Come what May? Coming to terms with missing out on CL footie, and why fifth matters

[18Klinsmann]

At this point we have to accept that City nicked the CL spot from us, but more because we gave it away (drawing too many games that should have been won) than because they improved.
Failing to strengthen our strikeforce in two transfer windows is our obvious downfall it seems, but other problems have impeeded our progress as well:

- accomodating VdV (maybe another reason for our strikers' impotence)
- losing King and Woody
- Arry's inability to use his squad and the subsequent dip in form of key players
- competing in the CL until April
- the Olympic Stadium distraction
- losing both Dawson, Defoe and Huddlestone to long-term injuries

At no point during the season have we looked completely convincing and truly worthy of a top four finish. We have simply conceeded too many soft goals and have often struggled to score in the Premiership as well. One look at our goal difference says it all really - we have struggled all season to keep up with the top teams, and finally caved in completely in the run-in. Very disappointing and frustrating because we seem perfectly capable of doing better, but the problems have been evident throughout the season.
All is not lost, however, and it is incredibly important that we finish the season in style and retain som respect. Yes, Liverpool are resurgent and yes they signed Suarez that I really wanted at the Lane. But the truth is that if we beat Blackpool and Birmingham at home the scousers must also beat either Fulham or Villa away from home even if we lose at both Manchester and Anfield. In other words Liverpool have not leapfrogged us into Europe yet, and it is very much in our own hands to keep them from doing so.
The remaining question to me is, do we really want to be in the Europa League with Stoke and Birmingham, and risk losing focus in the PL next season when it might be the last real shot at glory we'll get with our current group of players? With Arry at the helm it is questionable indeed.

I've been contemplating a season with only the league to focus on, but have come to the conclusion that we cannot afford not the be in Europe next season. First of all the financial gain is important, but more importantly I believe it is crucial that we keep learning to fight on two fronts (this goes for Arry in particular), and that we keep Liverpool behind us in the pecking order that has been established this season.

So, here's to a positive end to the season that focuses not on what might have been and the blunders and mistakes by boards, players and officials that have kept our season from being magnificent, but on the fact that we have gained respect throughout Europe from our CL campaign and that we still have a squad that with a few adjustments, and a bit of luck, can push for another top finish next season.

 

[frosteye]

We can still do......Beat blackpool and Citeh (who didnt look all that against West Ham IMO) and we are back up there.

Citeh have got Everton away this w/e, so not easy. If we can put a bit of pressure on Citeh and theyve got a Cup Final coming up, you just never know!!

Sure, Im a bit of a optimist but its not over yet and we have got to keep believing until it is totally out of the question.

On the Europa League spot, Im torn. Do we want a clean run at the league/4th next year or should we be happy to have another cup to play for and like you say, keep used to competing on 2 fronts!?

Its a toughy!!

 

[Jenko]

I'd be all for the UEFA cup if I thought we had a manager that would use it to blood young players and rest his squad. But we don't. He tends to stick with the same players all the time. Our injury problems in the last two seasons has masked this because he has been forced to make changes most of the time. 2 starts for a fully fit NK all season tells the story.

The other problem I have with the UEFA cup is that I think our top players are a great bunch of players who can challenge for a title someday, but at the moment they have one standout flaw. They are not mature enough to cope with multiple competitions and keep up they're intensity/focus. It was obvious this season. Chelsea and ManU are masters at it and we need to learn from them over time but next season is too soon for this squad, especially as the away trips to UEFA cup teams can take you 1000's of miles away in all directions and it cannot be good for the players.

6th please (although I'll hate seeing it).

 

[not_tenth-again]

I think 5th and Europa is crucial in terms of signing new players but there is undoubtably a part of me that wants a serious domestic cup run and I don't think we can do both.

Either way i think we need to learn what we can and can't get away with in terms of team selection. In that I mean when we can, when we can't and when we should rest players and better still, when we introduce a squad player, who they are teamed up with. ie. if caulker gets a game it must be next to a Gallas or King and not Bassong.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Man U have won 16 home games and drawn 1 with no losses.

Spurs have won 8 home games with 8 draws and 1 loss.


I heard SAF saying last year that the basic Man Utd battle plan is to take as many
points as possible from home games ("by hook or by crook") and then take as many as possible from the away teams.

Spurs don't. End of. Same in 1985. Seen it all before.

