The decline of Spurs!,Are we really going in the right direction?.

[Blackjack]

When Harry took over the club was in a mess and we looked like we were going nowhere. He sorted out the mess we were in pretty quickly, recognizing the areas that needed improving,  and got the best from what was already there. He did this in less than a season and the following year we were up at the right end of the table and looked like we were going places.

However to do this he bought Palacios and Cudincini and brought back Defoe, Keane and Chimbonda. For about 30 million. In the summer he added Crouch, Krancjar and Bassong for about 20 million. That is 8 players in less than a year, for just under 50 Million.

With this information in mind I am left wondering the following things:

- How come Harry could buy in 8 new players and create a team that ended up in 4th? Yet we are saying that AVB/Baldini/Levy were wrong to buy 7 new players and expect them to play well. Whose to really blame for this oversight?

- If we got the right man are we being too negative to think that we couldn't be back and challenging by this time next year?

- None of these players were world class players (even though we craved one or two) but they were still able to challenge the top 4. So why can't these players who cost considerably more and were rated more highly at the time of purchase?

- I think there are too many people who failed to appreciate what an amazing job Harry did. (Particularly Levy)

- If this was the squad Harry took over in 2008, what would be the first thing he would do?

- I am beginning to think that that TS may also have to go, but only if Levy goes as well. I think we need a completely clean slate, starting right from the top and filtering down. (sorry Tim, not your fault, but the hammerings have not helped your cause)

Most of what you say I fully agree with you, and for all thosee of you out there that think Harry was not good enough then wake up!, where would you rather be right now?, 4/5th with great players and giving the big teams a good run for there money? Or where we are now?,, there is only one answer...back with Harry!, He carefully built his team up gradually merging new players with old and getting a good team spirit and ethics, key areas where addressed with some great tranfers and all fell into place, the team responded marvelously and we even had some good young talent coming through the acadamy!, now we have sold our prospects, our experinced players and with no young talent in the wind and no flare player(game changer) to look to when we most need it!, this sums up our club right now, lost, no real advance but a massive decrease, what needs to be done is get rid of he scout and director of football and bring in the best at spotting young talent!, we need to get players who are technicly good in every position, so the team is comfortable with the ball, players that know to look before they pass, and pass and move, if they are all spanish,brazillian, Italian, whatever as long as the team plays the ball on the deck comfortably!,and not rely on going back to the goalkeeper every few mins as there to find frightened to go forward. I would like Tim to carry on next season so I can see who he brings in, in the summer.

[dimexi]

The majority of the players you mentioned had Premier League experience. Some had even played for Spurs before. None of the 7 we brought in this year had that and most have failed to adapt. They may improve but even if they don't we may well be stuck with them. Who is going to pay us £27 Million for Soldado ? We'd be lucky to get £10 mill at the moment and Levy is not going to take that.

I agree, but therein lies the problem!!! Bad decisions built on more bad decisions. What I find hardest to swallow is that nothing was done, before it was too late.

[ugs]

I think that there is one unfortunate thing that will stop our club from ever being right up there and challenging for top honours and that is the Chairman ... Daniel Levy. To be fair he is a fantastic business man and brilliant negotiator that has managed to get the very best for the club in transfer dealings and business deals over the last 10 years or so.... but as soon as someone comes along to challenge his ego they have to go because DAniel has to be top dog !!!
Harry Redknapp as I think we all have realised now had plenty more to give Spurs and with a little backing by Levy would I'm sure have taken us on to challenge for the title especially this season during all the early season turmoil. Unfortunately Harry wouldn't back down to Levy over the England job and I for one say fair play to Harry, it wasn't like he was going to a rival team or selling players on the cheap to our rivals ... he was asking to be allowed to be considered for the top job in English football in a funny sort of way that was a back handed complement to Spurs.
When Harry never got the England job he went to Levy and said Ok you offered me a contract lets talk, but no lets cut of our nose to spite our face and sack Redknapp for even considering the England position that the Media so wanted him to have. At the time Redknapp was at the top of his stock and would of been able to attract players and probably persuaded players to stay but no Levy decides to bring in someone he knows he can 'bully' in AVB and this senario will continue until Levy is replaced.
 
