The Race for 4th

[rossdapep]

It's a chance at winning something though. The fact we as a club and fanbase overlook it when sides like Sevilla and Roma take them seriously is what makes us laughable.

We apparently want to win trophies, just not those ones, or the league cup according to some. Which then leaves the FA Cup and the Premier League, and I don't see the league happening any time soon. We cannot be so entitled to pick and choose what we go for. If we end up in either Europa or Conference, we should be going 100% to win it. One UCL final does not make us too big for those two competitions.

Also winning the Europa would give us a spot in the Champions League. So why not go for it?

It's pretty clear to me that this club had been stuck in the "inbetween" by prioritising CL.

We aren't good enough or powerful enough to win the CL or the PL. So competing at the top or in CL is a little futile, certainly is when we lack direction and identity. Sure, it obviously has to be an objective. The best teams have to be in it. But I'm not sure we can continue with simply just qualifying for it.

I'm looking at the final 4 teams in the Conference League and if Tottenham can beat Dortmund, Madrid, City and Ajax in the CL there's absolutely no reason why we can't do more when we qualify for this.

We have too many players (and coaches) who treat it like an inconvenience. Look at the way we surrendered our spot to Rennes!

Conte doesn't want to coach in that tournament. Kane doesn't want to play in it - as much as he'll pay lip service. There's a reason he wasn't motivated in 21 (Nuno and ECL) and was in (22 Conte and CL).

To get around that you have to have quite a youthful squad, in which the system is quite dynamic and not reliant on stars.

When Poch came here, he used the cups to give Kane, Mason, et al a chance to play.

We qualified quite comfortably in the EL, and of course its not as glamarous but it never is at that stage.

We fell to an experienced Fiorentina team but to be fair to Poch he had a League cup final to prepare for 3 days after the second leg so it was always going to be tricky. Especially when you have to play Fazio and Soldado.

The year after Poch played the likes of Onomah, Njie, Carroll and Mason and we finished top of group that contained a decent Anderlecht and a Monaco team with Mbappe, Mendy, Lemar in it. Thrashing them 4-1.

I actually felt that year we may have had a chance of winning it.

Unfortunately we came up against a very attack heavy Dortmund team right when we were getting closer to Leicester at the top (we had just played Arsenal) and we had a couple of injury doubts so had to field Carroll and Mason in midfield, Onomah ahead of them, Wimmer at cB and Chadli as a CF.

Next season I expect us to have better depth AND a coach like Slot, Kompany or Postecoglou who can use any European participation as a chance to gel the younger players, drive the system into them and give them some ambition.

I also think us fans need to stop looking down on it.

I haven't seen us win a European trophy before

 

[Flobadob]

For me the conference league feels like the equivalent of us being put in the Papa John’s trophy instead of the FA Cup or something. We’ll be playing a load of teams no one gives a fuck about and even if we won it, we bloody well should be winning it, it’s full of teams that would be relegated from the PL. There’s some merit and prestige to winning comps like the Europa, FA Cup and even the league cup because you have to beat very good teams to win it. Two very different things. I don’t want to see us be a second rate team week in week out in general just because it means we would be in a shit competition we should be winning, it would mean next to nothing to me personally.

Also, we are Tottenham Hotspur ffs, we should be very disappointed not to be in Europe’s top competition because we are a big club. The second you don’t set your aim for the top you’ve already failed

 

[rossdapep]

Still pretending we're above European competitions whilst both Arsenal/United will finish above us whilst being in them and have both really tried to win them in recent years. Bit odd.

Really grates me.

Our fan base have been conditioned to think the other European competitions are to be mocked at.

How many people on here get upset when Arsenal or United gans laugh at Spurs for qualifying for the Conference league? I reckon a fair few.

Why??

They only mock initially but as soon as you reach quarters they all shit it cause they realise it's a genuine chance of winning something.

Look at how our fans mocked West Ham. Soon as they got to the semi final everyone shit it.

We need to stop paying attention to other fans.

If Spurs qualified and won the Conference league/Europa League as much as Sevilla or Atletico do I'd be over the moon.

The club need to start to treat it seriously and make that clear to the players and coaches.

