Agree with all that, but still money talk, especially for Levy. Depends on who is interested in Eriksen, but if he enters the last year of his contract and doesn't want to sign he would probably want to move him this Summer and not lose him on free next year..
A serious look at Mauricio Pochettino
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Agree with all that, but still money talk, especially for Levy. Depends on who is interested in Eriksen, but if he enters the last year of his contract and doesn't want to sign he would probably want to move him this Summer and not lose him on free next year..
Walker had years on his contract, Eriksen have 1. Also they replaced very good player with average player who is good at crossing the ball. It's a big downgrade. That's another topic anyways.
Point is, when players wants to leave and there is good money on the table, clubs will go ahead unless they are rivals. Before Walker was sold, Spurs fans made same statements, that they won't sell key player to league rivals and in the end they did as it made sense for all the parties.
Not saying we have chance to sign Eriksen though as I'm sure Spanish 2 will be in for him, at least Madrid will.
Nope, it's nothing to do with an on the pitch rivalry, it's because of how you've conducted business in the past. Levy will only deal with United if you're the absolute last resort, he'll only sell to a rival club at all if there is no other possible alternative. We sold Walker to City reluctantly despite having no issue with them, a massive offer and Trippier already starting to replace him.
United are a rival for top 4 in the league and Levy clearly isn't keen on business with you. Why would a 'deal make sense for both parties' ? Selling one of the best attacking midfielders in the league to you would be a terrible idea for us.
They should be delighted to be the new Arsenal, after being ridiculed for not being able to get into the top four for the last couple of decades.
It's incredible how people on here project Manchester United like ambitions to a club like Tottenham, and then slag them off when they don't meet them, with unfettered glee. It's bizarre at times.
Eriksen has a very good engine and shown a more tactical side to his game this season. Has deputised in midfield several times this season.
In a pressing team that always looks to have territory, I think Eriksen and Pogba infront of a dynamic DM can work. Maybe I've been coloured by the success of KDB and David Silva or Bernardo and Silva.
Sure, but there's no point pretending other clubs won't be interested.
In a fantasy world where only United would be in for Eriksen, sure Levy would be forced to sell rather than lose him on a free. In the real world where multiple clubs will be after him, Levy will not entertain dealing with United, even if it was more profitable.
I wasn't talking about Eriksen, just the general statement that Levy doesn't like us.
I for one would be glad if we don't do any business with Spurs unless it's a good opportunity like players having only 1 year on contract. Hopefully we tap him up with huge wages.
As a Tottenham fan are you happy with this? Are you happy your club just doesn't care whether or not it's successful on the pitch? If you're not winning trophies or at least challenging, what's the incentive for people to come and fill your new expensive stadium? This isn't a case of 'build it and they will come'.
United didn't become a big club with big sponsors because they surrendered every cup competition they entered, winning things brings big sponsorships. Showing a general lack of ambition won't being in noodle deals will it?
Also, how are you expecting to keep your best players paying them less than they can get elsewhere and not winning anything?
Surely as a fan of a football club you want to see your team win trophies, at this point I'm sure you'd even take a Charity Shield.
It might be ok, my point was more based on a feeling than from looking at stats. I kind of feel like Liverpool have been very good for a while, despite not always having a great squad. Might just be the rivalry aspect for us making me think that.
Chelsea is a bit hit and miss depending on how fecked they are, it feels like they can and will beat anyone when they feel like it. Arsenal have felt a tier below for about 15 years, you're disappointed not to beat them. They've improved a bit in last 2 / 3 years but i'd expect them to be last on most kind of league tables (unless we are?). City I expect are top but probably not by as much as the should be.
Exactly.
A thing we agree upon!
You really don't have to go back that far to remember a time when consistently making top four and mixing it up with the likes of Barcelona and Madrid in the CL would have been a pipe dream for our fans. I don't think Manchester United fans quite grasp this fact as fans of a club where this is normal and expected.
We aren't the same as United and never will be, so people need to stop pretending otherwise.
I mean they have been in the top 4...
They also didn't have the quality they now have but you're right despite them having a great team and one of the worlds best strikers they should be happy to not win anything and be publically unambitious because well they were worse before right!!
