A serious look at Mauricio Pochettino

SquishyMcSquish said:
In 16/17 this was probably our best lineup:

Lloris, Walker, Vert, Toby, Rose, Dembele, Wanyama, Eriksen, Alli, Son, Kane.


That's a better lineup than we can put out this season. Lloris/Vert have declined since then, Walker was better than Trippier is now, and Rose wasn't shot to pieces by injuries and was one of the best left backs in the league.

Add to that the fact that Dembele was one of the best central midfielders in the league and Wanyama was a beast of a DM (both destroyed by injuries). You can argue a couple of our attacking players have developed and improved since then, but I think it's undeniable that we've actually gone backwards since then. There's been little to no investment in the squad as we've allowed the likes of Walker to leave and brought in Aurier, watched the likes of Rose, Dembele and Wanyama clearly be broken by injuries and done nothing to counter it.

Yet Pochettino is expected to match or even improve on that and criticised for keeping us in third. It's beyond absurd.
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These are somewhat fair points, but without the context of what is happening around you at other clubs, it is pretty redundant.

You are stable and have a synergy only two teams in the top 6 can match and you have at least 3 players who could contest for spots in a combined top 6 xi. You may be less than what you were, relative to Spurs of that year's vintage, but are you less in relation to the trials and tribulations others have or are having to face?

The only real movers and shakers of late have been Liverpool (upward trend) and Chelsea (doing there yo-yo), nothing else is there to disrupt Spurs in the league in the grand scheme of things.
 
TMDaines said:
So Poch isn't to blame for a number of members of longer term squad, and the vast majority of his signings, becoming worse players under his watch?
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The feck is Pochettino meant to do about Rose, Dembele and Wanyama suffering serious injury problems which have led to their decline as players, or losing Kyle Walker to Man City?

We've had plenty of successful signings, certainly no worse a hit rate than other clubs around us, but we're working under a budget and have to take risks. That means that not every signing is going to be a success, it's not like Pochettino is in Klopp's situation where he can throw 75m at Van Djik if he has issues with his defence.
 
TMDaines said:
Amazing how forwards stop being decent when you treat them with utter disdain. Llorente got 15 goals in the league before Poch got hold of him. Janssen 27 in the Netherlands. Pochettino is worse than Mourinho for killing his unfancied players.
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So what Poch makes his mind up whether players are up to or not pretty quickly, it's not like he's doing badly with the main men in the mean time.

The Dutch is notorious for producing top players, and players who flatter to device, with very little in between, so I'll let him off that one, and Llorente at his stage in his career was always going to be a bit part player.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
It's not really a simple thing, I think the problem is that people would prefer a simplistic answer to why Pochettino hasn't won a trophy at Spurs. It's very easy to just say it's down to 'bottling' and that's all, no need for any genuine analysis of his situation at Spurs or the constraints he's under, because he's a bottler right? I don't think a discussion should need to be heated and Pochettino's work at Tottenham isn't something that can be summarised in a couple of lines, imo.

We've had 2 CL exits, one where we were just terrible in the group stages and clearly weren't ready yet, and another where we went out to one of Europe's best teams. Sure we led the tie, but Juventus have serious quality and an ability to do what they did to any team, they did it to Madrid in the second leg. We actually went 2-0 down and were sunk early, but fought back and got the lead, Juventus were just incredibly clinical and showed why they're considered an elite side, that's all. This season we were written off from making it to the CL knockouts but hey, we fought back and got there .. still bottlers right? We led United 1-0 in the cup and lost 2-1, but the year before Chelsea were the only side to take the lead, so where are all these exits where we've been clearly on top? We won the first leg vs Chelsea this season but had our spine torn out for the second leg, so hardly a surprise.

This is just the narrative you're running with. People don't say shit when we come good in pressure situations because it doesn't suit their agenda. In the CL we needed 6 points out of 6 from Inter and PSV and grabbed two late wins, then fought back to earn a point at the Nou Camp. The season before top 4 was under serious threat and we won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge for the first time in forever. We've had plenty of situations where the pressure has been on and we've come through, but nobody cares about these, just the couple of times we've lost when idiots talk about us contending for the title.

