The 2012 Summer Transfer Window thread

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I've defended AVB over pretty much everything (of course I got melodramatic over VdV but if I had his wife I'd go and play for wherever she was).

Half of the "dismantling" happened before he came in. Modric was going to go whatever. We've come out of it with the French international captain as new goalie, a great creative midfielder and what will hopefully continue to be a good Premier League standard attacking mid/striker.

Against the Baggies our high defensive line was fine, it only went wrong when we dropped deeper. Walker and BAE will suit it well. Vertonghen is made for that advanced central defensive position. We just need a few goals but we needed those under 'Arry in the second half of last season.

I just hope it doesn't take too long for the squad and playing style to sort itself out as I think it should work nicely.

IN

Sigurdsson

Vertonghen

Adebayor

Dembele

Lloris

Dempsey

£57mil

OUT

Kranjcar

Corluka

Nelson

Angol

Alnwick

Pienaar

Bassong

Modric

Button

Van der Vaart

Dos Santos

Saha

£62.8mil

Personally I'm gutted with Corluka and Kranjcar just cos I like them but they're not starting eleven guys so fair play to them. Dos Santos was never given a run and won't fit with the new style. VdV and Modric have been discussed. Really I think overall the business Tottenham did in this window was smart - consolidating, upgrading (for the most part) and with an eye to the youngsters.

As long as I see AVB making smarter changes than 'Arry (VdV off on 60 to be replaced by a.n.other midfielder, swap strikers on 80, throw on holding midfielder on 86) then I'll be happy. He needs a team that plays the way he wants to and Tottenham have a better core of players and way of playing to adapt to that way than Chelsea had.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I just wish Jenas had been sold.

[Colly]

I'm just sick of everybody (not on this forum, just in general) acting like AVB's a moron for "getting rid" of "half of Spurs' squad" that 'Arry hand-crafted from bits of rubble. Modric has wanted to leave for over a year and they got a very good deal out of it - I doubt AVB even had much to do with it. Van der Vaart clearly wanted to be home with his wife and he's a notoriously hard player to handle anyway, so it's not as simple as the manager going "don't like him, get rid". And he's done some awesome business considering. Losing out on Moutinho was unfortunate but they've got Dembele, Dempsey, Sigurdsson, Vertonghen and Adebayor this summer. That's some pretty fucking good business. But because he did a bad job at Chelsea nobody cares and he'll always be seen as a moron so long as that's the way The Sun portrays him. God forbid he rests Scott Parker for a couple of games or he'll get the Lampard backlash all over again.

I was more surprised it actually filtered through to this forum at all, seemed like blind insulting of AVB based on things that were speculative at best (aside from VDV leaving of course). Like you say, they did some great business this summer and VDV is 29 and wanted to leave to live with his family, so it's not all bad. Now if the Lennon/Bale/Whoever else rumours were true then maybe you'd have to wonder why they're leaving, but ehhh, maybe I'm just an AVB sympathiser >_>.

Did it really filter to here, I can't remember him getting much of a knock?

[Adam]

I'm far more amused by Rodgers thinking its better to have no backup strikers than having Carroll.

He doesn't think that though does he. He spent most of yesterday trying to sign Clint Dempsey and Daniel Sturridge. He just failed to get it done.

[Gazz]

I'm just sick of everybody (not on this forum, just in general) acting like AVB's a moron for "getting rid" of "half of Spurs' squad" that 'Arry hand-crafted from bits of rubble.

You should see the Newcastle forums because we 'didn't sign anyone!', convieniently forgetting the players we already signed this summer.

[MGW]

I'm far more amused by Rodgers thinking its better to have no backup strikers than having Carroll.

He doesn't think that though does he. He spent most of yesterday trying to sign Clint Dempsey and Daniel Sturridge. He just failed to get it done.

No Rodgers didn't "fail to get it done" Ian Ayre did, the manager doesn't negotiate transfers. The plan was to bring in Dempsey and Sturridge, that didn't happen and there was no plan B.

