ginola99
Well-Known Member
- Sep 4, 2005
- 682
- 1,418
Two years ago I wrote a long winded thread titled 'We need a miracle', in this I stated that at the going Spurs were becoming London's version of Sporting Lisbon, with the capital's footballing landscape becoming like that of Portugal's with Chelsea as Porto and Arsenal Benfica. I felt this way because Spurs are failing at what matters most, winning trophies, in fact Spurs have now gone 8 years without winning anything, our longest wait since the 1950s. If your superstitious that could be a 'good sign' (1961 and all that Jazz) but the reality is we're currently building a stadium no one has ever attempted before in a league that is more akin to Forbes' top 20 Most Valuable Companies in the World than what William McGregor (the founder of the Football League in 1888) originally envisaged.
The depressing stats are as follows:
So, here we are again, we're all p!ssed off as can be because once again a funny little club from Woolwich managed to finish above us. We have seen our team blow a huge lead over this team thus crippling our confidence and belief in them once again. And yet people still wonder what we have to do to get rid of this monkey, or any for that matter (Chelsea away etc), off our back, what we have to do get rid of the term 'Spursy' once and for all.
What leaves me in disbelief is that most people now are worried that we won't finish in the top four next season, based on another fantastic implosion of Tottenham Hotspur at the end of a season, regardless as to whether it was successful or not, there are reasons to be concerned. In the short term its beyond evident that we need to strengthen the squad but if we keep the first team at the club and, above all else, happy I personally am not concerned. In fact despite the understandable concerns that the financially superior clubs will come back in a vengeance, I have a lot of confidence in our starting XI because they're something I've never seen before, they’re a team. I'm in no doubt that Harry's lot were quite something I loved the good times they produced but in many respects they were a good group of players or good individuals, who could play together, I know it's quite a contradiction and in many ways, in any team sport, that is what most teams are but that's the only way I can describe it. When this current lot get going it’s like something I never seen before at Spurs. I won't go any further simply because they still have a long way to go and a lot to learn whilst desperately needing strength in depth, even if they weren't in Europe.
But even if we did strengthen the squad as a whole we could still fail to sign a World class player, someone who can win you games on their own, someone to complement and further enhance Kane and Alli's exceptional abilities. But as we saw under Redknapp having a trio of World class players isn't enough. Just take the Holy Trinity that was Bale, Modric and Van der Vaart for example. They set the Champions League alight making the whole of Europe finally stand up and take notice of us. Yet despite what they had in their respective little fingers, let alone their ability, confidence and belief, they never won a trophy with us, and yet, astonishingly, some people still believe that the lack of CL football was the reason why the two of them went to Madrid.
Within the confines of a weak mentality or rut such as that stated in the above, it is very tempting to try find a magic bullet. Some on here think it's Champions League football whilst others argue that the stadium will help release the revenues needed to compete at the very top, whilst most agree with both, arguing that the combination of the two will propel us into the stratosphere. But to rely on just that in dangers the club of becoming another footballing version of Icarus, our hubris in just playing CL football in a shiny new stadium would not only melt the wax in our wings but also undermine the very ethos that this club was built on, to win and to do so in style, and when I mean win I don't just mean beat Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu but, above all else, I mean beating anyone table club at Wembley or another neutral venue taking home something that bears more than just ribbons, but our name on it.
I have said it time and again, without trophies this club will get nowhere, even if it is in the CL on a regular basis and days like today which bear that uncanny familiarity will continue. I'm in no doubt like you that being in the CL will help this club a lot, especially now we are building a new stadium and eyeing bigger sponsorship deals. But that is off the pitch and in football regardless as to how full your coffers are, your team must have the right mentality and self-belief in themselves and the only way of fulfilling that is by winning trophies.
The ingredients are there, most of the current bunch have what it takes both technically and mentally, although they still have lots to learn. In Pochettino they have a manager who has helped them excel and can take them further. We also have an ambitious chairman, who bar any squeaky bum time moments or worse with the stadium build, will back his man. But as seen today there is still plenty of work to do, and what worries me most is we have once again handed Arsenal a massive advantage by letting them finish 2nd. And if that is the case then despite all the positives, we’ll be needing more than a miracle in the coming years.
