How Tottenham can compete with mega-rich clubs and be successful again amid threat of Newcastle revolution

[mawspurs]

An interesting counterfactual when assessing Daniel Levy’s Tottenham is to consider where the club would be if Abu Dhabi had not transformed the financial fortunes of Manchester City. Since City were catapulted into the financial elite in 2008, they have finished above Spurs in nine of 13 seasons and, in three of those campaigns, effectively denied them Champions League football by being above the fifth-placed north London club.

Without a financially-boosted City, Spurs might well have finished in the top four in nine of the previous 13 seasons and quite possibly won a trophy or several.

Source: Evening Standard

 

[Metalhead]

An interesting counterfactual when assessing Daniel Levy’s Tottenham is to consider where the club would be if Abu Dhabi had not transformed the financial fortunes of Manchester City. Since City were catapulted into the financial elite in 2008, they have finished above Spurs in nine of 13 seasons and, in three of those campaigns, effectively denied them Champions League football by being above the fifth-placed north London club.

Without a financially-boosted City, Spurs might well have finished in the top four in nine of the previous 13 seasons and quite possibly won a trophy or several.

Source: Evening Standard

Probably nothing we didn't already know but the pertinent part was the fact that the club do need to be smarter in the market and obviously although it's too early to know whether Fabio's appointment is a game changer, it's hopefully an appointment that will prove to be a turning point in terms of a cohesive approach.

 

[greaves]

Probably nothing we didn't already know but the pertinent part was the fact that the club do need to be smarter in the market and obviously although it's too early to know whether Fabio's appointment is a game changer, it's hopefully an appointment that will prove to be a turning point in terms of a cohesive approach.

And certainly a more coherent one too... Stick together. Have a plan.

 

[Metalhead]

And certainly a more coherent one too... Stick together. Have a plan.

And stick to the plan!

 

[greaves]

And stick to the plan!

Even better!!

 

[Metalhead]

Even better!!

I think that it's a no brainer to say that the constant shifts in strategy have taken their toll.

 

[greaves]

I think that it's a no brainer to say that the constant shifts in strategy have taken their toll.

It is a tricky situation in some ways. However, Levy's recent inconsistency is hard to overlook.

 

[Metalhead]

It is a tricky situation in some ways. However, Levy's recent inconsistency is hard to overlook.

For sure. I don't know whether it's all to do with the stadium project or just reaching a juncture where he has struggled to really know where to go next.

 

[greaves]

For sure. I don't know whether it's all to do with the stadium project or just reaching a juncture where he has struggled to really know where to go next.

Perhaps a case of weak fellow board members either not being astute enough or confident enough to ask the necessay questions.

 

[newbie]

really easy in theroy hard to do in practice, we have to recruit better and sell our players at the right time.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

An interesting counterfactual when assessing Daniel Levy’s Tottenham is to consider where the club would be if Abu Dhabi had not transformed the financial fortunes of Manchester City. Since City were catapulted into the financial elite in 2008, they have finished above Spurs in nine of 13 seasons and, in three of those campaigns, effectively denied them Champions League football by being above the fifth-placed north London club.

Without a financially-boosted City, Spurs might well have finished in the top four in nine of the previous 13 seasons and quite possibly won a trophy or several.

Source: Evening Standard

Interesting article, thanks for sharing.

 

[Locotoro]

Perhaps a case of weak fellow board members either not being astute enough or confident enough to ask the necessay questions.

I suspect the pressure of not acquiring any silverware during that highly successful period under Poch made Levy prioritise trophies over continual growth and saw us take a nose dive.

Let's not forget how all the fans and media /pundits were beating us with that stick for a long time. Ironically, they are no longer beating us with the no trophy stick because they just think we're shit.

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

Do what any sensible club would do. Make sure bright young talents get meaningful game time, make.spurs attractive to those wanting to springboard themselves into the big time. Keep for a while to see the return then sell for zillions to Newcastle.

Although slightly tongue in cheek, there has been a shift with some player mindsets in this respect anyway. See Bellingham, Sancho etc. Any young players serious about the longevity of their playing career will choose a club that will likely play them. Obviously lots of variables and you need some experience etc. But forget competing financially with the big hitters, which spurs have rarely done anyway. And forget the bargain basement approach, which I think ends up costing more and taking up valuable team spots than getting it right in the first place.

 

[jolsnogross]

For sure. I don't know whether it's all to do with the stadium project or just reaching a juncture where he has struggled to really know where to go next.

There was a shifting baseline too, which is a real strategic failure by Levy and the board. They became accustomed to winning most games under Poch, to the point of thinking he was underachieving or being mischievous when he suggested some team turnover. That's been relatively catastrophic in terms of impeding our progress and setting us well below where we were.

He should've ignored the trophy talk and 'pressure', but he didn't. And most fans can't complain too much because trophy talk and a sense of entitlement took over, despite it being an ahistorical period of real consistent competitiveness.

 

[Metalhead]

There was a shifting baseline too, which is a real strategic failure by Levy and the board. They became accustomed to winning most games under Poch, to the point of thinking he was underachieving or being mischievous when he suggested some team turnover. That's been relatively catastrophic in terms of impeding our progress and setting us well below where we were.

He should've ignored the trophy talk and 'pressure', but he didn't. And most fans can't complain too much because trophy talk and a sense of entitlement took over, despite it being an ahistorical period of real consistent competitiveness.

Great points and although obviously we aren't 'in the know' regarding what goes on behind the scenes, I think that it's fair to say that the fact that Daniel Levy has a pretty wide job portfolio but at the same time seems to like being hands on, has perhaps been somewhat of a hindrance. It's obvious that having someone with expertise and a specific job remit can only help (obviously by that I mean Fabio) and having two people (Fabio and Steve Hitchen) rather than the now-legendary 'transfer committee' has also got to be a plus.