Spurs and our inability to escape our most unhealthy obsession

The world of football is usually categorised by ups and downs and revolving cycles of going round and round. The fans of football are also caught up in both cycles. Spurs fans, like any other club’s supporters, suffer from the ups and downs that come hand-in-hand with following your chosen team.

The later idea, of a revolving cycle, is also prevalent for ourselves, giving us that Déjà vu feeling of – haven’t we been here before? And it seems that this January window has once again brought about that very same notion, of the past being repeated – this time, it is instigated by that familiar word, ‘deadwood’.

Deadwood is well and truly alive

Every article this January, regarding Spurs and their transfer plans, will include the word ‘deadwood’ somewhere within it. It’s as if the word documents used to capture the author’s words are installed with an ‘insert phrase deadwood here’ option.

Deadwood is a word frequently used and universally understood in football – it signifies a player or players who are no longer needed at their club. They are ultimately the dead branches on the club tree that are needed to be removed in order for the tree (club) to prosper and grow.

This very thinking is all about seeing the bigger picture. Ultimately, the tree and not the branches are what matters – as players come and go, but the club always lives on. This is obviously correct, but it seems that, at Spurs, more and more deadwood is needed to be removed season after season. This leads me to the question; is it that a continuous amount of poor quality players are coming into the club, or could it be a mere fan obsession?

Still obsessing over a past obsession

The deadwood flavour of this month includes the names of Vlad Chiriches, Paulinho, Roberto Soldado and so on. It’s not a question of whether these players are good footballers or not, but simply that they are either not suited to our style, or are not as effective as other options at the club. As a result, they are diagnosed as being deadwood.

The three players that I have mentioned above came to the club with big reputations and were billed as being the men to replace the then outgoing-deadwood. That infamous summer window of 2013 saw the likes of Scott Parker, Tom Huddlestone, William Gallas, David Bentley and Jake Livermore all leave. They, at the time, were all grouped together as being that same ‘d’ word again.

This trend goes back even further, as more players were brought in to both replace and be an upgrade of the out-going deadwood, only to be dubbed deadwood themselves, sold and upgraded on seasons later. This would lead you to believe that it is simply a fan obsession, as a player who is billed as a starlet eventually takes on the title of the very man he replaced. For a modern example, look no further than Roberto Soldado - once Spurs saviour, now Spurs sub.

Will the Tottenham tree ever grow without deadwood?

To play Devil’s advocate, maybe deadwood is no fan obsession, but solely part and parcel of our football club. As our objectives and aims change over the years, just as frequently as we have done managers, what we demand from our players will also change. For example, a player who was a key part of our squad in our hunt for a UEFA Cup spot, will no doubt be considered deadwood if we are chasing Champions League qualification years later.

As a result, we are in a constant flux of chopping and changing players that have to reflect the direction in which the club is heading in. Replies and comments on this very blog have questioned as to whether players such as Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb, for all their promise at present, are a long term solution. I believe both players have genuine ability, but who’s the say that in windows later, these players will also be considered deadwood, as we look to pursue better options.

The one aspect to suggest that we can buck this trend of a conveyor belt of deadwood has to be Mauricio Pochettino. The Head Coach has built his reputation on nurturing and bettering footballers, while the decision to recruit Southampton’s Paul Mitchell will also assist.

If Pochettino can get the best out of individuals, while Mitchell is able to recruit only what we need – maybe, just maybe we can find a way of escaping that ever returning word.

 

Haha ! Very interesting philosophical piece on the ' deadwood ' phenomenum. Loved Ian McShane in the lead role. Look, in the modern game players do come and go at a faster pace as clubs shuffle the pack for financial survival. I think there is an argument to be made for keeping our squad intact for this campaign, with the proviso that Poch gets to tinker where he needs to. We do have an awesome squad even as we moan at certain well paid expensive sideshow players. But many clubs would give their right arm to be in our position. Here Saurez is up for sale at Barcelona, now he is one guy to spend the money on and to take us to another level ! Stranger things have happened. Coys.

 

Hopefully Poch and Mitchell can get it right, but firstly we most definitely at present need to get rid of the biggest amount of Dead Wood this club has ever seen!

Soldado has never been the saviour, if like me you could see that he is not suited to the lone striker role being that he is to short slow weak and lazy to play this in the most physical and quickest league in the world then the army of deluded fans wouldn't have got all hysterical about his arrival.
It was doomed to fail from day 1 and Soldado has not disappointed. He needs to go back to the league where Ron and Messi score 60+ goals a season because it's piss easy.

 

In 'Deadwood' i remember when wild bill got replaced and its always sad, but its the way of modern entertainment to always renew the product. Thus some in the squad will leave , and good charmanship aka Mr Levy, should provide an improvement in personel. This is the process of removing 'deadwood' from the miasma of the EPL. Would love to get Saurez playing with Harry Kane at the Lane, hear he's up for sale ! Thats ambition ! Coys.

