Is it about time we had an outfield player as captain (not Kane) , my choice would be Jan or Toby and the captaincy could be used as a sweetener to sign a new deal. This has become more evident in the run in to the season as heads have dropped in games, we need leadership on the pitch as as Spurlock and Deedub have previously posted
Moose would deserve the captaincy the way he has played this season but is he vocal enough on the pitch?
Armando Shashoua for me: first player to captain Spurs at the new stadium, and does seem to drag wins out of our U18s ...but he won't be first team material for another eighteen months or so
Should the armband make that much difference? Leaders should lead whether they are the 'captain' or not, apparently Hugo is an excellent captain in the dressing room which is why he remains captain of both club and country. Did Graham Roberts look any less of a leader when Stevie P was captain, or Daws when Ledley wore the armband?
For how long can Spurs compete with the top sides in the PL and CL by being a budget club? I understand that the stadium has to be paid for, there's a sensible wage structure....blah blah blah. But there will come a time when failure to improve the squad and pay competitive wages to world class players will precipitate a reversal in fortunes. If top players leave, there is no guarantee that cut price alternatives can be found to step into their shoes and perform at the same level or above. Spurs success over the past 4 or 5 seasons has largely been due to some excellent transfer business. All clubs are looking to do that, but few achieve it. The CL run is currently saving Spurs from the inevitable assessment that this season has been below par overall because the lack of squad depth. The inability to maintain performances and results at the level required due to injury or fatigue has been evident over the past two months. Had those issues surfaced eariler in the season, Spurs would most likely have dropped out of the top four with the resultant loss of income. If Spurs want to kick on and win PL and CL titles (albeit that you might say you could win the latter this season), there has to be an acceptance that it's virtually impossible to do it without spending money.
I think that Jan should be a leader and Rose is a vocal presence. I also think that when he recovers his form that Eric Dier should be standing up as one of our leaders.
We're now moving into a position where we can afford to spend more, but we still need to be sensible and realise that going toe-to-toe won't work. City can massively outspend us and we can't compete with the wall-to-wall media promotion of Liverpool or Man Utd. That's just in England. Madrid, Barca, Juve, Bayern and others will normally take the spoils if we both go for a player. We need to look at how clubs like Ajax, Atletico, Dortmund, Porto and others maintain a strong position every year. Our academy has to be a priority and we have to integrate our youth sides with the first team in a far smoother way. Levy has thought decades ahead when it comes to the stadium, infrastructure and overall vision for the club off the pitch. We now need to replicate that for the players, coaches and technical staff. We're never going to be Real Madrid and nor should we want to be. We're Tottenham Hotspur and we need to remind everyone what that means.
Tonight changes a helluva lot. And a victory on 1st June changes everything! A truly momentous time for the club
So it turns out we may have an on-pitch leader after all... Lucky that there isn't some clueless berk obsessed with the idea of us selling him, eh?
If we win the CL, surely the first order of business is to reclaim the word "Spursy" If we don't, the first order of business is to quietly delete this post...