 

[kicked]

Love the positive thinking about NOT getting Europa etc. So much talk about how we should be competing against the top 4/5 and pushing for CL...and rightly so...but if Manure, Chelsea and Arsenal can regularly compete in the EPL and the CL, and we want to be talked about in the same breath as these clubs, then why are so many complaining and saying Europa would hinder our chances of getting CL?? Playing in CL did not cost us this season. The failiure of having over 30 million quid of striking 'talent not finding the net has cost us! At least one of them should have had 20 goals this season! Have they scored 20 goals collectivelly this season?? I don't think they have.
Our 2 top scorers are not even strikers! Thats our problem. Its not where VDV should play or Gomes howlers. There have been matches we have dominated and lost because for all our shots...not one found the net! The loss of King and Woody...? We lost them 2 seasons ago! Gallas has been awesome at the back and so has Dawson. Benni has probably had one of his best seasons ever at left back. Maybe just the right back needs addressing? Our midfield is special and has plenty of craft and vision as well as hard workers. They have made the chances for the strikers who have failed to finish them!
Europa matches should not dent our chances of CL. We have a squad that should cope. It also gives our squad experience of playing in Europe. Europe matches for a club like ours is important...whether its CL or Europa, we need to be playing top teams regularly and competing against and learning from the best. In Europa, as we know there have been some fantastic teams in ther also!
(as for harming chances of CL...Europa didn't do Citeh any harm did it??)

 

[sak11]

Man U have won 16 home games and drawn 1 with no losses.

Spurs have won 8 home games with 8 draws and 1 loss.


I heard SAF saying last year that the basic Man Utd battle plan is to take as many
points as possible from home games ("by hook or by crook") and then take as many as possible from the away teams.

Spurs don't. End of. Same in 1985. Seen it all before.

So SAF's game plan is to take as many points as possible from every game? That is groundbreaking.... Harry out...

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

Great post Klinsmann (oh how i wish he were at the club now!).

Kicked: i love the positive thinking about NOT getting Europa etc. So much talk about how we should be competing against the top 4/5 and pushing for CL...and rightly so...but if Manure, Chelsea and Arsenal can regularly compete in the EPL and the CL, and we want to be talked about in the same breath as these clubs, then why are so many complaining and saying Europa would hinder our chances of getting CL?? Playing in CL did not cost us this season. The failiure of having over 30 million quid of striking 'talent not finding the net has cost us! At least one of them should have had 20 goals this season! Have they scored 20 goals collectivelly this season?? I don't think they have.
Our 2 top scorers are not even strikers! Thats our problem. Its not where VDV should play or Gomes howlers. There have been matches we have dominated and lost because for all our shots...not one found the net! The loss of King and Woody...? We lost them 2 seasons ago! Gallas has been awesome at the back and so has Dawson. Benni has probably had one of his best seasons ever at left back. Maybe just the right back needs addressing? Our midfield is special and has plenty of craft and vision as well as hard workers. They have made the chances for the strikers who have failed to finish them!
Europa matches should not dent our chances of CL. We have a squad that should cope. It also gives our squad experience of playing in Europe. Europe matches for a club like ours is important...whether its CL or Europa, we need to be playing top teams regularly and competing against and learning from the best. In Europa, as we know there have been some fantastic teams in ther also!
(as for harming chances of CL...Europa didn't do Citeh any harm did it??)

Kicked, another great post and i think one that is spot on about how the team needs to show up for the last few games believeing that they are good enough! I cannot see Liverpool dropping that many points, and this leaves us with having to win the game in hand and then getting a result at Citeh. They were no better than average against West Ham and looked to struggle given the space that WH allowed them to play with.

I just don't know how we are going to score, but if not we have to defend a lot better than we did at Cel$ea to stand any chance of getting fifth place. We have a big enough squad for both European footie and to push on from this season which after all should not be considered a disaster by any stretch of the imagination. We have just come up a few points short of CL footie and a no show strike force has put us where we are. No major re-structuring of the team is needed aside from a couple of changes up front. Onwards and upwards!

 

[frosteye]

Can I just say......IT AINT OVER YET!!!!

 

[JoeT]

I think staying in 5th is important. To let Liverpool catch us up and pass us means a huge psychological boost for them next year and the opposite for us. We must hammer home any advantages over them and 'get into their heads' as it were.
Also playing in the Europa League will be a 'dry run' for hopefully the CL next year; the players and manager will have to (immediately) again cope with playing in europe and england. Also playing in europe - no matter what league - should attract superior players to add to our squad to say nothing of increased gate receipts. Finally, with more games we can fully utilize all of our squad, and should have fewer discontented players.