Look, you can put it down to our mentality or whatever, that's your choice. I just think that's a really lazy analysis that leaves no room whatsoever for discussion and is nothing more than a dull cliche. In my view, it's far more fruitful to look at what clubs have won league titles and cups, and how they've won it (by spending shit tons of money) and looking at what is missing at Spurs which has prevented us from taking that next step. My view is that Pochettino has seriously overachieved with us, done what nobody would have predicted when he took charge, and yet is getting criticised for not achieving miracles.
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Spurs basically have performed under pressure when that pressure is not to have a complete failure, but have failed every time under pressure when they had a chance to actually "achieve" something. Too many times they either give themselves too much to do, so have no pressure on them and basically go on a run that makes it look like they were close-ish when really they were never close, or they "bottle" it.

I agree Pochettino has done an excellent job - to an extent. It can't be argued how he turned Spurs into a steady top 4 side on a limited budget. But the extent of it is that he's never had true success. He has the good steady success, but never the success that will go down in history. It's not a matter of performing miracles. Leicester City won the title and Spurs were always kinda far away, pushing but never being able to get over the hump, aka bottling it at the last step. Spurs also have only won 2 league cups in the last 20 years. That's just so bad. Pochettino has had a top team while in charge of Spurs for the past 4 seasons, this being the 5th. Reaching 1 cup final and never winning anything reflects really poorly on him, especially when you consider how many trophies United have won, how Arsenal has trophies in that time, etc.. It's not even a big deal for the truly big sides, but that separates Spurs from the truly big sides. They should be desperate to win a trophy and get that taste of winning. Yet Pochettino makes excuses and throws away every other competition to rest players for the league, even though they're like 7 points clear in 3rd place at this point in the season? He should be fecking battered for that attitude, because it's embarrassing and such a shit cop out.
 
Fortitude said:
These are somewhat fair points, but without the context of what is happening around you at other clubs, it is pretty redundant.

You are stable and have a synergy only two teams in the top 6 can match and you have at least 3 players who could contest for spots in a combined top 6 xi. You may be less than what you were, relative to Spurs of that year's vintage, but are you less in relation to the trials and tribulations others have or are having to face?

The only real movers and shakers of late have been Liverpool (upward trend) and Chelsea (doing there yo-yo), nothing else is there to disrupt Spurs in the league in the grand scheme of things.
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Stable, or remaining static? I don't think it's a good thing that we've barely changed as a squad, sure it has its benefits but there are definite benefits to bringing in fresh talent to a team to add competition for places and a sense that the club is being ambitious. The point is that whilst we've declined as a squad, people are expecting our results to improve and for us to push on and win trophies. That isn't a realistic expectation when we're going backwards squad wise and have lost some of our most important influences.

Since the 16/17 season I'd say Arsenal, United and Liverpool have improved as teams, Chelsea have declined but remain a strong side. I certainly don't think you could have any expectations of us finishing any higher than third because Liverpool and City quite clearly have comfortably better squads than us, whilst also being managed by world class coaches in Guardiola and Klopp. Are you expecting Pochettino to finish ahead of these two with less resources? If so I think it's pretty clear the demands being placed upon him are totally unfair.
 
Does anybody seriously believe that winning an FA or Caraboa cup would be more important to Tottenham Hotspur as a football club than achieving top 4 again? Keeping in mind that we're funding a new stadium (for which cl football is important) and the need to keep some of our better players at the club, which is more likely whilst playing in Europe than it is because we won a domestic trophy.

Honestly, I'm genuinely curious. I don't agree with Pochettino that we don't need to win a trophy (I think it's very important) but I do agree with him that top 4 is the ultimate priority. I think people who don't see it this way simply don't understand that the situation at Spurs is very, very different to a mega club like United where being outside of Europe is no big deal.
 
