I think that you have a different opinion on that to Pochettino and Levy.
I don't. We should aim for top 4. But realistically finishing in the top 6 is more likely. They know that. We all do. We're weaker than we were 3 years ago. Modric, VDV, Bale, Berbatov, King...none have been replaced. How could we not b worse? We've done well to continue to maintain a high position in the premier league since the departure of so many star players.
Its nice to be patient and "realistic", but 6/7th is not the right place in the league for a club with our history, ambitions and financial stability.
Yes it is. What do you mean our history? Historically we're a cup team, not consistent league winners.
Financial stability is THE reason we don't compete. We don't spend what we don't have. Most clubs do.
The club has a target for long term CL football. We have reached 4th twice, and the reason we have gone backwards has been down to our own faults, from Chairman to manager(s), not because the PL is suddenly a much tougher place. Its weaker overall, with Utd and City both looking a shadow of themselves.
City still have an amazing squad, with some world class players. Don't let their recent poor form blind your judgement. We are nowhere near them.
I agree we have failed to build on what we had though. I think if we'd have been given that 2nd season in CL it would have done the world of good for the club.
We have made our own mistakes. People talk about financial clout but ignore the fact we have spent about 150M the last two summer windows. In hindsight its all very well saying the signings were shit, but we were all coming in our pants at the time, and the likes of Soldado and Lamela have been defended to the hilt in some quarters as top players.....yet the same people claim they are not good enough in order to defend Poch.
We have spent but we've also sold just as much. The players we've lost are irreplaceable. We cannot afford to buy equivalents to Modric, Bale or Berba. We have to unearth these types of players and that is not easy.
I have said several times we were all delighted with our 7 summer signings. Not sure what that has to do with this thread tbh.
Our target is not silverwear, otherwise we would have done everything in our power to win the cc final. Instead we put emphasis on the EL....not for the cup glory, but for the shot of a ticket into the CL. We didnt go all out in the EL though, because 4th in the league was still an option for us, so we tried to balance both and made a total mess of it.
Yes I realise it isn't...but it SHOULD BE.
That's the point of the thread.
It also points out that we talk all this shit about how the EL affects our league performance, yet Sevilla manage both extremely well.
Our form since we dropped out has been awful, so that can't be attributed to EL.
Again, while it would be great to win the FA Cup, or CC Cup, it wont help with the growth of the club whatsoever. So finishing 5th or 6th will always hold us back.
How are they linked? Winning the FA cup and finishing 5th/6th? Why will it hold us back? Finishing 8th with no EL football is better? That's sheer arrogance towards the competition in my view.
An FA cup or winning the EL would definitely help the club. I shouldn't even need to explain how or why tbh.