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*** OMT: Tottenham Hotspur v The Real Madrid - 1st half***


Read between the lines and we are not signing anyone. Levy wont stump up stupid money for Poch's overpriced Argie targets.
I suppose he didn’t want to get drawn on the potential outgoings, so Rose, Eriksen and Toby may all still leave unless they sign new new deals which is Levy’s domain but if they do stay he has to work with them and would like to put their unsettled status at Levy’s door.

In terms of incomings the way I see it is he has a budget and if he want to blow all of it on one player he has earned the right to do so. That said he needs to have some alternatives as even matching an extortionate asking price and offering a wage that is at the top end of our new scale still doesn’t guarantee a player signing.
 
Back to the match. Lots of positives. The high press. Kane back on form. Tanganga again! And Parrot! Lovely to see. Ndombele will be ace for us. Eriksen just makes my pants sticky, please sign that contract you great dane.
 
So Poch letting the players know that he's not in charge of the money "its important the players know"

To me this is therefore about the current players rather than incoming ones. Eriksen for example, Levy maybe wouldn't automatically pay a premium to sign Eriksen up, when he could possibly get £60m for selling him. Call it a near 100m hit not selling him. Something like that could cause such tension.

It is an interesting tension. Being savvy with money is what has got Poch this squad and stadium. BUt Poch is also right to assert that business has to ballace with the football, becuase success is driven by the teams success on the field. So Levy has to ballance careful fiancial managment with pragmatic footballing decisions that don't make fiancial sense. Like giving Eriksen a huge amount of money, rather than selling him for a huge amount of money.

It is a healthy tension between money and football. Between the books and the playing staff. I believe both men are compromising. Levy paid up for Ndombele. And he'd have probably sold players earlier rather than let them run down their contracts. Poch is also doing the right thing, keeping Levy on his toes. As ultimatley Spurs will make more by taking the next step on the pitch. Levy has to be brave, whilst also being savvy. The two can ballance each other. Fingers crossed.
 
Reading those quotes as they are written sounds like he's having a bit of a strop over something. Who, besides him and those inside the club, knows though? I'd just like the season to kick off and we can get on with the proper stuff.

Edit: Just watched the press conference. If I'm Levy, I'd give him a kick in the nuts. He's really starting to grate on me now in press conferences. As great as Poch has been for us, he shouldn't think he's bigger than the club - the last fella who started to get too big for his boots got unceremoniously sacked after a 4th placed finish.
 
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Reading those quotes as they are written sounds like he's having a bit of a strop over something. Who, besides him and those inside the club, knows though? I'd just like the season to kick off and we can get on with the proper stuff.

Edit: Just watched the press conference. If I'm Levy, I'd give him a kick in the nuts. He's really starting to grate on me now in press conferences. As great as Poch has been for us, he shouldn't think he's bigger than the club - the last fella who started to get too big for his boots got unceremoniously sacked after a 4th placed finish.

I wonder if Poch is tinkled he can’t get Dybala now

Maybe we did go big for him and Poch had expectations
 
I wonder if Poch is tinkled he can’t get Dybala now

Maybe we did go big for him and Poch had expectations

I'd say it's a strong possibility. Don't get me wrong, I've said this since last summer particularly, I think he should be getting a better deal transfer-wise. He's being asked to work miracles here and he's doing it pretty much but he can only defy economic reality for so long. But behaving like that in a press conference is so unprofessional. Imagine if one of his players went out and said "Well my job is just to do x and I don't know why. You have to ask the manager." He'd kick them up and down the training field for it.

No matter what his gripe is and how justified it is, he's being unprofessional and falling short of the standards that he evidently expects from others. And that is a pretty big flaw in a leader.
 
I'd say it's a strong possibility. Don't get me wrong, I've said this since last summer particularly, I think he should be getting a better deal transfer-wise. He's being asked to work miracles here and he's doing it pretty much but he can only defy economic reality for so long. But behaving like that in a press conference is so unprofessional. Imagine if one of his players went out and said "Well my job is just to do x and I don't know why. You have to ask the manager." He'd kick them up and down the training field for it.

No matter what his gripe is and how justified it is, he's being unprofessional and falling short of the standards that he evidently expects from others. And that is a pretty big flaw in a leader.

I got the impression that Poch was tinkled of with the questions actually
It’s they same ones he got asked last week and the week before it seems
 
I got the impression that Poch was tinkled of with the questions actually
It’s they same ones he got asked last week and the week before it seems

I have a different opinion. If he's tinkled with the press, put them on the rack. What he's done is made it look like there is a problem at Spurs and that a change in his role has been forced upon him. There's no other way to read those quotes. He also wasn't asked anything unreasonable today.
 
I have a different opinion. If he's tinkled with the press, put them on the rack. What he's done is made it look like there is a problem at Spurs and that a change in his role has been forced upon him. There's no other way to read those quotes. He also wasn't asked anything unreasonable today.
It’s not the unreasonable element... it’s the repetition
 
It’s not the unreasonable element... it’s the repetition

Fair enough. I don't agree but can see what you're saying and you could be right that it's irking him. But the Lamela question was a soft one and a chance to talk up a player who, by all accounts, lacks belief in himself. Instead, he got into a stupid attempt to shoot down the journo. Either way, if he's tinkled with the press, do what Fergie did and create a siege mentality or threaten the press to let them know who the boss is. Don't give them a bunch of headlines for the next few days which is what he's done. If I'm a journo in there today and don't support Spurs, I'm bloody delighted with what I've heard.
 
