Surely the manager's job is to get the best out of all the players he has at his disposal. He can't just give up on Wanyama, Eriksen, Rose, Vertonghen and Alderweireld.
Same goes for most of the defence, the other day he started with Aurier, Vertonghen, Toby and Rose. All of them have fallen out with Poch, have contracts ending and/or have been told they have no future. It is pure shambolic
He can and should if they (or others) are the cause of the 'unsettled squad' he keeps going on about. Just as he did in 2014 when several established players were all but banished while he cleared the ground for a younger, hungrier group to flourish. And we were all the better for it. If you don't think that's what he'd like to do, you aren't listening to his interviews or conferences. The question I (and I saw Alasdair Gold put out a piece asking the same question) have for Poch is: don't claim that to be your goal and then only act on it half-heartedly.
I think he wanted 3-4 gone but the club couldn’t shift them in the summer which meant he couldn’t sign replacements and is now stuck with them. I sympathise with him in that respect but surely he should be able to work with them until he can get rid. The fact he can’t will ultimately cost him his job at this rate.
I think his desired starting line up (which may or may not be seen between now and January, all depends on injuries) is actually comprised of a group of players who he trusts and who are fighting for the badge. No, the team isn't amazing and still requires a lot of work, but he has already spoken of that work taking place in Jan and next summer. The On Board XI: Hugo Foyth Dave CB Davies Sissoko Tanguy Lamela Lo Celso Son Kane With the following as On Board back-up: Gazza KWP Tanganga Dier Sessegnon Winks Skipp Lucas Alli AM Parrott The areas in need of reinforcement or improvement will then be: 1) Lamela's spot - Upgrade with Dybala or Fernandes and demote to the bench. £75m 2) CB - Even if Jan is back in the good books, his contract is up in June and there is no sign of a new one being offered. This area will require serious investment in the region of £60m+ to bring in an established, quality player already at their peak. £60m 3) Cover at CB. £30m So by my assessment, we're in need (post clear-out) of 3-4 new players at an appx. cost of £170m. From player sales, we're likely to bring in no more than £40-50m. So that's a huge discrepancy and will without question need to be spread across at least 2 windows. And even that's a stretch. As I keep saying, it is more than possible - once everyone is fit - to field a team and a full bench made up entirely of players who have no issue with Poch or vice-versa. What confuses me is his refusal to start preparing for that now rather than waiting for literally everyone to be fully fit (which we all know never happens).
There's a lot of talk about players not being on board and wanting to leave, but their performances haven't suggested that. Pochettino either needs to stay true to his word and leave them out or select teams that actually make sense and shut up. There's nothing that we can do at the moment with regards to transfers and the current form is unacceptable. Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Rose and Aurier have all played perfectly well when they've been picked. Eriksen has had a couple of **** games, but has otherwise been consistent and played to his usual standard, flaws and all. Individual performances are not the problem and they haven't been for the last eight or nine months. We all know what we're going to get whenever a starting lineup is announced.
One cup crossed off. I think we can say goodbye to the CL and the PL. This leaves the FA Cup. Weak team for that too? Probably!.....I wonder why Poch can't win a trophy with Spurs? Once upon a time we had settled teams but in todays games they are chopped and changed so much is it any wonder your team can go down the drain.Makes you wonder if big squads are good. You have to play regularly together and that's not on when you chop and change just to give someone a game. Bring back the Football Combination!!!?????
Football has changed so much over the years,we used to be a great cup team years ago and with smaller squads used to play loads of matches a season and players would bust a gut for the shirt but these overpaid prima donnas just take the money and couldn't give a ****e .I am glad I watched football in the 60's and 70s and 80's when men were men and football never had bloody var and all the other changes they have made now.
By complete coincidence, we tended to be rooted in mid-table purgatory back when we were a great cup side...
But there were two other important differences: 1) The playing field was much more level with 7 or 8 teams in with a chance of winning the League each year and 2) in so far as being a rich club gave an advantage, we were one. When ENIC took over we were a mid-table club who had never come close to qualifying for the Champions League. That means we had a built in disadvantage against Liverpool, Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal. The only club other than us that has been capable of changing that for more than a season at a time is Man City. They were allowed to spend any amount of money they liked and were essentially given a new stadium. We've had to do it ourselves. Over the past few years I've enjoyed watching Spurs more than at any time since the 1980s. I am as frustrated as anyone that we have not quite made the final step, but the difference between what we had in the ten years before ENIC and what we've seen in the last 10 years is amazing.
And we were told that anyone can win a cup the really good teams are the ones that are consistent in the league!
Yes. in those days,when you signed players they usually spent their best years with you. Today it's musical chairs.Today they have agents that don't mind you moving after a season or two because they probably get a nice cut of the transfer fee. Pity the poor agent for Ericson...….pity the fans! We didn't have billionaire owners and the teams were pretty much level in terms of players,which made it more interesting. Mind you,even then Man U would steal a player at the top of his game!
When it all comes down to it,it's not just ability.....it's DESIRE! If your players haven't got it...….you should tell your fans "we don't care,why should you?"
I think me and you tend to think along similar lines... so thats your credibility screwed but there is s lot of romanticism about foot pre the premier league. From 1970 to 1992 the winners of the title were: Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Leeds, Derby, Forest Villa. That's 6 teams in 22 years. From 1992 the winners of the title have been: United, Blackburn, Arsenal, Chelsea, City, Leicester. That's 6 in 27 years. I never remember years where the title race involved more than 3 teams st most. The difference between now and pre the premier league is that the cups were more widely won. Since 1993 the FA Cup has been won by Arsenal, United, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man City, Portsmouth and Wigan. That's 8 teams in 27 years. Since 1970 Chelsea, Arsenal, Leeds,Sunderland, Liverpool, West Ham, Ipswich, Southampton, Man Utd, Spurs, Everton, Coventry, Wimbledon. That's 13 different teams in 22 years In the 70s alone there were 9 different winners and in the 1980s there were 7 different winners. Since 1993 the league cup has been won by City, United, Chelsea Swansea, Birmingham, Liverpool, Spurs, Middlesbrough, Blackburn, villa and Leicester. That's 11 teams in 27 years. From 1970 it was won by United, Forest, Wednesday, Luton, Arsenal, Oxford, Liverpool, Norwich, wolves, villa, city, spurs and stoke. 13 in 22 years.
"That's where we are. Maybe our performances are good but you need this extra, which is mental, connection. It's energy to be all together, not to have different agendas in the squad. "We feel disappointed because we dominated the 90 minutes, but we were not aggressive in the last third in the way you expect. "It's about doing your job, and this lack of aggression in the last third made the reality." Seems like Poch does recognise what we, the fans are seeing. The players are not delivering. Imagine being that man who thinks he’s on his own...players aren’t responding and the owner is not fully backing him.
If clubs can't sell a player why not swap them?.....and if a club can sell a player why not swap them? Too easy?
Some of my memories come from the 60s where 8 different clubs won the League in 10 years. But also the champions came from the top 3 of the previous season less than half the time. In the PL era I think there are only two examples of the Champions not being in the top 3 the season before. A lot of the change occurred before the PL started though. And you would expect more even competition to show up more in cups where less consistency us needed.
Too many moving parts you’d have thought. Need two players of comparable valuations who both want to move to the other club and who are both needed/not needed by the clubs in question. And that’s before you get into contract negotiations etc. Plus agents often get a percent of fee so they’d rather see the player move in a normal transfer you’d have thought, and these are complicated enough!