 

The problem is that our chairman and director of **** all. Keep signing deadwood which we then find it hard to sell because no one else wants them.
What then happens is that we sell our better players so levy can line his pockets.
ENIC and deadwood are bedfellows and until that changes we will still buy and then fail to sell deadwood.

 

Personally I think the 'deadwood' as mention is a problem for all clubs.
Firstly clubs change managers so often that each squad is not what the new manager wants or even requires.
Secondly, players contract are almost watertight. They are guaranteed payment of the contract from the moment they sign, Bentley as an example.
I used to work in a 'contract; environment, I would sign a contract for an amount to be paid, however, if I did not perform or the work I was doing was no longer required the contract would be terminated by the employer. This is not the case for footballers, they are guaranteed payment even if the club folds, not to mention if they suffer from 'voodoo' or just not bothering. All the power is with the players at the moment.
Also the 'homegrown' rule allows players of limited ability to be 'employed' on massive contracts whether they are up to the job or not. The clubs are not required to play them, just employ them.
I would like to see the end to the Loan system, it allows clubs like Chelsea to buy players at inflated prices and loan to clubs in the same league, this allows their players to hinder the other clubs in the pursuit of the Premier League.
Perhaps also, all players in the 25 man squad should have to play an amount of matches ?

Either way, I like the way Poch and the team are going ... COYS

 

Yeah a lot is defo down to these 'modern' 'first team head coaches' who come in with the nonsense of I want to play this that or the other system whether it be the high tempo pressing nonsense or the possession based tiki taka bull **** or a combination. The facts are good players win games and good managers can work with what they have and add one or two and get results. As pullis did at palace stoke and will do at west from! Allardyce ditto. Good managers don't need transitional periods or time to 'implement' their ideas. This squad does have a lot of quality but lacks balance leadership and more importantly guile and pace. Similar to when redknapp took over in truth. The problem is there is a lot of deadwood that cost a fortune and they are drawing mega bucks and until they are moved on its almost impossible to make any major significant changes until they do move on! The bigger problem is that players like Ade bae are probably on their last big money deals and are more than willing to sit it out until they are played off. Others like paulinho lamela soldado are just depreciating in value so its down to when levy is prepared to take a hit on them really! The change in transfer policy of buying big really hasn't worked out and we are all guilty of driving them kind of signings. Think we are better buying younger players with sell on value ie modric bale berahino kramaric Georges ntep etc less a risk if don't come off but a model that has worked for us!

 

In regard to buying, hoarding and loaning out players, a la Chelsea, there should be restrictions as follows imo;
i) no more than 5 outgoing loans per season
ii) no loans of players over 23 years old
iii) time on contract with parent club suspended during loan period so clubs cannot run out contract by continuously loaning a player out to other clubs
The point of these measures is to stop richer clubs sweeping up promising young talent in huge numbers:
i) in the hope that one or two might eventually break into the first team
ii) denying other clubs the chance to take on the young talent
iii) finally and most damagingly, stultifying or destroying the careers of the young prospects in this self-serving process.

 

Absolutely agree how many careers have and still are man shitty n Chelsea destroying at present?? Simply collecting players. Bony too will be again nothing more than backup to the fit again aguerro.

 

We have deadwood simply because THFC are MIDDLE type of football club. Top clubs buy an established world class performers, low clubs rely on their own youth system products and develop them. The middle clubs buy promising products of other clubs schools and develop them. For that clubs like Spurs knowingly gamble all the time. Why? Because an established footballers will never come to White Hart Lane. It is almost self explanatory why gambling on unproven talent causes DEADWOOD. The contracts cannot be terminated any time club (let alone supporters!) want it. That is how we end up with what Levy/Baldini gambled on is being no longer wanted but had to be kept. Manager replacements aggravate the situation for the reasons well mentioned here. The explanation above is actually more complex i.e. Spurs develop their own talent, etc., but you get the idea. Once the player underperforms, only few lower clubs similar to Spurs would gamble over that player again. Since the risk of that player to become deadwood elsewhere is grater than before, the financial losses are inevitable. Most supporters do not get financial side of club business, they want dead wood out AT ANY COST or losses. Heck, I understand and still do want them out! That is why we get the articles like one above. Want to live with little or no deadwood? Become a top club - that is very simple recipe. Once club is perennial CL participant, deadwood goes somehow away. Former MCI or CHE players are wanted. Best world players are lined up at the door. How to get there? Sell the club to oil fueled sovereign like Qatar. See what they did to PSG for short period of time. Or you can get there with manager like Le Professeur or, hopefully, Pochettino in one to two decades. COYS!