It’s definitely been an up and down season for Tottenham Hotspur and the last week and a bit hasn’t been any different with the departure of former manager Jose Mourinho and the caretaker appointment of Ryan Mason. We also had the nonsensical European Super League guff to deal with and then, unfortunately, we saw a spirited but attack less performance against Manchester City in the EFL Cup Final.
Now, we turn attentions back to the Premier League, as we welcome already relegated Sheffield United to White Hart Lane on Sunday.
Whatever Mason’s future might hold as we continue our managerial search, we all want a strong end to the season and although the blunted Blades might only be playing for pride now and have absolutely no pressure on them, this cannot be anything other than a comfortable win for Spurs in reality.
Although the Cup Final wasn’t a classic Spurs performance, Harry Kane will have benefited from minutes back into his legs and we could welcome back Matt Doherty as he has now returned to full training, but we will again be without Ben Davies.
Whatever squad we put out, should have enough to take all three points though and given it feels like it’ll be a big summer of change, we could do with all the momentum we can get.
Niall, your comment about Van Dyk is spot on. He was the final piece that put them on top, and he is the missing piece that has had them tumble from the top.
I’ve just been reading up on Ralf Rangnick, he is highly respected as both a coach and a DoF. It is said that he has been the inspiration for the likes of Nagelsmann and Tuchel, maybe we should consider him for the senior role alongside a young dynamic manager.
Yes, he could be of added value somewhere in the org chart, but only if DL was willing to delegate football decisions entirely to him – which will just never happen.
There are two ways to look at Oyveh’s list. We can of course be encouraged to have come close on numerous occasions, or we can rue the fact that we have been nothing more than a “nearly” team – the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Where I would tend to lean on Oyveh’s side, is that the one thing you do want to see is continuous improvement. And what this list shows, to me, is stagnation. Stagnation at a reasonably high level, yes, but still a failure to get things over the line. And the longer this drags on, the more it becomes a problem.
I am all for valuing different things, including the style of football. But when we lose track of the fact that football remains a competitive sport, that’s where I draw the line.
I can accept the point that we shouldn’t be fixated on trophies alone, but I can’t accept the point that it’s OK never to win trophies as long as the football is good. It’s making excuses for failure.
Niall – I personally think the Van Dijk example is a) not relevant to us, and b) debatable, for a variety of reasons explained below.
As I have said before, for a single player to have the transformational effect you refer to, the team has to be at a stage where there’s a strong basis in place and the team is only 2 or 3 players away. That was true for Liverpool at the time they bought Van Dijk – the squad already contained a host of very good players (Mane, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Firmino…). That’s just not where we are in our development right now, in my view.
Second, the year Van Dijk was bought, Liverpool also bought a little player called Mo Salah (who has arguably been just as important to their transformation) and Andy Robertson (who has gone on to become one of the best left backs in world football). Not to mention the arrival of TAA from the academy.
If their back 4 got better, it is just as much due to the emergence of those 2 full backs as it is the arrival of VVD, in my opinion.
Third, it wasn’t until they bought Alisson the following year that Liverpool actually began to win things.
Which begs the question: did Van Dijk really change that team, or is it the incremental addition of world class players in various positions, over several seasons, which has led Liverpool to success? Just looking at VVD, Salah, Robertson, AOC, Alisson, Fabinho and Keita, Liverpool spent more than 300 million on 7 players in the 2 transfer windows leading up to their CL success.
Would they have won the CL and PL with just Van Dijk as the sole addition, without all of those other players? We’ll never know but it seems unlikely to me.
Where I think that none of this is really relevant to us, in any case, is that I don’t think DL is ever going to break a transfer world record. Liverpool not only did it for VVD, making him the most expensive CB transfer ever at the time, but they also did it a second time in 2 years when they made Alisson the most expensive keeper ever at the time.
As I have said before, for a player to have the transformational effect you speak of, the player has to be one of the very best players in world football at his position. And I just don’t think Levy is ever going to sanction that sort of deal.
If Liverpool have gone backwards, VVD’s injury is surely part of the explanation. But it’s not unusual to see a good team go backwards after winning things, and Liverpool may have been a prime candidate for regression even with VVD fit. Plenty of their players have played below their usual standards this year.
It seems as though prospective managers/coaches are turning thei noses up at Spurs. Is there a problem? Levy? Enic? Transfer funds?
BS
We will have to agree to disagree, as I have said we do have a very good core, I would argue a front pairing second to none, as the stats show.
I’ll say again one player won’t change us, but 3 or 4 will, I can’t say we will top the league with these acquisitions but, I think there would be an improvement.
And if among those 3 or 4 is “the one” who can pull us up by the boot straps, who knows.
Given this happens plus the addition of a new manager, we could /should see us getting better.
I was making the point that one player, Van Dyk, or Bruno can bring on those others round them to step up their game, or is it any wonder that Trent and Robertson can play so confidently in the knowledge that Virgil is there to mop up if they do slip up, and is it any wondrler now that Virgil isn’t in the Liverpool team all of a sudden Trent isn’t in the England team.
