For a top 4 compared to who our rivals have signed? Sig,Vert,Ade,Lloris,Dumbell and Dempsey? Is what we have better than what's gone? Have our rivals signed better players? Thoughts please.
Not with the change in management and system. Too much upheaval. Top 3 are obvious and I think newcastle for 4th
Honestly, a little depressed and despondent. Rate VDV higher than Dempsey, and Modric higher than Dembele. Lloris is a class signing mind. Really think we needed a better new striker, and without a doubt there is a gaping hole in midfield. As I see it a line up of Lloris Walker, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Benny Siggy, Sandro, Dembele, Bale Dempsey, Ade With Defoe and Lennon the main impact subs off the bench isn't atrocious - but it isn't top four. But now at least it is top 5 or 6, not seventh or lower.
how long till the words are uttered: "This is a building season" FFS we were 4th last year, we needed a few improovements here and there but I feel our club has been gutted out. I hope AVB knows what he is doing but as he has only been with us a few months I dont have that kind of trust yet.
I still see signs of a top four team, my only worry has always been the manager and not the players. On paper I still certainly see a squad capable of beating anyone on our day. Sure we lost our best player in Modric but we knew that was coming, Rafa came as a little shock but there was whispers of a return to Hamburg and personally, if there was one club I'd be satisfied with him leaving to join, it'd be them. He made no secret he loved his time there. We've just signed the French No. 1 and one of the best keepers in the WORLD! Sounds really good to say that. Dembele, although not a like for like replacement of Luka, is a fantastic player to bring in with his trickery and vision. Dempsey is who I class as a complete midfielder - technique, skill, aerial ability and as we've seen for years, knows where the net is. Sigurdsson proved last season he's a great talent. Vertonghen will be a star at the back, of that I'm sure. And we all know what a player Ade is on his day. With a line up of: Lloris, Walker, Kaboul (when back), Verts, Benny Sandro, Dembele 2 from Lennon/ Sig/ Dempsey, Bale on the left Ade With players like Defoe, Parker (when fit), Livermore, Townsend, Caulker, Gallas, Dawson, Naughton, Carroll to challnge for places too, I don't think we've weakened much, if at all. That's still a bloody good team and one I can be proud to watch. I just hope AVB knows how to make them tick and get them going like we know they can do.
VDV had tailed off for us. It's hard for some of the Spurs faithful to accept it, but it's the truth. And Moddy never got us beyond top 4, even with the fabled Redknapp. So why are some of us clinging to this vision that he was our saviour? I simply do not understand it. Dempsey is a very good player, with the potential of being better than Moddy. Dempsey...I'm not so sure, but I certainly do not see him as being a bad signing. The Mousers seemed to think that he could do the business, but he chose to come to us. Verts and Siggy are great signings. As is our new goalkeeper. I think some of us are behaving like spoilt brats.
We sold world class talent that either wanted to leave or the manager didn't rate, replaced them with individually inferior players, but players that fit the managers system. Clearly a manager has to have his own players, as manager are judged by results so why would any manager not sign players to suit his system? that can't be moaned about. However I personally don't see an improvement, its just a new system, with different players from before, less flair, and unless we improve on what arry achieved then we have taken a backwards step, but of course we can't answer this until avb has shown if his way is a step forward...or not. ....edit - however great deal on Lloris, just hope he hits the ground running as we all know what happens when keepers start off slowly, they get ridiculed for any errors!
Just on a side note, I remember few seasons back on the original 606, someone got ridiculed for suggesting we should sign Dempsey, now fans are jumping up and down with Joy as he was signed to replace VDV, footballs a funny old game!
