*** OMT Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace ***

[K.D.D.D.D.Soc]

We'd have to win 2 farmer's leagues in a row to qualify for the CL.

I'd put my money on us finishing in the top 4 without having to fly out to play goat herders on a freshly ploughed field every Thursday.

Look what a boost it gave to the goons last season. They found their place in 8th but got a 3 place bump without European football.

Recent history shows in many cases teams missing out on Europe perform better in league without the burden of travel and games, West Ham have suffered this year with playing so many games. You really need a strong squad to handle it and we've lacked that.

 

[Raziel]

Recent history shows in many cases teams missing out on Europe perform better in league without the burden of travel and games, West Ham have suffered this year with playing so many games. You really need a strong squad to handle it and we've lacked that.

Argument would be different in having a squad and trusting the squad or having a system to leverage the squad.

 

[glasgowspur]

Roma won it last year, with the manager that has won a trophy everywhere, except with us... And they're on course to win it again this year. Juventus, Sevilla, Bayer Leverkusen and Roma Left.
You know, 3rd tier brick clubs that have no history. The backyard of Europe. Well beneath our level, because we are such giants that collect other trophies with ease.
We should do everything we can to not play in a European competition, so we screw up our coefficiency points, so we get a really bad draw when we're back in the CL.

Exactly. Do dismiss or play down the f a cup where we could be playing teams like marine?
No we don't, because just like the EL the bigger teams meet at the business end of the tournament.

I'd argue if I was the incoming manager the conversation with the club would be

- Lets go all out for a trophy, Europe or domestic, in first season, even if it puts us in 6th in league
- Get the monkey off the back
- From season two, aim at getting back in CL

Targets should be set and markers laid down at the beginning of every season.
Every one should be very clear on what those targets are and the repercussions for not hitting those targets.
The league cup is all but done before the f a cup kicks in for real. Target that, if we fail most years there's still time to move focus to the f a cup. Succeed and you can concentrate on league position.
Whatever European competition we are in should be the initial focus though.

 

[K.D.D.D.D.Soc]

Argument would be different in having a squad and trusting the squad or having a system to leverage the squad.

That's was why I said that in last sentence, we've never managed our squad that well, too many changes and never having a scoring option handicapped us.

 

[scaramanga]

Argument would be different in having a squad and trusting the squad or having a system to leverage the squad.

You'd still need the management team to stop focusing on what matters and fly out there with the kids.

You probably also need one or two first team players too - it all adds up.

 

[Raziel]

You'd still need the management team to stop focusing on what matters and fly out there with the kids.

You probably also need one or two first team players too - it all adds up.

Agree, hence why I don't think you can chase top 4 & a European trophy with equal effort.

If we are in, I would prioritize it at the cost of the league because getting that monkey off our back is worth something (even if you don't value the trophy itself)

 

[Raziel]

That's was why I said that in last sentence, we've never managed our squad that well, too many changes and never having a scoring option handicapped us.

Yep, but if we walked into next season with same front line, Richi & any of Son/Danjuma/Deki is enough firepower. Gil, Sarr, Porro, Udogie could all be options but you need to commit to a system they know how to play in, and actually play them (in whatever competition you chose to rotate for)

 

[scaramanga]

Agree, hence why I don't think you can chase top 4 & a European trophy with equal effort.

If we are in, I would prioritize it at the cost of the league because getting that monkey off our back is worth something (even if you don't value the trophy itself)

The downside of that is that you're only a couple of dodgy decisions from a part time ref who works as a welder in his day job from no trophy and a mid table finish.

 

[Baleforce]

The downside of that is that you're only a couple of dodgy decisions from a part time ref who works as a welder in his day job from no trophy and a mid table finish.

I think those days are gone, its going to be a minimum level of opposition, more importantly, it'll be proper UEFA referees and a proper playing surface.

It's not the brick you can end up at in the domestic cups.

 

[scaramanga]

I think those days are gone, its going to be a minimum level of opposition, more importantly, it'll be proper UEFA referees and a proper playing surface.

It's not the brick you can end up at in the domestic cups.

The EL may be reaching that point but the ECL is a step back from there

 

[Grays_1890]

Agree, hence why I don't think you can chase top 4 & a European trophy with equal effort.

If we are in, I would prioritize it at the cost of the league because getting that monkey off our back is worth something (even if you don't value the trophy itself)

I think you aim high as you can in the league playing as well as you can week in week out and go from there.

Sent from my SM-A127F using Fapatalk

 

[parklane1]

I don't mind us playing socalled lesser teams in Europe. Football is football. If it really was beneath us we'd have won it easily the time we were in it - but we didn't. If it's such a lowly competition it shouldn't be any match for us, we'd just cruise our way to a trophy and get that monkey off our back - yet, we all know we won't. Because even the conference Europe league is competitive, and if you enter it thinking you're a star way beyond everyone else, you'll get pulled down to earth and lose to some part time amateurs from Macedonia. If we really are the professional team we claim to be, we'll give it our best and win the damned thing. I want us to be in Europe whichever competition. If we don't want to take it seriously, at least it'll be a chance to play fringe players and youngsters.

If anything, we need to learn to play these games where the games themselves don't motivate the players. Football isn't all glam, it's hard work, and if we can't do it on a rainy Thursday in Novgorod, then we're not gonna win any of the big trophies either. We need to stop this arrogance of thinking we're so great - we've only won the bloody league cup twice since fudging 1991! We are the bloody farmers, for fudge sake.

Could not have put in better myself well said, we need to win something because once we win one trophy ( what ever it is) the confidence it will give players is beyond debate. We are a big club and we need to start proving it by winning something. ITS ABOUT TIME.

 

[IulianSteaua]

? we got lucky???
Don’t know what game you watched
I walked down the high road with a place fans who said they were gutted as we kept them at bay so easily

Any of those 2 vs 2 counterattacks they had could have ended very poorly for us. Just because they didnt know how to finish them off, doesnt mean we played good defensively.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Any of those 2 vs 2 counterattacks they had could have ended very poorly for us. Just because they didnt know how to finish them off, doesnt mean we played good defensively.

How many were there? I can’t think of many at all
I mean they didn’t even get a shot off