#07 said:


Wow...
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Embarrassing. Words of someone who has never won a trophy. We all hate Mourinho of course, but he was spot on with what he said about Pochettino. Maybe he'll learn to appreciate trophies and change his mentality once he actually wins something. Til then he really can't talk about it. He should be desperate to win a trophy. It's a losers mentality. People go on about how Spurs aren't bottlers anymore. feck that. They're better than they used to be, but they always perform under no pressure. The second they have pressure to succeed, they fail. When they have pressure to not fail, that's when they "push through" and you see people say they aren't bottlers. Congrats, you can motivate your team to not fail but you can't succeed. There is a massive difference between the two, one points towards a manager suited for a truly top team, the other will always have a underdog, losers mentality and just make excuses for his failures and just give the players the wrong mentality.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Does anybody seriously believe that winning an FA or Caraboa cup would be more important to Tottenham Hotspur as a football club than achieving top 4 again? Keeping in mind that we're funding a new stadium (for which cl football is important) and the need to keep some of our better players at the club, which is more likely whilst playing in Europe than it is because we won a domestic trophy.

Honestly, I'm genuinely curious. I don't agree with Pochettino that we don't need to win a trophy (I think it's very important) but I do agree with him that top 4 is the ultimate priority. I think people who don't see it this way simply don't understand that the situation at Spurs is very, very different to a mega club like United where being outside of Europe is no big deal.
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No. But bantz.

The inportance of the FA Cup or Carling Cup changes depending on who you are talking about. For Pochettino it's supposed to be this golden stamp of quality (and conveniently so). For Wenger, Mourinho, Conte... The goalposts get changed.

United fans speak of the Carling Cup win in 2006 that supposedly set up the next few years, but for what other team has that happened?
 
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Worrying quotes if he were to become our manager let’s be honest. I like him but it’s clear he doesn’t really value real success and thinks top four is the pinnacle. Weird.

Yes, top four is best for the club (finances) who ultimately employ him and demand that obviously but they will never ever win the CL so it all just feels a bit pointless and hollow really.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Trippier is alright, nothing more or less. He's a good attacking fullback who regularly gets exposed against sides with top class wide players, and regularly makes silly mistakes which cost us goals. He's got a fantastic delivery on him and is a threat from set pieces, but he's not in the same league as Walker in terms of his athleticism. He got overrated on the back of a good world cup. At left back we're facing the same struggle as Davies clearly isn't good enough to start and Rose is fine, but has lost an edge since his injury .. yet we refuse to invest.

He has flaws, but as for being formulaic and predictable, what do you expect? The club refuses to freshen up the squad and bring in new faces to challenge for places, so of course we keep hitting the same ceiling and struggling to progress. We don't replace injured players like Dembele or Rose, we simply make do with their alternatives and in the formers case, seemingly have decided to just not replace him at all. You can't expect Pochettino to progress with a team when he's constantly being hit by setbacks, we may improve going forward but we can no longer dominate the midfield like we used to, and we no longer possess two bombarding fullbacks who were a very important string to our bow.

I don't think we're the 'Kane team', if anything this season we've had plenty of players chipping in with goals and assists, the problem being that they're all out at the moment. I do think our style of play has evolved and there's less of an emphasis on possession and more on counter attacking football (as a result of losing the influence of dembele, in my opinion) but Pochettino will always want his teams to play a certain way. I do think we're maximising what we can get from this squad of players and honestly can only think of a few managers in world football who could perhaps do a better job.
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I haven't kept pace with other fullbacks given our woes - the success of other teams hasn't been at the top of things to observe list, if I'm honest with you. Last I heard, Trippier was highly rated and although not Walker, not hurting Spurs as a replacement.

To the bolded: that's got nothing to do with purchases, but rather in the manager modifying what he has to make what is good, better - to see shortcomings in how you play and modify them or circumvent them if needs be. This may be nitpicking or hypercritical, but at the very highest level of managerial bracket, it's these nuances that really separate the pack. I'm looking at this from both United, as potential suitor, and Spurs, as a team aspiring for more(?) perspective. You can't just say bad luck, injuries or lack of investment as a blanket statement when there are tactical adjustments that can be made that simply weren't because either Poch doesn't see them or he doesn't feel the need to make them. Like I said before, it looks like diminishing returns and zero sum gain for him if that's the case. Some say you 'bottle' these games or haven't the nerve for them, but I think tactics and application have a say in how these things unfold, too.

