Well, it’s been a strange old summer for supporters of all clubs, let alone Tottenham Hotspur fans but it’s finally time for the first match thread of 2020/21.
I trust this finds the good citizens of Vital Spurs and their wider bubbles, in good health and spirits, as this coming season is bound to be a rollercoaster, both on and off the pitch!
2019/20 was interesting, to say the least, with our problems and the changes we saw (nobody mention poor performances), so this year after a semi-busy transfer window of captures, we also have Europa League qualification to look forward to – which simply only complicates things further given the additional games we face for barely a Plovdiv of financial benefit compared to the Champions League itself.
But it’s Everton up first as we go into a new strange season where fans still won’t be in attendance and nobody knows if we’ll actually perform like the Spurs we expect either, but the likelihood is more of the same pragmatic type of football Jose Mourinho is famed for – we just have to hope the results follow.
Everton...
Win
Draw
Lose
It’s a busy start to the season with five games to pack in ahead of us slipping into October, so can we lay down a marker against the Toffees and show that we’ve learnt from last season’s mishaps?
Previous Article:
Spurs Arrange Medical For 33 Capped International Midfielder
https://www.footballfancast.com/tottenham-hotspur-transfer-rumours/spurs-latest-news-joshua-king-rumours-jose-mourinho-daniel-levy-fee-rejects-gossip
SORRY but felt compelled to post this as it does back-me up fully on my argument for a 2nd STR especially my suggestion of Josh King – SORRY AGAIN but JUST had to do it LOL!
EL J , whats with the length of your posts, they are longer then articles,yet you say and mention the same point the same outcome and the same players.
Quote:
When asked about fixture congestion, Mourinho said he “will get depressed” if he thinks too much about it.
“The other day I made a challenge with my boys and challenged them which one of them thinks he can play all these matches for 90 minutes?” he added.
“And nobody told me I can. We are all very aware it’s impossible to do it. It’s not human.
“It’s a big risk. It’s a big risk in terms of our ambitions. It’s very possible that you lose one of these matches.
“If we decide that one of these competitions is not important for us we go against the nature of the club. We go against our own ambitions.”
Glad to hear that we will take all 4 comp’s we are in seriously but naturally for that we’ll need as big a squad as possible keeping within the maximum boundaries of course naturally, etc!
So I’m actually OK with hearing that JM wants Aurier indeed to stay (“If you ask me directly journalist to coach do you want to sell? No I don’t.”) to compete/cover Doherty at RB although hope he can take up the challenge properly and seriously and not kick up a Rose like fuss! Must admit had him down as a near on guaranteed sale given Doherty’s arrival and Aurier’s supposed willingness to leave already last summer let alone possibly this summer (indeed given Doherty’s arrival now) – but like I say I’m OK with him staying if that’s what JM sincerely wants (he will naturally offer experience and “expertise” as a natural RB) – 1 problem though is that if he does not leave we are pretty much bang on quota for foreigners both with respect to the Prem but especially also the EL!
If we want to bring in a foreign STR for example given JM’s obvious insistence that he needs at least 1 more STR naturally to compete/cover HK10 that means someone like Foyth might have to go out either via a sale or a loan for example or the same with regards to Gazzaniga especially given that he apparently wants Aurier to stay and the only 2 other certain sales are Rose and CCV (as neither given a Prem squad number on today’s submitted season list), who are actually both home-grown so will not do anything to increase the foreign quota capacity even if they do likely leave!
This could of course mean that a home-grown STR might indeed be the answer if no foreigner does depart (Rose and CCV obviously apart as already stated = home-grown) so the only 2 I can currently think of that are available and cheap and also Prem experienced in keeping with the 3 other main signings this summer are King and Deeney but let’s wait and see because indeed the likes of Foyth/Gazzaniga could end up leaving via a sale/loan and that would indeed free-up a foreigner spot and hence JM could then sign a foreign STR.
