We are now about three months since THAT night at Eastlands. The excitement and noise have died down and we can now begin to look forward to the new season.
As I write this, the squad from last season hasn’t changed at all. The arrival of Sandro is not expected until the end of August and nobody has left (yet). Despite this, we have been linked with different players on a daily basis but nothing, so far, has happened.
There has, however, been our very public pursuit of Joe Cole. Personally, I am not too distraught that we didn’t get him. He would have been a good addition to the squad but would he have played every week? I am not so sure he would.
Depending upon which paper you read, and on which day, it seems that Jermain Defoe is the only striker safe. Pav, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch have all been linked with moves away. Unless we can get anybody better then we need to hold onto them all to give us options for the games ahead. If we were to let anyone go, I would personally let Keane leave as he has not been the same player since he returned from Liverpool.
There are rumours about both Huntelaar and Bellamy arriving. Both would give us good options – Huntelaar especially as he could play upfront alone which would seem to be the plan for Europe.
One thing is for sure, we need another top centre half. Ledley’s knees are not improving and it only seems a matter of time before Woodgate has to retire. Dawson and Bassong were both immense last season but I am not convinced that Bassong is up to the Champion’s League (fingers crossed!). Adding a reliable, international, performer would boost the squad and would take the pressure off Harry to play Ledley week in and week out.
Besides another goalscorer and a new centre half, I don’t think we are too far away. Admittedly, Villarreal did give us a thumping but most of the team had just flown back from America and the World Cup players had only just returned to training. However, the result was still worrying and shows that the step up to the Champion’s League will not be an easy one particularly as Villarreal finished seventh in La Liga last year and are not even in the competition.
The Champion’s League will have a key influence on the season. Will the club see it or the league as the priority? For me, they should have equal importance. If we want the club to grow then we have to aim to be in the Champion’s League season in and season out. That means performing well in the league or winning the Champion’s League – the year will end in one!
In terms of the league, getting into the top four will be a challenge. Manchester City continue to spend big but as last year showed, you can buy players but not a team. United and Chelsea continue to be strong but The Goons look the most vulnerable of the so-called ‘Top Four’. One thing is for sure, if Fabregas does leave, so do their top four hopes.
With all this in mind we have to repeat or better, last year’s league performance. As Tom Huddlestone said recently we will have to “win ugly” at times. The win is the important thing and at times the performance will have to come second.
This season could be a memorable one for our beloved boys. With a couple of good signings we can look forward with real hope. I can’t wait to kick off against, and beat, Manchester City on August 14th. In that week we also have the Champion’s League qualifier. What a week – bring it on. Come on you Spurs!
Villarreal are not in the CL and we lost to them in a friendly whereas Arsenal and Chelsea are in the CL and we beat them in meaningful games
Stop being fickle and reading anything into friendly results
chelski had a really off day and arse had 7 of their 1st team missing be realistic and not an idiot we do not have the quality of players for CL yet
im slighty concerned with fans getting ahead of themselves. Last season was excellent, but the challenge this year is to get to the group stages and see how we can manage this with the premiership. Personally, i think the premiership form is bound to suffer. This together with a better Man City, Everton and Liverpool means it will be increasingly tough for us to do what we did last year.
Forthis reason I disagree with us having to do as good or better in the league as last year, that is a huge ask and something that isnt realistic. Top 6 and champions league group stages would represent an achievable success and we should be happy with that.
Agree Jim. I just want the same application and effort from last year – if this happens we will do well. We are not a Champions League team yet. Obviously we will aim for top-four again.
Boys boys please stop bickering will you! Youre not the two guys who sit behind me on the Paxton are you? Every game they argue between themselves on stupid little things. I’m sat there thinking just shut up ffs or I will have to take you both back to mine for a lesson in manners, if you know what I mean? They are both a litttle cute also. So come on you Spurs cant wait dont forget look out for me boys in my purple Spurs shirt with 69 Horny helen on the back, pleas come and say hello. I can get awfully lonely sometimes.
