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

[L-man]

Suggests to me it’s all a PR stunt from Levy to show that at least ‘he tried’ but never has any intention to close off the deal as too prohibitive cost wise.

A PR stunt that results in everyone getting pissed off and annoyed because we didn't sign a player?

Yep, what a genius idea

 

[Hakkz]

Why don’t we wait until the window actually closes before we start wheeling out the old cliches like “there used to be a football club over there”, “I’m ripping up my season ticket” “that tight bald git has done it again” etc.

Seriously. Save your energy.

It does indeed seem like people have to much energy to have time to constantly be pissed off over stuff like this. Either take it with a pinch of salt and wait, see what happens or stop spending your money buying stuff from the club. Quite simple really.

As long as the window is open, stuff could happen. After that, well.

 

[nedley]

Re Bale.

From someone super close....

Two parties making big strides. One making very small steps indeed.

He really is typecast as far as this one is concerned.

The frustration is building and it won't be long before RM and GB are looking seriously at alternative destinations.

And there it is.

We all know how this ends.

Levy has to the end of the window to redeem himself. But just like similar windows I have serious doubts.

How he gets defended is beyond me.

 

[Alex4487]

Sigh is the only thing to say about the updates. The lies levy talks everyone can see through it now he talks a good game but never delivers. I pray we get a striker in im not fussed with bale as you know soon as he would get the ball he would have 3 men on him and his support will be miles away!! No point signing him if the team cant string 2 passes together going forward

 

[mil1lion]

Only we can be close to both Sorloth and Bale. It seems this window can land either way. Come on Levy you know you want your Klinsmann moment. Get that Sorloth deal over the line.

 

[nedley]

Are everyone forgetting that we had a 140 million pound net spend last summer summer?

Because we didn't spend shit in two windows previous?

 

[Jamturk]

If we can't even get Mourinho his list why the hell are we even entertaining Real Madrid and Bale?

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Very small % of fans on the forums. If this was a PR exercise the tabloids would have been on this by now.

Forgetting Bale because that's a different kettle of fish....
If Jose doesn't get what he wants this window I'm done with Levy. I don't post spin(my info doesn't come from a place spin would exist) but I do omit some stuff as I feel at times it's counter productive.

Jose unlike Poch has given a decent list of players he wants and needs. None of them should be out of our range money wise, so there can imo be no excuses for not getting him at least his minimum requirements.

If he doesn't get at least that it's open season as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks for sharing Trix and some strong statements from you considering you're usually so well balanced, so seems like an extremely key next 3 weeks for us (we say that every tw but this really is huge I think fans patcience is wearing extremely thin now)

The AON documentary has confirmed everything I thought about Spurs behind the scenes tbh, the football set-up of the club is just so so poor and it makes me even more think that Levy just got so lucky with Poch.

I don't question your or any other ITK's but its just incredible the amount of times we hear that we are perusing an exciting deal and then Levy messes it up its just so frustrating.

Really interesting comment about Jose's list of players being reasonable to get for a few reasons. 1) when Jose came in he said he didn't need new players but to me that seemed like he was just saying the right thing to get the players on board. 2) we as fans can clearly see the issues with the squad at the start of the window were :
1.CB to replace Jan
2.RB to upgrade on Aurier -> Doherty
3.LB to upgrade on Davies
4.DM as we had no-one in that position -> PEH
5.Creative CM : because Ndombele can't be relied upon and we sold Eriksen
6.upgrade AM/winger : because its clear that Lucas and Lamela are no where near good enough
7/8.ST : obviously just having Kane is negligence, we need at least 1 more mabye even ideally 2

The reason I list this is because of your highlighted statement.

So far we have addressed 2 out of 7/8 big weaknesses in the squad (Joe Hart is a fine signing for homegrown and experience but doesn't effect much). Now sure people will say that oh you can't sign 7/8 players in one window and not with Covid and its too many to integrate blah blah blah, the fact is we went 2 transfer windows without signing anyone so we've been playing catch-up for a long time and the squad got so so stale, and while we've gone backwards many others above and behind us have gone forwards/improved so we really do need to sign a lot of quality players to get anywhere near where we need to be.

The point is it will be interesting come 5th October to see how many other additions we've made and how many Jose actually wanted in hindsight as if we can see these issues as fans i'm sure that one of the most successful managers in football history can easily see them in which case the end of the window will be extremely telling if Jose has for example said look I need 6 players, here are the names, none will cost you the earth and if you move on 3-4 fringe players the net spend will be negligible anyway which is kind of what i'm guessing is the case given the ITK that Jose's suggestions have been more than reasonable and in budget/easily attainable. It seems like he's not doing a Poch and saying its £70m on Frankie De Jong or nothing, actually quite the opposite that the sum of its parts are the key. FWIW Doherty and PEH for me have been very good signings but its no where near enough, absolute minimum required in the remainder of the window should really be: 1) ST 2) AM 3/4) LB & CB (similar priority level) then we have to hope and pray Ndombele can step up to where we need a bloody £50m signing to be and that Lo Celso can stay fit otherwise we'd need to also move on Ndombele and replace him with a creative CM, those are the issues and it really will be interesting come Oct 5th to see what we've done compared to what Jose wanted as I'm not a fan of how Jose plays but if he's given a list of easily obtainable targets he wants to suit the way he wants us to play and Levy only delivers on say 50% of that then that is just yet again utter negligence of the highest order rinse and repeat.

