Daniel Levy - Chairman

[Gazzasrightboot]

Every body in just about every line of work that I know, does risk assessment..... And plans in place if those risk come to bare......

A dumbed down version may go a little something like this:

We only have one striker- is that enough?

Yes /no

Answer no

Reason: what if he gets injured, needs a rest blah blah blah

If this happens what is the course of action


Answer: We play son.

Is this a satisfactory risk mitigation

Answer: No

What is the reason for this answer

There is a high risk of Son not being able to settle in a new position in a new league in a new country with a new language, in fact it would be unfair to place that burden on what is a good prospect.

Alternative plan?

?????????:??:

I think others have answered better than me. I say a monumentally bad decision is to buy a £10m plus asset who you don't want just to fill a gap that others perceive to be a problem.

As for heads rolling, thankfully you're not in charge of that. There's no point in looking for spacegoats to answer a problem that has happened. That is a last resort. People will make mistakes and there will be errors in judgment. The point at which you decide heads must roll will be taking into account all facts that have led to any misperformance rather than just "you made a decision that this strikeforce was adequate at the beginning of the season, so I am going to hold you to it and fire you despite whatever mitigating factors there may be. Those were all risk assessed and therefore should be excluded from the analysis".

 

[milo]

I think others have answered better than me. I say a monumentally bad decision is to buy a £10m plus asset who you don't want just to fill a gap that others perceive to be a problem.

As for heads rolling, thankfully you're not in charge of that. There's no point in looking for spacegoats to answer a problem that has happened. That is a last resort. People will make mistakes and there will be errors in judgment. The point at which you decide heads must roll will be taking into account all facts that have led to any misperformance rather than just "you made a decision that this strikeforce was adequate at the beginning of the season, so I am going to hold you to it and fire you despite whatever mitigating factors there may be. Those were all risk assessed and therefore should be excluded from the analysis".

I agree.

I think that there is a lot to be said for collective responsibility. The statement today suggested that the manager and chairman are on the same page when it comes to transfer strategy. I hope that this runs through the club. If this is the case, it would be futile calling for the manager's head because of a collective decision that our principle targets were over valued and there were not suitable, obtainable alternatives.

 

[imcallingbullsh*t]

Just back very impressed with the statement. And it feels that is what it is a combined statement, not a disjoined marriage of convenience

 

[DTA]

Numbers mean everything. The ones I used are to illustrate a point and don't mean anything because I'm a bottle of Bordeaux down and I don't know/can't be arsed to work out anything past there.

Light weight

 

[BrainOfLevy]

DTA - what is suffering the consequences? What is being wrong in this regard? Is 'being wrong' not finishing top 4? 5? The whole aspect of decision making is much more nuanced than that. We are going to lose games. We are going to win games. We are going to draw games. We are 90% likely to finish top 8. We're probably 60/70% likely to finish top 6. What is 'being wrong' in this scenario? We are building a team for the long term. We want to give our young players game time. (I'm not having that Eric Dier is going to learn more from watching Victor Wanyama train than he is by playing every week by the way). We want to build a stadium.

Having a strategy means not deviating from that to lurch into tactical decision making. It means being consistent. If we have a long term strategy, 'being wrong' would constitute paying over the odds for players that we then want to shift because they are taking up wages and a squad space for someone we'd rather have. Look at dingdong Advocaat's complaints about Sunderland, they are still paying every year for rubbish players that aren't even there any more.

As for this DM thing, that really isn't a big deal. Our best combination last season was Mason and Bentaleb, who performed much better than specialised DMs Capoue and Stambouli, who were moved on as quickly as they could be. Dier is playing well, and we can also give Carroll a run there if needed. We are a team full of examples of showing that having experienced signings who cost more money than academy players doesn't mean they will perform better. And the good thing is, our entire strategy and our entire competitive advantage is based on that. So I'm glad we are living by it.

 

[billyiddo]

Good to have you back Brain

 

[spasm]

i feckin love this bastard..best chairman we've ever had.

 

[LCLC]

"Much has been said about us only having one recognised striker in Harry - I don’t accept this at all - the positional play of today’s forwards means it’s too simplistic to look for goals from any one position - playing a fluid style means players switch. Also we secured Sonny and Clinton in the knowledge that we may not be adding any other forward."
- Mauricio Pochettino

I'm not saying you have to agree with the manager, or think we are pursuing the right strategy, but he has clearly answered this question. So I really don't know why people (not just you) are still asking it.

IF ANYONE believes that statement then clearly there is no hope for some of our fans. Whilst I agree some fans are completely ridiculous in their hatred of levy, this window has been brick on a variety of levels. Other teams fans cannot believe how our squad has been left and pundits and journos are putting their foot (rightly) in. I thought ranting about why it took till sept to sign a much needed striker was the worse case scenario this summer,but this takes the tinkle.

Poch labelled Alli as a forward player who can fill in up front - a 19 year old player who has played exclusively as a number 4 or 8 im league 1 is meant to make up for the fact we have 1 striker in the squad? If you genuinely think Poch is satisfied then you are deluded.

If this was solely about the DM issue we have then I could understand the debate. However to argue with belief that son is suddenly the answer and that NJIe is more than enough to replace kane then you are making stuff up based upon their experience, record and basic skillset (to what they have shown so far).

Poch will be livid about the striker situation and the statement is one of the most contrived pieces of brick I have seen levy produce. Days before Poch was open about how serious the need for a striker was yet now he is fine? gonad*s! We have the worst strike force in the league by default and we are on the brink of a crisis.

By this I mean that if kane gets injured for eng or we lose to Sunderland, try clinging onto these positives then.... If that happened we would see huge tensions at the club (also bare in the mind that our best players will be tinkled off at this) and we could be in a tangle come xmas when people keep focusing on poch's system and selections - ignoring the fact he has been sold down the river.

 

[Jordinho]

Hyperbole much?

 

[thfcsteff]

IF ANYONE believes that statement then clearly there is no hope for some of our fans. Whilst I agree some fans are completely ridiculous in their hatred of levy, this window has been **** on a variety of levels. Other teams fans cannot believe how our squad has been left and pundits and journos are putting their foot (rightly) in. I thought ranting about why it took till sept to sign a much needed striker was the worse case scenario this summer,but this takes the tinkle.

Poch labelled Alli as a forward player who can fill in up front - a 19 year old player who has played exclusively as a number 4 or 8 im league 1 is meant to make up for the fact we have 1 striker in the squad? If you genuinely think Poch is satisfied then you are deluded.

If this was solely about the DM issue we have then I could understand the debate. However to argue with belief that son is suddenly the answer and that NJIe is more than enough to replace kane then you are making stuff up based upon their experience, record and basic skillset (to what they have shown so far).

Poch will be livid about the striker situation and the statement is one of the most contrived pieces of **** I have seen levy produce. Days before Poch was open about how serious the need for a striker was yet now he is fine? cobblers! We have the worst strike force in the league by default and we are on the brink of a crisis.

By this I mean that if kane gets injured for eng or we lose to Sunderland, try clinging onto these positives then.... If that happened we would see huge tensions at the club (also bare in the mind that our best players will be tinkleed off at this) and we could be in a tangle come xmas when people keep focusing on poch's system and selections - ignoring the fact he has been sold down the river.

From his first day at the club, Poch has wanted a system with four fluid front players who can interchange. Nudge, like it or not, plays across the front anywhere. Son plays across the front or as an attacking wide midfield player. Your only argument could be whether you think we should've paid twenty five million pounds for a striker who, with the best will in the world, has not proven himself to be worth anything close to that fee. He could be great but he could be a bust. I would say 15 would've been fair (with add-ons) and 20-22 if we wanted to pay the 'inflated-price-we-hate-you-Levy' fee. But 25 MILLION? Peace is an utter clam. Schneiderlein last summer is the one you could blame Levy for missing. But this? Hmmm...

As for the bold-face above...once Eriksen is fit again and Njie/son are playing, will that really be a legitimate thing to say? OR are you someone who would've spunked 15-20 on Charlie Austin because he wears a 9 on his back and is a 'classic forward'? We let Soldado go knowing Njie was coming...I think Poch knows what he wants. Would he have wanted Berahino? Perhaps. Is he furious we don't have him? I don't believe so.

 

[E3zzle]

Capoue hardly played, I'm not sure that I would class Stambouli as a DM but if you want to that's great. He did not contribute a great deal last season and I would be surprised if Dier had less of an impact this season.

As for having to do a lot better this season, it is a little early to say that. I think that you may be over estimating the quality of the squads of the teams that finished immediately behind us last season.

Capoue played a lot in the start of the season. Stambouli played a lot in the el. The teams below us have strengthened.

 

[thfcsteff]

Capoue played a lot in the start of the season. Stambouli played a lot in the el. The teams below us have strengthened.

Both were brick with one being a bona-fide wage-thief.

 

[E3zzle]

Both were ****e with one being a bona-fide wage-thief.

I disagree, but if you think so then fine.

 

[milo]

Capoue played a lot in the start of the season. Stambouli played a lot in the el. The teams below us have strengthened.

Capoue played whilst Poch was giving the established first teamers a chance to prove themselves and was dumped when they didn't. I cannot think of a game where we were on form that he featured in last season.

Stambouli certainly played more but he was only ever a backup and never really established himself.

I do not understand how anyone can claim that Capoue, Stambouli, Mason and Bentaleb is significantly stronger than Dier, Mason, Bentaleb, Alli and Carroll.

As for the teams around us strengthening. Time will be the test of that. We always see people over estimating the strength of other teams' business during and after the window on here, more often than not it does not work out like that.

 

[E3zzle]

Capoue played whilst Poch was giving the established first teamers a chance to prove themselves and was dumped when they didn't. I cannot think of a game where we were on form that he featured in last season.

Stambouli certainly played more but he was only ever a backup and never really established himself.

I do not understand how anyone can claim that Capoue, Stambouli, Mason and Bentaleb is significantly stronger than Dier, Mason, Bentaleb, Alli and Carroll.

As for the teams around us strengthening. Time will be the test of that. We always see people over estimating the strength of other teams' business during and after the window on here, more often than not it does not work out like that.

Capoue played very well in the start of the season. I remember him being one of our best players when we beat Southampton who were top of the league at the time. He was injured, and dropped for stuff that happened off the pitch. The problem with our midfield atm is that it's very imbalanced in terms of attacking ability vs defensive. Neither og our current midfielders are comfertable playing the defensive role, and we suffered when having to play Mason there last season. Mason suffered as well. Now that he's playing with Dier, we see clearly that his strengths are in his attacking ability. I do believe Dier can do a decent job at dm, but to have him as our only option is beyond risky imo.

 

[E3zzle]

Capoue played whilst Poch was giving the established first teamers a chance to prove themselves and was dumped when they didn't. I cannot think of a game where we were on form that he featured in last season.

Stambouli certainly played more but he was only ever a backup and never really established himself.

I do not understand how anyone can claim that Capoue, Stambouli, Mason and Bentaleb is significantly stronger than Dier, Mason, Bentaleb, Alli and Carroll.

As for the teams around us strengthening. Time will be the test of that. We always see people over estimating the strength of other teams' business during and after the window on here, more often than not it does not work out like that.

As for the other teams, players like Ayew and Payet were outstanding last season, and seem to have settled very well. They will surely strengthen their teams massively.

 

[DTA]

Both were ****e with one being a bona-fide wage-thief.

I don't think you were saying that when they were both playing for us (until their exclusion)

 

[milo]

As for the other teams, players like Ayew and Payet were outstanding last season, and seem to have settled very well. They will surely strengthen their teams massively.

They might do, they might not.

We have managed to hold onto all of our best players this summer, they are young and should improve. We have strengthened our defence and have added pace to our attack. We are short of strikers but our manager has explained his thinking on this.

We finished 17 points ahead of West Ham last season. Have they signed players this summer who will make them 17 points better? Swansea finished 8 points behind us, that is a more plausible gap to close but it is still a tall order and I don't think that there are many Swansea players who would make our first 11.

 

[E3zzle]

They might do, they might not.

We have managed to hold onto all of our best players this summer, they are young and should improve. We have strengthened our defence and have added pace to our attack. We are short of strikers but our manager has explained his thinking on this.

We finished 17 points ahead of West Ham last season. Have they signed players this summer who will make them 17 points better? Swansea finished 8 points behind us, that is a more plausible gap to close but it is still a tall order and I don't think that there are many Swansea players who would make our first 11.

I'm not saying what we have done this summer isn't good. I think the signings we have made are excellent. But considering the players we sold, adding a striker and dm should be a high priority, and we've failed to do so. I don't think right back and centre back was our key areas to improve from last season. The biggest problem was the defensive capabilities of our midfield imo. We cenceded a lot of goals from counterattacks.

Payet and Ayew has been excellent from day one, and there's no reason to believe they wont continiue to do well. N'Jie wasn't even found worthy of a spot on the bench for our game vs Everton. West ham have also made other good additions. Not to mention Everton and Liverpool who underperformed massively last season. We overperformed due to a Kane in amazing form. This season he has 0 in 4. He didn't end last season very well either.

 

[DTA]

DTA - what is suffering the consequences? What is being wrong in this regard? Is 'being wrong' not finishing top 4? 5? The whole aspect of decision making is much more nuanced than that. We are going to lose games. We are going to win games. We are going to draw games. We are 90% likely to finish top 8. We're probably 60/70% likely to finish top 6. What is 'being wrong' in this scenario? We are building a team for the long term. We want to give our young players game time. (I'm not having that Eric Dier is going to learn more from watching Victor Wanyama train than he is by playing every week by the way). We want to build a stadium.

Having a strategy means not deviating from that to lurch into tactical decision making. It means being consistent. If we have a long term strategy, 'being wrong' would constitute paying over the odds for players that we then want to shift because they are taking up wages and a squad space for someone we'd rather have. Look at dingdong Advocaat's complaints about Sunderland, they are still paying every year for rubbish players that aren't even there any more.

As for this DM thing, that really isn't a big deal. Our best combination last season was Mason and Bentaleb, who performed much better than specialised DMs Capoue and Stambouli, who were moved on as quickly as they could be. Dier is playing well, and we can also give Carroll a run there if needed. We are a team full of examples of showing that having experienced signings who cost more money than academy players doesn't mean they will perform better. And the good thing is, our entire strategy and our entire competitive advantage is based on that. So I'm glad we are living by it.

What is being wrong? Being wrong simply is if Kane is out, or off form or needing a rest, the alternatives (wheather individuals or system) that we play leaves us toothless up front and our results suffer because of it.

This is not about Berahino this is about having a viable alternative to Kane, who some would argue, could do with a bit of a rest already, what happened the last time we had to sub him? I seem to remember it not being pretty, now imagine he gets injured on England duty.

As for only having dier as dm, I'm ok with that as we have players who played there last year, are they world beaters, no. Could they be upgraded, yes. But they have played to standard there already and I'm happy that we have somewhat proven alternatives to dier if needed.... Something we don't have with Kane at all.