I'd say to your last paragraph - this is Poch's bespoke team, set to precisely how he wants it and you would expect he be the best man to get optimal performance out of them, so saying others could not isn't a measure of anything - I'd say the same for a lot of sides, btw, and that's why I mentioned synergy and the harmonies created by a side being together for such a long time.

Anyway, I'm not one of those that 'do in' Spurs or revel in your bad results. Objectively, I just feel I've seen 'this' before and will see it again and again. This is succinct:
K2K said:
He's taken Spurs as far as he can and should leave.

Not even necessarily for us either.
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But it has the ring of a truth to it from where I'm sitting.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Does anybody seriously believe that winning an FA or Caraboa cup would be more important to Tottenham Hotspur as a football club than achieving top 4 again? Keeping in mind that we're funding a new stadium (for which cl football is important) and the need to keep some of our better players at the club, which is more likely whilst playing in Europe than it is because we won a domestic trophy.

Honestly, I'm genuinely curious. I don't agree with Pochettino that we don't need to win a trophy (I think it's very important) but I do agree with him that top 4 is the ultimate priority. I think people who don't see it this way simply don't understand that the situation at Spurs is very, very different to a mega club like United where being outside of Europe is no big deal.
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Without a fecking doubt. It would get rid (or seriously help) to get rid of the perennial failures tag, and is the only way to make the first step into transitioning from a team that will fight for top 4, to a team that can win things. Players look at Spurs as a stepping stone club, because that's what they are. They have improved massively, yet that perception hasn't changed in the slightest and they aren't viewed as a "serious club" because they never win anything. And they all know that their manager straight up doesn't care about winning anything. It's all well and good sustaining a good position for long term growth. Team cycles don't last endlessly though. Spurs have been growing the past 4 years, another couple of years they'll need to rebuild a bit and what will the perception be when they rebuild without winning anything? "Oh they achieved top 4 most years without spending too much money"... Great. So memorable. Throw in literally any trophy and it turns into "he got us in the CL consistently and finally won Spurs a trophy after going a decade without one". Finishing top 4 for a few years in a row will ultimately mean feck all if they can't make the next step, and the only way to MAKE that step is to win something.
 
bosnian_red said:
Spurs basically have performed under pressure when that pressure is not to have a complete failure, but have failed every time under pressure when they had a chance to actually "achieve" something. Too many times they either give themselves too much to do, so have no pressure on them and basically go on a run that makes it look like they were close-ish when really they were never close, or they "bottle" it.

I agree Pochettino has done an excellent job - to an extent. It can't be argued how he turned Spurs into a steady top 4 side on a limited budget. But the extent of it is that he's never had true success. He has the good steady success, but never the success that will go down in history. It's not a matter of performing miracles. Leicester City won the title and Spurs were always kinda far away, pushing but never being able to get over the hump, aka bottling it at the last step. Spurs also have only won 2 league cups in the last 20 years. That's just so bad. Pochettino has had a top team while in charge of Spurs for the past 4 seasons, this being the 5th. Reaching 1 cup final and never winning anything reflects really poorly on him, especially when you consider how many trophies United have won, how Arsenal has trophies in that time, etc.. It's not even a big deal for the truly big sides, but that separates Spurs from the truly big sides. They should be desperate to win a trophy and get that taste of winning. Yet Pochettino makes excuses and throws away every other competition to rest players for the league, even though they're like 7 points clear in 3rd place at this point in the season? He should be fecking battered for that attitude, because it's embarrassing and such a shit cop out.
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I've already commented a lot on this whole Spurs only play when there's no pressure on the side/Poch is a bottler idea, so I'll leave that there, but:

The bold straight up has not happened. We put out our best XI for the Caraboa up, and our best XI for games in the Champions League. The only time we've rested players was today, which is down to an injury crisis which has torn the spine out of our team and left us with the barebones. An injury to Eriksen or Winks and we would be left utterly, utterly screwed. I have no idea whether either of those two have told Pochettino they're feeling fatigued or if he feels they simply can't be risked, in which case I completely understand given our current situation.

