The Daily ITK Discussion Thread - Last Day Mayhem! READ FIRST POST! Take 3

[Mustard]

That doesn't make any sense. It's nothing to do with trust. Cundy was being a total prick but that's his job - he's the evening Durham and is on there to say stupid stuff in the opinions sections. And he was chewed out for it non-stop.

This was from a journo from the Times they use for their transfer reporting, in a factual section.

Factual and Talkshite does not compute.

 

[spud]

I don't disagree with the sentiment here.

What I don't understand, if we are to believe some of what we've heard today, is why we've applied for work permits, maybe agreed terms with a player, acted like we are gonna attempt to buy a player then made a bid of about 2/3 what the selling club wants?

You could have asked any poster on here if Internacional were gonna accept £13m and to a man they would have all laughed at you and said no. So why didn't Levy know that? And if he did, what was the point? Even if he bid £16-17m, it was still short of what they wanted.

So: what is the point?

As I understand it from Brazilyid's posts, we agreed a fee with Inter but failed to agree on the timing of the payments (all up-front versus instalments).

My first thought was 'WTF! We've agreed a fee, agreed terms with the player, applied for (and presumably obtained) a work permit - and then Levy fucks about with instalments!' But we don't know what cash we have available, or what credit facilities we have and what they may be earmarked for. It could be that Levy believed that Inter were agreeable to our terms - hence all of the 'done deal'-type ITK that we were receiving - only to find at the death that it wasn't the case. Whether that is due to the old 'moving goalposts' chestnut or a lack of understanding during negotiations is subject to conjecture.

My point is that it seems that there was a genuine attempt to sign the player, that numbers were understood and agreed, and that the deal only broke down at the end. We have been told for most of this window that money isn't available. It seems that - at least in the form of an up-front lump - that appears to be the case.

We have also been told that AVB only wants us to sign specific players who will improve us; which may be the reason why we didn't pursue 'plan B' signings such as Negredo or Hooper. This may come back to bite us; or we may indeed have a stop-gap freebie lined up.

My only concern is that I think that AVB is the real deal, and that we now appear to have made genuine attempts to sign - and have failed to sign - two of the three (or four if you count Hulk) players who he identified as those who he really wants. I just hope that he can see the bigger picture, and doesn't decide to jump ship for a club who will buy him anybody that he wants.

 

[Dembele'Disciple]

You on a wind up?

Big time no. 10 ....tarabbt? Really ? No really? Seriously? Big time?

You want players that win titles and you want shawcross and diame? Really? No seriously?

Turn it in.

You brought me out of retirement in posting. You an gooner on a wind up?

Yup, Adel Taarabt. I wouldn't expect you to understand but I'll try to explain it to you. Some players have great potential and the only thing that's holding them back is themselves. Once they figure that out, due to their great potential, they can develop into something special. He's figured things out and he's having a great season. It's clearly the season before the one he explodes in.

Don't if you saw Cities match against QPR. Now city has loads of great players. Players who command ridiculous fee's and wages. World class footballers mate. But guess out of all the outfield players, from both teams, who was the best one on the field? yup, adel Taarabt.

Competing for titles isn't just about the first 11, it's about the squad. Our squad is really thin hence those suggestions I've made. When Dembele gets injured, huddlestone has to play and we all know he's shit. It's what separate's the big boys from us. If Huddlestone didn't have to play and instead we had diame filling in we'd be a much better team.

 

[kr1978]

Literally doesn't make any sense - you're referring to us not buying the striker we seem to so badly need.

We did - Adebayor. You just want another one.

Pretty sure Dempsey classes himself as a forward too even if most on here seem to rate him slightly below Jason Dozzell

 

[Bobbins]

Factual and Talkshite does not compute.

Brilliant, just write something off because it doesn't happen to match up with your pre-conceived view. Which you've put together via anonymous people on the internet who claim to know someone at Spurs...!

 

[Mustard]

You said 'a major fundamental was required, and it failed'.

You were referring to a striker, not Damiao. How could one specific bloke be regarded as a 'major fundamental'? Are you saying if we'd got David Villa you'd be disappointed because Damiao was the one we 'required'?

No, you were referring to getting a striker in, and saying that we'd failed to do so. But we got Adebayor, so that's just not true.

No mate. The major fundamental referred to a striker. THIS WINDOW.

 

[Lilbaz]

If Levy doesn't balance the books he turns a good team into one that doesn't exist.

Mustard please explain how you can disagree? If we spend more money than we have coming in we go into debt, if we keep doing so we go bankrupt. Unlike Spain the government here wont bail us out.

In the summer the first round of FFP comes into force, then we might see a better transfer market that is upset by Russian and Middle eastern billionaires.

 

[Mustard]

Brilliant, just write something off because it doesn't happen to match up with your pre-conceived view. Which you've put together via anonymous people on the internet who claim to know someone at Spurs...!

What? I have listened to Talkshite all night. Never gonna get that time back. But hey ho.

Calm down bobbins.

 

[Bobbins]

No mate. The major fundamental referred to a striker. THIS WINDOW.

Why? I don't regard it as a major fundamental. Does me having a different opinion mean yours, or mine, is invalid?

No.

If I regarded a reserve goalkeeper as backup to Brad as a major fundamental, just saying it and then claiming Levy had let us down because he hadn't brought Kasey Keller back doesn't make it a fact. It makes it an opinion.

In your opinion we desperately needed another striker.

In my opinion, we don't. What we needed more than anything was a creative number 10 to replace VDV. We got one in Holtby, in an absolutely steamingly good deal.

So excuse me if I'm not running the knife down the inside of my forearms but I think it was a good window.

 

[Bobbins]

What? I have listened to Talkshite all night. Never gonna get that time back. But hey ho.

Calm down bobbins.

It was entertaining tonight, particularly the Sports Bar as Goldstein is funny and he absolutely leathered Cundy for his stupid Beckham stance. You didn't have to listen to it, and the fact that you don't like it doesn't make the section they did with the journo any less factual because of that.

It's not really possible for me to 'calm down' since I have at no point 'stressed up'.

 

[kr1978]

Mustard please explain how you can disagree? If we spend more money than we have coming in we go into debt, if we keep doing so we go bankrupt. Unlike Spain the government here wont bail us out.

In the summer the first round of FFP comes into force, then we might see a better transfer market that is upset by Russian and Middle eastern billionaires.

Definitely think there is something in this-nobody has spent any major money this window on any one player. I think Sturridge was the only one over £10m??

Maybe we are finally going to see some sanity coming back into the transfer markets worldwide- the Premier League and Bundesliga are the only ones with any money left at all

 

[spud]

I totally agree. The targets we seem to have become so fixated on (Leandro, Moutinho, Willian) and too established at clubs of some size. We aren't a realistic option for a player who is good enough to seem a move upwards from a club already good enough to reach the knockout rounds of the CL.
Holtby & Dembele are exactly the type of signings we should be looking at, i.e. a very good prospect , or someone at a smaller club

It could be that the reason why we pursue Moutinho and Leandro, and why we are widely said to have interest in Willian, is because these are the players who AVB wants. If you believe in AVB (as I do, and I presume Levy does) then the least that you can do is to make a balls-out attempt to get the players who he wants.

If said players are beyond your means then hopefully the manager (sorry, head coach) understands that and accordingly aims for other targets. But it's surely better to try for them than not.

 

[Mustard]

Mustard please explain how you can disagree? If we spend more money than we have coming in we go into debt, if we keep doing so we go bankrupt. Unlike Spain the government here wont bail us out.

In the summer the first round of FFP comes into force, then we might see a better transfer market that is upset by Russian and Middle eastern billionaires.

Ffs. Really? If we fail to score then we will not win. Please note our previous games since villa.

Next year is the ffp. IF it comes into force and we reap cl revenues and earn more than our rivals then we can hope to leap frog them and continue onwards.

If we don't then as, due to our revenue stream we will always be behind. Our best chance of overtaking scum is now.

A TEAM COMES FIRST.

Not a stadium. scum did this the right way. citeh inherited. Manu had it. Chavs have Russian money.

 

[Bobbins]

Ffs. Really? If we fail to score then we will not win. Please note our previous games since villa.

Next year is the ffp. IF it comes into force and we reap cl revenues and earn more than our rivals then we can hope to leap frog them and continue onwards.

If we don't then as, due to our revenue stream we will always be behind. Our best chance of overtaking scum is now.

A TEAM COMES FIRST.

Not a stadium. scum did this the right way. citeh inherited. Manu had it. Chavs have Russian money.

Actually Arsenal gambled massively on a property bubble and had a massive help from the council in building their new stadium. The fact that they struggled for years to sell the old Highbury flats for anything like what they planned is precisely the reason they didn't spend much money and haven't won anything since they moved to the Emirates, despite having the most profitable ground and most expensive tickets prices in British football.

They are finally on the verge of clearing their stadium debt, hence why Wenger has finally started to spend money.

Not sure if financial gambling, corrupt dealings with government and fleecing fans is 'doing it the right way'.

 

[Mustard]

Why? I don't regard it as a major fundamental. Does me having a different opinion mean yours, or mine, is invalid?

No.

If I regarded a reserve goalkeeper as backup to Brad as a major fundamental, just saying it and then claiming Levy had let us down because he hadn't brought Kasey Keller back doesn't make it a fact. It makes it an opinion.

In your opinion we desperately needed another striker.

In my opinion, we don't. What we needed more than anything was a creative number 10 to replace VDV. We got one in Holtby, in an absolutely steamingly good deal.

So excuse me if I'm not running the knife down the inside of my forearms but I think it was a good window.

Lol.

Running a knife done the inside of your forearms?

Calm down bobbins.

Seriously

 

[spud]

Almeria

United States Of?

 

[Bobbins]

Lol.

Running a knife done the inside of your forearms?

Calm down bobbins.

Seriously

LTR

 

[Lilbaz]

Ffs. Really? If we fail to score then we will not win. Please note our previous games since villa.

Next year is the ffp. IF it comes into force and we reap cl revenues and earn more than our rivals then we can hope to leap frog them and continue onwards.

If we don't then as, due to our revenue stream we will always be behind. Our best chance of overtaking scum is now.

A TEAM COMES FIRST.

Not a stadium. scum did this the right way. citeh inherited. Manu had it. Chavs have Russian money.

The long term future of our club comes first.

A new stadium is far more important to us than a new striker. At the moment we lose out on £60m a year in revenue from our small stadium.

 

[fortworthspur]

Mustard please explain how you can disagree? If we spend more money than we have coming in we go into debt, if we keep doing so we go bankrupt. Unlike Spain the government here wont bail us out.

In the summer the first round of FFP comes into force, then we might see a better transfer market that is upset by Russian and Middle eastern billionaires.

of course he has to balance the books. I think a lot of guys can balance the books while decreasing the quality of your side. the good ones maintain it or improve it. I happen to think he's pretty good, but Im struck by the fact that we sold Rafa and Modric and what we've bought with that money hasnt produced equal results.

 

[Mustard]

Actually Arsenal gambled massively on a property bubble and had a massive help from the council in building their new stadium. The fact that they struggled for years to sell the old Highbury flats for anything like what they planned is precisely the reason they didn't spend much money and haven't won anything since they moved to the Emirates, despite having the most profitable ground and most expensive tickets prices in British football.

They are finally on the verge of clearing their stadium debt, hence why Wenger has finally started to spend money.

Not sure if financial gambling, corrupt dealings with government and fleecing fans is 'doing it the right way'.

Mate they are one of the richest clubs in the world. Don't believe the hype. And furthermore they have an Uzbekistani willing to put in a billion.

It only wenger that has the admirable sense of fair play of stopping them being bigger than barca.

They are 10 to 15 years in front of us.

Pass me your knife when your done.