Afternoon all. This article isn't really focussed on today's game but what a thrilling one it was against a very good and organised team.
The point that I'd like to make, and I've been thinking this for a while now, is that we are arguably performing above our levels of expectation this season, all things considered.
Last season went horribly wrong for us in the end as we all know, and it ended very well for Arsenal and Chelsea. They both secured Champions League football for this season, leaving us in the Europa. That gave them more money and more pulling power than us, all the top players want to play in that competition, and Chelsea even more so considering they were European Champions. This also lead to us changing managers, being the only club out of the 3 to do so in the close season.
Once this all happened I felt that it was going to take some time to get back to that point, a couple of seasons worth of challenging around where Liverpool are now, hoping AVB could stamp his authority on the side, bring his players and brand of football in and then go again. Meanwhile Arsenal and especially Chelsea would be more equipped to challenge for the title. I don't think that's unrealistic, there were Arsenal fans on here talking about the title after they won at Anfield and understandably so. And if you're European Champions, surely you should be expecting to challenge in the league? We also got battered 4-2 and 5-2 by both of these teams respectively early in the season.
But look at the reality. All season long we've been up there, challenging with the very same 2 teams. We may miss out on the CL, but we can be extremely proud that we managed to re group in the summer, selling 2 of our best players in Modric and VDV, and have had a very good season indeed.
We have so much to be proud of
posted on 7/4/13
I understand some of the points being made, but I think you overestimate how much Tottenham were being written off at the start of the season by pundits/the media. For example, here is the top six of FourFourTwo's pre-season predicted table-
1. Man City
2. Man Utd
3. Tottenham
4. Arsenal
5. Chelsea
6. Liverpool
Furthermore, you suggest that the appointment of a new manager was one of the reasons Tottenham were being 'written off', but I'd argue that a new manager actually brings a great deal of expectation and hype- remember how much Chelsea and especially Liverpool were being hyped up at the start of last season?
posted on 7/4/13
"I understand some of the points being made, but I think you overestimate how much Tottenham were being written off at the start of the season by pundits/the media."
Don't think anyone here has mentioned the "pundits/media" writing us off.
Spurs are exactly where they should be, given the squad is a top 5 incumbent. Again, tis for other so-called "big" clubs to reflect on why (yet again) they are only less than 3 pts in front of, or similarly behind a "small" club like Spurs.
posted on 7/4/13
Well if not the media, then who are you saying was writing Tottenham off?
posted on 7/4/13
Spurs are exactly where they should be, given the squad is a top 5 incumbent. Again, tis for other so-called "big" clubs to reflect on why (yet again) they are only less than 3 pts in front of, or similarly behind a "small" club like Spurs.
---------------------
There isn't always a correlation between club size and the strength of a squad at any given time. Arsenal and Liverpool are clearly bigger clubs than, say, Manchester City, but at this moment in time their squads are inferior, and so they are lower in the league. The same can be said of Tottenham.
posted on 7/4/13
Again, not Spurs who have to be asking themselves these questions.
posted on 7/4/13
You've lost me...
posted on 7/4/13
Why are Chelsky and the G00ns yet again involved in a dogfight for a CL slot with Spurs, a club with allegedly a much inferior squad, revenues etc ??
posted on 7/4/13
I for one have never claimed that Arsenal's squad is superior to Tottenham's. Chelsea's squad is quite considerably stronger than that the two North London sides IMO, the main reason they are where they are is because of off-the-pitch and managerial instability. Of course Arsenal's revenue is greater, they have the much larger fanbase. That is only to be expected.
posted on 7/4/13
Bloscar
It can also be argued that appointing a new manager is a huge change, its always a risk.
posted on 9/4/13
I'm not claiming that a new manager provides an actual advantage, on the contrary I think it is often disruptive. I'm merely stating that new managers generally bring with them a great deal of hype and expectation, particularly in the media, be it justified or not.