Tottenham Takeover Talk - New Poll Added

[Goobers]

It is a self sufficient business model, but Levt did say the new stadium would enable us to compete with Europes elite, naively I thought he meant on the pitch!

Not to mention the landscape of the European finincial elite changing since that statement.

 

[Trix]

Not to mention the landscape of the European finincial elite changing since that statement.

I agree the landscape has changed. I don't expect us to spend like the true footballing giants but I don't think you'll find many fans out there that feel we could always just do that little bit more. We certainly have the finances available and yet we always seem to come out of transfer windows knowing we had a player in our sights or a position we desperately needed to strengthen, that we could/should have pushed all in for and yet cautiously just let it go to keep our powder dry for the next window, rinse and repeat.

Even if we have a decent window we will always be left short under Levy and Enic.

 

[HildoSpur]

It's the wages that have always held us back from what I can see. We do pay big money for players and are comparable to most of our rivals in that respect (barring the obvious state owned ones) however we don't pay the same level of wages of most of our rivals. That needs to change if we hope to seriously compete at the very top.

 

[For the love of Spurs]

I agree the landscape has changed. I don't expect us to spend like the true footballing giants but I don't think you'll find many fans out there that feel we couldn't always just do that little bit more. We certainly have the finances available and yet we always seem to come out of transfer windows knowing we had a player in our sights or a position we desperately needed to strengthen, that we could/should have pushed all in for and yet cautiously just let it go to keep our powder dry for the next window, rinse and repeat.

Even if we have a decent window we will always be left short under Levy and Enic.

Penny wise pound foolish has been the transfer window mantra for as long as I can remember. Rarely does a window finish and you think ‘right we are ready’. Its normally ‘not having a decent player or back up in position X or Y is going to inevitably screw us at some point’, then it does which is even more frustrating.

 

[TOLBINY]

It's the wages that have always held us back from what I can see. We do pay big money for players and are comparable to most of our rivals in that respect (barring the obvious state owned ones) however we don't pay the same level of wages of most of our rivals. That needs to change if we hope to seriously compete at the very top.

I wonder what the wage bill is at Villa? Do you think it increased significantly as soon as Gerrard left and that is why they have done so well since then?

 

[HildoSpur]

I wonder what the wage bill is at Villa? Do you think it increased significantly as soon as Gerrard left and that is why they have done so well since then?

They are slightly behind us actually on wages paid which shows what a great job they are doing right now. We are miles behind Arsenal, Chelsea, Utd and City though. Utd are of course a lesson in that it proves that paying big wages doesn't mean getting the best players if your scouting is shit.

 

[Goobers]

I agree the landscape has changed. I don't expect us to spend like the true footballing giants but I don't think you'll find many fans out there that feel we couldn't always just do that little bit more. We certainly have the finances available and yet we always seem to come out of transfer windows knowing we had a player in our sights or a position we desperately needed to strengthen, that we could/should have pushed all in for and yet cautiously just let it go to keep our powder dry for the next window, rinse and repeat.

Even if we have a decent window we will always be left short under Levy and Enic.

Oh yes.
I think it's the biggest factor for not crossing the line and possibly winning more trophies etc over the last decade or so. We haven't quite gone hard enough at times. The Poch 17-19 period for example.
However the model of transfers we are now doing seems a lot more comfortable to me in terms of the profile that we are signing.
However, as you have said, the squad needs further work and additions. I think it has come quite some way but still some work to do.

 

[Dov67]

It's about goals, values and objectives.

Our overriding objectives is above everything else, to achieve a certain revenue target for a given financial outlay (transfer fees + wages).

Absolutely everything comes second to that, including actually winning something.....you know, like we used to do.

What's more, if we have to sacrifice the chance of winning something to achieve the revenue target, then we will, because the money potential of getting top 4 will always come before winning a cup.

We are in a depressing doom - loop, and it upsets me that we don't have open hostile rebellion against ENIC inside the stadium to the point where Levy cannot bear to go to a home game anymore.

We are like a fabulous shiny Ferrari, with an owner too short sighted and tight to fill her up with petrol and see what she can do.

 

[McFlash]

I don't know if I've mentioned it before but I was born in Sidcup.

 

[werty]

I wonder what the wage bill is at Villa? Do you think it increased significantly as soon as Gerrard left and that is why they have done so well since then?

Villa's was something like 89% of their turnover last year. They were very close to a points deduction. I think they had to lower it this season to be allowed to play in Europe.

 

[mil1lion]

I wonder what the wage bill is at Villa? Do you think it increased significantly as soon as Gerrard left and that is why they have done so well since then?

Thing is Villa have just got where we have been for a number of years. They still haven't won anything. Our issue is we've been competing for CL and Europa spots since ENIC came in which in fairness was improved on years of mid table and even times relegation battling. So then you're looking for the next step which we never take. When teams like Villa and Newcastle qualify for CL it feels like we've fallen further behind. Although it's usually temporary. What we really want is to compare with the teams challenging and winning titles. Not with Villa who have just got where we've been a number of times.