The unfortunate situation we all must live with is the fact the Daniel Levy is never going to let anyone become bigger than him at Spurs and that will always hold us back regardless !!!
 
This summer Sherwood will go and the next poor sucker will take up the reigns until Levy feels threatened and takes away the transfer funds and support of the board.... it's happened for the last 10 or so years so there's no reason to think it will alter anytime soon !!!
 
 

[Blackjack]

" To be fair he is a fantastic business man and brilliant negotiator that has managed to get the very best for the club in transfer dealings and business deals over the last 10 years or so"

Are you having a laugh! ,his decisions mostly have got us in this mess!, the 110m from Bale has not been spent well at all!, we did not bring in anywhere near good enough quality players back to this club!, we sold a world beater with lightning pace and dribble ability and replaced him with none!, yes we bought Chadli but he does not have the pace!, we need some real sprinters in our team!, another Ginola!, someone to frighten the life out of players!, we need better technicaly ball controll players like Fabregas/Silva, and most of all we need world class defenders that dont panic!, a leader at the back like a Terry,Kompany,Vidic.
His decision sacked the best manager we had in years!, he did not like us having older exsperienced players like Parker, He sold Modric, Vandervart, Carrick,Bale,Defoe, Keane,etc and everytime one good player went we kept buying young players that where supposed to be superstars in a few years yet we never here anything more of them?, whats happened to the young lad from Barcelona we bought a few years ago, was supposed to be the next marradona!, we sold Caulker a very good English up and coming center back who is having a blinder for Hull chipping in with goals aswell!, Tom Carol loaned out to QPR, a young gerrad/Lampard coming through but we ship him out when we most need cool and calm heads!, all this is down to Levy wanting his team by a manager robot he can control!, he is just waiting to say I did this I did that and take all the credit!, but what the fool fails to realise is onl the manager reads a football team correctly, only a manager can judge what needs to be done, only a manager can choose who and where he wants his players, so untill we are given a manager who is alowed to buy his players no excuses will we ever have a real chance of becoming a force again and that my friends is a million miles away right now.

[Badger501]

I hate to start with a moan but really that's why I came on here!! Agree with you Blackjack. IMO the real problem with our management is that they won't spend money. I am sick of hearing pundits bang on about how much Spurs have spent this season. If you do the maths, after the sale of Bale and a good few others, we actually took in MORE money than we spent. So where's the big expense. My point is you can't compete in the Premier without spending big. I don't like that fact but it is, nonetheless, a FACT. We have a billionaire owner who won't put his hand in his pocket. We don't need to buy 7 or 8 players we need to buy 2 or 3 top players. As Blackjack says, we need the likes of Kompany or fabregas or hazard and above all a goalscorer!! I am tired of watching the team I have loved for over forty years playing dull, slow and ultimately pointless football. I grew up watching ardiles, hoddle, Archibald and then lineaker ginola et al. We may not have won much but we were a joy to watch. Lewis, spend some money or clear off!!

[RSS61]

I hate to start with a moan but really that's why I came on here!! Agree with you Blackjack. IMO the real problem with our management is that they won't spend money. I am sick of hearing pundits bang on about how much Spurs have spent this season. If you do the maths, after the sale of Bale and a good few others, we actually took in MORE money than we spent. So where's the big expense. My point is you can't compete in the Premier without spending big. I don't like that fact but it is, nonetheless, a FACT. We have a billionaire owner who won't put his hand in his pocket. We don't need to buy 7 or 8 players we need to buy 2 or 3 top players. As Blackjack says, we need the likes of Kompany or fabregas or hazard and above all a goalscorer!! I am tired of watching the team I have loved for over forty years playing dull, slow and ultimately pointless football. I grew up watching ardiles, hoddle, Archibald and then lineaker ginola et al. We may not have won much but we were a joy to watch. Lewis, spend some money or clear off!!