 

[rossdapep]

For me the conference league feels like the equivalent of us being put in the Papa John’s trophy instead of the FA Cup or something. We’ll be playing a load of teams no one gives a fuck about and even if we won it, we bloody well should be winning it, it’s full of teams that would be relegated from the PL. There’s some merit and prestige to winning comps like the Europa, FA Cup and even the league cup because you have to beat very good teams to win it. Two very different things. I don’t want to see us be a second rate team week in week out in general just because it means we would be in a shit competition we should be winning, it would mean next to nothing to me personally.

Also, we are Tottenham Hotspur ffs, we should be very disappointed not to be in Europe’s top competition because we are a big club. The second you don’t set your aim for the top you’ve already failed

We won the cup winners cup and uefa cup. We shouldnt be snobbish about these tournaments because ultimately we are scoffing at our own past successes.

Yes it drags and it's pretty boring travelling to small clubs in Albania or Latvia but those games should be used as game time for improvement and you only really need to win your home ones to qualify - which should be a cakewalk.

The last 8 this year isnt exactly paupers - Gent, West Ham, AZ, Fiorentina, Basel, Nice and Anderlecht are all decent European teams and have history (not West Ham).

If those teams can safely navigate to that stage, then we certainly can and I'm not going to scoff at potentially winning a trophy like that.

 

[septicsac]

We lost the last feeble hope of 4th place when we got rid of Conte and replaced him with Stelinni, horrendous leadership by Levy once again.

 

[spurs9]

For me the conference league feels like the equivalent of us being put in the Papa John’s trophy instead of the FA Cup or something. We’ll be playing a load of teams no one gives a fuck about and even if we won it, we bloody well should be winning it, it’s full of teams that would be relegated from the PL. There’s some merit and prestige to winning comps like the Europa, FA Cup and even the league cup because you have to beat very good teams to win it. Two very different things. I don’t want to see us be a second rate team week in week out in general just because it means we would be in a shit competition we should be winning, it would mean next to nothing to me personally.

Also, we are Tottenham Hotspur ffs, we should be very disappointed not to be in Europe’s top competition because we are a big club. The second you don’t set your aim for the top you’ve already failed

We had the same attitude when we were in the Europa League, but when Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd are in it, they go for it and they have won much more than us recently.

Last year's semi finals had Roma, Feyenoord, Marseille and Leicester, you really think no one gives a fuck about beating them?

We haven't earned the right to stick out noses up at it.

 

[pook]

We lost the last feeble hope of 4th place when we got rid of Conte and replaced him with Stelinni, horrendous leadership by Levy once again.

F*ck's sake, man. We're shit. We don't deserve 4th and we weren't going to get it, Conte or otherwise. If he'd stayed, we'd still be out of it by now and folks would be saying, 'kept with Conte when it was obvious the job wasn't getting done - horrendous leadership by Levy once again.'

We're in a bad place, and as the man at the top, he's got to take a big chunk of the blame. But do we have to put it on Levy every time a shoestring breaks?

 

[Ginola+Tonic]

It’s going to be awkward for some fans saying the conference league maybe good for us when we don’t qualify for Europe at all

 

[bbunc]

Hopefully brighton and Villa can pass us so we don’t have to play in Europe and can focus on the League and yet still find a way to play a shitty lineup with Lucas in the FA cup

 

[cliff jones]

What we should have is a club culture that strives to do our best in every competition we enter.

We should also have youth pathways to the first team, and this very much includes the earlier rounds of an inferior European competition.

Very sad to say we have no such culture under our current leadership, which clearly now permeates down to many fans who don’t know any different- despite being able to see what good leadership means at other Clubs with far smaller revenues.

Next Sunday, you know we’ll see two of Sanchez, Tanganga, Dier in a back three. And whether you watch or don’t you will know who is ultimately responsible for our return to laughing stock. Get out of our Club.

 

[THE SPURSBOY]

Let’s say we finish out of the European places which is looking likely on current form. What will be the target for the next manager next season. More than likely without Kane. We’re never gonna be challenging for a title. So a go at a cup and go for europa place???? How we have fallen

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

We lost the last feeble hope of 4th place when we got rid of Conte and replaced him with Stelinni, horrendous leadership by Levy once again.