7 points is nothing and can be whittled down in a matter of weeks. It's quite clear that we're at genuine risk of missing out on top 4 - which yes, is very important to us as a football club - due to the extent of our injury crisis and can't afford to throw everything at a domestic cup. It's a sad situation because all of our fans would adore a trophy, but are also aware that right now we're teetering on the edge of disaster because the next month or so is going to be so, so hard to get through with our injuries.
 
Clearly Spurs have a lot of injuries and he's done a great job with a clear lack of investment but his soundbites to the press will rapidly rule him out of the United job for me. Sir Alex was at the club for such a long time that his values are largely synonymous with the values of the club and he was always keen for his squads to taste victory as soon as possible to provide reassurance and motivation. Quite what Pochettino is envisaging to be building Spurs into without explicitly trying to apply pressure to the board to invest is beyond me. Today was also a perfect opportunity to build such pressure.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Does anybody seriously believe that winning an FA or Caraboa cup would be more important to Tottenham Hotspur as a football club than achieving top 4 again? Keeping in mind that we're funding a new stadium (for which cl football is important) and the need to keep some of our better players at the club, which is more likely whilst playing in Europe than it is because we won a domestic trophy.

Honestly, I'm genuinely curious. I don't agree with Pochettino that we don't need to win a trophy (I think it's very important) but I do agree with him that top 4 is the ultimate priority. I think people who don't see it this way simply don't understand that the situation at Spurs is very, very different to a mega club like United where being outside of Europe is no big deal.
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Finish Top 4 just to be elimated from CL again?
Everyone knows you're not winning CL or PL or theres little expectation for it until you buy players so why should you be turning your noses up at domestic trophy? It's been catalyst for so many teams to go on and win bigger things - look at the way City was celebrating carabao cup last season for example. The injuries is irrevlant almost since your manager doesn't value any trophies if we read his quotes. It's likely he would've fielded weak teams even without the injuries.
 
Appointing Pochettino would be Moyesesque proportions, absolutely don't want him anywhere near the Utd job, it would put 20 years on him, just keep the current set up at least they are proven winners, having said that the day this club truly starts to genuinely recover is when the Glazers are gone!
 
So his plan is to finish top four every season in order to allow the club to have the funds to allow him to finish top four every season?

How is this much different from not finishing in the top four every season and just spending less money because you don't have to worry about finishing in the top four?

Yet he has decided it is so important that he has to deliberately not try to win any trophies in order to achieve it.
 
BluesJr said:
Worrying quotes if he were to become our manager let’s be honest. I like him but it’s clear he doesn’t really value real success and thinks top four is the pinnacle. Weird.

Yes, top four is best for the club (finances) who ultimately employ him and demand that obviously but they will never ever win the CL so it all just feels a bit pointless and hollow really.
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I don't see that. If someone offered Pochettino the chance to win a trophy, he would snap their hands off. He obviously wants to win trophies, but it isn't the be all, end all at Tottenham. He will be judged on getting Champions League football year after year because that brings in the money.

This is the downside of working under a frugal boss. Spurs have to be realistic and that means doing well in the Premier League and Champions League. Everything else is ephemeral. It does put into perspective Wenger's last decade at Arsenal because this was a manager who was super competitive until their stadium move. And when you balance the books, you lose all perspective of what is important in the game: trophies.

I'm sure if Pochettino had bigger resources and the pressure to win trophies was greater, he may flourish. He may wilt but we'll never know until he leaves Spurs. What is undeniable is he has a knack for improving players and their resale value.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
I've already commented a lot on this whole Spurs only play when there's no pressure on the side/Poch is a bottler idea, so I'll leave that there, but:

The bold straight up has not happened. We put out our best XI for the Caraboa up, and our best XI for games in the Champions League. The only time we've rested players was today, which is down to an injury crisis which has torn the spine out of our team and left us with the barebones. An injury to Eriksen or Winks and we would be left utterly, utterly screwed. I have no idea whether either of those two have told Pochettino they're feeling fatigued or if he feels they simply can't be risked, in which case I completely understand given our current situation.