Whether by design or luck when you gather the components for a title winning team then you should reflect that in your ambitions.
Surely they will be, most notably Barca and Real. Depends on Eriksen if he wants to move abroad and which club will offer him the best conditions. He'll be 27-28 next year and that is likely to be his biggest contract in his career. United can compete with everyone on that front and if we can get a preliminary agreement with him that might force Levy's hand.
Not sure that Erikson would be our priority as a midfield option though. He's one of the best midfielders in PL of course, but we should look at DM/holder to spend our money for, not playmaker. Barca/Real would probably be an enticing option for him and Levy less reluctant to let him go abroad.
They are not a great team the last week is great proof of that.
So how good a fit do you think Pochetino would be to a club thats as entitled as us?
Slightly ironic don't you think?
What's the point in spending daft amounts of cash to watch your team year in year out if they never have any intention of winning anything when they've got the best team they've had in a long, long time? If Tottenham were Everton I could understand it.
Barca won't be interested unless they offload Coutinho. Their spending is over the roof, it cannot continue forever like this.
On the other hand, I think that Real will get him in the summer. They have the money, the need for him while having a big appeal too. He would probably be their best player if he goes there.
Their squad is no worse than Liverpools and the only difference is the manager. Poch might have spent less but there's feck all difference between those teams
Maybe I am remembering incorrectly, but I am sure in pre season Poch said it was important to win something with this side...
I am happy with what? Consistently getting in the top four? Feck yeah. It's vitally important to the stability of the club and our long term project, most of our fanbase understands that. We need to establish ourselves as European regulars, need to be finishing ahead of our London rivals, that's more important to the club than winning a league or FA cup. We were a mid table side not so long ago, now we're rescuing a point late at the Nou Camp to go through to the CL knockouts, am I meant to be displeased? We have the 6th highest revenue in the league (behind by quite a distance) and we're financing a new stadium, so we're punching significantly above our weight.
Winning the league or FA cup is not going to bring us sponsors. Playing every season in Europe and establishing ourselves as a club consistently fighting at the top end of the league is what will generate sponsors. Again, this is the priority and long term aim of a club like Tottenham.
Keeping players is going to be hard, and undoubtedly we're going to lose a few along the way and will have to hope the scouting department can keep doing a sterling job.
Of course I want to see us win trophies, I'd murder someone for an FA cup trophy, but I'm also not going to throw my toys out of the pram because we're 3rd in the league and in the CL knockout round. I don't think United fans understand how good we have it as Spurs fans compared to the past, heck even prior to Pochettino taking charge we were in a far more miserable position and a situation like this where people are mocking us for being top 4 regulars would have been the dream.
I'm not entirely happy with the board/the club and I moaned a hell of a lot during the summer about the fact we didn't sign at least a midfielder, but I'm not going to blame Pochettino for not being backed. He's in a fecking hard position being left with Skipp/Dier/Winks as his midfield options.
So how good a fit do you think Pochetino would be to a club thats as entitled as us?
I imagine at a club like United, Pochettino would change his approach drastically.
He's an intelligent man and would adapt to a different situation, at United he would have backing in the transfer market, completely different objectives and the squad depth to compete on numerous fronts.
I don't know whether he'd be a good fit for you, I honestly don't, but I certainly don't think he would manage you in exactly the same way as he has managed us.
Not sure what's ironic about that. You've projected United like ambitions to a club like Tottenham, who have nothing like the history, the fanbase or most importantly the money that we do, and you're judging them on that premise. It's errant nonsense from start to finish.
Nope, Liverpool have a better squad than we do.
Pretty even in attack and they clearly have superior options in defence and midfield, as well as better squad depth.
Post splurge on Fabinho, Keita, VVD, Alisson and Shaqiri they clearly went up a level as a team, we don't have that kind of money to spend.
Good post. Yeah it's all about priorities. For the risk Spurs have taken with Stadium and all that, Top 4 is a must. Given a choice, choosing top 4 is easy decision.
Poch has done superb job, not sure why he is getting so much stick (well I can think of few, just not arsed to argue those). Barely spent any money in last 2 seasons, so many key players injured and still 3rd in the table and qualified from difficult group in CL.