Firstly, welcome to the forum Badger, its refreshing to have someone new here. And your comments are perfectly correct. I would add to that, if we are paying our supposed best players 40 - 60 K a week, is it any wonder we cannot get players in who end up on 160 K or more elsewhere ?

[Blackjack]

It really comes down to, to be big you have to spend big with the exception of Everton who have slowly bringing there youth team through and added a little here and there, here lies: why they have suddenly launched a charge on the premier league!, they have always been in and around us, but with them they did not demand top4 or put pressure on there managers!, they built a squad gradually and never sold there best players when big guns came knocking!, they brought in some quality on loan with Lakaku, and have, Baines and young Barkly coming of age to name but a few, they have Disten and Jagielka experienced center backs to organise the troops.  This is where we where under Harry but not now, we ripped apart a very good unit and sold our key players!, ripped the heart out of a once very good team and for what? A chairmens bloody ego!

[Glenn R]

Whether fans think Sherwood is a good thing or not I think he will be gone by the summer. With us also struggling for a Europa placing for next season that might not be a bad thing. It will give the new manager a chance to regroup and build a team. Just like Rogers did.

[Metalanimal]

A report from sky sports concerning our new stadium plans which the club hopes to move into in 2017, its also reported we tried to buy Upton Park and may move to Wembley on a temp basis whilst the new stadium is built next to WHL.

Finances put us back in the black also, The club announced that they had made a £1.5m profit for the year ending 30 June 2013. This comes after they made a loss of £4.2m in 2012. Revenue also went up by 2% from £144.2m to £147.4m.

Seems many aspects have gone forwards where as on the pitch we have gone back 10 years!

[Blackjack]

Cant believe Levy dared to try to buy Upton Park!, after his spies made the accusations about West Ham doing dodgy buissness over the olympic stadium!, that sums him up perfectly! lol.

[RSS61]

A report from sky sports concerning our new stadium plans which the club hopes to move into in 2017, its also reported we tried to buy Upton Park and may move to Wembley on a temp basis whilst the new stadium is built next to WHL.

Finances put us back in the black also, The club announced that they had made a £1.5m profit for the year ending 30 June 2013. This comes after they made a loss of £4.2m in 2012. Revenue also went up by 2% from £144.2m to £147.4m.

Seems many aspects have gone forwards where as on the pitch we have gone back 10 years!

Yes Metal, mostly due to bad managers and even worse transfers

[Blackjack]

In toadys papers.."Tottenham fans can expect quality over quantity from their summer transfers according to chairman Daniel Levy, who says they will concentrate on a few signings to 'strengthen key positions'." Lol, yeah right!, thats what they promised this year   and look what we got!, Il believe it when I see it!, all we will get is the players nobody else wants as always, does he really think we are going to bite that carrot seriously?.

[RSS61]

In toadys papers.."Tottenham fans can expect quality over quantity from their summer transfers according to chairman Daniel Levy, who says they will concentrate on a few signings to 'strengthen key positions'." Lol, yeah right!, thats what they promised this year   and look what we got!, Il believe it when I see it!, all we will get is the players nobody else wants as always, does he really think we are going to bite that carrot seriously?.

Unless he's gonna start paying 150 k + a week, all we will get is, as you rightly say, the players who nobody else wants.

[Glenn R]

A report from sky sports concerning our new stadium plans which the club hopes to move into in 2017, its also reported we tried to buy Upton Park and may move to Wembley on a temp basis whilst the new stadium is built next to WHL.

Finances put us back in the black also, The club announced that they had made a £1.5m profit for the year ending 30 June 2013. This comes after they made a loss of £4.2m in 2012. Revenue also went up by 2% from £144.2m to £147.4m.

Seems many aspects have gone forwards where as on the pitch we have gone back 10 years!

I think a lot of those so-called offers (like Upton Park or the Olympic stadium) were made to put pressure on Haringey Council to get more concessions. And to be honest it has worked. The Tottenham area would be devastated if Spurs pulled out.