Football Focus

[Jah Lush]

I don't think so. Still Leicester's title to lose.

[Jah Lush]

Pochettino's half-time team talk... "Lads it's United."

[red devil]

:) Fair play Jah, best team won...

[titch juicy]

Man City fan in talking bucketfuls of sense shocker!

http://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/2016/04/a-man-city-fans-view-on-spurs/?

"We at The Fighting Cock love our forum. It?s like a little dog, loyal, faithful and funny. Occasionally it may chew our favourite shoe, or make a mess but we always forgive it, even when it attracts trolls from other teams, but something happened this weekend, something quite strange, a Man City fan came in peace and dropped something we felt was worth sharing.

Thank you for your words Aron Manc:

?Leicester City have likely secured the title this season, and good luck to them for fulfilling that fairy tale; they?ve proved that good old fashioned pragmatism and playing to your strengths rather than the obligatory ?good? football can neutralise financial supremacy, but ultimately they?ve overachieved and Spurs? continued progress under Pocchettino will gradually peak and sustain, finally filling void left by the Ferguson-era United as English football?s next great dynasty.

The parallels between United in the early 90?s and the current Tottenham team are startling; intense, principled managers who?ve paid their dues and worked their way up the ladder, who?ve weaned the negative influences out of the club and established a young British core of the team who?re developing in sync, ala the class of ?92, alongside some shrewdly acquired foreign talent.

Both are built on solid defensive foundations and play with width and dynamism, constantly switching the play and firing crosses into the box until the opposition succumb to the pressure. Another common element is the adulation they receive from Sky; Chelsea, Woolwich and City have all managed to attain a degree of success during the Sky Sports era, but they?ve never really been as emphatically embraced by them in the way United were, and in my opinion the reason are obvious and fully justified.

Those clubs have all had an overly-cosmopolitan aura, and in the case of City and Chelsea a vulgar approach to buying the success with their benefactor?s wealth with little regard to the overall benefit to the English game; this Spurs team, like that United one, has an authentic Anglo-identity that is greatly benefiting the English game and providing opportunity to young domestic talent, while gradually establishing success built on solid foundations via hard work, shrewd transfer strategy and impeccable standards imposed by the managers. United?s demise means Sky need new poster boys to project, and humble starlets like Kane, Alli and Dier are the ideal candidates.

As a City fan back when we prided ourselves on being a ?proper? club, as well as an advocate of fundamental opportunity for English talent, it?s been hard to watch the transition into an embodiment of everything that?s wrong with modern football, and I?ve spent the past few years being told by the hypocritical morons that most of our fans have become that selling ourselves to an Arab was ?the only way? we could compete with the established top 4.

We?ve also been constantly fed the nonsense argument that English players aren?t good enough in failed justification for the Anglo-apartheid at the club since the Hispanic colonisation in 2013, so I?ve been buzzing with what this Spurs team has been doing to disprove that idiotic misconception, even to the extent where I actually enjoyed you lot taking 6 points of us this season.

Moving forward, with the new stadium in the pipeline and the Nike investment in addition to the Champions League revenue, there is absolutely no reason for Pocchettino or any of the aforementioned uber-talents to leave; constant exposure to elite level football via International and European competition is going to facilitate their development into top-level footballers, and as a result see the club become a dominant force in English and even European football.

The similarities in style and standards between former Argentina teammates Pocchettino and Diego Simeone are glaringly obvious, and Spurs can easily embrace and emulate Atletico?s impact in the Champions League next season.

Guardiola is put on a pedestal for his achievements at Barca, but he?s only ever inherited great players at clubs with a culture of winning; Pocchettino is Pep without the privileges. Would Guardiola have matched Pocchettino?s achievements with Espanyol, Southampton and the shambles of a Spurs squad he took over?

Success is relative, and the Argentinian?s work so far has been as good as anybody else?s in the same timescale.

From what little I?ve seen of Winks, Pritchard and Edwards, they have the talent to be integrated into the squad within the next few seasons and Pocchettino will inevitably do so, further strengthening that success-defining identity in the process; the key to completing the transition from very good team to winning team will be the quality and compatibility of the signings.

United needed a catalyst for their own transition in the early 90?s, a talisman to inspire and implement a winning mentality into a talented young team and they found it in Cantona; Ibrahimovic could be that player here.

He?s a perennial winner, who sets and demands from others the highest standards; Kane could attain career-defining advice and experience alongside such a player, taking his own career beyond even its current stratospheric potential. He?s got a few years left in him, wants a move to England and would destroy most Premier League defences.

PSG want Lloris and this summer would likely see his value peak given his age and the fact he?ll be a key figure for a France team that I expect to make a big impact at Euro 2016, so it?d be a good time to sell; Jack Butland?s career trajectory will see him as England?s number one by the 2018 World Cup, and he has all the credentials to be a Spurs player (i.e. young, English and superbly talented) as well as the physical stature to dominate the box better than Hugo. He?d realistically be available for half of what PSG would pay for Lloris as well.

When Bale was sold in 2013, I imagine the first option clause was nothing more than Levy being awkward and Real obliging to be polite, but given the bizarre change in the footballing landscape in England since then, and especially Spurs currently being the best placed team to dominate domestically as well as become perennial participants in the Champions League, the possibility of a Bale return is a valid one.

Regardless of what actually happens in the summer transfer-wise, you club is on the cusp of greatness and is without question the pride of English football.?

[????]

I'm really looking forward to seeing the odds for the title next year - I think they'll be plenty of value about as City and Chelsea (and maybe Arsenal) will be overvalued - I think United will be priced OK. But you'd expect Spurs to be among favourites (if not favourite) will also be interesting to see what prices for Leicster (and West Ham). Basically, is this season an anomaly or the shape of things to come?

[Otta]

Lot of sense in there, although less sure about " alongside some shrewdly acquired foreign talent".

Spurs are looking well on heir way to being the finished article (whatever that means). I hope that Leicester hold out and win this year, but that will be a one off. Spurs do look like they've got years of excitement ahead. I just hope Klopp can do his thing over the summer and make Liverpool challenge a bit too.

[????]

''''shows how much he needs to do that i didn't even think about Liverpool for my analysis :)

[Jah Lush]

Yes, good article and I agree with most of it but my eyes did glaze over when he got to the bit about Ibrahimovic who would still be far too over-priced in the wages department and we don't need a massive ego in our squad like that. It wouldn't be good for the collective spirit of the team. As for losing Hugo Lloris that would also be a massive blow. As well as being our captain and a superb goalkeeper he has bundles of experience, something that the youngsters don't have yet. Apart from that, things are looking very good at Spurs and that is mainly down to Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy (love him or hate him) finally finding a manager that he can have complete faith in to let him get on with his work and backing him to the full.

[titch juicy]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Yes, good article and I agree with most of it but

> my eyes did glaze over when he got to the bit

> about Ibrahimovic who would still be far too

> over-priced in the wages department and we don't

> need a massive ego in our squad like that. It

> wouldn't be good for the collective spirit of the

> team. As for losing Hugo Lloris that would also be

> a massive blow. As well as being our captain and a

> superb goalkeeper he has bundles of experience,

> something that the youngsters don't have yet.

> Apart from that, things are looking very good at

> Spurs and that is mainly down to Mauricio

> Pochettino and Daniel Levy (love him or hate him)

> finally finding a manager that he can have

> complete faith in to let him get on with his work

> and backing him to the full.

I've always backed Levy, I believe he's always had the club at heart. He's a big Spurs fan after all. He's made a couple of bad managerial appointments for sure, but if the stories are to be believed, he came out of a meeting with Van Gaal and said, "That man will never manage my football club". If that's true, I can forgive him everything.

Plus, he's taken us from a perennial mid-table team to regular top 4/5/6 on a lower wage bill, less revenue and much lower net spend than many of our more illustrious opponents. We've overachieved and continue to overachieve under Levy.

On the article- i completely agree with you about Ibrahimovic. There's no doubting his class, but even if he was the kind of personality we wanted in the changing room (although he does work hard), we'd never get near his wage demands. Word around the campfire is, he's desperate for United as long as Van Gaal isn't there.

[Jah Lush]

With you on all over that Titch but there are plenty of Spurs fans who for some misguided reason hate his guts.

