Pochettino defends Spurs' lack of transfer activity

[mawspurs]

Mauricio Pochettino has defended Tottenham's lack of transfer activity this summer and has full faith in their "different philosophy".

Read the full article at Sporting Life

 

[Jenko]

Nice to hear from Poch after these few weeks off. Also nice to hear him talk well of DL. I have full faith and trust in everything they do.

The squad will not be perfect in our eyes when the window closes, i know that. But I also know that the gaps that exist create opportunity for youth, and no-one is better at bringing on youth players to super stardom than our manager.

DL to his credit is making the club bigger and stronger in the background, without the headline making spending on ego players.

It is a different philosophy, and keeping it up for another season or two will allow us to pay the big wages and invest heavily in players when needed.

 

[shelfboy68]

Poch is a true gent he has towed the company line superbly here.

 

[Led's Zeppelin]

Poch is a true gent he has towed the company line superbly here.

You find it impossible to believe that he's sincere?

You call him a gent but you're implying he's a liar. I don't think that's fair to him in any way.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

It's been obvious for over two years that this "line" originated with Pochettino and was imposed on Levy, not the other way around.

The manager has been using the same turns of phrase, with the "philosophy" and the need to "do things differently" and "promote youth" and "change behaviour" and "focus on the team", since the day he arrived.

Levy, on the other hand has a long record of making surprise signings, often of established players - some that come as a surprise to the manager as well as the fans. Van der Vaart is the obvious example, but there were others.

The portrayal of Pochettino standing by frustratedly while Levy refuses to spend money just doesn't fit the evidence. It just fits fans' (and journalists') stereotyped assumptions.

 

[jamesinashby]

If we are to succeed in becoming a genuine top club, then it needs, for everyone involved in making it happen, working together. We don't want the likes of Conte and the so called 'special one' at Utd telling the Board what to do. Managers are in transit as a rule and should not consider themselves bigger than the club.

We are so, so lucky to have persuaded MP to be our coach.Yes, I really do believe his style of playing and coaching is as good as any other currently in the game, if not better. But for me it is humility and willingness to be a club player that is his greatest asset. There will be no unrest caused by tantrums in this club by egotistical managers who think they are God's gift with the right to tell the board what the philosophy should be.

It also appears to me that DL and the Board must be pretty damn good to be achieving all that is currently being achieved.

COYS

 

[shelfboy68]

It's been blatantly obvious for over two years that this "line" originated with Pochettino and was imposed on Levy, not the other way around.

The manager has been using the same turns of phrase, with the "philosophy" and the need to "do things differently" and "promote youth" and "change behaviour" and "focus on the team", since the day he arrived.

Levy, on the other hand has a long record of making surprise signings, often of established players - some that come as a surprise to the manager as well as the fans. Van der Vaart is the obvious example, but there were others.

The portrayal of Pochettino standing by frustratedly while Levy refuses to spend money just doesn't fit the evidence. It just fits fans' (and journalists') stereotyped assumptions.

David your probably a very nice fella but seriously mate your going to do yourself a mischief one day falling off that fucking high horse of yours.

 

[bigspurs]

David your probably a very nice fella but seriously mate your going to do yourself a mischief one day falling off that fucking high horse of yours.

David doesn't appreciate criticism, cursing, casual swearing, misspelling or bad grammar. Quite frankly, you are beneath his contempt!

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

It's been blatantly obvious for over two years that this "line" originated with Pochettino and was imposed on Levy, not the other way around.

The manager has been using the same turns of phrase, with the "philosophy" and the need to "do things differently" and "promote youth" and "change behaviour" and "focus on the team", since the day he arrived.

Levy, on the other hand has a long record of making surprise signings, often of established players - some that come as a surprise to the manager as well as the fans. Van der Vaart is the obvious example, but there were others.

The portrayal of Pochettino standing by frustratedly while Levy refuses to spend money just doesn't fit the evidence. It just fits fans' (and journalists') stereotyped assumptions.

I am not knocking your post David, but the VDV signing was seven years ago.

My patience wears a bit thin when fans suggest that Levy pulls a rabbit out of a hat on every bloody transfer deadline day, that is simply a myth.

We simply do not have sufficient talent in depth, and where one or maybe two individual talented players would make a huge difference to this side, Levy up's and spend almost sixty million on three players unable to make a three game run in the first team.

A "stereotyped assumption" is a crass statement to make about any fan, especially when the evidence of total failures in the transfer market is evident, with Fazio, Janssen, GKN, Sissoko, and six of the Magnificent Seven as nailed on evidence.

One or two poor signings is commonplace at any club but when that number rises to double figures in less than five seasons then questions needs to be asked and the magical signing of VDV swept well under the carpet as evidence of a master transfer tactician at work.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

I am not knocking your post David, but the VDV signing was seven years ago.

My patience wears a bit thin when fans suggest that Levy pulls a rabbit out of a hat on every bloody transfer deadline day, that is simply a myth.

We simply do not have sufficient talent in depth, and where one or maybe two individual talented players would make a huge difference to this side, Levy up's and spend almost sixty million on three players unable to make a three game run in the first team.

