Bobbins
SC's 14th Sexiest Male 2008
- May 5, 2005
- 21,598
- 45,146
So after the most ridiculous summer in my near-40-year history as a Spurs fan, including the worst managerial search of all time (but conversely the best New Manager thread ever), bouncing around from Conte and Poch to Ryan Mason and Gattuso, with Fonseca seemingly offered the job and then having it snatched away from him in between, then eventually starting out in a brave new era under Nuno, which I don't think any Spurs fan was genuinely happy with, we have ended up somehow achieving a 4th place finish and Champions League football under Antonio Conte.
Paratici brought his little black book of contacts and bought us the league's best defender in Romero, but then punted the rest of the transfer window on unproven talent like Gil and Royal. Only to redeem himself with two January signings of the highest quality in Bentancur and Kulusevski, two players who have raised the whole level of the club it seems (far from being Juve rejects as some attested).
Incredible results like taking six points from the Champions, as well as two more from Liverpool, were interspersed with dreadful performances like the away defeat to Arsenal and the awful run against Southampton, Wolves and Burnley. Eventually it seems the team finally bought into the lessons of Conte and began performing consistently, just a the right moment in the season.
Champion's League football seems like an incredible achievement given those circumstances, but we need to be honest and admit that the absolutely dreadful state of the competition, mainly Arsenal, United and Leicester, is a big reason we have finished where we have. However, rather than embark on the usual "everyone will be better next year" mantra that always seems to come out, I would instead say that the consistency Conte has brought, along with the clear upgrade in quality of the January signings, means we are probably in the best position of any of the "nearly" clubs to push on next year and really challenge at the top.
What are people's thoughts on the season as a whole? Is it the first step towards a new era of competing at the top? An outlier under a top manager which won't last? Does Levy's January spending indicate that he will back Conte this summer and push on?
My individual player awards:
Player of the Season: Heung-Min Son
Son's performances this season have done "a Kane" - carried a poor team to drag it up and achieve unexpected results. It's great to see him win the PL Golden Boot, and also great to see a player other than Kane taking the limelight. This guy is also made for the Champion's League and it's about time we saw him back in it.
Runners Up: Eric Dier, Christian Romero
Most Improved Player: Ryan Sessegnon
Conte's wingbacks system was always going to be a new opportunity for Ryan and Reguilon to stake their claims, as their natural playing styles are made for it. Reggie has performed ok, but when injured Sess has increasingly taken his chances. From being desperate to impress and getting himself sent off after returning from his own injuries, to the last few weeks which has seen a confident, growing young player approaching some of his best form. He still has a long way to go but if there's any manager in world football who could make the best of him, it's Conte.
Runners Up: Ben Davies, Pierre Emile Hojberg
Signing of the Season: Christian Romero
An absolute bastard who is completely made for the Premier League, we sadly didn't see much of him for months owing to injuries and international duty. Plays football the way Conte wants, with aggressive, progressive CB play and fantastic reading of the game. Needs to stay fit next season but if so will look to continue his brilliant form and partnership with Dier.
Runners Up: Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur
Goal of the Season: Steven Bergwijn vs Leicester
The latest and one of the greatest Spurs goals I've seen, chosen not just because it won us the game in the last second, but because it followed his equaliser less than a minute before.
Paratici brought his little black book of contacts and bought us the league's best defender in Romero, but then punted the rest of the transfer window on unproven talent like Gil and Royal. Only to redeem himself with two January signings of the highest quality in Bentancur and Kulusevski, two players who have raised the whole level of the club it seems (far from being Juve rejects as some attested).
Incredible results like taking six points from the Champions, as well as two more from Liverpool, were interspersed with dreadful performances like the away defeat to Arsenal and the awful run against Southampton, Wolves and Burnley. Eventually it seems the team finally bought into the lessons of Conte and began performing consistently, just a the right moment in the season.
Champion's League football seems like an incredible achievement given those circumstances, but we need to be honest and admit that the absolutely dreadful state of the competition, mainly Arsenal, United and Leicester, is a big reason we have finished where we have. However, rather than embark on the usual "everyone will be better next year" mantra that always seems to come out, I would instead say that the consistency Conte has brought, along with the clear upgrade in quality of the January signings, means we are probably in the best position of any of the "nearly" clubs to push on next year and really challenge at the top.
What are people's thoughts on the season as a whole? Is it the first step towards a new era of competing at the top? An outlier under a top manager which won't last? Does Levy's January spending indicate that he will back Conte this summer and push on?
My individual player awards:
Player of the Season: Heung-Min Son
Son's performances this season have done "a Kane" - carried a poor team to drag it up and achieve unexpected results. It's great to see him win the PL Golden Boot, and also great to see a player other than Kane taking the limelight. This guy is also made for the Champion's League and it's about time we saw him back in it.
Runners Up: Eric Dier, Christian Romero
Most Improved Player: Ryan Sessegnon
Conte's wingbacks system was always going to be a new opportunity for Ryan and Reguilon to stake their claims, as their natural playing styles are made for it. Reggie has performed ok, but when injured Sess has increasingly taken his chances. From being desperate to impress and getting himself sent off after returning from his own injuries, to the last few weeks which has seen a confident, growing young player approaching some of his best form. He still has a long way to go but if there's any manager in world football who could make the best of him, it's Conte.
Runners Up: Ben Davies, Pierre Emile Hojberg
Signing of the Season: Christian Romero
An absolute bastard who is completely made for the Premier League, we sadly didn't see much of him for months owing to injuries and international duty. Plays football the way Conte wants, with aggressive, progressive CB play and fantastic reading of the game. Needs to stay fit next season but if so will look to continue his brilliant form and partnership with Dier.
Runners Up: Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur
Goal of the Season: Steven Bergwijn vs Leicester
The latest and one of the greatest Spurs goals I've seen, chosen not just because it won us the game in the last second, but because it followed his equaliser less than a minute before.
Last edited:
