The Daily ITK Discussion Thread 15th January 2019

[doctor stefan Freud]

I suspect that something has to change if we really believe we will do better in the summer operating the way we do. I already stated that our preferred is not their preferred. That is why I stated that challenging times for the club and Poch. We can’t get his preferred, he has to go have a long hard look at himself. Not a criticism, but observation.

Remember when you were a kid and you experienced genuine terror for the first time and it felt like your gonads somehow crawled into themselves and said ‘hi’ to your bowels? That’s what I’m feeling right now

 

[The Mourneview Ace]

Not much to be positive about here. You really can see Poch giving up on it in the summer if he won’t get the backing he needs. He will definitely get it elsewhere.

 

[morris25]

Have to win the CL that will attract a few players

 

[Yiddo100]

Have to win the CL that will attract a few players

Hopefully that will be enough to get jarred Bowen over the line

 

[worcestersauce]

It may be that Poch is simply stating that the option B's aren't necessary because we have that quality coming through the academy

 

[13VanDerBale13]

not doing business in the summer is one thing, but failure to do so AGAIN in this window AFTER several injuries would just be staggering

 

[morris25]

If Poch is only targeting the top young talent in Europe we haven't got much chance even if we can afford them as they all want to go to Psg, Barcelona, real madrid

 

[scat1620]

Re: Ali Z's information, I don't give a flying fuck where the bottleneck in us signing a player or two to strengthen the squad is - Poch, Levy, Santa Claus, whoever - I just think we will be up the creek without a paddle if Tottenham Hotspur FC as one united football club can't find a way to bring in some reinforcements this January, and I'm really, really worried that that would be the start of things unravelling this summer and setting us back years in our progression.

It's do-or-die time, IMO, and I don't really care who does the do-ing as long as we please don't die.

 

[Joely]

I suspect that something has to change if we really believe we will do better in the summer operating the way we do. I already stated that our preferred is not their preferred. That is why I stated that challenging times for the club and Poch. We can’t get his preferred, he has to go have a long hard look at himself. Not a criticism, but observation.

I don't see anything changing under the current ownership. They are what they are and I personally accepted that a long time ago. What with the stadium and it's cost their main concern, don't think the appetite is there to spend huge money on fee's/agent sweeteners/wages etc.

Only way that changes is if we lost a big player(s) for big fees and their hand is forced i.e like we sold Walker and then broke our transfer record for Sanchez. Maybe Eriksen and Alderweireld will be the ones to generate our spending money this summer although the £25m fee for the latter won't go too far in the current market.

I just hope the end game for them is completing the stadium and hopefully selling up to owners whose ambitions align with those of Poch.......if he is still here that is.

 

[yido16]

Do the scouts and Levy do anything, had 4 months to prepare for this window, shocking if we don’t add to this squad, 1 fuck up after another with the stadium as well

 

[JayB]

One has to wonder why it is that the players Poch wants don't want us. For me it can only be because they see us as beneath them, or because we aren't willing to pay enough (in either wages, transfer fees, or agent fees) to grease the wheels to get the deals across the line.

If it's the former then Poch needs to sit down with our scouts and find other targets. If it's the latter then the club need to be willing to "play the game" and pay that bit over the odds for the sake of rounding out the squad. We don't need much, but with each transfer window that passes without us making progress, the list of what we need grows and the problem becomes more unmanageable.

Whether it's Poch or Levy, something has to give. We can't keep standing still while our increasingly stretched squad is decimated by overwork.

 

[Indisguise]

Seem like there's a bit of a stand off going on behind the scenes. Along the lines of Poch basically refusing to take anyone on that he doesn't want and Levy failing to find any money for anyone he does want.

 

[Johnny J]

Re. the latest ITK, assuming that Poch's list doesn't have only Messi and Neymar on it, then why the fuck wouldn't we go balls out to get what he wants?

We have a world-class manager who will be fought over by United and Madrid this summer, a threadbare squad, and a fight on our hands for top four. If we aren't going to invest and back the manager in this situation, then I fear Levy will be making a terrible mistake.

Why wait until Poch considers leaving? We aren't going to get a better manager, so it makes no sense not to back him. It's ridiculous.

The notion that we are going to solve everything this summer is total fantasy.

Also, we keep hearing about how Levy and Poch work well together and have a great working relationship. But if the only players he wants are ones we can't get, and the ones we can get are ones he doesn't want, then something is rotten in Denmark.

 

[Darrenh61]

Well we cannot continue as a viable Top 6 club not buying any new players so something has to change now or in the summer. Either poch has to review who he considers a plus to the squad or more likely levy needs to play some competitive wages! How the hell did top players ever choose historical tin pot Chelsea and Man City unless they offered top wages with the promise of trophies to follow. We have a manager and enough top players to infer possible trophies, levy needs to pay better wages or else this will all start to fall apart - why build the stadium if you’re not going to up the ante?

 

[Nerine]

Have to say, I'm slightly puzzled by the club's stance, at the minute.

We clearly have targets. We seem to be identifying players that will improve us or provide good depth, but the whole scenario, for me, is too odd for there not to be some underlying issue somewhere.

I feel the cut of Poch's jib has altered slightly of late. The more I read, and the more information we are given, I believe there to be a bit of a stubborn streak in his character. I adore the man, I truly do, but for all we know, Levy is trying his hardest to make deals happen (whilst still retaining a modicum of financial sensibility) and maybe Poch is being choosy knowing that the perception of signing nobody will largely always be seen as a failing of the chairman/board, which keeps his powder dry, which allows him to be alleviated of any witch hunt should he decide that he'd like to manage elsewhere.

I don't think I can remember a time at our club in recent memory that has seemed quite as fishy.

I'm not speculating that Poch is off, and I really sincerely hope he's going nowhere, but I do feel that all of the good work is beginning to seem like it might go to waste. I really hope I'm wrong.

From the ITK we've had, nothing seems to stack up. Nothing seems to be in alignment/agreement and we're hearing very mixed information with large pendulum-like swings in the sequence of events that may or may not be happening.

The stadium is likely not helping, but I can't help but feel that if we aren't very, very careful, we could see a very sharp decline in fortune at the club.

Something feels odd, to me.

 

[dirtyh]

the bottleneck is the agents, the clubs that sign the players seemingly with no roadblocks (liverpool, chavs, arse) are those that are also the highest payers of agents fees.

it's not rocket science. unfortunately levy would rather stick a fork in his eye than give an agent what they want.

 

[Hazelton]

Worrying news but entirely expected, let's be honest. I envy anybody who could muster any excitement over potential signings because I've lost all hope and ambition as far as that's concerned.

I really would love to know who Poch's "preferred options" are, because it seems that they're literally impossible for Levy to get. There needs to be some sort of compromise because we're shooting ourselves in the foot big time.

 

[JayB]

the bottleneck is the agents, the clubs that sign the players seemingly with no roadblocks (liverpool, chavs, arse) are those that are also the highest payers of agents fees.

it's not rocket science. unfortunately levy would rather stick a fork in his eye than give an agent what they want.

This is my suspicion as well. I really don't think it's a coincidence that we have been completely paralyzed in the market at the exact time that agent fees have exploded.

While I can understand Levy's reluctance to pay big agent fees (if that is in fact what is holding us back), Tottenham Hotspur cannot stand alone and change the way the market functions. It's incumbent on FIFA and UEFA to reign in the agents (although we all know they won't), not individual clubs. We can keep taking a principled stance agents big agent fees, but all it will mean is that we can't get any business done. And that's just not a viable strategy for the future of the club.

 

[U.S. Spurs Fan]

I get that some targets Poch wants are probably out of our reach like DeLigt and DeJong (both mentioned by ITK by want to go to a Barca/PSG/etc).

How about Zaha however? There was ITK on him for a long time and was a long time Poch target. He won't come here?? Or did Levy lowball him the first time and that turned him off forever? (Rhetorical question - we know the answer)

I'm sure there are names Poch wants that arent yet wanted by Madrid and Barca. By all accounts Grealish was someone Poch wanted. Why didnt that work out? Cause Levy dicked around.

Sounds like either Levy needs to change his recruitment/negotiations or Poch has to change his targets. Who has more leverage here? If you were Poch and have done as well as he has with what they spend, why wouldn't you be a little stubborn?

 

[Indisguise]

Although it's probably a contributory factor, I can't imagine that it's only about fees. That would be beyond ridiculous.