We could argue this both ways, but it does look, at least on paper that Liverpool at least have regressed without VD in the team, whilst still having Allisom, Mo, Robertson, Firmino et Al.
Which is why for me, and some agree with me, that we do have a decent core of a team just in need of some confidence building, with saying that there are those whom we need to get rid of.
There is no doubt about the strikers. However, can you say the same of our back 4?
A “core”, for me, is more than 2 players.
Of course 3 or 4 good players will make us better, in general. But will it make us good enough to win something? That’s the question. And the answer, for me, is no.
We could buy 2 centre backs, a right back and a central midfielder (there’s your 4 players right there), and questions would still exist about our keepers, and who’s going to cover for Kane.
Agree to disagree sounds right.
I wonder how Liverpool will do if they don’t make the CL?
They have been well run as a club. But things can quickly change. Especially when the wage bill is as high as theirs is.
Also there is a lot of talk that Salah may now leave. And others that joined recently, may not be happy without CL football. Also, there will be players they may have been interested in buying that would not consider them, without CL football.
A bit like Spurs. Except that Liverpool still have a manager and nowhere near the same size debt that Spurs have. 🙁 ……… Oh, and they’ve won a lot more stuff too!
Gotta love football… Gotta love the top4… Gotta love the CL… Gotta love Money… Gotta (not) love Covid-19!
It’s a funny old world…….
A wee bit ‘o caution with the love of money, mate. Traditional expression has it that it’s the root of all… well you know the rest. It sure was the root of the super league.
The funny thing about money is that it’s just made up, and when we all buy into the idea, it’s pretty powerful. but the day we lose faith, it takes a wheel barrow’s worth to buy a loose puff of the old Benson & Hedges not so special blend. The barrow’s worth more than the money when the faith is lost. At least the barrow still exists even if the faith goes down to Hades.
The Emperor has no clothes, but his picture is still on the coins.
We respect the fantasy thats been made up more than the real people in front of us.
It’s a funny old world……
That was all toungue in cheek TK.
I have no money myself… Can’t say I love that fact. But I am content.. And never envious of those that do have a lot of it…
So what you’re really saying is that there is a lot of unfounded speculation in the media about Liverpool.
For all we know, they’ll be back next year with all of their best players and 1 or 2 good additions, ready to mount a title challenge again…
If City now knock PSG out of the CL, maybe Poch will get fired. And maybe Poch and his crew can then return to Spurs, to finish his job!
By the way…
Spurs 6-0 Blades!
I’d welcome Poch back in a nano second. Just get him a few more of the players he never got on the last go round.
I would not.
With all due respect to MP, if he fails to win anything with PSG, there is something massively wrong.
For him not to win the CL would be one thing, but PSG are not even topping the French league at the moment.
Oh, I almost forgot!
ENIC IN!
Whoops, they already are in!
I have a list as well…
Bread
Milk
Eggs
Chicken
Caviar
Lobster
Cups!
Champagne
More cups!
HT …. I think your list surpasses Oyveh’s which, unfortunately, lacked any silverware.
Gotta love the lists
Just had a message from a family member, it appears Son is about to put pen to paper on a new deal. COYS
PY. Does your “family member” work for NEWSNOW?!
HT, no he doesn’t but must admit I did read the same in NEWSNOW! after I had written on here lol! COYS
PY …. Did your family member say which club Son’s’new deal’ was for?! : – )
Geof, he did say Spurs, but like I told HT I read it in NEWSNOW afterwards lol! COYS
I saw something online at something called sportsmole.co.uk that said Son was going to sign a new contract with spurs. who knows?
Do they still use three short paragraphs to tell a story with absolutely no quotes or a source to back up their claims?
I thought they were a misunderstood arts project as opposed to a football site.
HT – you forgot the cheese for the cheese room in the stadium
I hope the cheese room in the stadium emphasizes English cheeses. Some Stinking Bishop, perhaps? Some Red Cheeked Windsor? Some Stilton on the Offside?
And the Yids should have a bagel room.
BS,
We have a few decent players, whilst ageing Tobs and Lloris are still very good players, Hoj, N, Dombele. Add in Kane and Sonny, I make that six, I’m sure there are those who would add or take away from that list, but as I said Four or five initially to those listed, we’d be doing OK for a fist 11 baring in mind we do have a couple of decent loanees to come back.
We can work on the squad, it will take time.
But for me we have more than just two.
But we won’t agree on this one.
It’s a complete squad rebuild that’s needed, what’s the chances on that happening? Highly unlikely. The first lot that needs kicking out are Aurier, Dier, Alli, sanchez, winks, lamela, Doherty. Over the hill players, Loris, Toby, Davies, Sissoko.That leaves us with two top players in Son and Kane off course chances are if they have any sense they will get out of the sinking ship.
No one seems to want manager’s job. Only Graham Potter and Eddie How left.
Wentworth you forgot Bruce and allardyce😀
ww, as has been said by others what about Sean Dyche, I think he would be great, esp as he is used to working with a tight budget, then add Jurgen Klinsmann as DOF. COYS
Wentworth… I think there are a few more candidates likely, other than those two. And I don’t think they are very likely choices anyway… At least I hope not.