Definitely, 6 top signings - for me the fourth best squad in the country - and with only one point to catch up on Arsenal, provided we beat Norwich today, we have a great chance to get that 4th place On paper at least we're now a better side than we were last season Lloris big step up from Brad, JV big step up from the injured King, Dempsey an equal replacement for VDV, given our new system, Dembele and Siggy neither as good as Modric, but give us more versatility Kaboul's injury a big blow but Caulker and Daws back makes up for that We now can play the lone striker in a better way than before we might not get 4th this time, because we've lost three points already, however a win tomorrow allows us to catch that up Parker's injury is a blow but Sandro equals that out as last season Sandro and Parker missed quite a bit of the season so much depends on injuries and luck, but this team looks stronger fitter and faster - I like it
We are much weaker than last year except for the goalkeeping area which many people didn't think needed changing anyway. Be honest and how many of us would have been happy if in May we knew Luka and VdV would be replaced by Dembele, Dempsey and Sigurdsson. Levy once again has promised a lot and not delivered. Moutinho for over £20million would of been a massive statement of intent, signing Dempsey for £6million is a good deal but won't be worrying Man Utd, City, Arsenal or City. The only positive is that Liverpool didn't sign anyone today so we should still finish above them but tbh I wouldn't be surprised to see Everton leapfrog us this year and maybe Newcastle too.
We are much weaker than last year except for the goalkeeping area which many people didn't think needed changing anyway. Be honest and how many of us would have been happy if in May we knew Luka and VdV would be replaced by Dembele, Dempsey and Sigurdsson. Levy once again has promised a lot and not delivered. Moutinho for over £20million would of been a massive statement of intent, signing Dempsey for £6million is a good deal but won't be worrying Man Utd, City, Arsenal or City. The only positive is that Liverpool didn't sign anyone today so we should still finish above them but tbh I wouldn't be surprised to see Everton leapfrog us this year and maybe Newcastle too.
I have to side with King on this. We've sold what were probably two of our three most talented players. Had we secured Moutinho, I would feel a little more relaxed. As it is, I just hope and pray that AVB knows WTF he's doing, and that he can gel what we have left with the new arrivals. If VDV was sold on the premise that we would get Moutinho, that was pretty dumb, and blew up in his face spectacularly.
Modric whilst good wasn't happy so I'd rather have a less good happy player playing for us than a miserable one who won't give his all. VdV,I cannot see anything good about his departure. I feel in one or two cases we've signed second string targets and players. Dempsey was a complete surprise.
Hadn't Dempsey gone on strike at Fulham or some such? Are we sure we want to import possible disruption into the dressing room? Please correct if I'm wrong. Echo King's comment completely: "Be honest and how many of us would have been happy if in May we knew Luka and VdV would be replaced by Dembele, Dempsey and Sigurdsson." ... but disagree about the conclusion that Everton and the Toon might overtake us. Our squad is stronger and barring strange events (like Arsenal having RvP playing an entire season and carrying the whole team, or the catalogue of bad decisions against us), we may well get 4th. We proved last week I think that we are the equal of the Toon, even without our now "strongest" team playing.
I've though for a long while now, since before we had VDV, that Dempsey has a quality that we often lack in our team. He hates losing and will fight and drive in a match to win it. He scores Fulham's goals. Great signing in my opinion. Yep he went on strike, just like Luka. I don't approve of such behaviour, however, would knowing this have stopped us from signing Modric back then? I think this line is overused. Dempsey is in his last chance saloon. He wants to win things. He doesn't think he would at Fulham. He wants to come here. We want that very drive in the dressing room. Yep VDV is a great world class professional loss, but he wanted to leave (Family in Germany). Plus, he's injury prone, plus he can't play a full 90 mins, plus his corners..... Moutinho would have been fantastic as a Modric replacement. Alas it didn't happen. Maybe next window. At least we know that the fee and personal terms were agreed....He wants to be at Tottenham. I think it's also notable that we still Have Huddlestone, who will probably go some way to contributing as a playmaker with his passing. We now have serious midfield options.
Dempsey has only had 1 prolific season. Before that he got about 12, which I'd expect vdv to get, and before that it was single figures. I hope to be proved wrong but I think he was brought in because another target fell through. We may have been lucky. We wouldn't have let vdv go without someone else lined up and there were no reports we were interested in Dempsey til the death. Luckily for us Liverpool pissed off al fayed and Dempsey has the common sense not to want to downgrade to villa