Now given the possibility of Aurier staying, that means Tanganga won’t be needed at RB frequently as I thought might well be the case so thus can play his natural position of CB regularly along with Toby, Dier and Davy and gives us at least 4 CB’s to go with this season (not including CCV obviously, nor the likes of Foyth who may well still leave as discussed above nor Fagan-Walcott who is still in the youth academy and not yet even assigned a Prem number).
Although I would still want a left-footed LCB signed naturally, I will tone down my request (and arguing on here – indeed PEACE to all lol) based on this possible fact above and it meaning not being as desperately needed number’s wise – quality wise that’s another matter all together. Perhaps something we can revisit in January/next Summer depending on how we get on until those times and also when finances are hopefully better and thus more permitting if really needed!
Furthermore on a side note just did some very rough calculations (for my own interest but will share lol) and reckon for this last season up to 30th June 2020 we’ll likely turn a loss of around at least £60m based on our player spending for this last season (when we obviously didn’t know what was coming with the pandemic, etc and decided to divert from our traditional as close to 0 as possible net transfer spend probably based on our run to the CL final thus much greater revenue garnered indeed based on this particularly an increased extra £80m alone season on season up to 30th June 2019 and also perhaps counting on similar greater revenue again season on season from the move to the new stadium – indeed which I just read could again alone bring in anywhere from £150-200m once fully up and running similarly season on season with all the possibilities it brings and not just football related obviously either) and also the problems affecting finance/revenue since March as regards CV/Covid 19, etc (not factoring in a tax rebate possibly based on this for example and from paying already alone nearly £20m in tax as regards season ending 30th June 2019, etc – so this could easily amount to a roughly £12m rebate, etc) but will naturally leave this all up to the experts to enlighten us properly and fully when the time is indeed right to do so LOL!
So in this respect got to give the club some respect/credit for still investing roughly £17m net (£29m buys vs £12m sales so far) plus probably the cost of a decent new STR on top which will likely not be financed by further sales as indeed even though now fully and obviously expecting Rose and CCV pretty much to go – I think basically they will practically depart for free – thus if we get anything for them now will definitely consider it a bonus – which would be absolutely great but not holding my breathe at all!
Given all the potential finance/revenue problems facing us this coming season for obvious reasons can’t really blame the club this time for wanting to stick as close to a net spend of 0 on transfers as is practicably possible – simply a basic fact of reality in the current global crisis climate! Indeed we might even be lucky that given our recent and now new massive stadium debt and amidst this current global financial crisis that we are not forced to sell the crown jewels within the squad to keep ticking over as other clubs have, are and will in future perhaps have to do indeed!
123 – just probably did it again now with this last post and having then just read your last post LOL and fair play and I know I’m being very repetitive especially recently but just getting it off my chest (especially my concerns before the season starts) and it still does not detract from the fact that it is in my eyes at least but also many others from what I read and even in small part I have quoted – pretty much spot on all the same (IMHO of course LOL)!
I do love coming on here and talking Spurs but I guess there’s still only so much you can discuss (as TQ2 so correctly identified the other day) especially in the off season – maybe I’m just a bit bored with it all with no football yet and feel this need based on such a yearning indeed LOL!
Sorry to be a bore chaps if that’s the case but please let me get on with my therapy (and please don’t report me anywhere) LOL!!!!!!
I must just add that IF and I do say IF and given what I just wrote in that last LONG (123 LOL, etc) post – we are sincerely and seriously after the likes of Milik and as I just read Belotti – then respect to the club and Levy especially and JM also for identifying them and hopefully we can get 1 of them, etc and start “motoring” places!
BIg IF though – especially given our past record on such reports every bloody window normally…………….!
Much more likely to be a Diallo, etc but then again you just never know for certain and if it is indeed a Diallo, etc he might well if signed turn out to be decent/good/even quality, etc – indeed I respect JM fully – just his time at Porto when he picked off low cost and free signings that other’s did not want and turned Porto back into a dominant force both in Portugal but also Europe in his couple of years there with the UEFA Cup and indeed CL falling in consecutive season’s back then – means he deserves respect for his player recruitment knowledge, as well as everything else IMHO (although of course I know others on here don’t agree but each to their own and full respect either way – most importantly long live the mighty Spurs LOL – who we all naturally LOVE)!