Precisely. When you look at the players available to that team, irrespective of how it was compiled or the historical performance of the club, they should rightly be expected to do more they we are currently seeing.
Yes, it’s been compiled on a relatively small budget, and those who have made these shrewd purchases should be lauded, but ultimately, it’s what you do with those players that matter, and ending yet another season with no silverware isn’t good enough.
I’m tired of having this fallacy brought out every year where success in the cup and finishing top 4 should be mutually exclusive. They’re not. It’s a poor excuse.
This is the first rational response I've seen on here, and I can appreciate where you're coming from but surely the planning for the club takes into account key people in key positions such as Kane, Ali, Pochettino etc. If you lose one of them you could find yourself out of the top 4 and out for a while. Things only go from bad to worse at that point.
For me, there's an element of 'make hay while the sun shines'. Portsmouth and Wigan won the FA cup, Leicester and Blackburn won the league. No matter what bad times came after those events, those fans still remember and still talk about the day they lifted the trophy, being at Wembley, the feeling around the town after the achievement, the lot. By surrendering that opportunity with this squad, you're in danger of never achieving anything. And I appreciate a late point taken at Camp Nou is exciting but it's not quite the same as putting one over Chelsea or Arsenal in an FA cup final, which match are you going to make a song about to sing for the next 50 years?
For me, to see how good Pochettino really is, you have to ask more from him and this team. Your second string isn't nearly as bad as he makes them out to be and he should be doing better with the squad as a whole, despite the poor summer, the squad didn't happen overnight. I'm not saying he should be sacked for not winning a trophy but as a collective, the Spurs fans and board should be expecting the club to win something in the next season or so otherwise he's got the cushiest job in world football right now.
I remember when Peterstorey used to come with his "top four players play for top four clubs" shtick, everyone and their dog was calling Redknapp's top four a "one off" and predicting that Spurs would embarrass themselves in Europe.
The ever expanding goalposts are fair game if it's winding up Glaston, just don't pass it off as serious argument.
Tottenham fans have every right to be glad, because they've come a long way in a relatively short period of time.
The ever expanding goalposts are fair game if it's winding up Glaston, just don't pass it off as serious argument.
Tottenham fans have every right to be glad, because they've come a long way in a relatively short period of time.
Spurs fans mocked Arsenal for years for the lack of competition and Wenger celebrating the '4th place trophy'. That's the irony.
Spurs should be winning something during Pochettino's tenure. Coming up to 5 years now and they've only been in one final. More questions need to be asked and more expectations need to be placed on the team if we are to see how good Pochettino really is.
Problem arguing or having discussion about ambition with Tottenham’s fans is complicated. They don’t want to admit it until someone from the club actually say it.
When we were questioning their ambition of not trying to win trophy they felt insulted and start saying their aim has always been trying to win the league or their aim is the bigger picture build a team with young players and develop them and win trophies. I have seen it a lot ever since they sold Walker.
Let’s be real. Tottenham has a very good team right now, they are already on the right road to actually establish a good winning team two year ago and they are just about two or three top players away with couple of decent bench players from being favourite to win the league or compete with city and Liverpool. But their situation right now is stopping them to move forward. Financially they can’t go forward, can’t improve their squad.
United on the other hand is still not on the road because they still can’t find their identity and the right manager after losing the great man Sir Alex (although might be different case if Ole turns up to be the right man). However, what makes United different to Spurs is that United’s aim is to win the league or CL. Tottenham’s aim is just top 4 because that’s what they are right now. If United is currently on the situation where they can finally be on the right road to actually establish a good winning team like Spurs, without a doubt we won’t just stop, we’ll be looking to go forward to improve our squad and achieve what we want (winning EPL and CL).
To me right now FA cup or Carabao cup are just bonus. I would rather be in CL spot or top 4. Although, in Tottenham’s case is different to us since they haven’t win it for long time so kinda expect them to win it at least once. But it seems the board is happy with not winning those cup trophies and aim for getting CL ticket (more money).
Arsenal is yet another club that spent way more money than Spurs, and also won 3 Premier League titles prior to their "4th place trophy" stint. Their ambitions should be judged in relative, not absolute terms. Then of course, if you realised that you wouldn't be making the argument that you're making in the first place.