If anyone else says Top 6, I’m going to release the hounds. If you love mediocrity, my friend, West Ham is but a couple of bus rides away.
‘We should be happy with Top 6’… got to be a 25-year-old or younger. I won’t be happy until our record eclipses R Madrid. That’s what being a Spurs fan’s about.
deep down all us spurs fans know last season was a 1 off.wat with city buyin evry1 the best we can hope 4 is top 7 nxt season and i doubt if we’l make it in to the champs league proper and if we do we wont last long.im just sayin wat we are all thinkin
unfortunately i tink ur correct pal
Couldn’t disagree more. We’ve had the squad to finish top 5 since 2005. This year was the norm not a fluke. We are every bit as good as the top 4 who dominate the CL year in, year out.
Remember our squad is young too, guys like Modric, Bale, Huddlestone, Lennon, Gio, Sandro, Rose are only going to improve.
Solid CL campaign and top 5 again.
Yes, anon, I think until you can spell ‘what’ correctly – something most of us master at the age of six, you’d better keep your brainless banter to yourself.
what u talkin bout willis
hes not wrong tho stratty
And for the record, I don’t think it was a one-off at all. SPURS have the ability to do far better… the points we needed to win the league were dropped at places like Wolves, or home to Stoke. DO you really think we are incapable of improving on that? All we needed was belief; you can’t argue with that table, and they will now believe in themselves. That’s all it takes. I will be proved right, as I was when I predicted Spurs Top 4 last season, and Liverpool’s demise.
I would love us to make Champions League group stages, and finish in the top 4 again (ideally at the expense of Arsenal). Achieving both would be a major achievement considering how much City have spent, and how we will have more games to play. Spurs need to be a club that consistently qualifies for the Champions League.
I don’t think City have brought players who are going to change them that much. Last season they bought a crop of players who really improved them. This year it looks pretty much like-for-like.
like 4 like?
silva? toure?boateng?
ther top class mate
They’re not. I used to watch Silva when I lived in Valencia, and Toure’s not going to change them that much. Boateng is well off the mark. They will get them in when City go Top 4, but they haven’t yet.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/aug/13/premier-league-round-table-curbishley-kinnear-strachan
denial isnt only a river in egypt stratty
u really tink we could win the league?
we havent a hope of finishing top 4 never mind antin else
Please don’t use the term ‘we’. I cannot associate with someone with such a horrific grasp of grammar and spelling.
oohhh u fkin nonce
stratty
what a stuck up rshole u sound like
‘We should be happy with Top 6′
Pathetic.
I think we have a fantastic chance of starting the season with a bang which should build confidence. Playing City first up, at home, has to be the best time to play them, while half their team still don’t know each other’s names. Then, IF we play well in our CL Qualifier that week, we have Stoke, Wigan, West Brom, Wolves, West Spam to take us up to end of September. If we start the season beating the teams that we should beat, it could set us up very nicely. And, if we qualify for the CL, then I think we will see Levy open his purse a little more for a last minute flurry before the window closes. Hang on to your hats ladies and gentlemen, I think a very exciting season is coming up. Nobody even mentions the fact we may be a good bet for a domestic Cup Final?
wat u talkin bout sucker
i aint gettin on no plane
Don’t give me no back talk sucker, now quit your jibba jabba before I teach some fools some basic rules….
I disagree with Arsenal being most vunerable as much as it pains me to say it, they look good in the Emirates cup, all their players are composed on the ball, their new striker (cant spell his name) looks a great signing and the new defender(Also cant spell his name) looks class, I think again this season it will be between Liverpool, Us and City for 4th but the gap will widen between us and the Goons mark my words
at last sum1 sayin it how it is
I think Everton are in for a shout of 4th too if they can keep their big players fit.
yea in fairness the toffees seem 2 improve evry year
still tink they need 2 r 3 top class players to move up tho
what happens if u throw a green stone in the red sea????
