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Turning Point Missed?

3 min read
by Editor
With the start of the season just a week away and no new players brought in yet, Nick Higginson wonders if we've failed to make the best of our opportunities.

As last season ended, I felt a mixture of elation at the way my team had played and of frustration that we had just missed out again.

I have been lucky enough to start going to almost every home game at the time when Pochetino took over, having just finished playing myself on a Saturday. I can honestly say I’ve seen some of the best football played anywhere and at times our play was majestic, everything I’ve wanted my Spurs to be in the 35 years I’ve followed them.

The frustration was born out of convincing myself beyond any doubt in the season before that we would win the league. I was mortified when we didn’t, knowing it really was a one off opportunity and that our lack of squad strength and depth was the only reason we fell short. Last season was different, we may still have played the best football, but Chelsea were like a machine and ultimately deserved to win the league. That we pushed so hard once again was a fantastic achievement but my frustration was still there and most annoyingly for exactly the same reason as 12 months prior.

Our transfer activity has been farcical for several years but I felt sure that if I could see why we had just failed in each of the past 2 seasons, then surely it was abundantly obvious to those in charge at the club. But here we are again, its August, the season is only 12 days away and we’ve done nothing except weaken our squad by selling one of the best fullbacks we’ve ever had to one of our rivals. Quite simply I’m staggered. Yes we may bring in players now, good players but the time any player needs to settle in was there in early July, not now. This makes it so much harder for any player to come in and hit the ground running, something we will all expect.

I appreciate the club is a business and that our success of the past 2 seasons was probably not forecast, I’m sure the club expected Pochettino and his young squad to take longer to develop fully and they’d have loved that to be in time with the new stadium. However, I know from running a business myself, that you have to keep evolving, re-positioning and adapting to your own success, the changes in your market place and opportunities that present themselves. As far as the football side of the business is concerned I feel the club has failed to adjust its business model to make the most of its opportunities.

[leftquote]Here we are again, its August, the season is only 12 days away and we’ve done nothing except weaken our squad by selling one of the best fullbacks we’ve ever had to one of our rivals[/leftquote]

Make no mistake, regardless of the magnificent stadium being built, there is serious money available to the club should they choose to take it. Salaries should have been addressed with existing players getting the market rate for champions league level. These players have taken the club to that level and should be duly rewarded, removing the itch of doubling you salary elsewhere that some may end up wanting to scratch. The wage cap would therefore be increased considerably making the club more attractive to the type of player we should be striving to acquire. Investment in the squad is paramount right now, we need to pay the going rate for players to improve the squad, not hunt around in the last minute bargain basement.

My biggest concern is our manager, regardless of his optimistic outward demeanour, anyone in his position after achieving what he has is bound to question at some point, why he is not being given the tools he needs to push us on once more.

We were at a turning point for the club right at the end of last season, one where I genuinely believe that we had the opportunity to make changes and decisions that would have taken us on again and given us the glory we all crave so much. My fear is that turning point has passed us by.

So whilst I’ll happily pay for my seat at Wembley and for the following 3 seasons at new White Hart Lane, I’ll do it because I love the club, but also desperately in the hope that we haven’t missed that turn!

My eyes want to see the glory!

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

Editor

8 Comments

  1. Brian
    05/08/2017 @ 1:24 pm

    I would like a couple of good quality signings, but I would also add the following.

    The transfer window has not yet closed. Brining in players late or early really does not matter if they are good enough. If we’d bought Sissoko in June rather than August he would not be any better.

    On 31 August 2010, 2 hours before the transfer window closed, in came one Rafael Van der Vaart. I have no complaints about his performances from the off.

    We have younger players who may feature more this year. If Lamela is that unfit or homesick he needs to go. Sissoko needs to go. Georges-Kévin N’Koudou played 83 minutes of EPL football last season. If he is not going to be used he needs to go.

    If we are to buy I want top quality. I do not consider Barkley or Meyer (for example) to be top quality.

    Kelechi Iheanacho is top quality. I do not know if he has gone to Leicester yet, but if he hasn’t we should to their bid.

    To attract and keep players the wage structure needs to be reviewed. I find the views of fans contradictory on this. One minute they are calling Kyle Walker a greedy b for leaving for higher pay and the next they are clamouring for the club to raise wages.

    • Brian
      05/08/2017 @ 1:27 pm

      Oh – and before anyone talks of ‘bags of potential’ please don’t. If we buy let’s get proven top quality PL players. One of those would coming in would be worth a couple going out.

  2. spursfan
    05/08/2017 @ 1:52 pm

    Why this obsession with buying players?

    Remember our squad is young, and it is reasonable to expect most of our players to continuously improve as the get more experienced. Keeping in mind how much every one of our best 11 players could earn a lot more in other clubs, I am very happy we haven´t lost any of our best players.

    Also, as we´ve seen many times, buying expensive players is no guarantee of success. In my mind it´s just as reasonable to keep faith in our young existing squad.

    We shouldn´t be too quick dismiss players that have not yet flourished (Jenssen, I´m looking at you). Remember Gareth Bale, Harry Kane, Danny Rose, they all needed time to get where they are today. For all we know Jenssen, Winks, N’Koudou or someone else will have their breakthrough this season.

    People say we should buy someone who would improve our starting 11, who on earth would that be? I can´t think of a single player that we could realistically buy. They´re all too expensive. Alternatively, we could buy some promising youngster as a squad player. Why? We´ve got great talent already. I say we wait and buy only if a bargain comes up, perhaps someone on the last year of their contract (Barkley, Meyer?)

    No point of buying just for the sake of it

    • Brian
      05/08/2017 @ 2:06 pm

      Good points.

  3. IOAN X
    05/08/2017 @ 3:18 pm

    I am afraid that you, me and the other Spurs fans will have to wait until we have new rich and ambitious for winning regularly silverware owners in order to see our squad been strengthened in time and in an effective way to be able to compete for titles and trophies.
    Only the naïve, unambitious and defeatists among the Spurs fans support owners who don’t give a penny for glory on the field.

    • Brian
      05/08/2017 @ 4:06 pm

      Do you have any evidence that Poch has identified players he wants and has been refused the cash by Levy?

      Do you understand how the accounts work and how the finances must be addressed?

    • Brian
      05/08/2017 @ 4:22 pm

      We nearly three players that cost nearly £80 million between them who are not up to it for one reason or another. Lamela, Janssen and Sissoko. The money has been spent. Remember when Soldado and Lamela arrived for around £60 million?

      Should Levy keep paying the wages of three mentioned above and buy in new players?

  4. Steve Masters
    07/08/2017 @ 11:16 am

    This article is totally on the money (forgive the pun). Poch is all about the pre-season – getting players fitter, hungrier and together in a way that makes the team stronger. That moment has been missed even if we brought in a great player.
    Ineacho was a great possibility, Jason King now looks like old news – so are we going to get another person noone’s heard of who has no PL experience and needs a season to bed in?
    Here’s the lesson: it is said Poch wanted Mane from Southampton whom he had coached but Spurs would not pay his salary. Of course he went to Liverpool and became one of their best players and top scorer. Can you imagine him at Spurs over the past 2 seasons? When Harry was injured or needed resting? We would have own the league at least once. That’s the stupidity of it.

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