How to build a great team?

[suBerb]

MJ and DC are highly ambitious men, they want to build a great team capable of challenging for the title.

But how is it possible to build a great team?

Well, there are roughly two ways.

The first is to buy one of the best managers and some of the best players in the world. This is the Real, Chelsea etc way. But not ours.

We cannot buy the best players - the likes of Sheva, Rooney, Eto'o...What we can do is to buy great talents and to develop them into world-class footballers. And this is what MJ and DC do.

As a matter of fact Tottenham has a huge potential. Robbo, King, Daws, Ekotto, Zokora, Lennon, Berbatov, Keane, Defoe, Jenas, Huddlestone, Dixon, Dervit....are players that can develop into real stars. And we have the money to buy another 2-3 excellent players.

But there is a real problem with this way of building a great team. To begin with, only a team with class subs is capable of challenging for the title and playing successfully in the CL/UEFA cup games and domestic cups. But how is it possible to have class subs? If they are proven players they will want to play regularly. They can be persuaded to be subs only if they have great wages...And we cannot meet this condition for we are not Chelscum or Manure...Hence, they have to be talented players that are not proven yet. But they cannot develop their talent if they do not play regularly...

Let's give an example. We badly need a quality CB for Gardner and Davenport are not good enough. But if we buy such a player, then what should we do with Dawson? If Daws is our hope for the future, he must be in the first 11. So, it's very difficult to buy another good CB since we cannot promise him to start the games.

The same goes for the 4-th striker. We have already a serious problem with the fact that Berby, Keano and Defoe are all quality strikers...

The same goes for the LW. If we buy a classy LW/LM then it will be difficult to find place for Jenas and it is clear than Jol thinks that Jenas is a great talent who must play regularly in order to turn into great midfielder. Jenas can play with LM only if we play with one DM. However, this will make us vulnerable to counter attacks.

I hope that MJ will solve this problem, we will find quality subs and build a truly great team in the next 2-3 years.

[country cock]

I agree with most of what you said, but not with our left sided problem, we desperately need a Top class player here. Jol plays Jenas in the middle so the only choice he would have to make is Davids or Jenas along side Zakora. Bringing in too many big names would cause problems, for the time being we need to continue to look for young talent.

[choda]

Very good post there. It is a delicate situation right now, but it is all about having a bright man at the helm who will continually look at the situation think about it and make decisions. He then has to weigh up the feedback he is getting from his decisions and make decisions based on that too.

For example, he started his side the last day, but there is even less creativity now, he'll have gotten that feedback and will respond accordingly. I don't necessarily blame folks for trying something and it going a bit wrong, but they have to be able to see it and correct it. I fully expect Jol to do that.

I understand what you are saying about playing players to develop them. It is all about getting the balance right. That is why I have been saying lets not complain so much if it takes a bit longer to become a top side. If it does then so be it. We have done this right so there is not an emergency like Leeds for the side to perform. The club won't fall apart, we are always building.

[choda]

I agree with most of what you said, but not with our left sided problem, we desperately need a Top class player here. Jol plays Jenas in the middle so the only choice he would have to make is Davids or Jenas along side Zakora. Bringing in too many big names would cause problems, for the time being we need to continue to look for young talent.

I think he was just talking generally, and not really getting into specifics.

[suBerb]

I agree with most of what you said, but not with our left sided problem, we desperately need a Top class player here. Jol plays Jenas in the middle so the only choice he would have to make is Davids or Jenas along side Zakora. Bringing in too many big names would cause problems, for the time being we need to continue to look for young talent.


agree that we need a top class LW, but I think that we need also AM, RB and CB

[country cock]

agree that we need a top class LW, but I think that we need also AM, RB and CB
Bring in a big name center back and you will have to drop Dawson. He has done well since coming in and would not be content being a squad player. If Davenport and Gardner are not good enough cover i think Yol could do alot worse than try Huddlestone at center back.