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The Daily ITK Discussion Thread DEADLINE DAY!

hellava_tough

Well-Known Member
Apr 21, 2005
9,429
12,382
"But if they had signed someone, would they have had the options from the bench to win here today?"

May as well get used to hearing it...
 

nedley

John Duncan's Love Child
Jul 28, 2006
13,942
28,069
Any decent ITK shedding light at all. Nought in the read only?
 

dudu

Well-Known Member
Jan 28, 2011
5,314
11,048
I think you missed my point(s).

1. The reference to the stadium was that prior to it being built, many thought that it would give us the financial leverage to compete with the bigger spending clubs, both in transfers and wages. We have what 2-3 players earning over 100k pwk - We have done so with a certain degree of sacrifice because to lose the likes of Kane, Eriksen, etc would be catastrophic for ENIC. We won't be competing with Liverpool, City, United or Chelsea finacially anytime soon just because we have a bigger stadium. That level of investment needs to come from elsewhere.

2. We most certainly are weaker and I think the impact of the transfer window & world cup will affect us for the season - so no I do think we are weaker.

My point about ENIC was that their ambition only aligned itself with the fans to get to where they are now - right now we are at a pivotal time in our history in terms of what could be or not. ENIC staying around without further significant investment into the sporting side of the club will only serve to hurt our ambition as a sporting interest. The stadium has been their goal of realising their business ambitions. That is why I feel our ambition will start to stagnate if ENIC doesn't sell, or can't sell. For all the rumour of £150m to spend, nothing was realised. If this transfer window isn't a sign of ENIC's intent, then I don't know what is?

Not financially but we have been, for the most part, competing with them on the pitch bar man city.

Do you think anyone bar Liverpool have financially invested enough to just about maybe perhaps on paper look like they could challenge city. Who else in the top 6 has been able to make the kind of investments we have seen in previous windows. I genuinely don't know the stats.

How are we weaker that we were last season?
 

sherbornespurs

Well-Known Member
Dec 9, 2006
3,758
9,241
To be fair, and on balance, summer 2016 was probably a worse window (despite us finishing 2nd at the end of the season).

Levy spent @ £75m (£35m net) on Sissoko, Janssen, Wanyama, N'Koudou, and Lopez on loan. Two years on, the only one who has made any meaningful contribution at all, or who you would want anywhere near the 1st XI, is Wanyama - and he only played in 18 league games last season through what seems to be a persistent, ongoing knee injury.
 

adamsky

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2006
1,683
4,455
Seriously, what have our scouting team been up to all year? The extent of their work seems to have been recommending Grealish as that is the only confirmed bid we have put in all summer. I am finding it very hard to believe that there isn’t at least a single prospect out there that was was worth taking a punt on
 

newbie

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2004
6,051
6,342
Seriously, what have our scouting team been up to all year? The extent of their work seems to have been recommending Grealish as that is the only confirmed bid we have put in all summer. I am finding it very hard to believe that there isn’t at least a single prospect out there that was was worth taking a punt on
I think it was our sales team rather than our scouting team.
 

mrlilywhite

Well-Known Member
Sep 1, 2008
3,174
4,992
Not financially but we have been, for the most part, competing with them on the pitch bar man city.

Do you think anyone bar Liverpool have financially invested enough to just about maybe perhaps on paper look like they could challenge city. Who else in the top 6 has been able to make the kind of investments we have seen in previous windows. I genuinely don't know the stats.

How are we weaker that we were last season?
Well both Chelsea and Arsenal have made investments in the right areas that address some of their problems. Not necessarily inspiring, but they have strengthened nonetheless. I'm sure Arsenal invested something like 70m, Chelsea £123m, Liverpool £182m, Utd £74m. I don't think any will challenge city, but they have enough about them to finish above us. The point is we will in time regress under ENIC, unless we can compete financially and that is the point. A new stadium or not it won't make us stronger financially.
 

Lilbaz

Just call me Baz
Apr 1, 2005
41,363
74,893
Not financially but we have been, for the most part, competing with them on the pitch bar man city.

Do you think anyone bar Liverpool have financially invested enough to just about maybe perhaps on paper look like they could challenge city. Who else in the top 6 has been able to make the kind of investments we have seen in previous windows. I genuinely don't know the stats.

