Every now and then....

[BringBack_leGin]

I have a sleepless night. It seems to be a transfer window occurrence, and I often throw out a lot of optimism, a swirl of clichés and a hint of my own personal agenda into articles such as the one I am trying to begin.

Tonight I can't for some reason. I struggle to find the optimistic fool within who manages to justify the clubs ever action and figure out how it's all going to work out. I really want to, but my overly romantic inner self seems to be hiding away. Strange that, as I'm described as a hopeless romantic in all areas of life, be it to do with my personal ambitions, my girlfriend, my views on how the world should be, or Spurs, who I have always maintained are my biggest emotional catalyst.

Somewhat perturbed by my inability to reach beyond the surface right now and verbalise my feelings about our club at this moment, a talent which I believe I usually possess, I've taken a step back to figure out why. The only logical conclusion is that I no longer care in the same way, that I have lost that fire within me. But what could have caused this?

Perhaps it is the fact that we've been through this situation so many times, a summer with a manager who was not in place the previous summer, a manager who is going to do things his way, change things around, and supposedly take us to the next level. Ramos was the Juan-derful. We loved Martin Jol and he loved us. Santini a saviour. Hod was meant to be God. Each one sacked within the first third of a season. Each one spending more than the last. Each one failing. Their efforts compounded by our directors of football, Pleat with his constant undermining, Arnesen with his scattergun approach of signing every player under 23 around, Comolli with his desperate search to uncover the next big thing but instead giving us an expensive assembled group of players who just didn't fit.

It can't be that. Managerially we're in good health after all. We have a manager now in Redknapp who has more experience of managing in this league than any of the previously mentioned names. A manager who has a track record of playing good football, buying the players his club needs, and getting the best out of what he has. I recognise all this, I appreciate all this and I like it. No more director of football, just one man who has been there, done that and bought every t-shirt. He knows how to handle the media, he knows how to handle players and he knows how to impose his methods on a club.

Another cause of my diminished passion could be the Manchester City effect. Here is a club who have not had success for far longer than we've been starved of it, a club who don't finish above us in the league, a club who our very own assistant manager played for against us in the 1981 FA cup final in what is their most recent brush with success, and they are buying the world and it's dog. Tevez, Barry, Santa Cruz, all players we would have gladly welcomes to White Hart Lane. Robinho last summer, Adebayor a few days ago.

We, in the meantime, are struggling to find the money to sign Peter Crouch if the press is to be believed (emphasis on 'if'), and have only brought in two young right backs, loaning one back immediately. This lack of transfer market success may well be to do with the inflation in player prices and wages which Manchester City have caused. A good example is the £12m relegated Middlesboro just received for an injured left winger who failed to be involved in a goal last season.

Once again, I find no answer here. Last summer we changed the squad a lot, and it is obvious that the mass upheaval did our season a lot of damage. We should be looking to keep things the same and get some consistency going, with at most one or two first team additions and only if they are of genuine quality.

We have a defence who's home record was the best, and a goalkeeper who went from zero to hero last season. Our right winger is one of the best in the league with pace and skill in abundance, while our man on the left assisted 9 times in his debut season and most probably is yet to show us his best.

We finally have that midfield enforcer, and for all his flaws, Jenas finished the season pretty strongly. We also have four strikers who are all proven in some form or other. Beyond all this there is depth, with talent such as Dawson, Huddlestone, Bentley and Bale all on the fringes. I can comfortably say that our lack of change this summer does not concern me, because the need for change is minimal.

The only other explanation I have to offer for my dulled enthusiasm is my fear of getting too attached to my favourite players anymore, having seen two of them ripped out of the club last summer. How can I identify with players when there is every chance that in a years time I will be heartbroken by them. Manchester United and Liverpool are always ready to swoop when a club outside the elite has a star.

No, this explains nothing. I've always seen heroes choose other options, they've always had their boots filled. Sheringham left, Ginola arrived. Campbell left, King stepped up. Berbatov sought the lofty heights of Manchester, but Modric was brought to entertain.

I wonder, actually, if my optimism and passion has actually deteriorated. Reading back over what we have written, I appear to be quite content with the managerial situation, happy with the players we have in place already, and still able to find and expect heroes at our club even after being hurt in the past. Now that I think about it, I'm as in love with our club as I ever have been, feeling as good about the season ahead as I always do, and I even have a sneaky feeling that (here comes the Spurs cliché) this is going to be our year.

They say that writing a note is a good way to figure out one's feelings. Albeit in a public way, I reckon I've done just that. I hope that reading this note has the same effect on some of you.

Come On You Spurs!

 

[JimmyG2]

I think that your point about the difficulty of identifying with players who in these mercenary times change constantly is an important one.
This to me has been one of the most unsettling features of the modern game and particularly at Spurs over the last few years. It was commonplace in the old days for players to spend their careers at a club, it is a rarity now.
This is more apparent now that we gave the Top Four syndrome where success generates income and prestige and allows these clubs to regard buying the best players as their right.
Now the sudden injection of almost limitless wealth into Man.City makes this situation worse.
The answer is more stability. How?
Wage caps, homegrown rules, more legally binding contracts, club policy.
All or none of the above?

 

[spud]

Another cause of my diminished passion could be the Manchester City effect. Here is a club who have not had success for far longer than we've been starved of it, a club who don't finish above us in the league, a club who our very own assistant manager played for against us in the 1981 FA cup final in what is their most recent brush with success, and they are buying the world and it's dog. Tevez, Barry, Santa Cruz, all players we would have gladly welcomes to White Hart Lane. Robinho last summer, Adebayor a few days ago.

Two points about this:

1. I haven't researched it, but I am 99% certain that Kevin Bond didn't play against us in the '81 cup final. His dad was their manager, but that was it.