[????]

his record on transfers in general and specifically with the Bale money?

[titch juicy]

???? Wrote:

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> his record on transfers in general and

> specifically with the Bale money?

Ok, well let's start with Bale. Cost us ?5m - had two good and one world class season out of him and sold him - no choice but to- for ?90m.

He bought 7 players with the proceeds; Lamela, Eriksen and Chadli are all very important parts of the squad. Soldado just didn't fit. He didn't stop trying and didn't become a bad striker overnight as his record since back in Spain testifies. The other 3 were bad purchases yes.

You have to consider other bits of business too- for every shit signing there's been more good ones. Both of our full backs were bought for a pittance and are now some peoples picks to start in the Euros.

Also- Dier (?4m), Alli (?5m), Lloris (?10m), Alderweireld (?12m), Vertonghen (?12m)

Would anyone seriously call those bad signings?

[red devil]

I thought Spurs' transfers were down to Franco Baldini, not Levy.

Since he was sacked and MoPo's mate from Southampton came in, transfers/scouting has improved...

[Otta]

I thought it was nice to hear Tim Sherwood talk about Lamela on MOTD2.

But seriously, how long is this Spurs love in going to last, it's stomach turning.

[red devil]

Don't worry Ots, 1 down, 2 to go, earlydoors has left early doors...

[titch juicy]

Arnesen, Baldini etc.

Pretty sure Levy was heavily involved though.

Pochettino and Mitchell seem to have more control over that side of things now.

[Otta]

red devil Wrote:

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> Don't worry Ots, 1 down, 2 to go, earlydoors has

> left early doors...

Yes he didn't hang around long. Went from chatting football on here to going a bit aggressive troll on other threads.

[????]

titch juicy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ???? Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > his record on transfers in general and

> > specifically with the Bale money?

>

> Ok, well let's start with Bale. Cost us ?5m - had

> two good and one world class season out of him and

> sold him - no choice but to- for ?90m.

>

> He bought 7 players with the proceeds; Lamela,

> Eriksen and Chadli are all very important parts of

> the squad. Soldado just didn't fit. He didn't stop

> trying and didn't become a bad striker overnight

> as his record since back in Spain testifies. The

> other 3 were bad purchases yes.

>

> You have to consider other bits of business too-

> for every shit signing there's been more good

> ones. Both of our full backs were bought for a

> pittance and are now some peoples picks to start

> in the Euros.

>

> Also- Dier (?4m), Alli (?5m), Lloris (?10m),

> Alderweireld (?12m), Vertonghen (?12m)

>

> Would anyone seriously call those bad signings?

I was just saying that's maybe why people don't like him (personally i don't give a hoot it's Spuds). I think last year and previous he wasn't seen as nearly as astute etc (and Jah's tune's changed I recall?). A bit of success changes perceptions very quickly, 'tis human nature.

[Otta]

???? Wrote:

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> (and Jah's tune's changed I recall?).

Heavens forfend! ;-)

[Jah Lush]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

(and Jah's tune's

> changed I recall?). A bit of success changes

> perceptions very quickly, 'tis human nature.

We've haven't won anything yet.

[red devil]

Succes is relative Jah, Spurs finishing top 4 is like a trophy ;-)...

[Alan Medic]

LVG continues to baffle me. If you want speed down the flanks why play Mata there and Lingard as a 10? As for playing Young as a CF, I'm lost.

WH tomorrow. I had a dream before the 1st match that this would go to pens. Don't know who won though.

[titch juicy]

red devil Wrote:

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> Succes is relative Jah, Spurs finishing top 4 is

> like a trophy ;-)...

I can't disagree with this.

[Jah Lush]

Not for me it ain't. Trophies are the real measure of success. Nobody remembers who finished second, or third or fourth. If we finish second or third we'll have had a good season but winning a trophy is proof positive you've been successful.

[red devil]

I dunno Jah. I'm sure fans of Watford & Bournemouth feel this season has been a success.

Anyways, any predictions for tonight's FA Cup replay?

I can only see a West Ham win after LvG puts Ashley Young in goal, Martial as Centre Half, and Jaun Mata as our mascot...