This summer is looking grim

[ItsBoris]

With the Moyes incident and the likelihood of LVG to United, pretty much our last hope for someone to come in and drag us up to where we were a couple of seasons ago has gone.

I can't see any other manager who could possibly come in and have the required positive effect. We're not a top drawer club at all - there really isn't a queue of top managers desperate to be sacked at a moment's notice by Levy. There are a small handful of 'ok' managers who might be interested, and below that group is unmitigated dross. LVG was our only chance at eating from the top table.

Liverpool are gone. In one season, they've left us so far behind we might not catch them for another 5-10 years at least. They've already said they will massively recruit this summer with CL football - as we should've done when we had it, and had the chance to shut them out of the top 6 for good. United simply cannot and will not be as bad again. Arse, Chelsea and City will all spend big again. I expect us to be competing with Everton for 6th (which a few seasons ago would've got a lot of people quite excited, so probably not such a bad thing).

Luckily, it doesn't seem quite yet that any of the lower tier teams are able to push on and catch us up, so we shouldn't be looking at slipping out of the top 8 or so.

What I can see is players wanting to leave. Hugo, Vertonghen, and eventually, inevitably, Eriksen. We'll replace them with more players who see us as a stepping stone to the big clubs, and might see us having to aim slightly lower in future now that we won't realistically be able to offer any prospect of CL football.

It'll be interesting to see if any of our other new players up their performances next season. I'm almost resigned to Lamela never playing for us again, and my favourite striker of the last few years Soldado having been broken by us and probably never being the same player again, so I don't expect it to be one of those two. But Paulinho or Chadli have got the potential to push on from this season and do well, so there's that to look forward to. Hopefully they won't get too knackered having played in the WC.

I expect Levy to continue Project Player Exchange, making as many changes to the squad as is legally possible, mainly for the sake of doing it rather than to address any specific weakness. With any luck the inevitable transfer nonsense will see Danny Rose out of my club.

Sounds a bit doom and gloom but I think it's pretty realistic. Might be good for us too. Less stressful for all of us not having to worry about which new and exciting way we're going to get screwed out of the Champion's League at the last possible moment again. Might bring some people's expectations back down to earth again as well, possibly get rid of some of the tourists and plastics who have started to become regulars at the Lane and improve the atmosphere. It'd be nice to be able to go to a game and really enjoy myself with my mates again, not worrying about the importance of the result so much, just enjoying singing and supporting, whatever the result.

Not actually feeling too bad about being back down in the slightly lower positions for the next few years. In a way I don't think this summer will be that awful - it'll be painful every window until Hugo, Jan and Eriksen are gone, but if people keep their feet on the ground and don't expect too much, hopefully the press will eventually stop treating us like a top club (because we're not) and be a little more respectful and realistic in their views on us. And without really top players like the above, there'll be a hell of a lot less speculation about us every day, and less of the likes of Jamie Redknapp trying to sell our players out from under us.

Yeah, just feel a bit 'no worries' about it all really. Cool.

There are many very good managers who would be willing to come here.

The issue is identifying them, and filtering the good choices from the bad ones.

I still hope United go for someone else and we get LVG. But lets also not kid ourselves, LVG is by NO MEANS a guaranteed success. He could be absolutely amazing, or he could be a complete disaster. There is no way to know. We will only know if we've made the correct choice in hindsight.

 

[ItsBoris]

We've definitely had some poor managers, but I don't think they have always been poor decisions...at the time.

Santini was highly rated at the time. I liked the idea of Ramos too, and could see the logic in bringing him in. AVB, despite what happened at the chavs, was regarded as one of the most exciting new managers in Europe. All three of them would have had a lot of options.

We're simply not a successful or rich enough club to bring in people like Klopp or Ancelotti, so we're after the next tier of managers. People laugh at us being linked with Moyes and Benitez (not saying I want either), but at the same time they are realistic candidates; ones that wouldn't join most clubs.

We won't be going for the likes of Owen Coyle.

Let's not put those two in the same category please, Benitez is actually a very good manager who would do well here imo.

