A Trophy will not Change Us

Compared to the awful nineties and noughties we've indeed been consistently good the last 10 years or so.. who would deny that? Let it be said also.. last year we were truly excellent.. best win % since 1960.. enough said

Anyone who's followed the team through the long dark years really should be pleased for the most part at the moment.. and not just because of our performances on the pitch

Success is so predicated on wealth in modern football.. and the fact is in terms of turnover and wages we're still only 6th in the league (and a good way behind 5th).. so yes.. we are punching well above our weight presently.. and consistently so.. long may it continue

This isn't a glowing endorsement of ENIC.. that is another discussion altogether.. just a critique of Tottenham Hotspur.. the football side

In terms of the trophy drought.. yes that is disappointing.. for supporters players and management alike.. but the fact is the football landscape has changed markedly since the early 90s

Winning a domestic cup is all well and good.. but the priority right now has to be the Champions League.. particularly for us.. who have only qualified once before Pochettino

It is unfortunate but the wealth and prestige that comes with just being involved in the UCL far outweighs anything the League or FA Cup has to offer in terms of the club progressing.. just ask Arsenal

Considering we're looking at a third consecutive season at the big table presently then we should all be optimistic that we're on the right track

Maintain that standard moving forward and the more traditional honours will follow in due course I'm sure

 

It seems increasingly clear that there are two types of football club, and thus two types of supporter; the ones that win things, and whose fans consequently expect and demand success, and the rest, whose supporters more or less accept their role as also-rans and cannon fodder. It seems incredible to me that Arsenal fans regard three FA Cups in four years as failure, while United fans could weep because they were pipped by City for their umpteenth PL title a few years ago - it's a level of entitlement that Spurs supporters can only dream of, and we seem to be in a uniquely difficult position, because (unlike Villa or Everton, who seem to have more or less accepted their eviction from the top table) we still believe we belong with the serial winners but we don't actually win things anymore - Wigan, Swansea, Portsmouth and Birmingham have had more tangible success than us in the past ten years, and our record of one league cup in ENIC's seventeen years compares with an FA Cup, a EUFA Cup and a league cup in the seventeen years before they arrived to save us from mediocrity.

Whether we can get back to the very top soon, or at all, is anybody's guess; I don't believe for one moment that Pochettino would turn down Real Madrid or PSG if the chance came, and he seemed seriously down-hearted after the United game, so a departure before the official end of the five-year 'project' seems more than likely - has he already run out of steam and enthusiasm? Very probably. The future may be bright or it may be dismal, but for me at least the past is sacred, hence my annoyance when it's twisted to support a 2018 agenda, whether that's pro or anti ENIC or Pochettino.

 

Poignant post Cheshunt..

I appreciate supporters such as yourself who have witnessed the very best of Tottenham Hotspur.. and hold the club to those lofty standards.. unfortunately for most the living memory only invokes mediocrity

What should our expectations be? it's a good question.. history would dictate that.. but moreso recent history than what took place many decades ago.. would you think Forest supporters are clamoring for silverware these days? I'm sure they dream of the glory days.. but realistically?

Our trophy drought is an anomaly.. as you rightly point out.. many lesser clubs have lifted silverware in that time.. why not us? who can say.. but the law of averages suggests our time will come again.. hopefully sooner rather than later

But right now the Champions League must be our holy grail.. and it is no small achievement

If we can consistently be there then the rest will fall into place.. players/managers will go but if we maintain the standard.. as we have in recent years.. then equally capable replacements will come.. in short that success will perpetuate itself

We may not win anything silver these days.. but what we do win is football games.. and plenty of them.. considering the dark past of recent decades I will take that for now

 

There is no doubt since Walker was sold on that we have looked a bit vulnerable and defensively shaky at times this last season, coupled with the fact that Rose has been in/out the team since those public remarks regarding clubs wage structure/transfer policy etc and TA left on the bench, it appears that despite spending on new recruits, the new signings havent, as yet, offered any reassurance as decent replacements for the aforementioned. There is something missing from this team at the moment and until its addressed, we will, unfortu ately, be the nearly men. As ive stated before, there is a parallel for me between this current side and the team of David Pleat which reached the 87 cup final and failed to achieve anything that season despite playing wonderful football and having a side of great players in Ardiles, Hoddle, Mabbutt etc. I honestly dont know what the future holds at the minute but in the meantime, heres hoping we get the job done on monday evening before Chelsea overtake us which is possible. Coys!