How do we go about challenging next year?

Evening all

With our push for 4th all but dead in the water, what do you envisage to be the best way to mount a challenge for the Champions League spots again next year?

Would you consider a squad upheaval? By this I mean selling the likes of Hutton, Woodgate, Kranjcar, O'Hara, Giovani, Bentley, Jenas, Keane, Crouch, Pavlyuchenko? Is it possible to risk this amount of change, considering the damage it might have to morale?

Would you cash in on Bale, using the funds to purchase 2 or 3 top players? This again is contentious; Bale's price tag is likely to fall next season, particularly if he struggles for form and fitness. Would you take a £40m offer for him, safe in the knowledge that it would be largely put towards a top striker?

Would you leave it as it is, and hope for better luck next year? There is no way that Defoe in particular can be as bad as this season.

I'm aware that I've only brushed over a few possibilities, I'm more interested to hear from other Spurs fans on their opinions in regard to mounting a challenge next year.

Cheers

 

I don't think we need that many changes to the first team squad. Strikers and Goalkeeper!

But Levy will want some kind of clear out, it's clear that he considers our squad too large. At the same time he want's decent prices for the players. The summer should be interesting. What are our scouts doing? we need to unearth some young talent as well as the Striker/Goalkeeper situation. With the goalkeeper we can look at older players. The srtikers are the most difficult because established ones at the level we need are the most expensive type of player. Then there is the wage structure I can't see that moving much until and if we get a larger stadium.

As ever with Spurs you never know what is around the next bend in the road!

 

There are a lot of players who could be going if the money's right. But surely Levy won't be so stubborn as to keep the Huttons or Keanes of this world because he'll be making a loss, surely?

I think we do need some significant changes but maybe not LOADS of changes. We've got lots of players we could sell without missing them. I just want to see us buy proper first-teamers, not just players who are going to add to the squad but still cost big money (Pienaar, Bassong, the Kyles etc).

£40m for Bale? Got to be honest - I'd bite your hand off right now. He's good but he's not that good. Now teams have adapted to him he's done very little of note for half a year. Actually - I'd only bite your hand off if I knew we could spend the money well. Which is a big "if". Two and a bit Darren Bents? I'd rather not.

Anyway - my main point would be that if we want to turn it around next season, miracles aside, not having European football could prove a major plus. no coincidence that we've got 4th last year and very nearly with Jol when we've not had that and had short domestic cup campaigns (league cup aside last year).

But then - where's the glory in coming 4th? Don't we want to be in competitions we can win, not just ones that guarantee a load of money?

Hate to say it but that £20m every year for doing sod all in the CL is what domestic cup wins and genuine championship pushes and big signings are made of. Qualify for CL regularly and we might win a few cups and start being a real force again.

 

Luke, the issue is that sometimes working the team around VDV has a detrimental effect. He very often goes missing in games and leaves us exposed.

You can't say that our attack is of no concern when our strikers have a combined total of just 15 goals.

Yes, a solid defensive base is key but at least if your strikers are firing it's not quite as bad. Our downfall this season has been drawing too many games (esp games that should have been killed off) due to mis-firing strikers.

 

Luke - Yes - it's form, not just personnel that have been problematic. Whilst no regular top-four club would want Crouch, Defoe or Pav even if they were on their top game, they're not as bad as they've looked this season. Or been made to look. Defoe playing the lone striker role?

But the form of the wingers is what's done us. Last year we had Krancjar/Lennon being excellent for the first half of the season, Bale being excellent for the second half.

This year Lennon's added very little all season and Bale, since Inter (and his injury) has done very little too.

 

New striker

 

I think the key for you guys is keeping VDV and Bale. VFV more so.

You get rid of them and you look a like feeder club. Keep them and you continue to increase your global stature, and more top quality players will want to go to you. With than you will get more success.

Obviously you need a goally! Maybe a striker. Like us, this summer is big for you.

 

with a couple of signings i can see the fight for 4th next year being even better than this year.
There could be 4 or 5 teams in it.

Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Spurs. Chelsea and Man U cementing their place as the top 2.

 

If Liverpool start well they might take some stopping. They've shown that they can be second bottom and come up to 5th which is a huge achievement. Goalscorers are what's needed.

 

Two Strikers Two Centrebacks and a Rightback not much wanted really

 

And throw in a keeper for good measure

 

Would the likes of Gary Cahill fill the void and that foreigner Mental Toughness i hear most top teams need him

 

Bump!

 

i think cahill is overated...but then again he is english........and if that henderson or jones lad is going for 20 million then cahill who has been jizzed over for about 4 years now can easily demand a fee of about 35 million....similar to the goal prodigy that is andy carroll

and if henderson is worth 20 million then modric is worth around 60 million

 

im saying that if Henderson is worth 20 then Luka is worth an astronomical amount more Ens...the figure i mentioned was just sarcasm...are you telling me all these players going for massive fees happen to be English is just a coincidence yet someone like Luka is being priced at the end 20's at a push...tis all one is saying

 

Each season that is all our fans "wish" for, squad upheaval, it isn't realistic, we keep the majority of what we have, sell a few, bring in a few (of a much higher standard) and then we develop as a squad and progress.

 

He's not English and he's not a kid. I'd say high teens to low 20s is the right price.

 

In which case you are a total moron.
Thanks for trying, though.

 

same thing redconn

 

Unless someone is English and fills a quota, I'd expect anyone at 25+ to be a proper world beater.

Modric is a class player but he's not a world beater.