We all know how this ends don't we...

 

[Spawn]

After yesterday’s performance Levy must be able to see we need an X factor added to the team which someone like Bale would represent

 

[Mr Pink]

Very small % of fans on the forums. If this was a PR exercise the tabloids would have been on this by now.

Forgetting Bale because that's a different kettle of fish....
If Jose doesn't get what he wants this window I'm done with Levy. I don't post spin(my info doesn't come from a place spin would exist) but I do omit some stuff as I feel at times it's counter productive.

Jose unlike Poch has given a decent list of players he wants and needs. None of them should be out of our range money wise, so there can imo be no excuses for not getting him at least his minimum requirements.

If he doesn't get at least that it's open season as far as I'm concerned.

Levy needs to stop directing absolutely everything to do with recruitment.

And if Mourinho gets pissed off what other coach worth his salt is going to work under Levy when shaping your squad will really be under the direction of Levy's types.

Same old bull shit approach every window. It's just boring now.

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

By the time the window shuts on 5th October we could very easily be out of two competitions and effectively out of the running for another.

Back up striker or not, if we are eliminated in the EL by a village team and in the LC by lower league opposition with the squad we currently have, our issues are far larger than an alternative to Kane.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

If we can't even get Mourinho his list why the hell are we even entertaining Real Madrid and Bale?

It just boggles the mind mate, Levy just has no clue. The ITK is the same every single tw, the guys are legends for giving us their insight but its just always the same story with Levy, he seems to waste time on deals which are either never financially viable or which he never has any intention of following through on and mr potatohead Steve Hitchen can take some of the blame as well.

Its like as if my missus has asked me to go to Sainsburys and get some milk and bread and i've instead spent the day at a car dealership for an Aston Martin and surprise surprise i've come home with nothing but a smacked bottom and a key to the doghouse apart from Levy runs the show so he gets away with it time and time and time again.

 

[JCRD]

I think Levy will come through in the end but if Jose has given him a list of realistic targets then why the fuck wait till the season has started or even deep into the first set of fixtures. Its the fact that its in the end that is annoying.

Just isnt right or fair on Jose (although Jose is to blame for some of the performances which we have discussed in the Jose thread)

 

[13VanDerBale13]

I'll hold judgement until the window closes, I'll hold my hands up and say I thought the squad was decent enough to start the season but looks like I was wrong, once again we start a season flat. It doesn't look good but luckily we have 3 weeks to put things right.

Prepare to be disappointed, we’ve been through this time and time again, Levy doesn’t change for anyone.

 

[sausage]

It does indeed seem like people have to much energy to have time to constantly be pissed off over stuff like this. Either take it with a pinch of salt and wait, see what happens or stop spending your money buying stuff from the club. Quite simple really.

As long as the window is open, stuff could happen. After that, well.

I think people are so obsessed with the Bale return that it clouds judgement. For all we know DL/JM/SH and all involved might be thinking "let's cool our jets on Bale a little, as yesterday shows we still need x, y, z".

A few people have already said "I would prefer we get players in positions we need instead of Bale if that's the choice". I know getting wound up and having a rant is en vogue, but it'll extend your life a little if you just take it all with a pinch of salt and do as @Hakkz and @SargeantMeatCurtains says. I certainly don't understand why the riots are led by the same people who say "it'll never happen". If you are convinced it'll never happen before the ITK, why is the ITK affecting you further?

It's different this time because we know Mourinho is being realistic, we know there are realistic deals to be had (unlike January), and we know what Mourinho wants because he's said it openly (a striker). If we haven't got in one by the end of the window then it'll be open season, but the whole Bale thing has always trumpeted as very very unlikely, so if it doesn't happen then it's not news tbh. Just blame @riggi

 

[Matthew]

Aannnd its that time of the window again. ITK starts off very positive then suddenly goes a bit negative and then we all know how it turns out from there.

I've seen this movie before

its because the "star" is the same every movie! did anyone really think bale was coming back? dont know why he wasted his time if he was going to back off when there was positive moves from madrid/bale.

 

[freeeki]

If any manager can manage Levy, it's Mourinho.

If he fails to do so, then change at the very top is needed.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

its because the "star" is the same every movie! did anyone really think bale was coming back? dont know why he wasted his time if he was going to back off when there was positive moves from madrid/bale.

I'm not sure he's backing off, from my understanding of Levy and the way he operates, he's always trying to squeeze that little bit more out of a deal. So much so that often times, one or more of the parties involved just give up and walk away in exasperation.

 

[Stoof]

And there it is.

We all know how this ends.

Levy has to the end of the window to redeem himself. But just like similar windows I have serious doubts.

How he gets defended is beyond me.

It's like no-one ever watched Spurs in the late 90s and early 2000s. That's why people defend him.

But not for this thread, eh.

As @King of Otters said, I wonder whether he is actually worried about Jose being a busted flush. Like finally dating that hot girl you've been after for ages, only for her to turn out to be just plain crazy and not in any way a sexual deviant.

 

[Tucker]

Lots of pant wetting going on in here today. We always knew we were going to struggle to afford Bale. The good news in all that is he wants to come here and a deal is there to be done. Danny boy needs to put his money where his mouth is imo.