[Plubby]

I am actually very happy with our additions, and I like Andre Villas-Boas. I didn't want to lose Modric, but that's a battle I lost a long time ago - and I'm quite upset at the loss of VdV. It's hardly like the bad..."outweighs" the good, it's just more noticeable right now. Everything Modric and VdV have done for us is now gone - and they've been replaced by these new guys who have done nothing in a Spurs uniform. I'm sure it'll pass within a couple of days, and i'll be singing their praises in short order, but it's just hard to be in love with all these guys who aren't Modric and VdV, which is a point I alluded to with GoGo about 24 hours ago.

[Jimmy]

I'm just sick of everybody (not on this forum, just in general) acting like AVB's a moron for "getting rid" of "half of Spurs' squad" that 'Arry hand-crafted from bits of rubble.

You should see the Newcastle forums because we 'didn't sign anyone!', convieniently forgetting the players we already signed this summer.

I would say keeping a hold of Cisse, Krul, Tiote, Cabaye and Ben Afa is even better than buying new players. Cabaye especially is proper class, I would be thrilled as a Newcastle fan overall.

[Dingle]

I'm just sick of everybody (not on this forum, just in general) acting like AVB's a moron for "getting rid" of "half of Spurs' squad" that 'Arry hand-crafted from bits of rubble. Modric has wanted to leave for over a year and they got a very good deal out of it - I doubt AVB even had much to do with it. Van der Vaart clearly wanted to be home with his wife and he's a notoriously hard player to handle anyway, so it's not as simple as the manager going "don't like him, get rid". And he's done some awesome business considering. Losing out on Moutinho was unfortunate but they've got Dembele, Dempsey, Sigurdsson, Vertonghen and Adebayor this summer. That's some pretty fucking good business. But because he did a bad job at Chelsea nobody cares and he'll always be seen as a moron so long as that's the way The Sun portrays him. God forbid he rests Scott Parker for a couple of games or he'll get the Lampard backlash all over again.

I was more surprised it actually filtered through to this forum at all, seemed like blind insulting of AVB based on things that were speculative at best (aside from VDV leaving of course). Like you say, they did some great business this summer and VDV is 29 and wanted to leave to live with his family, so it's not all bad. Now if the Lennon/Bale/Whoever else rumours were true then maybe you'd have to wonder why they're leaving, but ehhh, maybe I'm just an AVB sympathiser >_>.

Did it really filter to here, I can't remember him getting much of a knock?

It was just Jazzman it seems, maybe Machismo too but he could've been joking. The latter claimed that IF the rumours are true of VDV leaving then AVB is apparently incredibly out of his depth because he's kicking everyone out of the club and replacing them with other guys. Which doesn't take into account the better signee's that have come in. I'd honestly prefer the squad post-transfer window for Spurs to the one before Ade, Dembele, Dempsey, Lloris and Sigurdsson were signed.

[Adam]

I'm far more amused by Rodgers thinking its better to have no backup strikers than having Carroll.

He doesn't think that though does he. He spent most of yesterday trying to sign Clint Dempsey and Daniel Sturridge. He just failed to get it done.

No Rodgers didn't "fail to get it done" Ian Ayre did, the manager doesn't negotiate transfers. The plan was to bring in Dempsey and Sturridge, that didn't happen and there was no plan B.

I was actually defending Brendan Rodgers, but okay. If there was no plan B, whose fault is that? Surely Ian Ayre isn't the man deciding what players the team needs?

[Baddar]

I had no idea Spurs had missed out on Moutinho until now - I thought it was a done deal last night.

[Gazz]

I'm just sick of everybody (not on this forum, just in general) acting like AVB's a moron for "getting rid" of "half of Spurs' squad" that 'Arry hand-crafted from bits of rubble.

You should see the Newcastle forums because we 'didn't sign anyone!', convieniently forgetting the players we already signed this summer.

I would say keeping a hold of Cisse, Krul, Tiote, Cabaye and Ben Afa is even better than buying new players. Cabaye especially is proper class, I would be thrilled as a Newcastle fan overall.

Oh I am, but some people wouldn't be happy if we signed Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi and Iniesta on frees.

