We have got to a have a period of stability now

Whatever your feelings on Poch, he's here now and we've got to get behind him.

He's got prem experience, got Saints punching above their weight and playing a great style at the same time. If he can apply that to us then he'll do good.

But we've had so much upheaval over the last year - 2 managers out, Bale leaving, all the ins and outs and now a third manager.

We (and by we, I mean Levy) has got to scale down the expectation for next season if we want to see improvement for the season after. I really hope Levy isn't thinking 'top 4 or you're sacked' for Poch's first season because that's ridiculous - if anything top 4 is less achievable now than it has been for a good 5-6 years+.

I would take a season of finishing around 6th, a good cup run and a good stab at the Europa League (seeing as how they've finally made winning the damn thing an attractive prospect).

Poch must be allowed time to get used to the squad and build his own damn team! If that means this season is another step down the well-trodden 'transition season' route then so be it.

 

He's got 4/3 seasons like AVB had.
The Mayan calendar ended in 2012. The Levy Mayhem calendar has Dec 2015 on it.

 

Stability? At Tottenham? Don't be ridiculous.

 

You can only have stability if the right man is in charge. When Redknapp was signed very few believed he would last four years but his management created that stability as he took us on an exciting journey and into the champions league. There is no such thing as stability for the sake of stability so all this rubbish about fans getting behind him doesn't mean much as its up to the manager to prove he can handle the job and if he can the fans will be on his side. If he isn't up to the job (like Avb) then the fans will turn on him.

There is more chance of Pochettino being the poor man David Moyes, in the sense both long term contracts but neither stood much chance of seeing them through and I'll be amazed if Pochettino gets to four years in charge.

Levy will have set Pochettino a target, there is no "lets leave you to it and we will talk to you in a year or two", Its simply a high pressure job and he has to hit the ground running, thats just how it is with us and he will be expected to make a fairly instant impact otherwise the pressure will be on.

 

Then I await the next period of the Levy era to go no further in terms of progress, unless Levy somehow wins the managerial lottery and pulls the right name out of the hat.

Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers are a good example of how to do it - they gave him time and now look. 2nd in the PL, almost won it, goals galore (defence obviously very weak though), great entertainment and now they're in the CL.

 

Levy thinks stability is where horses sleep
<i'llgetmycoatsmillie>

 

You're right in that the expectations are too high at times but when Levy sacked a manager who finished in the top four, he created these expectations and this is where we are at. The days of us being content with playing fairly decent football and finishing 5th-6th are over, its either seriously challenge for the top four and play exciting football or (eventually) lose your job. If Pochettino does OK then he would have to be outstanding the following year, he would never be allowed to finish 6th two seasons running and keep his job, even with a 5 year contract.

 

I'm concerned that whoever takes over at Saints will do a better job than Pochettino did. If the new coach does better then we have to finish higher than Saints. Pochettino has the makings of a bloody good set up with huge potential so far untapped with players like Lamela and Soldado still to prove themselves and I think that they both can. I just hope that Saints don't finish higher than we do.

 

Do we know his view on Defensive Mids. Hopefully understands that it is a real position unlike Sherwood/Ferdinand

 

Schneiderlin, Wanyama and Steven Davis all played in that role last season, so he acknowledges their existence.

 

Until we employ a manager with a proven track record, one who can actually convince Levy that the sky isnt falling in when we have a bad run, we will carry on exactly as we have been. Poch has won as much as David Moyes,he is another flavour of the month selection. Come stormy seas Levy will not give up his place in the lifeboat for anybody and another manager will be thrown overboard. The problem is he knows if he takes on a big hitter then sacking them will be that much harder. If Poch is here for more than 2 seasons I will be amazed.

 

I have a feeling that if given time, he will do well. Time, however, is always the problem at Spurs.

If we are expecting top 4 next season, then I'm sure that that unrealistic target will not be reached. Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal will all buy significantly this summer. I have a feeling, we won't!

For next season, I would just like to see us moving in the right direction. Playing some decent football and taking on the top sides and giving them a game. Not getting mullered, as we were last year.

 

We don't get mullered that often by the top teams at least not two seasons on the trot anyway. Will he be able to outwit Pellegrini, Wenger and Maureen? Is he of the stature of those because for me FDB is. I purposely omitted Rodgers because he's had one good season at Liverpool and I'd like to reserve judgement on him as a top coach until he completes two seasons. We finished last season quite well which often bodes well for a good start to the next season so let's hope.

 

Actually I don't think Levy sacks managers simply based on results - I think he sacks them when they don't deliver the things they promised him. There is no evidence at all that Levy thinks we are somehow entitled to a top four place, but I'm pretty sure all the prospective managers he talks to say that they know how to make the difference and get us there - and then they don't deliver. AVB wasn't sacked at the end of the first season, he was sacked when it was clear that something was wrong with the way he was running the team.

Redknapp is a whole different story - an excellent motivator and better at tactics than most people accept, but refused to work with a Director of Football and couldn't be trusted with spending the Modric/Bale money in my view.

 

If you don't get Champions League will he be given time?

 

I think so. Levy can't be immune to the vocal criticism he has received recently. I think only possible relegation will get him to to reach for the secret trap door button in the next 2 seasons.

 

Levy needs to be told by someone that this dream of a top 4 finish is something which he can't keep sacking manager for, should they fail to reach it.
we need to start focussing on winning cups. The top 4 is getting harder and harder and we're getting bullied by clubs with bigger resources.
Unfortunately, next time we qualify for the top 4, I think Daniel will no longer be in charge of the club, and, instead, it'll be an oil tycoon or someone of that ilk.

 

But I don't think he has been doing that - as far as I can see he sacks managers when they don't deliver the plans he agreed when he appointed them. The only exception is Redknapp who I think was sacked because Levy couldn't see how we could recycle the inevitable Modric and Bale money with Redknapp not wanting to work with a DoF.

 

So what exactly did AVB do wrong? Yes we were boring, but we finished with our record points in his first season and he made us pretty tight defensively, other than 3 results during last season which cost him his job. - which Sherwood also suffered similar results against.
Did AVB choose the players who signed for us? Apparently not, other than paulinho.

I wasn't a big fan of AVB, but his sacking was harsh when you weigh everything up. I still believe that the football we witnessed was simply due to him not having the players HE wanted to make it work, and therefore had to be more conservative over his game plan in order to get results with the players we had. - hence the defensive football.

 

"So what exactly did AVB do wrong?"

The football was dire. And the departure of Bale was not the reason.
At the point of sacking, there was nothing to suggest the performances had not
hit rock bottom and the only way was up.

Even allowing for the huge player churn, AVB had the benefit of 9 cup games
outside of the 16 PL games, to attempt to bed in as many of the newbies as
possible to his style of play.

The objective stats for the season were also telling.
Although the PL points / goals against / gap to the leaders was right where it
normally is, the goals for at that stage was well off. The only comparable stats
suggested he should have been on 22 pts, not 27 (which tallied very well with
the two fortunate penalty decisions that lead to 1-0 wins and not 0-0 draws) .