 

[Spurger King]

With the Moyes incident and the likelihood of LVG to United, pretty much our last hope for someone to come in and drag us up to where we were a couple of seasons ago has gone.

I can't see any other manager who could possibly come in and have the required positive effect. We're not a top drawer club at all - there really isn't a queue of top managers desperate to be sacked at a moment's notice by Levy. There are a small handful of 'ok' managers who might be interested, and below that group is unmitigated dross. LVG was our only chance at eating from the top table.

Liverpool are gone. In one season, they've left us so far behind we might not catch them for another 5-10 years at least. They've already said they will massively recruit this summer with CL football - as we should've done when we had it, and had the chance to shut them out of the top 6 for good. United simply cannot and will not be as bad again. Arse, Chelsea and City will all spend big again. I expect us to be competing with Everton for 6th (which a few seasons ago would've got a lot of people quite excited, so probably not such a bad thing).

Luckily, it doesn't seem quite yet that any of the lower tier teams are able to push on and catch us up, so we shouldn't be looking at slipping out of the top 8 or so.

What I can see is players wanting to leave. Hugo, Vertonghen, and eventually, inevitably, Eriksen. We'll replace them with more players who see us as a stepping stone to the big clubs, and might see us having to aim slightly lower in future now that we won't realistically be able to offer any prospect of CL football.

It'll be interesting to see if any of our other new players up their performances next season. I'm almost resigned to Lamela never playing for us again, and my favourite striker of the last few years Soldado having been broken by us and probably never being the same player again, so I don't expect it to be one of those two. But Paulinho or Chadli have got the potential to push on from this season and do well, so there's that to look forward to. Hopefully they won't get too knackered having played in the WC.

I expect Levy to continue Project Player Exchange, making as many changes to the squad as is legally possible, mainly for the sake of doing it rather than to address any specific weakness. With any luck the inevitable transfer nonsense will see Danny Rose out of my club.

Sounds a bit doom and gloom but I think it's pretty realistic. Might be good for us too. Less stressful for all of us not having to worry about which new and exciting way we're going to get screwed out of the Champion's League at the last possible moment again. Might bring some people's expectations back down to earth again as well, possibly get rid of some of the tourists and plastics who have started to become regulars at the Lane and improve the atmosphere. It'd be nice to be able to go to a game and really enjoy myself with my mates again, not worrying about the importance of the result so much, just enjoying singing and supporting, whatever the result.

Not actually feeling too bad about being back down in the slightly lower positions for the next few years. In a way I don't think this summer will be that awful - it'll be painful every window until Hugo, Jan and Eriksen are gone, but if people keep their feet on the ground and don't expect too much, hopefully the press will eventually stop treating us like a top club (because we're not) and be a little more respectful and realistic in their views on us. And without really top players like the above, there'll be a hell of a lot less speculation about us every day, and less of the likes of Jamie Redknapp trying to sell our players out from under us.

Yeah, just feel a bit 'no worries' about it all really. Cool.

Lots of that I can agree with. I'd be happy with a generally settled team with one or two exciting players that get replaced every two-three years, and a return to the great atmosphere at the Lane that used to make me so proud to be a Spurs fan.

Like I've said before - To Dare is Too Dear. We've punched above our weight for a while, but we were never going to keep pace with clubs that can blow us out of the water on player wages.

'The Giant is awakening' - ha! It was a nice dream whilst it lasted.

 

[Spurger King]

Let's not put those two in the same category please, Benitez is actually a very good manager who would do well here imo.

I don't particularly want Benitez (largely because he'll be on borrowed time before a ball is kicked, as far as many of our fans are concerned), but I wouldn't have a problem with him coming in.

 

[dannythomas]

We love the fat Spanish waiter, fat Spanish waiter....

 

[morties]

I think we'll be alright. We're 6th ffs after what some might call the worst season that they can remember. Levy really has to get this manager right though. I've always believed he's had the clubs best interest at heart but fuck me he can't appoint a manager for toffee.

