The Daniel Levy thread

[SugarRay]

Our club is being built on the strongest of foundations. The majority of the others are being built on sand.

Sure, it may look like they are showing more ambition etc but it's a poor approach in the mid-long term.

We will still finish top 6/7, tick over nicely if a little boring on the pitch and still hit our stadium target. We aren't aiming for freak season here and there and sneaking into the top 4 or winning a cup on the off chance, or even for the chance of blagging a new sugar daddy owner. Our approach is to build a club that sits at the top table competing with the best in England and Europe and I'm fully confident we will get there, in relatively quick time too.

 

[Essex Spur]

I've always thought he's done a good job but the last few jokes of a window when we never address the pressing need of the team.

Or sign the player that appears to be the managers main choice makes me feel that on a football side he is !

 

[RichieS]

ENIC recognise that the only way to the top now is to spend your way there. Consequently they are trying to pay for our stadium in advance which means not spending the TV money on transfer fees and wages but putting it towards that long term project. On the plus side, it means that once the stadium is built we will have a massive spending advantage over most of the league and a higher level of prestige. On the other hand we have to accept a few years of 'austerity'. I know who will be laughing in the long run and it won't be Crystal Palace, Swansea, West Brom etc.

 

[Lamelad]

Levy doesn't have a clue how to manage a football club. This has be proven and proven and proven.

What else do we need to see to prove it?

 

[joelstinton14]

Our club is being built on the strongest of foundations. The majority of the others are being built on sand.

Sure, it may look like they are showing more ambition etc but it's a poor approach in the mid-long term.

We will still finish top 6/7, tick over nicely if a little boring on the pitch and still hit our stadium target. We aren't aiming for freak season here and there and sneaking into the top 4 or winning a cup on the off chance, or even for the chance of blagging a new sugar daddy owner. Our approach is to build a club that sits at the top table competing with the best in England and Europe and I'm fully confident we will get there, in relatively quick time too.

I agree with this.

Going into the season with one proper striker is inexcusable, and levy will have to take the blame in the coming months if it goes south.

But we are a better club for Levy, and the next few years are going to be exciting times for us. We been playing the long game for years, which is good. The infrastructure of the club is all the better for him.

But, yeah frustrated he has allowed a pretty big elephant in the room to remain.

 

[double0]

We have enough options up top and people should get off levys back we offered a decent amount for Berahino regardless of what people think 23M is a fair offer.

WBA were being silly and trying to hold some sort of morel high ground yet they also done late deal.. Why they decided to go public was stupid.

We have a right to make an other...we offered a fee for Martial it was turn down and told he wasn't for sale then low and behold he's gone to ManU.

 

[thfc1973]

If Levy isn't holding us back, why then did we "allegedly" have a 40M overdraft* supposedly approved for transfers today only to spend absolutely none of that 40M!!!!?????

* according to the Goat's alleged ITK (for what that was worth....)

 

[ILS]

ENIC recognise that the only way to the top now is to spend your way there. Consequently they are trying to pay for our stadium in advance which means not spending the TV money on transfer fees and wages but putting it towards that long term project. On the plus side, it means that once the stadium is built we will have a massive spending advantage over most of the league and a higher level of prestige. On the other hand we have to accept a few years of 'austerity'. I know who will be laughing in the long run and it won't be Crystal Palace, Swansea, West Brom etc.

This is not true we will have greater spend then most. Liverpool, City and Chelsea are all getting bigger stadiums. United are United And Arsenal constantly qualify for the champions league and no doubt will increase their stadium capacity so we will still be the 6th biggest club in the premiership even with a shiny new stadium.

 

[buttons]

I don't think there is another chairmen in the league who could have assembled the land for the new stadium quite as impressively as levy has. Equally, there probably isn't another one who could have commanded fees of £9m, £11m and £5m for Paulinho, Soldado and Vlad respectively.

BUT AND ITS A BLOODY HUGE BUT

there isn't another charmen in the league who would allow their team to go into the season with one recognised striker and no recognised DM in the squad. That is bordering on incompetence and is pretty insulting to a set of fans who pay some of the highest ticket prices around.

