Is the current team the best since the sixties?

I like the Spurs community, particularly here on Not 606 and I even though I don’t know any of you personally, it always feels as though we are among friends. I know some of you are older and some younger than me. I am 53 and been a Spurs fan for as long as I can remember, but I don’t quite go back to the double winning team, so my question is – Is this the best team we have had since the double winners? I know that they day after a disappointing defeat may seem a strange time to consider this but it might also be a good time.

I certainly don’t recall us being as consistent in the league as we have been under Poch, we have had some good teams and great players in my 47+ years as a fan, but have we had a better team?

I have seen some of the greats, lets just pause and take in these names (I am sure you will all have favourites I have missed), but these are the ones that come to mind without much thought – Chivers, Jennings, Perryman, Hoddle, Ardiles, Archibald, Waddle, Mabbutt, Gascoigne, Sherringham, Klinsmann, Ginola, King, Berbatov, Bale, Modric, and Van Der Vaart to name just a few, but they were all individuals often in quite average and inconsistent teams. Kane will be mentioned amongst these in the future maybe Alderweireld, Alli and Eriksen too, but the difference is we are a team that consistently gets results, yes we need a trophy and soon in order to cement this teams place in history, but I really think it is the best team I have seen wear the lilywhite shirt.

 

In terms of league form, definitely.

The 80s sides used to threaten to win the league at times,
but would do a Wenger-esque springtime collapse
(I will excuse 1981-82 because of the horrendous fixture
congestion the cup campaigns caused) .

 

The current defence with David Pleat's '87 attack would be unstoppable

 

Yes, best team since the '60s.
In the recent past, you've had star players, but never an outstanding team capable of seriously challenging for the title.
Usually, there has been a weakness - often in defence.
This team is strong in all areas.
Even the team with Klinsmann scoring 20+ league goals and Sheringham, Barmby, Mabbutt , Anderton etc came 7th and conceded 58 goals.

 

“My aim is to play my whole career only for Tottenham,” Kane, who is reportedly a major transfer target for the biggest European clubs but whose current deal with Spurs runs to 2022, told the newspaper.

 

"At the moment, everything suits me here and I'm happy."

 

Repeat

 

At the moment I would say this current team is potentially as good as the 60's team. It's a very difficult judgement because so much has changed. The ball, the boots, the pitch, the diets, the culture of drinking and smoking, the opposition, the style of football, the rules, the referees, the contact allowed, tackling from behind, even the points awarded for a win.
About the only thing the same is the name it's still called football.
I see parallels but if by magic you could bring all those players from the 60's into current times with all the modern advantages they would still struggle with the rule changes. BUT Greaves would still be a top striker Blanchflower still an amazing captain and Mackay would still be the midfield enforcer. Kane, Winks and Wanjama.
Where the current team wins hands down is the defence, players like Verts Toby and Dave did just not exist then. Defenders are far more cultured and skilled than they used to be IMO.
Which probably stems from how we used to pick teams from schooldays. If you were crap at the game and fat you would be in defence and no I was a winger not a defender.

 

The 69-73 squad had some wonderful individuals, secured a hi couple of LC's and a UEFA win, the 81-83 team was special in many ways and added FAC silverware twice and pushed for the league before stumbling under the weight of fixtures as the RBDB highlighted earlier. 87 version also had some pretty special players, as did various subsequent incarnations.

The current squad is IMHO the strongest complete group in my fan-time, is arguably the most consistent over the last 3 seasons and offers the greatest future potential - particularly as the stars are aligned with a great young manager and a wonderfully run club from top to bottom. So, yes - despite the historic competition, I reckon that this group is the best since the early '60's!

 

We've got a handful of excellent players and a smattering of very good ones, too.
I don't think that this is massively out of the ordinary, though.
The difference for me is the manager.

We've almost always lacked consistency, organisation, spirit and a work ethic.
How often have we had sides that could win any game, but were also capable of losing any, too?
Pochettino's Spurs turns up nine times out of ten and often stumbles over the line in that other game, too.
If you're not prepared to be positive, put in the graft and go out every week intending to win, then you can piss off.
That's what's changed, more than the quality of the team.

 

Very true. The criticism of Spurs teams in the recent past has often centred around a perceived lack of graft - style over substance in other words.
Football is about skill, luck and graft. If you lack any of those elements, you won't succeed -'especially if you lack graft. This Spurs team seems to run and press more than most. That can make the difference when the skill and luck are missing on occasions.
The only proviso I'd add to the comment I made earlier is that if this team doesn't win anything, it won't be remembered as being better than the lesser teams who did.

 

I was gonna say something similar. Man for man the Harry team which (I think) could have been Friedel, Walker, King, Woodgate(/Kaboul/Dawson), BAE, Lennon, Parker, Modric, Bale, VDV, Crouch/Adebayor if everyone was fit was pretty damn good. (With Defoe and Kranjcar on the bench too).

As I used to say at the time - the Harry way was simple - you get good players and you get them to play well. You get Friedel in goal. You play Lennon on the right, You sign Crouch and Defoe. It ain't, as they say, rocket science.

What Poch has, though, is the ability to have undeniably built a *team*. The organization is so cohesive that I don't even despair to see Sissoko in the team. I mean - I don't ****ing like it and he's the worst player we've had for a good few seasons but in this team he at least plays his part and understands the role that he has to play. The shape of the team and the discipline and the hard work and (it seems) the team spirit is outstanding.

I did bloody like that Harry team, though. Just the most simple and effective 4-4-1-1 you could ask for. Bale on the left still but hey - at least he wasn't left-back eventually.

 

As things stand I would say the 1981-1984 team were better.
The 1986-87 team were on a par imo.
Don't remember the early 1970s team but they won 3 trophies in 3 years so would probably put them ahead too.

 

As a 57 year old spurs fan I just missed out on the sixties push and run side so can only give my opinion on what I have seen.over the years I have seen some magical attacking football but we always seemed to have the soft underbelly which made us so spursy. Today's squad definitely is the most consistent as a defensive unit but in my opinion lacks a Hoddle type in midfield who can turn it on and win us games.but then he wasn't really known for his tackling and chasing back so I guess we can't have it both ways .we have had many great players over the years and I would love to have a Clive Allen or chivers or Archibald to come off the bench and give kane a helping hand up front or give him a rest.we are lucky we have poch with him bringing the youngsters through the academy the futures very bright all we need is a bit of luck to go our way and a trophy will follow. COYS
Oh and a bloody decent ref now and then

 

Actually you can.

if you recall the 1986-87 season, in the MF 5 you had Ossie,
Paul Allen etc doing all the spadework while Hoddle pulled
the strings. So you can ignore the b*llocks then of the likes
of Don "work rate" Howe as long as the "luxury" players
deliver the attacking goods.

Someone now akin to Hoddle in the Spurs MF would be
sublime given the graft of DM/CM and that of the likes
of Alli and Kane.

 

Agreed my only thought is how brilliant ericksen is but not as consistent as I remember Hoddle being for us although he must have had a few bad games but now I'm an old git my memory ain't as good as it was and can't think of any.