 

[grittyspur1]

If there's any positive we can take away from potentialy being 'relegated' from the CL to the EL at the end of this season, mg: is that this could possibly give 'Arry a chance to blood some of our more promising youngsters (ie. Rose, Bostock, Caulker, Livermore, etc...) next year. Not only would these players gain valuable experience, but it would keep our more senior squad members fresh for the long campaign in the BPL.
This would also allow us the opportunity to keep some of our younger players in the squad and not send them out on loan as we did this year. If they perform and we do well in the early stages of the EL, then once we reach the 'knockout' stage and we're playing respecable opposition, 'Arry can then bring in some of our more established players and we could potentaily go on run. This strategy would also have the additional benefit of not using our best players in the middle of the week , and theoretically they would be fresh for league fixtures and we could work on winning as many games as possible and establishing ourselves at the top of the table before the business end of the season is upon us. COYS!!!

 

[chiversandgilzean]

We should always be in Europe if possible. We could use it to our advantage, though Redknapp will need to learn to use/trust the squad better. I agree with those talking about maturity. The Europa League, which we could go far in, would be a useful form of education for squad, young and established players.

 

[guate]

I fully agree with you grittyspurs, it's so important that our squad become accustomed to playing two games a week and your solution sounds ideal.

 

[spud]

Can I just say......IT AINT OVER YET!!!!

I admire your optimism, but.......yes it is. It has been since March; we're just playing out time.

As for whether we should be in the Europa League, my answer would usually be yes: we should always play in Europe whenever the opportunity is there. However, Mr. Redknapp clearly does not want us to be in it, so I can see no point in competing in a competition that he would (to quote him) 'want to get out of'.

(Sir) Bill must be turning in his grave.

 

[rarrrr]

Also, don't Europa League coefficients help us in seeding for the Champions League? I seem to remember that our European runs a few years ago kept us from being seeded fourth this year when groups were being drawn.

 

[AirTito]

Winning is a habit. Spurs should win out what they can and just see where they finish. Forget 'Pool and Citeh. With that said there is nothing wrong with playing in Euorpa League next year. Gives the youngsters a change to get some decent footy with a few of the first squad members. Rotate the squad. Win win I see it.

 

[Paxtonite]

I'd be all for the UEFA cup if I thought we had a manager that would use it to blood young players and rest his squad. But we don't. He tends to stick with the same players all the time. Our injury problems in the last two seasons has masked this because he has been forced to make changes most of the time. 2 starts for a fully fit NK all season tells the story.

The other problem I have with the UEFA cup is that I think our top players are a great bunch of players who can challenge for a title someday, but at the moment they have one standout flaw. They are not mature enough to cope with multiple competitions and keep up they're intensity/focus. It was obvious this season. Chelsea and ManU are masters at it and we need to learn from them over time but next season is too soon for this squad, especially as the away trips to UEFA cup teams can take you 1000's of miles away in all directions and it cannot be good for the players.

6th please (although I'll hate seeing it).

Not blaming redknapp 100% as the players have to stand up and be counted too when it matters, especially against the prem teams beginning with W!!

However, what you have posted, i do agree with and i have said before. Redknapp is not yet adept at managing his squad imo. Perhaps he doesnt have faith in his entire squad, but he certainly has a squad that ought to be capable of doing a job domestically against certain oposition.

Man U, Chelsea, Arse, Man City and Liverpool, all have something we dont. And that is managers who are used to winning championships, cups etc (well apart from Arse recently lol). Our man Arry has spent most of his career fighting relegation. He and his coaching staff need a change of approach perhaps and maybe he is a little long in the tooth for that.

Success domestically whilst undertaking a long European campaign, is more than just about fielding your strongest 11 each week.

 

[Lucky22]

I'm stuck on my views of the Europa League or not, but I think if we do finish fifth then we will use it to blood young players next season and increase competition for places. I'd also love it if we tried out a few different formations as well.
Europe is more than a bonus and I think it would, at the very least, attract some decent players next season to a club that can prove it is on the up and up.

 

[dArtagnan]

I'm stuck on my views of the Europa League or not, but I think if we do finish fifth then we will use it to blood young players next season and increase competition for places. I'd also love it if we tried out a few different formations as well.
Europe is more than a bonus and I think it would, at the very least, attract some decent players next season to a club that can prove it is on the up and up.

do you think harry will change his policy and go for the squad rotation and blooding of young players? agree with you in theory, sceptical in practise

 

[StuckinPoland]

we're in football to win things. we have a large squad that, though needs trimming, will still be enough to handle the europa league if we qualify.

we can concentrate on the league and still care about the europa league. i dont think our champions league run stopped us this year and i dont think a europa league run will stop us next year.

i want us to win as much as possible. and that means entering as much as possible.