The Daily ITK Discussion Thread - RETRO Edition 14th September 2020

[wiggo24]

Hoping (optimistically) that yesterday might have spurred Levy on re Bale.

We haven't been told it's dead yet, just that he's being characteristically tight, so there's still an (albeit very small) chance of Levy having a "fuck it" moment and getting it done before United get him in.

 

[freeeki]

Hoping (optimistically) that yesterday might have spurred Levy on re Bale.

We haven't been told it's dead yet, just that he's being characteristically tight, so there's still an (albeit very small) chance of Levy having a "fuck it" moment and getting it done before United get him in.

Even if yesterday does spur Levy on re: Bale, we have to also hope it spurs him on re: radically overhauling the squad.

It's clear as day that we're going to heavily rely on Lo Celso to provide what Eriksen used to provide before he was shit, and it's just not realistic to expect him to perform every game or even play every game.

Bale would give us some much-needed creativity but our midfield will still be left sorely lacking in quality if he signs. The lack of ITK alluding to creative midfield options is worrying to say the least.

 

[SecretLemonadeDrinker]

I totally agree, and then the club release the accounts, and shows that we announce record profits time and again, and that the money has been there all along.

The lack of investment in the team in the last few seasons has been a total travesty, and I have been one of ENIC's biggest critics all along for that.

However now we are in position where we have leveraged all our cash in reducing the stadium debt, basically took a 50% loan against the value of stadium, rather than taking out a more substantial loan to have available cash, and have significant revenue drop-offs, both due to stadium revenue, and the TV/prize money due to the drop off of the team.
I can fully understand the reluctance of the club to spend much this window, even if it is desperately needed to rectify the disastrous errors the owners have made in the last few years in respect of the playing squad.

The problem we have is other clubs owners are willing to invest their own money in their asset in these times, and I am not just talking about Chelsea and City but many more including Villa, Everton, Arsenal have all pumped money into their clubs this summer, I do not have the feeling our owners are prepared to do that, apart from a rights issue more than a decade ago, they never have.

The only glimmer of hope I have is that it is obvious that Levy is totally awestruck with Mourinho, he turns into a lovestruck teenage girl when in his company, and may try and push the boat out for once.

Chelsea, Villa and Everton, agreed. But what have the Kroenke’s “pumped” into Arsenal this summer? They’ve bought Gabriel for £23m or so and Mari and Soares for a total of around £10-15m. And they’re about to sell their reserve keeper for £20m. Not much different to us in terms of overall outlay.

Totally get it if you hate Levy but you’d hate Kroenke even more.

 

[George94]

Minge faced old trout!!;

*insert thug life gif*

Donna Cullen does come across as an unlikable bitch on the amazon doc, to be fair.

 

[Spurs 1961]

Minge faced old trout!!;

Loveable then

 

[Hercules]

Donna Cullen. Anything nice to say about her? Nah to be polite

 

[Trotter]

Chelsea, Villa and Everton, agreed. But what have the Kroenke’s “pumped” into Arsenal this summer? They’ve bought Gabriel for £23m or so and Mari and Soares for a total of around £10-15m. And they’re about to sell their reserve keeper for £20m. Not much different to us in terms of overall outlay.

Totally get it if you hate Levy but you’d hate Kroenke even more.

They have cleared off the stadium debt. Kroenke pumped in roughly £250m as a loan (although almost certainly will change to share capital down the line). Paid off their stadium debts, gave them a little cash injection for recruitment, and reduces the ongoing running costs as no longer paying interest. which was in the 6% range.

 

[Gspurs11]

Hoping (optimistically) that yesterday might have spurred Levy on re Bale.

We haven't been told it's dead yet, just that he's being characteristically tight, so there's still an (albeit very small) chance of Levy having a "fuck it" moment and getting it done before United get him in.

Nosferatu is firmly back in his crypt until October 4th

 

[Alex4487]

Donna Cullen. Anything nice to say about her? Nah to be polite

Shes stopping deals im sure

 

[stevensthfc]

Its a vicious circle, we buy bargain basement players, then in a years time we hear ‘need to shift deadwood before we can buy’. So the bargain we bought a year or two years ago we can’t shift cause no one wants them, so we go for another bargain basement player and thus we have a lot of substandard players no one wants, taking up squad places and wages, hamstringing us to get top players. It’s a circle that needs to be broken, and it won’t unless a Levy changes his mindset. Theres only so many times you can do this before it stops the progression of the team. We are seeing this now.

I imagine there are lots of takers for our deadwood, just not at the price Levy quotes them. ?

 

[dagraham]

Ain't we just........Pretty much every transfer window we get a spell where Levy gets pelters and a few people suggest we wait until the transfer window has closed before firing into him. Wait and see, which on the whole isn't the worst advice in the world.

Then the transfer window closes and the people who waited to see fire into him.

At which point the people (usually the same ones every time, I suspect Levy's eldest sons) that suggested they wait until the window closes before firing into him tell you that it's bang out of order and for reasons A, B and C he shouldn't be vilified and anyone slagging him off doesn't understand Jacques Merde about football/finances/egg & spoon racing.

This happens almost every transfer window. It's a most beautiful thing

Another prime feature of the transfer window ( no Amazon pun intended) is the “this is the make or break window for Levy.”

Going back as far as AVB we’ve had the same shtick, such as “he has to back the manager now, surely?”. “If he doesn’t I’ve finally lost faith in him, there are no excuses”.“He needs to stop dicking about and step back and delegate the recruitment/ negotiating side” etc etc. And yet here we all are once again.

I reckon Levy has one of those memory zapping things Tommy Lee Jones had in Men in Black.

 

[SecretLemonadeDrinker]

They have cleared off the stadium debt

No, they haven’t. They paid off the remaining debt to bond holders but then replaced it with a new loan, with interest payable to Kroenke’s company. And because of the early redemption of the bonds, the remaining stadium debt has risen from £144m to about £184m. The reason for restructuring the debt thus was because Arsenal was paying over 5% interest on the bonds but will pay considerably less on the new loan - thus saving the club up to £20m per annum.

The arrangement was all about helping the club to cope with the immediate challenges thrown up by COVID and the Kroenke’s are no worse off for it.

Apologies, A&C, if this falls too far outside your ITK thread amnesty for today!

 

[Trix]

Donna Cullen. Anything nice to say about her? Nah to be polite

I was being polite.

 

[nidge]

OK i've had a PM asking why this Levy stuff hasn't been consigned to his thread yet so it's probably best answered here for transparency.

Firstly, I think Levy is an oily toerag so it suits me to enjoy him being roasted in here.
Secondly, his thread is in Spurs Chat and we don't want ITK being discussed over there. It's dirty.
Thirdly, it's big ITK so to speak, we like to give the thread it's head when we get that, I thought you might like a day of relative freedom
Fourthly, it irritates the BeeSoDdLes like red ants crawling up their japs
Finally and mainly.....I think Levy is an oily toerag so it suits me to enjoy him being roasted in here.

Only two of those reasons are serious.

OK, OK three

Donna's had a word hasn't she?

 

[Hercules]

I was being polite.

???

 

[anydange]

Can we have a Donna Cullen thread please? Just for the bants?

 

[Kiedis]

Very grown up stuff going on here.

 

[Trix]

Very grown up stuff going on here.

Fuck off Donna.

 

[Kiedis]

Fuck off Donna.

Would mark this as spam if I didn't know it would send you into haywire.

 

[Trix]

Would mark this as spam if I didn't know it would send you into haywire.

Yeah I'd be out of control livid.

FWIW the only time I've ever had an issue with a neg rep was @Hercules and his over inflated fingers.