it gets fkin wet
I WISH WE COULD PLAY LIKE ARSENAL
ive gotta agree we sacrificed our playing good football Bill Nicholson style last season to beat them and chelski and we only just scraped it in the end and at the library they smashed us 3-0 and we barely had an attack
not much to be honest it look asif djallo and pletikosa are on there way which is good already got sandro in the bag plus i think with the emergences of dos santos kaboul bentley o’hara and pav who i think will be good this year plus the alredy quality we have shift out keane jenas and hutton bring in richards and maybe a left winger we will be fine and i think 4th realistic i think liverpool will once again have a similar season hodgson good for fulhams blackburns boltons not liverpool . to be honest i dont think city have bought in to much qaulity balotelli is like robinho all over again toure is pretty good david silva is so overated jerome boateng is good but no better than basong or dawson if they get milner then great another overated player who ever said everton are improved is clueless beckford ? just another player who manages to scramble the ball past the line hes like a shitter crouch and villa well there have all our rejects coys
Top 6 is not necessarily mediocrity. If you are 6th on goal difference from 4th place, is that mediocre? If only we scored 9 past Wigan again? All you can ask is same again in terms of effort, the rest will come. We don’t know what our rivals will pull out. We will aim for top 4, but we have a potential major diversion that we didn’t have last season. Look at Fulham, 2 seasons ago they finished in Europa League spot, this season – with the extra distraction their league form went down a notch. Expect a tough time with more of the squad being called upon. I am proud that we have gone past the 8th-14th place finishes, and got a couple of 5ths and a 4th in the last few years. Let’s continue that upward trend. Coys.
Ok lets put this into perspective. Ever since we missed out 4 years ago we have had gone up and down. For one second we should not be thinking about top 6, if I am not mistaken we were the 4th best team in England, not the Championship. The premier league is considered the best league in the world, so we cannot be that bad a team. Firstly with signings I agree with the article we need another striker and a centre back. I would ideally like another midfielder in there a more attack opition, I think Jenas time has run out at the lane. We need to trust Harry in what he says, if he thinks we can win the league then we need to get behind the boys. Man City have bought good players not world class players, there is no way yaya toure can be considered the highest paid player in the league. Like for like we may not be better than them individually, but as a team we are more formidable. Mancini biggest downfall will be the amount of players he has, no balance, players throwing there toys out the pram cos of squad rotation. The key for spurs is to get off to a good start like last season and in 2005. COYS!
Dazza you are right they looked good on the ball and shit without it Celtic could and should have snatched it in the end .If they get Mersasaker i don’t know if my spelling is right any way the 6ft5 German Centre half. If it happens they could win the League it pains me to say if not they will struggle at the back.Why are pundits saying Liverpool Chinese Takeaway are back . They have bought a player with a serious knee injury he could break down along with bad back Gerrard bad leg Fernando . They cant play with a high Tempo because they will get reported again so Joe has backed the wrong Team they finished 7th for a good reason therumourman spreading gossip . We will finsish higher because the shocks will keep happening while the Fa and Scudmissi e is in charge of policing the prem anything goes failed Presidents shinpinched themoney. a failed Cammell herder Pompy.. West Spam two porn mobsters the Chinese Government Liverpool Triads Birmingham. We will get to the top because Davspurs is Watching over the prem for them and we will finish in the top 3 and win something big . its not true we have not signed any players all our players are a year older will be better and the next batch are pushing like Bale did and we will have him from the start and Walker Dosantos Townsed Rose will all Blossom in our Historical year. Coys
I believe everything said was actually very reasonable. However,
think on this, whaat if you were tto write a killer post
title? I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your website, but suppose you added a title that grabbed a person’s attention? I mean 2010/11: What Needs To Be Done?
is kiunda plain. You might peek at Yahoo’s front page and note
how they ceate posst titles to grab people to open the links.
Yoou might add a video or a related picture or two to get readers interested about everything’ve written.
In my opinion, it could bring your posts a little
livelier.