Conte got rid of himself if he had just made his rant in the dressing room after the game then he would still be in charge, not facing up to the players first and then calling them selfish in a public announcement is not the way to go.

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

Hopefully brighton and Villa can pass us so we don’t have to play in Europe and can focus on the League and yet still find a way to play a shitty lineup with Lucas in the FA cup

If Brighton and Villa pass us we end up in 7th which is Conference League so will need either Liverpool, Fulham or Brentford to overtake us as well. Looking at the fixtures those teams are going to drop points as they play each other in the remaining matches so at the moment a place in Europe next season is looking a distinct possibility.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

We lost the last feeble hope of 4th place when we got rid of Conte and replaced him with Stelinni, horrendous leadership by Levy once again.

We lost the last feeble hope of 4th place when Bentancur & Bissouma both got injured

This team has been running on empty for so long

Our recent/current League position isn’t a true reflection of how bad this side is atm

This current squad is a world class striker away from a relegation fight

 

[Doctor Dinkey]

If Brighton and Villa pass us we end up in 7th which is Conference League so will need either Liverpool, Fulham or Brentford to overtake us as well. Looking at the fixtures those teams are going to drop points as they play each other in the remaining matches so at the moment a place in Europe next season is looking a distinct possibility.

I'm not sure. I don't see us picking up too many points between now and the end of the season. The next three games are likely to put the final nails in our coffin of confidence. We might pick up a win against Palace and a point against Brentford but that'll be it I fear.

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

I'm not sure. I don't see us picking up too many points between now and the end of the season. The next three games are likely to put the final nails in our coffin of confidence. We might pick up a win against Palace and a point against Brentford but that'll be it I fear.

But the recent form of Liverpool , Brentford and Fulham is no better than ours and they all have tough games to come , 7th place gets Conference League that will probably be our punishment.

 

[G Ron]

Although it's highly unlikely and I don't think we'll do it I don't know why people say we wont like it's a fact. We're still in it somehow and highly likely will not make it. However it's very similar to the last full season under Poch where all the teams around top 4 keep slipping up too. We even lost to Bournemouth then too and it felt a bit similar to today.

What's really weird for me though is just how flat I feel about it. There's just something about the way we've played all season that has taken a lot of enthusiasm out of me. I just find it difficult to get excited by the prospect because I have no belief in us right now. It's pure hope rather than expectation.

I've found myself lately more invested in the title race now. That's just purely down to wanting City to beat Arsenal to it. I can just about handle us having a bad season and finishing outside top 4. I just can't stand to see that lot win the title as well.

It’s totally different to last year. We’re in shocking form depleted by injuries and missing our only creative player.

we’re absolutely awful and have zero chance of finishing 4th

 

[1882andallthat]

I know on a technicality this is still a race for top 4 because it's mathematically still possible.

We all know deep down that this is more like a race for top 6.

To put ourselves right back in the mix for top 4 we will have to almost completely transform our form over the next 3 games. 9 points from 3 or as a bare minimum 6 points from 9 and those 6 points have to come in the next two games. 6 points and lose to Liverpool and we still need the likes of Man Utd Newcastle and Brighton to drop points.

I give us getting 6-7 points in the next three a 5 % chance at best, and I'm being generous on what I've seen. Bagging 9 points I'd give us a 3% chance tops !!!

Realistically we are looking at 6th-7th, because our slide and propensity to drop points from winning positions is as low as it's been all season and that's saying something.....

 

[Dannyspur]

I don’t understand why people say, it is better to miss out on European football altogether, as it hampers our chances of getting European football next year.
It’s like saying ‘what’s the point of even trying to get 4th place when it will hamper our chance of getting 4th next year’.

And anyway, when we do qualify we generally limp out without a whimper with performances like we had this year
What about all the extra revenue for just qualifying? Well we all know that goes to buy us elite players and has built the world class squad we have now.

 

[FrankSpencer]

The Newcastle game will be the one that decides our hopes for Top 4.