 

[mil1lion]

We are like a fabulous shiny Ferrari, with an owner too short sighted and tight to fill her up with petrol and see what she can do.

We wouldn't spend on a Ferrari because it's too much. We would buy cheaper parts and spend time trying to build an alternative for half the cost. By which time the Ferrari is winning championships while we continue building. By the time we finish building the others have bought the latest Ferrari that goes even faster. There has to come a time you realise it doesn't work and you need to spend on something that's just as competitive.

 

[TOLBINY]

They are slightly behind us actually on wages paid which shows what a great job they are doing right now. We are miles behind Arsenal, Chelsea, Utd and City though. Utd are of course a lesson in that it proves that paying big wages doesn't mean getting the best players if your scouting is shit.

Thing is Villa have just got where we have been for a number of years. They still haven't won anything. Our issue is we've been competing for CL and Europa spots since ENIC came in which in fairness was improved on years of mid table and even timed relegation battling. So then you're looking for the next step which we never take. When teams like Villa and Newcastle qualify for CL it feels like we've fallen further behind. Although it's usually temporary. What we really want is to compare with the teams challenging and winning titles. Not with Villa who have just got where we've been a number of times.

I was responding to the post about it being wages holding us back. My point being how did a team that was in a relegation fight suddenly ( and it was sudden - look at the form table from when Emery took over) become top 4? What players did Emery buy in Janaury 23 or summer 24 that we could not afford (fees and wages)?

 

[mil1lion]

I was responding to the post about it being wages holding us back. My point being how did a team that was in a relegation fight suddenly ( and it was sudden - look at the form table from when Emery took over) become top 4? What players did Emery buy in Janaury 23 or summer 24 that we could not afford (fees and wages)?

That Villa team did not belong in a relegation scrap. I think they're overachieving a bit now though so that's with credit to Emery. Similar to Redknapp pulling us from 2 points in 8 games up the table when we were underachieving. They don't have the resources we do and if both teams go for the same player we will likely come out on top. I'm just not sure it matters because top 4 isn't enough for us anymore. I do think Ange has us about where we belong and Emery is overachieving. That's what Enic count on though is a manager who will overachieve with the players they have. I'm not sure it's happened much though as times we've qualified for the CL we've had world class players like Modric, Bale and Kane. We have nobody like that now. So I'm not sure we've overachieved a great deal in the way Villa are at the moment.

 

[Gb160]

There has to come a time you realise it doesn't work and you need to spend on something that's just as competitive.

Levy knows full well it doesn't work. He's just not prepared to do the spendy bit.
He'll spend enough to get us challenging for the top 4, but that's his ceiling...that financial push to actually stand a decent chance of seriously competing makes the risk greater than the reward.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

We wouldn't spend on a Ferrari because it's too much. We would buy cheaper parts and spend time trying to build an alternative for half the cost. By which time the Ferrari is winning championships while we continue building. By the time we finish building the others have bought the latest Ferrari that goes even faster. There has to come a time you realise it doesn't work and you need to spend on something that's just as competitive.

All of this presupposes that winning is your ultimate goal.

If winning is ancillary to your main goals, then you will never realize (or acknowledge) that what you are doing "does not work."

 

[mil1lion]

All of this presupposes that winning is your ultimate goal.

If winning is ancillary to your main goals, then you will never realize (or acknowledge) that what you are doing "does not work."

That's also true because it does feel like 4th place is success for us. So as long as we are there abouts then they will continue to believe it's working.

 

[For the love of Spurs]

All of this presupposes that winning is your ultimate goal.

If winning is ancillary to your main goals, then you will never realize (or acknowledge) that what you are doing "does not work."

Yes we also have to give some credit to the competition. If our competitors are desperate for trophies and will do almost anything and we won’t then it will always favour our rivals. That isn’t to say we don’t want to win, just it’s a nice to have.

like an elite boxer who trains and eats well like a monster vs an elite boxer who does some work but didn’t push hard enough. Those that go the extra mile general have an advantage.

 

[Albertbarich]

That's also true because it does feel like 4th place is success for us. So as long as we are there abouts then they will continue to believe it's working.

I really believe that getting a champions league spot is all they care about.

Sure they would love it if we went further but ultimately they’re only prepared to finance the team up until they feel it can compete for fourth and maybe now fifth.

You can change all the managers in the world , hell we pretty much have but ultimately they will all fail because the club isn’t set up to do what the fans dream of.

A takeover is our only hope but now thanks to the entertainment venue we now play in and the property around it the chances of us getting someone that thinks differently and aren’t a state are remote.

 

[mil1lion]

Yes we also have to give some credit to the competition. If our competitors are desperate for trophies and will do almost anything and we won’t then it will always favour our rivals. That isn’t to say we don’t want to win, just it’s a nice to have.

like an elite boxer who trains and eats well like a monster vs an elite boxer who does some work but didn’t push hard enough. Those that go the extra mile general have an advantage.

Hard work and high talent will always overcome hard work with less talent. That's why City are so dominant. They match teams for work rate and they have that world class pool of talent.