m Capoue...thats £28.5m loss excluding wages. That repeated on an ongoing basis is not sustainable. The list of clubs that rolled the dice and lost them under the table is massive. Portsmouth Southampton (since recovered) Leeds Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield United Leicester (since recovered) Bradford Charlton Leeds Coventry Wimbledon Wigan Birmingham Middlesbrough Aston Villa Bolton Swansea Blackburn Hull West Brom Stoke Sunderland Swindon Blackpool Ipswich Forest 26 Premier League teams who screwed up big time. Only 2 recovered. 21 of them were established Premier league teams. Only Sheffield United, Bradford, Swindon, Ipswich and Blackpool were not established premier league teams but Ipswich chased the dream after coming 4th in 2000 (ish) only to be relegated a year later. The list of those who rolled the dice and won are... City (since they became mega wealthy) Arsenal (long term top 4) United Chelsea (rescued by Abramovic) Blackburn (worked for 1 season) Liverpool Those who rolled the dice and nearly won are: Newcastle (2 relegations since) Leeds ( basket case) I get the frustration...I was pissed when we put out weaker teams in the league cup cos I want a trophy...any trophy but not at the risk of us screwing up. There ain't a short cut.
You are (being cynical) . They do hope that they have the new Messi in their academy. However they can also do the academy equivalent of the 'wage poisoning' that occurs with the seniors, should that kid want away to a rival such as Spurs.
There's plenty of justifiable Levy criticism, for example... * Attempting to curry favour with the fans on arrival by bringing in Glenn Hoddle as manager * Frank Arnesen said Martin Jol should be manager, but Levy caved to the fans demanding a Big Name™ and brought in Santini...with Jol as his assistant * He reportedly took charge of Carrick's contract negotiations and screwed them up so horribly he was easy tapping-up pickings for Man Utd * Not stepping in when Comolli was wasting the club's money to undermine Martin Jol, all because Comolli wanted to work with Juande Ramos * Making an illegal approach for Ramos while Jol was still under contract * After his gambles on Jol and Redknapp worked, he went to the well once too often with Luis Andres de Pinha Cabral e Villas-Boas * Bringing in AVB on the proviso of bringing through young players, only to allow Baldini to do the exact opposite - at great expense * This may be more on ENIC than Levy, but the last three pre-seasons have been the exact same: a couple of behind closed doors friendlies, a pre-season tour on the other side of the planet where our first team is rested en masse, and then less than two weeks to prepare for the season itself yet we're still in negotiations for players so they won't have been bedded in
They will just say that he is "one for the future" , and the senior squad is more than strong enough to prevent putting the pressure of playing in the seniors on him. True enough, when you can afford to stockpile decent seniors just as you do at your academy.
For me, the good that Levy has done for Spurs far outweighs the bad. Am I disappointed we didn't sign anyone this window? Yes. Am I pissed at how he's raised my ST by £200 and equally taken the piss by exploiting the 1882 movement to create 1882 seats at such ridiculous prices? Yes. Am I dumbfounded as to why he thought a cheese room at a new stadium was a good idea when most fans care only for the football and a beer (maybe a pie as well)? Yes. Have I agreed with some of his sackings and selling of certain players over the years? No. Do I acknowledge how much we've improved since his stewardship? 100%. Do I love the fact I'll be sitting in one of Europe's best stadiums in it's fairly unique single tier stand? YUP! Do I like the club ethos in looking to bring through youth? Yes. Do I like the fact that he's managed to find a manager, who in turn has managed to create a team that makes us as fans feel at one with the club for the first time in years, possibly decades? Yes. Do I feel that under Levy we can continue to improve and potentially be a truly elite side in years to come? Yes. Ultimately, do I think another chairman could do a better job without the finances of a Roman or Sheikh Mansour at their disposal? Not one bit.
I'm actually pro-Levy and extremely anti what we've done in a few KEY transfer windows. I've never asked or wanted him to fund the club like City or Chelsea in the past. But there is a position somewhere in between sugar daddy and net spend champions
Net spend league since 2014 (a more valid time frame due to tv money): https://www.independent.ie/sport/so...te-over-managerial-achievements-36861511.html Liverpool will have gone passed us since this table was put together.
Even Liverpool's lower net spend until this window is countered by them having spent ~£200m gross more than us
None of those teams above us in that table, some considerably smaller that us, have gone bankrupt due to their spending