Fair enough. I don't agree but can see what you're saying and you could be right that it's irking him. But the Lamela question was a soft one and a chance to talk up a player who, by all accounts, lacks belief in himself. Instead, he got into a stupid attempt to shoot down the journo. Either way, if he's tinkled with the press, do what Fergie did and create a siege meteorology or threaten the press to let them know who the boss is. Don't give them a bunch of headlines for the next few days which is what he's done. If I'm a journo in there today and don't support Spurs, I'm bloody delighted with what I've heard.

I think we over analyse Poch in his confrences. He was already riled when asked about Lamela. And the jorno says he played well. All Poch can say is Yes he did. So he said to the jorno what else can I say, you have already made that judgment.

Poch is basically telling players he is not in control of the purse strings (imo) which maybe has implications for Rose/ Eriksen/ Toby etc. He said something like "its important the players know" that he is not in charge of the money.

And those who think Poch is being divisive - to be fair to him he said he will work with the squad he is given and is happy. Plus, of course he has a key influence over the squad, second only to Levy.
 
I think we over analyse Poch in his confrences. He was already riled when asked about Lamela. And the jorno says he played well. All Poch can say is Yes he did. So he said to the jorno what else can I say, you have already made that judgment.

Poch is basically telling players he is not in control of the purse strings (imo) which maybe has implications for Rose/ Eriksen/ Toby etc. He said something like "its important the players know" that he is not in charge of the money.

And those who think Poch is being divisive - to be fair to him he said he will work with the squad he is given and is happy. Plus, of course he has a key influence over the squad, second only to Levy.

On the Lamela thing, he gave a very ambiguous answer to whether he thinks Lamela played well or not. The conventional thing to do there is say "Yeah he was great. I'm very happy with him. He's had a lot of injuries but he's a top, top player, triffic lad and looking as sharp as he did today, he can really contribute this season."

Instead Poch said (and I paraphrase but I'm not misrepresenting what he said) "You've asked me a question and given me your opinion. So even if I disagree, I can't say because I'm not going to contradict you."

If I'm Erik Lamela, I'm wondering if the manager thinks I've played well or not. It was a dumb way to answer the question. Sometimes Poch is not as clever as he thinks. This was one such time.
 
I think that a few people are overreacting with what Poch is saying in that press conference.

The Lamela question, the guy practically answered his own question saying Lamela looked sharp and Poch pretty much said, you said he looked sharp what more do you want me to say about it?

Regarding transfers, Poch clearly states that he has no involvement in the negotiation of contracts or players coming in / going out. He did not say anything about not having a say on incoming transfers.

Looks to me that Poch is getting fed up with the same questions being asked about transfers and is saying that he is here to coach the team while Levy deals with transfers and contracts, it is not football manager, the manager very rarely gets involved with the negotiations of players, they might meet the player and speak to them but i would imagine thats about it. Do you really think the chairman says here is £90m and £500,000 a week wage budget knock yourself out? It doesn't work like that.
 
I think that a few people are overreacting with what Poch is saying in that press conference.

The Lamela question, the guy practically answered his own question saying Lamela looked sharp and Poch pretty much said, you said he looked sharp what more do you want me to say about it?

Regarding transfers, Poch clearly states that he has no involvement in the negotiation of contracts or players coming in / going out. He did not say anything about not having a say on incoming transfers.

Looks to me that Poch is getting fed up with the same questions being asked about transfers and is saying that he is here to coach the team while Levy deals with transfers and contracts, it is not football manager, the manager very rarely gets involved with the negotiations of players, they might meet the player and speak to them but i would imagine thats about it. Do you really think the chairman says here is £90m and £500,000 a week wage budget knock yourself out? It doesn't work like that.

This is an honest, accurate and balanced take. Thank you.
 
Watch the press conference. He's fully absolving himself of any responsibility with transfers.
He wouldn't do that if we were bringing someone in


Wow. Rarely seen him as obviously tinkled off as that.

Given the transfers that are going on around us, the money being spent even by Europa League teams in United and Arsenal, while we do nothing after a promising start...it seems like the mood has shifted. I hope it isn't related.

But to be honest, it doesn't really justify snapping at reporters for asking questions as innocent as 'Lamela did well, didn't he?'.
 
DeanoAustin said:
If I'm Erik Lamela, I'm wondering if the manager thinks I've played well or not. It was a dumb way to answer the question. Sometimes Poch is not as clever as he thinks. This was one such time.

I'm sure that Lamela and the other players get plenty of feedback from the coaching staff on their performances and don't have to rely on press conferences.
 
Wow. Rarely seen him as obviously tinkled off as that.

Given the transfers that are going on around us, the money being spent even by Europa League teams in United and Arsenal, while we do nothing after a promising start...it seems like the mood has shifted. I hope it isn't related.

But to be honest, it doesn't really justify snapping at reporters for asking questions as innocent as 'Lamela did well, didn't he?'.

How do we know that we are doing nothing?
 
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