I have read things today about the manager being at fault but this isn't the first time we have been scraping around (and failing) on deadline day to fill obvious gaps in the squad - the one consistent? Levy.

I read something on Twitter that sums up my feelings now (and it may change tomorrow or in a few days when the failings aren't quite so raw): I will always support the team but I am quickly falling out of love with the club.

 

[cracker man]

Levy really is his own worst enemy. He has burned so many bridges with many of the chairmen in the league. Most clubs simply won't deal with us anymore, as they know we will try to mug them off and basically take the piss, we can now add WBA to that list. We will get far more value in the market by shopping abroad, where at least some chairmen will still deal with us, although in saying that, the list of European clubs which will deal with Levy and his ways of doing things will be getting smaller and smaller.

 

[adamsky]

No one (or at least I'm not) blaming Levy for not buying Berahino if he/ the club thought the price was too high. None of us know the financial details of the club and what we can afford. However, we should of been able to determine whether or not we wanted to meet the price before the deadline day and should of had a couple of alternatives lined up.

I don't think for one minute that Mourinho's first choice centre backs were Hector & what's his name but when he realised Stones was a no go he got them in as cover. They were relatively cheap and one or both may prove a great buy, but either way it was a low risk strategy.

People say that they don't want another 'Stambouli' but he worked out fine for us. We couldn't get our first choice so he came in, did an ok job and we sold him the following year for at most a minimal loss.

 

[Shea]

I was quite happy for us to have little to no net spend

I was quite happy for us to have a seemingly underwhelming transfer window while continued to work with what we had, bleed in youngsters, gave everyone time to gel and really adapt to Poch's system

I was even happy enough to look past the need for a CM leader or DM, I can understand that Wanyama wasn't availble or Caybaye deemed not what we wanted. I can even look to the silver lining of it giving Dier a chance to make the position his own and hope he thrives in it (or if not him Mason/Bentaleb etc)

Even Lamela - who I've been openly critical of - I am willing to look past the fact we didn't sell and replace him and give him one more chance to prove he can be a £30m player in an attack with more pace that may result in him finding more space in which to work and be less handicapped by his lack of speed, strength or dribbling skill to beat a pressing defender.

But seriously - to end this window with only young Harry Kane and a player in Ade who has not even been given a squad number is nothing short of scandalous

Fair enough we went all out for Berahino - but there's no way we should have still been scrambling after him in the final hour of the window without a back up plan to bring in even on loan to cover.

I can not believe the club has allowed this to happen

When it comes it comes to Levy's transfer dealings Sir Alex summed it up best - "You know what Daniel Levy's like - he's different"

 

[Redfap]

No one (or at least I'm not) blaming Levy for not buying Berahino if he/ the club thought the price was too high. None of us know the financial details of the club and what we can afford. However, we should of been able to determine whether or not we wanted to meet the price before the deadline day and should of had a couple of alternatives lined up.

I don't think for one minute that Mourinho's first choice centre backs were Hector & what's his name but when he realised Stones was a no go he got them in as cover. They were relatively cheap and one or both may prove a great buy, but either way it was a low risk strategy.

People say that they don't want another 'Stambouli' but he worked out fine for us. We couldn't get our first choice so he came in, did an ok job and we sold him the following year for at most a minimal loss.

It appeared early that Peace was keen to make a statement and determined not to sell Berahino, should Spurs not have switched earlier to other targets, or at least started negotiations on another target.

the only striker genuine striker we have available is Kane. He has a fantastic year last year, but I think we are asking an extraordinary amount of a young player who still has a lot to prove. His backup is a young winger/forward/secondary striker who although looks talented and pacey is a long way off a like for like striker replacement for Kane.

Having said the above, I am not aggrieved with the window, it befits a team in our current position (that is, mid-upper table) I think if we finish 6 that is a very impressive performance and top4 is nothing but a pipe dream without significant reinvestment in the squad OR as I prefer a few years development of the current group and adding quality in the right places).

I just thought that the window showed no real plan. It looks like we saw Son, good player, available, no brainer deal given the marketing $$ that follow him. Then grabbed an available, affordable and promising backup striker/predominantly wide man in N'ji with good resale.