The depressing stats are as follows:
- No trophy in 8 years
- No FA Cup in 25 years
- No European title in 32 years
- No league title in 55 years
- No finish above Arsenal for 21 years
- No wins at Chelsea in any competition for the last 26 years
- No way found to get rid of that most annoying term of all; 'Spursy'
- No FA Cup in 25 years
- No European title in 32 years
- No league title in 55 years
- No finish above Arsenal for 21 years
- No wins at Chelsea in any competition for the last 26 years
- No way found to get rid of that most annoying term of all; 'Spursy'
So, here we are again, we're all p!ssed off as can be because once again a funny little club from Woolwich managed to finish above us. We have seen our team blow a huge lead over this team thus crippling our confidence and belief in them once again. And yet people still wonder what we have to do to get rid of this monkey, or any for that matter (Chelsea away etc), off our back, what we have to do get rid of the term 'Spursy' once and for all.
What leaves me in disbelief is that most people now are worried that we won't finish in the top four next season, based on another fantastic implosion of Tottenham Hotspur at the end of a season, regardless as to whether it was successful or not, there are reasons to be concerned. In the short term its beyond evident that we need to strengthen the squad but if we keep the first team at the club and, above all else, happy I personally am not concerned. In fact despite the understandable concerns that the financially superior clubs will come back in a vengeance, I have a lot of confidence in our starting XI because they're something I've never seen before, they’re a team. I'm in no doubt that Harry's lot were quite something I loved the good times they produced but in many respects they were a good group of players or good individuals, who could play together, I know it's quite a contradiction and in many ways, in any team sport, that is what most teams are but that's the only way I can describe it. When this current lot get going it’s like something I never seen before at Spurs. I won't go any further simply because they still have a long way to go and a lot to learn whilst desperately needing strength in depth, even if they weren't in Europe.
But even if we did strengthen the squad as a whole we could still fail to sign a World class player, someone who can win you games on their own, someone to complement and further enhance Kane and Alli's exceptional abilities. But as we saw under Redknapp having a trio of World class players isn't enough. Just take the Holy Trinity that was Bale, Modric and Van der Vaart for example. They set the Champions League alight making the whole of Europe finally stand up and take notice of us. Yet despite what they had in their respective little fingers, let alone their ability, confidence and belief, they never won a trophy with us, and yet, astonishingly, some people still believe that the lack of CL football was the reason why the two of them went to Madrid.
Within the confines of a weak mentality or rut such as that stated in the above, it is very tempting to try find a magic bullet. Some on here think it's Champions League football whilst others argue that the stadium will help release the revenues needed to compete at the very top, whilst most agree with both, arguing that the combination of the two will propel us into the stratosphere. But to rely on just that in dangers the club of becoming another footballing version of Icarus, our hubris in just playing CL football in a shiny new stadium would not only melt the wax in our wings but also undermine the very ethos that this club was built on, to win and to do so in style, and when I mean win I don't just mean beat Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu but, above all else, I mean beating anyone table club at Wembley or another neutral venue taking home something that bears more than just ribbons, but our name on it.
I have said it time and again, without trophies this club will get nowhere, even if it is in the CL on a regular basis and days like today which bear that uncanny familiarity will continue. I'm in no doubt like you that being in the CL will help this club a lot, especially now we are building a new stadium and eyeing bigger sponsorship deals. But that is off the pitch and in football regardless as to how full your coffers are, your team must have the right mentality and self-belief in themselves and the only way of fulfilling that is by winning trophies.
The ingredients are there, most of the current bunch have what it takes both technically and mentally, although they still have lots to learn. In Pochettino they have a manager who has helped them excel and can take them further. We also have an ambitious chairman, who bar any squeaky bum time moments or worse with the stadium build, will back his man. But as seen today there is still plenty of work to do, and what worries me most is we have once again handed Arsenal a massive advantage by letting them finish 2nd. And if that is the case then despite all the positives, we’ll be needing more than a miracle in the coming years.
