Dandy_Don Posted March 19, 2008 Report Posted March 19, 2008 I was reading the following article earlier: http://www.skysports.com/experts/expert_story/0,19793,12064_3302834,00.html After the disappointment of being knocked out of the Uefa Cup in midweek, Tottenham's season is effectively over. OK, they still have points to play for, and more importantly some players will be playing for their squad places for next season, starting on Super Sunday at Manchester City. And of course, Spurs have a Uefa Cup place already secured thanks to their Carling Cup victory over Chelsea, but Juande Ramos will now be preparing for next season. He will start to put plans into motion and get everything ready for when the transfer market opens again so he can bring in the players he wants. There were high hopes among Spurs fans at the start of the season, some people were even tipping them to finish above rivals Arsenal and get into the top four, but I never thought they were that good. I thought they would be OK and that if they played well they would be up there in the top seven or eight, but they had such a poor start that they were playing catch-up almost from day one. With that last minute goal that saw them lose to newly-promoted Sunderland on the opening day until now they have basically been too far adrift. So in that respect it has been a disappointing season for them. I do think Tottenham owe it to their supporters - and to themselves - to be in the running for a Champions League place. They need to aim for that next season and I think Ramos will demand that from his players. Spurs are a cup team at the moment - the level of consistency you need for the league has been found wanting. Cup side When a side wins a cup, as Spurs have done, I often wonder how good there are. It's a nice moment when you win one, but you don't need to win too many games to win a cup! You don't have to be a great side to win a cup, but you have to be a pretty good side to finish in the top five or six of the Premier League! Tottenham, at the moment, are nowhere near that because they are too inconsistent and that is something that Ramos will have to address ahead of next season. Why they haven't been consistent in the Premier League, I don't know. I've seen them play a lot this season, and in some remarkable games too. I commentated on the game at White Hart Lane against Aston Villa when they were 4-1 down and they managed to get back to 4-4. I've also seen them push Manchester United really close. What is clear is that they haven't defended well enough and have been far too easy to get at, and not just the back four. They've had problems in a few areas - goalkeeper, centre back (mainly due to Ledley King's continued injury problems), and they haven't found the right combination in midfield. I don't think there are any problems with their ability to attack with players like Steed Malbranque, Aaron Lennon, Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Darren Bent in the squad. With players like that in your side there's always a chance that you will score goals, no matter who the opposition are. Ramos Some people have made loose comparisons but I don't know if Ramos is to be Tottenham's Arsene Wenger. The proof of that pudding will be in the eating - and I'm not sure about Ramos. We'll have to wait and see what he is made of over the course of a full season. He has great cup pedigree with what he achieved with Sevilla, but we'll have to see if this man is purely a cup manager or whether he has got the substance to put it together in the league next season. We will find out more about Juande Ramos in the next year. Tottenham have decided that he is the man for them and he has come in and been quite radical with his methods, training regime and changing certain things, but that's what new managers do. When a new manager comes in it's important to make an impression as soon as you can and he certainly has done that. I think that if Spurs aren't challenging for a Champions League place next season then everyone at the club - players, manager, fans - will be utterly disappointed. Champions League football has to be the target for Tottenham next season, without a doubt. It got me thinking about what I would prefer as a Dons fan. Would it be better to win a cup and finish mid-table in the league, or finish in the top 3 or 4 but win nothing? Personally I would MUCH rather win a cup than the alternative. What do the rest of you think? Kris Quote
dave_min Posted March 19, 2008 Report Posted March 19, 2008 I'd definately take a rubbish year in the League (see 99/00) in exchange for a day out at Hampden for the cup final! And if we even won the cup, it'd be my proudest day as a Dons fan, and also, it'd mean Europe next season, could it be any better? Quote
Drewsome Posted March 19, 2008 Report Posted March 19, 2008 Give me the cup win! That said, We're Joint 7th with 3 games to the split and a 3 point gap to 6th. 4th in the league is still a reasonable result but it will take WORK. Can I have both this season? Quote
Dandy_Don Posted March 19, 2008 Author Report Posted March 19, 2008 Hi, I was talking in general, not specifically about this season. Kris Quote
KGB Posted March 19, 2008 Report Posted March 19, 2008 The only downside with the cup win is that the rest of the season is miserable ,unless of course you have Europe Quote
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