It is as though we were happy to get the defense sorted this window and turn a blind eye to the other problems in the squad.

 

[adamsky]

It appeared early that Peace was keen to make a statement and determined not to sell Berahino, should Spurs not have switched earlier to other targets, or at least started negotiations on another target.

The only striker that we have who will play a game is Kane. He has a fantastic year last year, but I think you are asking an extraordinary amount of a young player who still has a lot to prove. His backup is a 19 year old winger/forward/striker who although looks talented and pacey is a long way off a like for like striker replacement for Kane.

Having said the above, I am not aggrieved with the window, it is the window for a team in our current position (that is, mid-upper table) I think if we finish 6 that is a very impressive performance and pipe 4 is nothing but a pipe dream without significant reinvestment in the squad OR as I prefer a few years development of the current group and adding quality in the right places).

I just thought that the window showed no real plan. It looks like we saw Son, good player, available, no brainer deal given the marketing $$ that follow him. Then grabbed an available, affordable and promising backup striker/predominantly wide man in N'ji with good resale.

It is as though we were happy to get the defense sorted this window and turn a blind eye to the other problems in the squad.

That was kinda my point. We should have realised Berahino wasn't going to be agreed so we should have had back up options

 

[punkisback]

The problem is our scouting is terrible, we should have been looking at players like Shaqiri, yet we were after Bolasie for an over inflated fee. Since the days of Bent and Bentley, we're tending to spend big money on big fish in small pond signings, rather than looking for Diamonds in the rough.

 

[Graysonti]

Levy has insulted every Spurs fan today.

I appreciate a little austerity but another positive net spend (again), one striker and no DM.

Insulting and we don't deserve it.

If it's pound notes all the time the guy should go.

I want to see good football and ambition and simply will not be going again until this starts.

 

[thfc1973]

August 20th, 2015
Pochettino:
"Yes, we have confidence we will bring in an offensive player but I can't give the name today," the Argentinian coach said.
"Yes, this is true [you need to have more than one option], because if you only have one, and after you fail to sign them, you are dead.''

I guess theres no misunderstanding what Poch said back then. And we know he clearly needed and wanted one. So all that remains is when the person is dead who takes responsibility..

 

[SpurinChicago]

ENIC recognise that the only way to the top now is to spend your way there. Consequently they are trying to pay for our stadium in advance which means not spending the TV money on transfer fees and wages but putting it towards that long term project. On the plus side, it means that once the stadium is built we will have a massive spending advantage over most of the league and a higher level of prestige. On the other hand we have to accept a few years of 'austerity'. I know who will be laughing in the long run and it won't be Crystal Palace, Swansea, West Brom etc.

Name one club that we currently don't have a spending advantage over that we will once the stadium is built? (HINT: You can't). Yes, theoretically we will have more money to spend. More than likely, THFC will simply be a huge cash cow for ENIC. Our best bet is they sell and quick after the stadium is built.

 

[Misfit]

This isn't a defence of ENIC - perish the thought - but meh, I still remember the pre-ENIC days vividly. Not sure I'd disagree that their time might be winding down but there's zero guarantee, barring being brought by an oligarch, that the new owners won't take that new stadium revenue and place it in offshore accounts themselves.

So much money to be made in football these days. It's poisoned the well somewhat.

So yeah, are ENIC perfect? Not by a long shot. I can live with them for a bit longer though. Naturally the fact we are no longer perpetually stuck in purgatory of ~10th-14th place has placed different pressures on them and from the top down there still seems to be a lack of gumption in that the chopping and changing still continues.

In many ways the whole H debacle still stings. Had he not had his head turned by the FA...

*rocks back and forth in the corner*

 

[ebzrascal]

On balance I don`t think Enic have the mentality to take us to the next level on the pitch.. They have project and I am sure they will do a good job with the stadium but they just don`t seem like they are excited about football... I want people in charge who dream of winning the league and are willing splash out now and again to give us a chance. These guys just play too safe in everything they do.. I honestly think we have had chances of winning the league in the last decade had we just spent a bit extra on that quality player at the right time... So in my view Levy is holding us back..