To go to 4th place trophy from the mighty invincibles and Champions league finalists was quite a fall from grace. Beggars belief how anyone thinks that's comparable to arriving at consistently finishing in the top four from mid-table.
Why should this team be doing more than third and in to the CL knockouts? (which are clearly the two most important objectives at the club).
We've gone for silverware. I don't know why people keep acting like we haven't. We've been in 3 cup semi finals in the last 3 seasons, and a final in Pochettino's first year at the club. We were beaten by two league winners (Chelsea) and the club who finished second (United), so it's not like we've gone in as big favourites and messed it up. We've mostly been competitive in these fixtures and clearly have made an effort to win them, but the nature of cup competitions means it's not exactly easy to guarantee silverware.
Surely people can understand the situation this season? We went out in both domestic cups in the same week because we've been hit by the worst injury crisis I can remember as a Spurs fan. Kane, Alli, Son, Sissoko, Davies all unavailable for selection yesterday, with others like Rose carrying knocks and not risked.
Who did Arsenal sign? Didn't they move to a big new stadium and had a chairman that didn't put any money into the club? Sound familiar? Wenger bought shit for years because the money wasn't available, we all remember the summer they only signed Cech on a free. Stop re-writing history to suit your narrative.
You're the only one ignoring context here pal.
Convenient question dodge there, well done.
I don’t think MP has to win trophies at Spurs to get a move to United or Real, but I don’t think publicly stating trophies are only for ‘ego’ is going to help him at all. Not sure what he gains from saying that. You’d assume he knows that he couldn’t think like that at United.
It does seem like he’s taken Spurs as far as he can though, to me...
It does seem like he’s taken Spurs as far as he can though, to me...
Sure, but I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it. Even if we won a league or FA cup I'm not buying that our top players (like Eriksen) would suddenly decide to stay at Spurs. The main motivation for top players are the biggest trophies (league, cl), and their wage packet.
If we could make hay while the sun shines I'm pretty sure we would, it's not like we can click our fingers and replicate Leicester or Blackburn's title wins. We're not surrendering any opportunity to win trophies (like I've just said in my post, we've been to a final and 3 semi finals under Poch) it's just that we haven't quite been good enough to pick up silverware, mostly being knocked out by the best teams in the league. Like I've already said, I'd love to win a cup and so would all of our fans, but it's not an expectation at the club. The late point taken at the Nou Camp got us in to the CL knockouts, which not so long ago would have been considered far more important and rare to Spurs than a league cup.
The cushiest job in world football? Come to Spurs, work under no budget where players like Dembele and Rose won't be replaced, you're still expected to make top 4 and when you consistently do that people will still demand you win a trophy despite a paper thin squad. Also, our second strings absolutely aren't bad, the problem is we're currently working with our third or fourth string. The likes of Nkoudou and Llorente have been dusted off due to the extent of our injury crisis, nobody can expect us to achieve much while starting players of that calibre.
Look, all season Pochettino has been dealing with bad injuries and now it's reached crisis point, yet we're still third in the league and through to the CL knockouts. How can anyone seriously look at that as a failure because we went out of the two domestic cups? Those trophies are important and it hurts to be out of them, but it's still pretty clear that we're doing well in our main objectives.
Lacazette and Auba for like 100M last year?
Who did Arsenal sign? Did that sound like a pertinent question in your head? Three times champions of England, and Champions League finalists. To go from that to just finishing top four is completely different to the sort of position from which Spurs arrived there. To say nothing of the wage bill.
He was referring to a previous period when they've just moved to the Emirates. A little less nonsensical but still egregiously facile nevertheless.
Arsenal spent about 71 million in transfers this window (bringing in Guendouzi, Sokratis, Torreira, Lichtsteiner and Leno) and god knows what in wages by securing the likes of Ozil to huge contracts.
The season before they spent about 100+ million on Lacazette and Aubameyang, probably both on wages we could never afford to match.
Arsenal may not spend enough, but they spend far more than we do both on transfers and wages. Our wage bill is about 130 million pounds, Arsenal's stands at 206 million.
Our wage/transfer budget is closer to the likes of Leicester and Southampton than it is to a team like Chelsea, let alone the likes of Manchester City or United.