7 points is nothing and can be whittled down in a matter of weeks. It's quite clear that we're at genuine risk of missing out on top 4 - which yes, is very important to us as a football club - due to the extent of our injury crisis and can't afford to throw everything at a domestic cup. It's a sad situation because all of our fans would adore a trophy, but are also aware that right now we're teetering on the edge of disaster because the next month or so is going to be so, so hard to get through with our injuries.
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It's the type of pressure that I'm commenting on, but anyway..
Yeah, you rested players today. Ignore what Pochettino says, he clearly doesn't know what the feck he's talking about. The FA Cup is a big trophy. It's the same in every country. It's considered a big trophy. Obviously not as big as the CL or the league, but you are 7 points ahead of 5th place. That's not a small amount. Yeah, you have a few injuries. What you do is you struggle through and still try to get by, not rest the rest of the team and throw it away... for what? You're 7 points clear, Pochettino can afford to take some risks to go further in the only competition they have a remote chance of winning. It's cowardly of him.

And I disagree that it would be a disaster for Spurs to miss out the top 4. People are being overly dramatic. Yes it's a set back, yes it makes it a failed season, but the reason for missing out certainly wouldn't be because he played Eriksen, Vertonghen and Alderweireld against Palace in the FA Cup. If as a club, Spurs would collapse as a result of not making top 4, then somebody really really fecked up. Especially when they don't spend a penny but still absolutely need top 4. It's a set back, nothing more. A club needing to get knocked out of every competition in order to grind out top 4 isn't a success. At all. It's actually a little sad.
 
noodlehair said:
So his plan is to finish top four every season in order to allow the club to have the funds to allow him to finish top four every season?

How is this much different from not finishing in the top four every season and just spending less money because you don't have to worry about finishing in the top four?

Yet he has decided it is so important that he has to deliberately not try to win any trophies in order to achieve it.
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Yeah literally this. Do they think they can finish top 4 10 years in a row and hope that will cement them safely as a top team and then in 10 years they can start spending a bit more money and think that's all it will take? What will happen is they'll finish top 4 a few years in a row and then drop out and just go into a cycle like that. Never winning anything and never making the step up, and eventually falling back into mediocrity. It's like they think they can improve small amounts every year over a 10 year span.

They say that they need top 4 every year to succeed. Well their best players need some trophies. Eriksen already is looking like he will leave soon. He leaves because of no trophies, you can bet your ass they aren't getting top 4. So then Pochettino can ask himself what really matters, getting top 4 without ever seriously competing for anything, or understanding the value of trophies.
 
Guy Incognito said:
I don't see that. If someone offered Pochettino the chance to win a trophy, he would snap their hands off. He obviously wants to win trophies, but it isn't the be all, end all at Tottenham. He will be judged on getting Champions League football year after year because that brings in the money.

This is the downside of working under a frugal boss. Spurs have to be realistic and that means doing well in the Premier League and Champions League. Everything else is ephemeral. It does put into perspective Wenger's last decade at Arsenal because this was a manager who was super competitive until their stadium move. And when you balance the books, you lose all perspective of what is important in the game: trophies.

I'm sure if Pochettino had bigger resources and the pressure to win trophies was greater, he may flourish. He may wilt but we'll never know until he leaves Spurs. What is undeniable is he has a knack for improving players and their resale value.
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The thing is comments like his today suggest a lack of savvy that a manager needs to navigate a big club successfully. They might think a whole bunch of things inside their own head but to the media and to the players they must be very precise in their message.
 
Injuries shouldn't be an excuse. Palace are probably the worst home team in the league. They have 2 wins this season and are currently sitting at the bottom of the league...

Despite the injuries Spurs should still be favorites.
 
bosnian_red said:
Yeah literally this. Do they think they can finish top 4 10 years in a row and hope that will cement them safely as a top team and then in 10 years they can start spending a bit more money and think that's all it will take? What will happen is they'll finish top 4 a few years in a row and then drop out and just go into a cycle like that. Never winning anything and never making the step up, and eventually falling back into mediocrity. It's like they think they can improve small amounts every year over a 10 year span.

They say that they need top 4 every year to succeed. Well their best players need some trophies. Eriksen already is looking like he will leave soon. He leaves because of no trophies, you can bet your ass they aren't getting top 4. So then Pochettino can ask himself what really matters, getting top 4 without ever seriously competing for anything, or understanding the value of trophies.
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He makes the whole club sound like a joke. He is openly admitting that the plan is to just do nothing year after year, basically.

