I think the meeting with Joe Lewis recently is no coincidence, it would seem our billionaire backer is finally providing funds not just for buying players, but raising Bale's and others wages, offering new deals to stay is costing us more than it ever has. I think the value of brand Bale wearing a Spurs shirt has given them pound signs in their eyes. Its now or never though, if we buy right and have a good season reaching all targets, a massive task in itself, he'll stay again imo, and his worth in commercial revenue for another year to the club is something they must want. This kind of player developing global recognition does not come along often, I'd be disappointed if Levy was not thinking similarly.
I also think the NLD up 3rd game has made us change our ways too, we cannot possibly go into that in the usual 3rd game disarray of recent seasons, throwing in just signed players with one days training etc. Results against rivals can decide things in the long run, its important not to throw points away, if this fixture occurred in the first 3 games in previous seasons, we would have, so we have to be up and ready from the off instead of morphing the side still half a dozen games in, and one or two 9pts clear already.