I think theres a war chest there for the new guy who ever it may be. I really don't want EL football thought. A new manager needs as much time with the side and training days with out travelling to the arse holes of no where missing days due to rest and such like.

I hate to say it but I'm hoping UTD pip us to the EL places. It could make or brake us nest season.

 

[spurs9]

I think we'll be alright. We're 6th ffs after what some might call the worst season that they can remember. Levy really has to get this manager right though. I've always believed he's had the clubs best interest at heart but fuck me he can't appoint a manager for toffee.

I think theres a war chest there for the new guy who ever it may be. I really don't want EL football thought. A new manager needs as much time with the side and training days with out travelling to the arse holes of no where missing days due to rest and such like.

I hate to say it but I'm hoping UTD pip us to the EL places. It could make or brake us nest season.

Europa might be a good thing for the new manager. If there are players he wants to look at but not risk a league game, he can try them here. Plus, its more games to get to know the players.

 

[morties]

Europa might be a good thing for the new manager. If there are players he wants to look at but not risk a league game, he can try them here. Plus, its more games to get to know the players.

Gotta disagree mate. I'm sure a manager could suss that out at training. EL just takes to much toll. I couldn't be bothered doing the maths but if you include travelling days... rest days and days missed training because of EL football. A new manager needs as much time on the training pitch getting his methods across as possible I reckon.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

Such a shame that all the other clubs might spend nearly £100m.

If only we could do that.


Oh, wait. We did.

 

[Dr Know]

I've said it before and I'll stick by it. We don't need much more, a LB definitely, maybe a CB and possibly a striker. More importantly, we need a manager that can put this jigsaw together to make a pretty picture

 

[teok]

"War chest".

 

[Booney]

Past summers have taught me that having money to spend seems to be far less important than keeping your 'irreplaceable' players. In that regard I'm actually quite optimistic as Lloris' quotes this morning don't sound like a man who's about to leave. Vertonghen might go but he's hardly in the same league as a Berbatov, Modric or Bale.

I'd like a quiet, close season without more than one or two new faces and the normal circus that surrounds Spurs. Get the new players in early and new manager working with the players ASAP to get comfortable with their new system. If we can do that (which isn't inconceivable) then we could easily have a better pre-season than some of our rivals.

 

[Booney]

I'd also add that Utd will have a new manager, Arsenal will have one soon and Pelligrini is going to be under all sorts of pressure if he doesn't start the season strongly.

 

[teok]

It's a shame madrid won last night, we need to hope that bayern knock them out then they fire ancellotti and buy suarez.

 

[Metalhead]

I'd also add that Utd will have a new manager, Arsenal will have one soon and Pelligrini is going to be under all sorts of pressure if he doesn't start the season strongly.

For sure Man City won't accept runners up position.

 

[Truespur61]

After such high hopes at the start of the season, then the waiting for the players to gel, then the debacle of Dim in charge, after so many years of promises I find myself in the strange position of not really caring. Defeated, frustrated yes, and if there is any chance that Dim will be in charge next year all hope will be gone.
Am I also wrong in hoping that we don't get Europa league next year as it seems to screw any English club in it.Both Liverpool and Everton have benefitted by having no distractions and it would do United no good if they get it instead of us. A year just to concentrate on PL and home trophies might just be what we need.

 

[Stoof]

For me, it'll only be a grim Summer if it's a Tim Summer.

See what I did there? Eh eh?

I think a new manager will help lift optimism levels.

COYS innit.

 

[Stoof]

Such a shame that all the other clubs might spend nearly £100m.

If only we could do that.


Oh, wait. We did.

But how many of those teams that spend £100m actually SPEND it. We sold players in the Summer - one particularly large one which meant our spending could be higher.

We'll only buy if we sell in my opinion.

 

[Lilbaz]

Bah. Last summer we we're on a high. It just went downhill.
This summer we're on a low. The only way is up.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I think a new manager will help lift optimism levels.

The right manager might. Half of SC is probably running scared that Levy will give the job to another ill qualified novice to cut his teeth on.