Arsenal fans get loads of shite but they were literally marching in the streets against the idea of their club doing this. Pochettino just openly admits it as if it's something to be proud of.

I mean what happens if they don't finish 4th then? Say this year or next, or the year after? It's so important that it trumps trying to win anything (which is literally the whole point of having competitions, to try and win them), so what when they fail to get 4th the club just gets dispanded and everyone involved is sentenced to death? Because if not what exactly is the point?

"So Mauricio, what are your aims for the season?"
"our goal this season is to achieve nothing"
 
They are a decent bit clear in third and not challenging for the title. They are in a perfect position to try for the FA cup. They haven't won anything in ages, the fans would surely love to get to a cup final
 
ArmchairCritic said:
The thing is comments like his today suggest a lack of savvy that a manager needs to navigate a big club successfully. They might think a whole bunch of things inside their own head but to the media and to the players they must be very precise in their message.
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Yep, it's clear though his pride is hurting.
 
IF we were losing still and had Jose we might see Poch's current situation and quotes a bit differently, maybe be a bit kinder, because from where we're currently sitting it makes for awful viewing and reading.
 
"To win a title here in England like the FA Cup or Carabao Cup is about being lucky, not only about quality in your squad," Pochettino said.
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Even before that embarrassing quote I never understood the love affair some on here have with him being our next manager. Media darling with a top-four-is-a-trophy-Wenger mentality? No thanks.
 
He's talking himself out of getting the Utd or Real Madrid job.

I know he's only saying this to defend himself and his record but it's a really bad mentality.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Does anybody seriously believe that winning an FA or Caraboa cup would be more important to Tottenham Hotspur as a football club than achieving top 4 again? Keeping in mind that we're funding a new stadium (for which cl football is important) and the need to keep some of our better players at the club, which is more likely whilst playing in Europe than it is because we won a domestic trophy.

Honestly, I'm genuinely curious. I don't agree with Pochettino that we don't need to win a trophy (I think it's very important) but I do agree with him that top 4 is the ultimate priority. I think people who don't see it this way simply don't understand that the situation at Spurs is very, very different to a mega club like United where being outside of Europe is no big deal.
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#07 said:


Wow...
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Sounds like levy speaking.
 
#07 said:


Wow...
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For a club like Spurs, it probably will. Leceister is a great example of this. Won the premier league one season and the next season they were fighting relegation. Leeds under Beilsa seems more capable of winning the premier league than Leceister again at the moment.

What a club like Spurs should focus on is to continue gaining champions league experience, keeping hold of their top players, continuing to bring through their academy players, develop more special players like Son, Kane, Ali, Eriksen, and so on, keep hold of their manager, marketing and financial stability. Then, when they have a team, not just a first eleven capable of rivaling Arsenal, Manchester United, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool and a stable economy, their priorities should be winning trophies.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Does anybody seriously believe that winning an FA or Caraboa cup would be more important to Tottenham Hotspur as a football club than achieving top 4 again? Keeping in mind that we're funding a new stadium (for which cl football is important) and the need to keep some of our better players at the club, which is more likely whilst playing in Europe than it is because we won a domestic trophy.

Honestly, I'm genuinely curious. I don't agree with Pochettino that we don't need to win a trophy (I think it's very important) but I do agree with him that top 4 is the ultimate priority. I think people who don't see it this way simply don't understand that the situation at Spurs is very, very different to a mega club like United where being outside of Europe is no big deal.
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Spurs has a good generation that should look at taking shots at winning titles. You have the team to mount a serious challenge for the domestic cups.

You won't keep your best players promising them the top four trophy and if you don't have ambitions to win something, you don't need to invest in the market anyway..
 
abdo99 said:
Loser.
The squad can win an FA Cup/league cup whilst challenging for top 4. They're not winning PL or CL so I don't understand this.
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I have no idea why people talk like he can just snap his fingers and start winning domestic cups. The richest sides have dominated the domestic cups over the years.
 
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