Champions League Experience

[Biggs]

Looking at our squad today, i don't think we are doing to bad in the CL experience department.

Gomes - CL with PSV

Gallas - CL with Ars*nal

VDV - CL with Hamburg & Madrid

Crouch - CL with Liverpool

Pav - with Spartak Moscow

Gio - maybe not 100% if he played a few games with Barca in the CL

I hear alot of people saying maybe Tottenham are to inexperienced for the CL. That right there is the spine of our team so i beg to differ

[Gareth Keown]

Gallas and vd only joined very recently, and the others were very much in the shop-window. (apart from Gomes)...

things can change... quicker than you'd think..

[Biggs]

Gallas and vd only joined very recently, and the others were very much in the shop-window. (apart from Gomes)...

things can change... quicker than you'd think..

I don't quite understand what you are trying to get at?

I'm just talking about player experience here, that's invaluable. Means they won't buckle under the pressure of the big stage.

[Gareth Keown]

my point is that for most of the transfer-window we were not expecting to retain alot of the players with CL experiences and apart from Fabiano, none were expected to join with CL experience...

the 2 deals for Gallas and vdV were done quite late in the window.... especially 1 of them as I recall...

[Biggs]

my point is that for most of the transfer-window we were not expecting to retain alot of the players with CL experiences and apart from Fabiano, none were expected to join with CL experience...

the 2 deals for Gallas and vdV were done quite late in the window.... especially 1 of them as I recall...

ah...Ok see ya point.

But that's irrelevant now, they're going to be here for the next 3 months and we're going to have to use some of them players if not all of them, since they all have been named in our 25.

I think rotation is going to be key for us this season, if we don't want to get left behind in the League.

[bigv]

Hadnt hutton cl experience with  Rangers?

[Biggs]

Hadnt hutton cl experience with  Rangers?

Yeah i think he has.

But i doubt he will play much, considering he's like 3rd choice RB behind Charlie and Kaboul.

Also Keane with Liverpool

[Gareth Keown]

dont think CL experience per se is that important.... just players with good experience playing in a top-league and/or intl. experience with national side - therefore has played well in high-pressure environment..

also players with experience of playing in multi-leagues has special value, as will be able to adapt to different playing styles, tempo, formations etc that much better.... eg. vdV who's played at the top-levels in Holland, Germany and Spain as well as many times for Holland..

we are deffo stronger than we were at season-end.... not entirely convinced Citeh have improved as much, despite the additions (as no Bellamy is a big loss I feel)...

[ugs]

dont think CL experience per se is that important.... just players with good experience playing in a top-league and/or intl. experience with national side - therefore has played well in high-pressure environment..

also players with experience of playing in multi-leagues has special value, as will be able to adapt to different playing styles, tempo, formations etc that much better.... eg. vdV who's played at the top-levels in Holland, Germany and Spain as well as many times for Holland..

we are deffo stronger than we were at season-end.... not entirely convinced Citeh have improved as much, despite the additions (as no Bellamy is a big loss I feel)...

So Gareth in your own words BAE, Bale, Hutton, Defoe, Pavlyuchenko, King, Dawson, Corluka, Modric, Lennon, Keane, Crouch, Kranjcar, Bassong ..... well almost the whole squad have had international experience of some kind and seeing as alot of them have come from other teams they have experienced different types of playing styles etc.
 
So It boils down to confidence, ability and tactics. Come the end of the group stages the whole squad are going to have CL experience, really don't see the big deal. Ok it helps but at the end of the day the team and management have to have confidence in their own ability and take the step onto the next level.
 
Some peolple seem to take great pleasure in adding pressure to an already pressurized situation !!!

[Derry-Yid]

dont think CL experience per se is that important.... just players with good experience playing in a top-league and/or intl. experience with national side - therefore has played well in high-pressure environment..

So the CL is not a high-pressue environment?...its the best club competition in the world...the more players we have with experience of playing in CL the better it will be for us as a team...id rather have 6 or 7 players with CL experience than none at all.

[SomersetYiddo]

I think Gallas will be key now Daws is out, his experience with the scum in the champions league will be important to us at the back. Feel gutted for Daws missing some of the champions league games, does anyone know how many he will miss in the group stages?

[dedleysting]

We have a good squad with good strength in depth. With hard work, defensive concentration and the strikers seizing on their oppertunites we can definatley get out of this group!

[Gareth Keown]

dont think CL experience per se is that important.... just players with good experience playing in a top-league and/or intl. experience with national side - therefore has played well in high-pressure environment..

also players with experience of playing in multi-leagues has special value, as will be able to adapt to different playing styles, tempo, formations etc that much better.... eg. vdV who's played at the top-levels in Holland, Germany and Spain as well as many times for Holland..

we are deffo stronger than we were at season-end.... not entirely convinced Citeh have improved as much, despite the additions (as no Bellamy is a big loss I feel)...

unsurprisingly, you have misunderstood me (again)..

if anything, I was playing down the need for CL experience within the context of this thread.... not having that many CL experienced players is not as big a factor as is sometimes made out...

its high-pressure experience thats important, and as we just came thru a very difficult series of games at the season-end, we've shown we have players that can take the pressures...

also anything thing.... do we really need to be so nervous about qualifying from the group-stage ??... I really do not see why we won't qualify in the Top2 places... Inter are v.good but certainly not unbeatable (we seem to thrive against better opponents) and Bremen are certainly below us quality-wise (tho must never under-estimate a German team)...
 
So Gareth in your own words BAE, Bale, Hutton, Defoe, Pavlyuchenko, King, Dawson, Corluka, Modric, Lennon, Keane, Crouch, Kranjcar, Bassong ..... well almost the whole squad have had international experience of some kind and seeing as alot of them have come from other teams they have experienced different types of playing styles etc.
 
So It boils down to confidence, ability and tactics. Come the end of the group stages the whole squad are going to have CL experience, really don't see the big deal. Ok it helps but at the end of the day the team and management have to have confidence in their own ability and take the step onto the next level.
 
Some peolple seem to take great pleasure in adding pressure to an already pressurized situation !!!

[Chelmsford_yid]

Its all about the learning Curve. 

[TheStig]

Reassuring thought tho Biggs m8.......its easy to make generalised comments like

"Spurs are the new boys" "Debutants" etc .........but when you think about it we arent as wet behind the ears as it would seem.

Ive had a few comments at work ....from scummers and various other fans of CL old boys who will be getting this point put to them tomorrow.

Were not just outside chancers .....I reckon we could do a good job and get a good run..........depending on the way the tie's play out who knows.

I would say its a dangerous thing to write us off..........mind you I hope the oppo we face have done that ........any advantage would be a bonus eh?