A "stereotyped assumption" is a crass statement to make about any fan, especially when the evidence of total failures in the transfer market is evident, with Fazio, Janssen, GKN, Sissoko, and six of the Magnificent Seven as nailed on evidence.

One or two poor signings is commonplace at any club but when that number rises to double figures in less than five seasons then questions needs to be asked and the magical signing of VDV swept well under the carpet as evidence of a master transfer tactician at work.

I agree with a lot of that, but it does seem that you entirely missed my point about the VDV signing. Perhaps it wasn't an ideal example, but I wasn't holding it up as anything admirable. It's just that Levy makes expensive "pounce" signings off his own bat. He doesn't need a manager hassling him to do so.

From the way he has expressed himself, at Southampton as well as at Tottenham, I think Pochettino actively doesn't want high-profile "star" signings, because they interfere with his team-welding approach. He wants young, impressionable players.

From what we read, he made an exception last summer in the case of Moussa Sissoko. I imagine that experience has reinforced his original conviction.

The article is full of quotations from him. They speak for themselves and they are consistent with what he has been saying since he arrived in England. Insisting that he is "toeing (not "towing") the party line" is contradicted by everything he says, every week, about his views on football management.

 

[Gb160]

One or two poor signings is commonplace at any club but when that number rises to double figures in less than five seasons then questions needs to be asked and the magical signing of VDV swept well under the carpet as evidence of a master transfer tactician at work.

Disagree with this Gaz, you can't compare the players we sign to the rest of the clubs up the top of the table, they buy ready made players at their peak, of course most of them will be successes as they know what they're buying and they pay accordingly....we sign potential who we hope will kick on and come good...its a completely different approach.
Compare us to a club that tries the same approach as us, like West Ham, since 2010 they've signed 31 strikers, 20 of them have failed to score more than 3 goals, only 4 of which have gone on to score more than 10 goals....the difference between us and them is we're a hell of a lot better at this than they are, but feel free to ignore this and compare our transfer record to Utd/Chelsea/City/etc.

 

[shelfboy68]

David doesn't appreciate criticism, cursing, casual swearing, misspelling or bad grammar. Quite frankly, you are beneath his contempt!

To be honest I actually like @davidmatzdorf sometimes we haven't always agreed but he is articulate and speaks passionately about the club, he will do for me

 

[Japhet]

My distinct gut feeling is that there is quite a level of paranoia at the top of the club around transfers. Levy has had his pants pulled down in public on several occasions. Batshuayi, Martial and Willian for starters and you can go right back to Chelsea grabbing Marco Marin and then never using him which smacked of 'oneupmanship' to me. We know that the ITK has largely dried up and the hatches have been battened down for a while now. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if a late bid came in for Barkley or whoever we are close to to derail our plans. I just think that we are holding our cards tighter to our chest than ever, which is kind of a compliment because it shows how rattled our rivals are.

 

[gusrowe]

All clubs make bad signings and then sell good players that then develop elsewhere and it's not just us doing this. It's always a risk. i don,t feel that the Club or Poch need to justify any transfer dealings. Mistakes have been made selling and buying players. Poch has to make the decision and Levy handles the commercial aspect. Clubs try and buy success but that success is never guaranteed. I thought Sissoko was a good buy and not a goodbye. Janssen will come good....hopefully at Spurs.

 

[Palmer Stoat]

David doesn't appreciate criticism, cursing, casual swearing, misspelling or bad grammar. Quite frankly, you are beneath his contempt!

Blatantly obvious that he doesn't mind an occasional tautology, though.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

Blatantly obvious that he doesn't mind an occasional tautology, though.

Got me!

However, it's not a tautology, it's a redundancy.

So that's 1-1.

 

[Lenn0n]

Trying to sign great players is like looking for "rubies in a mountain of rocks". There have been rocks.....and a few real rubies e.g. Ali. Levy needs to change his tactics with Pochettino as he is different. Key attributes for players now are 'attitude' and the willingness to go on an improvement journey. This time of the season often brings the worst out in players as agents stir things up: the spurs players have been impeccable - not an out of place comment - and that includes Walker. Rabbits out of the hat minutes before the transfer deadline ends (which has been Levy's tradition) are at odds with the way our current manager works - its all more progressive, disciplined. Hard work not magic and drama. So there won't be any rabbits or hares this season. Levy's role will be to look after the new stadium and the financial health of the club and Poch the players. I think we are truly blessed. This forum is well served by David - who always has something interesting to say.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

It's been obvious for over two years that this "line" originated with Pochettino and was imposed on Levy, not the other way around.

...

The portrayal of Pochettino standing by frustratedly while Levy refuses to spend money just doesn't fit the evidence. It just fits fans' (and journalists') stereotyped assumptions.

Ally Gold apparently agrees:

Despite the public perception that chairman Daniel Levy is preventing Spurs from making their first move in the transfer market, it is Pochettino who is being cautious over the moves they make, unwilling to let the club pay over the odds for new players and making sure they are the right fit for his tight-knit squad.

http://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/players/kyle-walker-peters-trippier-usa-13371494