2. Your description of Citeh is disparaging. It screams of a 'who do they think they are' attitude. They are, historically, jusy as big a club as us - they were the senior club in Manchester until Busby got going at ManUre - but have had the misfortune to be appalingly mismanaged for the last thirty years. They have a large and loyal fan base who followed them down two divisions and back again. They deserve immense credit for even being in the Premier League, and are as deserving of a cash injection as anybody.


As for this money (and that of Jack Walker and Roman Abrahmovitch before it) 'distorting' the market, shit happens. All markets change. We were among those who changed it in our favour; first by changing the rule so that home teams kept all of the gate money, and then by creating the Premier League and shafting 70-odd Football League clubs in the process. We can hardly complain when the devil child that we spawned turns against us.

The strong adapt, survive and prosper. This is what we will do. If we fail, then we have nobody else to blame but ourselves. I am sick, in this transfer window particularly, of fans bleating on about how unfair it is that we 'can't compete' with Man City financially. That it isn't a level paying field. How do you think Everton fans feel about us using our greater financial muscle to nab the Kyles this week? Welcome to the real world, people, and deal with it.

I realise, BBlG, that this wasn't the thrust of your article, but it gave me the excuse to get it off my chest. Thanks.

Rant over.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

I think that your point about the difficulty of identifying with players who in these mercenary times change constantly is an important one.
This to me has been one of the most unsettling features of the modern game and particularly at Spurs over the last few years. It was commonplace in the old days for players to spend their careers at a club, it is a rarity now.
This is more apparent now that we gave the Top Four syndrome where success generates income and prestige and allows these clubs to regard buying the best players as their right.
Now the sudden injection of almost limitless wealth into Man.City makes this situation worse.
The answer is more stability. How?
Wage caps, homegrown rules, more legally binding contracts, club policy.
All or none of the above?

I wish I had the answer. What I do think is that when eventually the bubble bursts, the money will become less and players and clubs might intertwine their fates for longer. I hope that Spurs are still around after the bubble bursting.

Two points about this:

1. I haven't researched it, but I am 99% certain that Kevin Bond didn't play against us in the '81 cup final. His dad was their manager, but that was it.

2. Your description of Citeh is disparaging. It screams of a 'who do they think they are' attitude. They are, historically, jusy as big a club as us - they were the senior club in Manchester until Busby got going at ManUre - but have had the misfortune to be appalingly mismanaged for the last thirty years. They have a large and loyal fan base who followed them down two divisions and back again. They deserve immense credit for even being in the Premier League, and are as deserving of a cash injection as anybody.


As for this money (and that of Jack Walker and Roman Abrahmovitch before it) 'distorting' the market, shit happens. All markets change. We were among those who changed it in our favour; first by changing the rule so that home teams kept all of the gate money, and then by creating the Premier League and shafting 70-odd Football League clubs in the process. We can hardly complain when the devil child that we spawned turns against us.

The strong adapt, survive and prosper. This is what we will do. If we fail, then we have nobody else to blame but ourselves. I am sick, in this transfer window particularly, of fans bleating on about how unfair it is that we 'can't compete' with Man City financially. That it isn't a level paying field. How do you think Everton fans feel about us using our greater financial muscle to nab the Kyles this week? Welcome to the real world, people, and deal with it.

I realise, BBlG, that this wasn't the thrust of your article, but it gave me the excuse to get it off my chest. Thanks.

Rant over.

1) You are correct, Manchester City signed Bond, reuniting father and son, shortly after the cup final. With research like that I should write for one of the rags :grin:

2) I feel you've misunderstood me, or at least my point, wholly. My point is merely that a club who have been miles behind us for three decades, who's last taste of any success was a league cup in 1976 and who have experienced relegation down the leagues in that time, are now shooting ahead of us and it still isn't a reason to despair.

Having reread the post, I don't think it's going to have the uplifting effect I was hoping it would have. It was written two nights ago and I was very sleep deprived, so maybe it sounded better in my head.

 

[spud]

2) I feel you've misunderstood me, or at least my point, wholly. My point is merely that a club who have been miles behind us for three decades, who's last taste of any success was a league cup in 1976 and who have experienced relegation down the leagues in that time, are now shooting ahead of us and it still isn't a reason to despair.

I didn't misunderstand you, I just seized on your example to have a semi-relevant rant.

Don't despair. They are shooting ahead of us how? In throwing money at mercenary players. Expensive players do not a team make. Plus we have our own painful recent experience to tell us that changing half the team every year is the last thing that brings success.

The most important person in any football club is the manager. Is Mark Hughes going to take anybody to the promised land? He will have to win the respect of players who doubtless think that they are too talented to have to listen to anybody, least of all a man with no trophies who everybody suspects has a very short shelf life.

Chelski were in the Chumps League before Abrahmovitch showed up, and he recruited one of the best managers in the world to keep them there. Until Citeh employ someone who can manage the egos that they are buying, they will flatter to deceive. Although they will probably take some 'big club' scalps, I will be amazed if they finish higher than about eighth next season.

 

[gloryglory]

You're not alone BBLg - I too have been trying to work out why I have less enthusiasm and optimism with each passing summer. Last year I expected a real struggle and got one, but this year I'm expecting us to have a decent season and still I'm not excited. I like the entire squad, just about, and yet I can't get excited.

My theory is that it comes down to the predictability of the league. We achieved all the things we aspired to in the last decade - European qualification through the league, a cup win and Europe again - and it got us no closer to breaking the top 4. Not only that, but nobody else breaks the top 4 either. Yes, good players have always left us, but Berbatov's disdain for the club was a new low and after Keane it is hard to imagine any player deciding to stay if a top 4 side came sniffing.