How are we weaker that we were last season?

We're not. That doesn't really matter though. Chelsea have a new manager and we've seen wht their team can do when it tries. Liverpool look like they've strengthened. Who knows what arsenal will do.

It is going to be very difficult to get top 4 again this season and if we don't? Eriksen will be in the last year of his contract next season. We might lose any momentum that we have built over the last few years.
 

newbie

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2004
6,051
6,342
Bingo, Levy wouldn't just cut his losses on the shit. More stuff we can blame Sissoko for!!!

Maybe but selling dead woods going to be tough as our wages are so high in the EPL,

Jansen, Nkoudou could still come good and MS is limited but still has his uses.
 

dtxspurs

Welcome to the Good Life
Dec 28, 2017
11,234
46,574
Maybe but selling dead woods going to be tough as our wages are so high in the EPL,

Jansen, Nkoudou could still come good and MS is limited but still has his uses.
Sorry, but he literally doesn't.
 

andyp8080

SC Supporter
Jan 30, 2011
2,098
4,203
Overall i'm bloody disappointed not to have added one major signing. A stella signing would be the perfect addition to our growing team and club. Someone that could unlock those tight defences or add some extra spark.

I can try and mitigate the disappointment by saying that in Moura we have what will seem like a new signing and if we can have a fit Lamela, Winks and Victor.........plus a newly Motivated Toby and Rose then we are in a better position.

I think our season could depend on how lucky we are with injuries

But what I do know is that when I catch the train from Burgess Hill at approx 6.30 on saturday morning to head to Newcastle the adrenaline and excitement of the new season will make me forget today!!
 

dudu

Well-Known Member
Jan 28, 2011
5,314
11,048
We're not. That doesn't really matter though. Chelsea have a new manager and we've seen wht their team can do when it tries. Liverpool look like they've strengthened. Who knows what arsenal will do.

It is going to be very difficult to get top 4 again this season and if we don't? Eriksen will be in the last year of his contract next season. We might lose any momentum that we have built over the last few years.

It's difficult to get top 4, can't deny that. I just stand by my point that our ambition does not live and die with transfer purchases.

Do I think it is a mistake not not have bought in to strengthen our areas of weakness..... Yes. Do I think that what our rivals do has any bearing on what we do... No. They have all strengthened more in the transfer market that us season after season and we are still out doing a lot of them.

The window is over. We have the squad we have and they are as good as they are regardless of who else bought who.

I won't be convinced that what we do not the football pitch has anything to do with who others have purchased.
 

Lilbaz

Just call me Baz
Apr 1, 2005
41,363
74,893
It's difficult to get top 4, can't deny that. I just stand by my point that our ambition does not live and die with transfer purchases.

Do I think it is a mistake not not have bought in to strengthen our areas of weakness..... Yes. Do I think that what our rivals do has any bearing on what we do... No. They have all strengthened more in the transfer market that us season after season and we are still out doing a lot of them.

The window is over. We have the squad we have and they are as good as they are regardless of who else bought who.

I won't be convinced that what we do not the football pitch has anything to do with who others have purchased.

Not even when we play them? Cause guess what that is probably what will decide if we get top 4. Ffs it wasn't long ago we were trying for the title.
 

dtxspurs

Welcome to the Good Life
Dec 28, 2017
11,234
46,574
Not even when we play them? Cause guess what that is probably what will decide if we get top 4. Ffs it wasn't long ago we were trying for the title.
Fucking unbelievable.. How much fun did we all make fun of Arsenal for just settling for top 4.

Here we fucking are.
 

bigspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2005
3,193
2,419
How are we weaker that we were last season?

Until the European transfer window is closed, we won’t really know for sure. As long as we don’t sell any of our best players, we shouldn’t be weaker. However we’ve missed an opportunity to strengthen. That’s what’s frustrating for most rational fans that get it. There’s a lot of self deluded happy clappers that think it’s all wonderful, no matter what happens on and off the pitch. I want to see us improving every time we have the opportunity to. I’m not saying that we need to go out and buy three or four players every time, but this time we absolutely had to find some backup for Eriksen. He’s the only real creative outlet we have going forward. So to go into another season with league, Champs League and two domestic cups with no backup for him is mental. Just as it is not to have a decent target man as backup to Kane.
 
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