[Dingle]

I'm just sick of everybody (not on this forum, just in general) acting like AVB's a moron for "getting rid" of "half of Spurs' squad" that 'Arry hand-crafted from bits of rubble.

You should see the Newcastle forums because we 'didn't sign anyone!', convieniently forgetting the players we already signed this summer.

I would say keeping a hold of Cisse, Krul, Tiote, Cabaye and Ben Afa is even better than buying new players. Cabaye especially is proper class, I would be thrilled as a Newcastle fan overall.

Oh I am, but some people wouldn't be happy if we signed Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi and Iniesta on frees.

Barcelona fans.

[Pesci]

I'm far more amused by Rodgers thinking its better to have no backup strikers than having Carroll.

He doesn't think that though does he. He spent most of yesterday trying to sign Clint Dempsey and Daniel Sturridge. He just failed to get it done.

No Rodgers didn't "fail to get it done" Ian Ayre did, the manager doesn't negotiate transfers. The plan was to bring in Dempsey and Sturridge, that didn't happen and there was no plan B.

I was actually defending Brendan Rodgers, but okay. If there was no plan B, whose fault is that? Surely Ian Ayre isn't the man deciding what players the team needs?

Rodgers decided he wanted Dempsey and Sturridge, Ayre failed to sign them - though perhaps Sturridge was always an unrealistic target. Whether or not we should have loaned Carroll out so late in the window is another matter, but Rodgers must have been pretty confident of signing Dempsey, and for good reason too I'd argue.

[Adam]

Still perhaps should have had back-up options though, is that not sensible?

[Crybaby Bunting]

See, with Hammy's big list post it kinda justifies most of the Spurs transfer dealings this season. They've probably broken even altogether and have vastly improved their first team... even if they do look to have weakened their squad.

But, up until Spurs signed Dempsey last night they looked pretty weak in midfield and until Spurs pulled out of the Dawson deal they looked like they'd be pretty weak in defense. Sure Hammy said that they had plenty of defensive cover... but then Kaboul got injured and my point was pretty much proven when they had less cover than they expected. Dawson was unnecessary to the point of being sold but is suddenly needed back in the first team squad?

They have the same problem Newcastle have this season, if everyone remains healthy then they have a squad which is easily good enough to break into Europe and, with luck good enough to nip into 4th place BUT both are competing on four fronts and clearly don't have enough players to play well on all four fronts unless they run some players into the ground.

[Hobo]

I'm far more amused by Rodgers thinking its better to have no backup strikers than having Carroll.

He doesn't think that though does he. He spent most of yesterday trying to sign Clint Dempsey and Daniel Sturridge. He just failed to get it done.

No Rodgers didn't "fail to get it done" Ian Ayre did, the manager doesn't negotiate transfers. The plan was to bring in Dempsey and Sturridge, that didn't happen and there was no plan B.

I was actually defending Brendan Rodgers, but okay. If there was no plan B, whose fault is that? Surely Ian Ayre isn't the man deciding what players the team needs?

Possibly, but Walcott, Sturridge, Dempsey were all targets by all accounts.

Walcott wasn't going anywhere. We didn't give Chelsea or Fulham good enough offers. I can only assume that Rodgers was convinced Ayre would get one of those. Ayre failed when getting the #1 target was within his grasp.

[Pesci]

Still perhaps should have had back-up options though, is that not sensible?

No, definitely. I said the same thing yesterday. I'd also argue that following Fulham's complaint about our approach of Dempsey to the Premier League, whoever it was responsible for the confidence in that deal going through that allowed Carroll to leave shouldn't have been so confident.

The danger of leaving these things until the last minute is that you're playing a very risky game. It didn't work for us in January 2011 and it hasn't worked this time either.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Pesci

[Hobo]

I think Ayre thought that Fulham would eventually cave but never bothered to improve his offer.

It's been said a few times in this thread but a pay-as-you-play for Michael Owen probably wouldn't be a terrible move for a short term thing. Manage him well, bring him on late on.

[Dingle]

So, Nerf, still expecting top four?