Tottenham does need to qualify for the Europa League for a whole host of reasons. It is another chance for silverware, it will bring money into the club, it is an entry into the Champions League and it gives Jose Mourinho an opportunity to blood some youngsters at appropriate times.
So, yes, there are many reasons why it is crucial that we beat Crystal Palace at the weekend and hope other results go our way.
However, if it does go wrong and we do not qualify, it is not the end of the world or a terrible disaster if we don’t make Europe’s second competition.
There is a lot to be said for playing fewer games next season, it does mean that Mourinho can concentrate far more on the Premier League with players that should be fresher, for the most part.
It has worked out well for other sides that failed to gain entry into European competition, Chelsea being the most high profile example.
A less congested season does give a team an advantage, it can be very draining playing every Thursday then Sunday with probably long-distance travel thrown into the mix.
Qualifying for the Europa League, for me, is important I will admit, I do believe that Mourinho will take it seriously and give it a proper go but if we do not make it I will not wallow in self-pity but instead just brush myself down and look forward to a new season in a very positive frame of mind.
Levy is definitely a whacko job. Nobody sane would carry on like him. He’s alienated everybody and everything he touches turns into a turd. Perhaps he enjoys being the most hated man in football in a perverse sort of way?
Levy losing all that money does make me feel wickedly happy. He’ll have to look himself in the mirror then and ask why won’t he?
Poch would put out 11 different players all of a lesser quality,but Jose used to keep the spine of his starting eleven and changed a max of three players who when playing with better quality had to up their game.It always gave Jose a chance to rest three players for each cup game but not weaken the team to an extent it was unrecognisable.When we lost to Colchester ? Poch played the usual match day subs,players returning from injury and anyone else who hadn’t had a game. That’s why we never stood a chance of a domestic cup under Poch.
If there are no crowds it probably doesn’t matter if we are in or out. I don’t buy this line of Jose experimenting with lineups in the Europa and giving the younger players a chance. He wants to win and will play his strongest team.
Money wise the stadium needs full houses and it needs European football. It’s estimated that Arsenal have lost £100 million by not being in the Champions League. The number one priority next season will be a return to the Champions League. The run we had to the Champions League Final earned us about £90 million from the prize fund alone. That’s the sort of lost income that will even get Joe and Daniel’s attention. It shouldn’t go unnoticed that one of Joe Lewis ‘s few utterances on football matters was when he met Pochettino and told him that the one thing he wanted when Spurs moved into the new stadium was Champions League football.
They were saying the exact same thing on the radio about the gooners yesterday that it would take the pressure off Arteta to be able to work with his players all week instead of flying here there and everywhere.Leicester and Chelsea both won the league the last time they missed out on Europe. Poch didn’t take it seriously nor the domestic cups.Since Jose took over only Liverpool,Man City and Man Utd have gained more points,he finishes the season with the third highest points per game behind only Klopp and Pep. He has closed the gap to fourth spot (CL) from 11 points behind to 5 points with a game remaining. The damage was done before he arrived,Poch 3 wins in 12 matches, 1 clean sheet ,players bored listening to him and dropping like a stone to 14th place.Hopefully getting a result at Palace we can finish off this season with winning five of the last six games and look forward to next season with or without Europa.
If we miss out is the Inter Toto still going?
Exactly – the love of money is the root of all evil. Now that generous amounts of money are being poured into the trough, everyone’s got their noses in it and in no hurry to move for anyone.
‘Doing a Levy’:
1. Demolishing your spiritual home and replacing it with a debt-ridden souless shopping emporium.
2. Rinsing your fans for every penny imaginable.
3. Watching your team go from Champions League contenders to Europa League in one season.
4. Negotiating your way out of a transfer deal for a player your manager wants/ needs.
5. Annoy prospective sellers with low ball offers and convoluted payment plans.
6. Annoy prospective buyers with inflated price demands and moving the goal posts.
7. Limited squad investment due to debt repayment considerations.
8. Reward yourself handsomely for failing while failing to adequately remunerate your employees for success.
9. Promising ‘Jam tomorrow’ while handing out sh*t sandwiches today.
10. Duping fans into season ticket renewals at 5-star pricing for a 3-star product.
Have I missed anything?
Totally agree, but you know because of the money it won’t happen.
How the mighty have fallen – from Moet to Passion Pop in one season after the new stadium opened. Oops, that wouldn’t have been in the business plan. As a fan you want your club playing in the top tier of any competition. Extra revenue is always welcome if it is invested on the team. That’s not what ENIC do – extra revenue means more money in the coffers of Dan and Joe. The only thing that is going to force ENIC out is if the money streams start drying up, so I won’t be sad if we miss out on Europe.
I think that UEFA have totally destroyed European football because of greed. There are too many teams of dubious quality competing and in my opinion the competition should revert to league champions and cup winners only to keep it shorter. In this way domestic cups will be taken more seriously by some managers to get European football instead of sneaking in through generous league standing dispensations.
Nice post Bruce. I’m 50/50 about being in the Thursday Cup for all the reasons you mentioned. If we were in it, I think we’d have a good chance of winning it. One of the most annoying things about being in it is watching all your rivals win on a Saturday and then watching us trying to grind out a win at 4pm on Sunday just to get back to where we were in the league.