EJ …. Would you like some good book titles to read?
Geof – LOL – to be honest mate never really liked reading books – maybe too short an attention span in that respect! Do plenty of reading on the screen though in between lots of different sites/pages, etc including on here obviously lol but books never been my thing for sure – cheers all the same mate LOL!
Not much over 24 hours to go now – looking forward to seeing what we can achieve this season – 2/3 good signings already added to what now makes a very good squad overall (barring especially though that 2nd elusive STR finally LOL) so decent hopes for now – hope they don’t get shattered at all or very least too bloody quickly indeed pretty much already in September given the ridiculously tight schedule………..!
Lilywhites 3-0 Toffees!
Up the Spurs!
Wow……….I woke up this morning to the news that we have signed one of the best strikers in world football!
I wonder if we would be allowed to play her in the mens team? 🙂
TQ… That sounds like the opening line of an old blues song…
I’d rather Morgan up top than King, I must admit… A WC winner, no less!
Indeed HT…..a double world cup winner I believe!
I remember when football used to be so much more of a simple game…
3pm on a Saturday… 11 v 11, 4-4-2, a manager, a man with a magic sponge, oranges at half time…
No bench, no subs. And you finish the game with whoever is left standing. Players would carry on until they dropped. Even if playing on just the one broken leg. (Left or right)… Or, semi concussed! … “Where am I?”, a player would shout. And 50,000 supporters would shout back; “White Hart Lane, mate!” And after a squeeze or two of the magic sponge to the injured part, he’d pick himself up, run around a bit, all dazed and confused for a while, then somehow find himself in the penalty area and banging in the winner! Whistle blows. Full time.
And then everyone took the bus home. chatting, laughing, singing a song… Crying… ……
And your Centre forward, left-half-wing-back-inside-right-left-winger-goalie, might well be on that bus with you… Chatting, Laughing, singing a song… Crying!
Glory Glory………
Morning all you Yids, I am a happy Birthday boy, boy in the comical sense, so I am looking to a brilliant Birthday present tomorrow from the mighty Spurs, 3-0.
WW, haha, I born that year, so yes you are older than me, but do think there are a couple of posters older than you lol. COYS
1945 for me. PompeyYid.
Happy Birthday to you….
Have a drop of yer favourite ale, on me… Cheers!
Happy birthday PY……….. fellow Virgoan as well as Spurs supporter. Have to wait until next Friday for mine but try not to think about the advancing years too much! 🙂
Happy Birthday PY.
Just learned” Going to my Home town “Rory Gallagher on mandolin. Played it just for ya m8.
Have a good one m8. Hope Spurs give you a wee boost later. 3-0.COYS.
Happy Birthday PY – hope you and the wife have a lovely day together, etc and any family involved also – here’s hoping anyway mate!
Hope the lads can give you an extra special present (and for us also for that matter lol) tomorrow with a good solid convincing victory – let’s keep our hopes up – especially for now – indeed the season not yet started – so for now at least we’ve still got a chance of glory on all 4 fronts LOL!
Keep well and take care mate and very best wishes to you, the wife and the family also!
Have a great day, PY. That’s an order!!
TQ … It looks like all the best female players in the world are heading to England. The Women’s league is going to take off big time. I did submit an article last year about the dramatic improvement in Women’s football. It gives us more football choices …. and female teams tend not to park the bus so much. I’ll probably follow Chelsea and Spurs now!!
Just remembered we’ve bought Alanna Kennedy, too. Should be more competitive this season.
Hi Geof, yes the WSL is following the PL in many ways but particularly when it comes to investment in players. We have been left behind somewhat by the usual suspects i.e. City, United, Arsenal and Chelsea so it’s good to see us showing a bit of ambition to try and close the gap in quality between the 4 mentioned and the rest.
“Perhaps surprisingly, Tottenham’s home form was the third-best in the league last term, ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea”.
Just read this and very interesting fact indeed – hopefully just the start of building a new fortress at the THS for many seasons to come!