What is Pochettino's Secret?

This topic contains 25 replies, has 11 voices, and was last updated by banjo_chuckers banjo_chuckers 5 years, 11 months ago.

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  • #1621594
    Al The Gooner
    Al The Gooner
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    • :

    We’ve probably all wondered how on Earth Poch keeps his players happy on what is (in football terms, at least) very average wages. I think the easiest answer is that the players have faith in him and believe they can win the big prizes with him but, even still, it’s incredible when it seems almost every top player in the world will demand £150k pw minimum before they’ll even consider moving, or re-signing with their current club.

    The figures for 2016/17 are out and in the wages league, the Spuds are roughly where my team are in the actual league – miles from the top and closer to Burnley than any of the teams above them.

    No surprises that the Manchesters are way out in front (£264m pa each). Then it’s Chelski (£220m), Liverpool (£208m) and Arsenal (£199m). Then the Totts come in at £127m!!!

    As a Gooner, it goes against everything I believe in to give even a modicum of praise to our trophy-challenged cousins, but that’s pretty friggin’ amazing. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep this up as they inevitably have to freshen up the squad in the coming seasons but for now, well done Poch – don’t s’pose you fancy a short trip down the Seven Sisters?

    #1621602
    shanksy
    shanksy
    Spectator
    • :

    Seems a happy place to be at the Spuds right now and as you say the players seem content despite lower wages than the other top six. No bad thing and shows togetherness and all that but they really need to put a trophy in the cabinet and very soon. Bit like ourselves really but Spurs are slightly ahead in the development stage compared to us though Klopp does seem to be getting it right and has shown he won’t compromise on who he wants in and will wait until he gets his target.

    #1621638

    bloggy
    Spectator
    • :

    Good post Al;

    Just to expand on your analysis of the numbers at Spurs, it’s worth looking at the last five years wages plus the last five years net spend on player transfers of the respective Clubs.

    Man City have paid one billion and seventy two million pounds in wages plus a net spend on transfer fees of £501 million giving an investment of one billion five hundred and seventy three million pounds in player aquisition and wages.
    United: one billion and six million in wages and £484 million…total one billion four hundred and ninety million pounds.
    Chelsea: £995 million in wages and £163 million net spend totaling one billion one hundred and fifty eight million pounds.
    Arsenal: £894 million in wages and £248million net spend giving one billion, one hundred and forty two million pounds.
    Liverpool: £734million wages and £174million net spend giving £908million invested.

    Spurs: £539million wages and just £16million net spend on player aquisition totalling  a paltry £555million.

    Incredibly the improvement under Poch then, has come at less than a billion pounds worth of player investment than the two Manchester clubs, less than half a billion pounds than each of their London rivals and three hundred and fifty million less than Liverpool.

    Now there are those Tottenham supporters who describe the lack of spending as a lack of ambition…certainly not myself… Those who accuse Levy of only being interested in the balance sheet…again certainly not myself… For me the improvements in the league table clearly show that Spurs are a proper football club. A club who have bucked the trend and are proving on a daily basis that you don’t have to spend money like a drunken sailor to find success in football. What you clearly do need however is the right manager.

    God knows what we’ll do when he buggers off!

    Bloggs.

    #1621639
    Shinehead4
    Shinehead4
    Participant
    • :

    Al , I have no idea mate, his squad barring Sanchez and Disco have been signed from between £2m to £25m mark so no superstars with over- inflated egos.As for the wages, I can see sizeable increases during the Summer which while not matching some of the stupid money on offer will reward those who have bought into his ethos.He demands loyalty and those who don’t buy in won’t play eg Walker and Toby and to a lesser extent Rose.With Poch and his assistants it’s all or nothing if a player gives 100% he will make you a better player and they know it.
    I hope they all stay and with 2/3 in,plus the new ground and hopefully CL football it’s not too shabby a team to support at the moment .

    #1621675
    banjo_chuckers
    banjo_chuckers
    Participant
    • :

    Maybe the non-Spud lovers won’t remember, but do you all remember the flurry of new contracts signed around24 months, bit of a joke about it, with Poncho keeping a shirt and tie in his office for such occasions? Well, the “gossip” was all of those contracts had automatic increases/renewal dates in them for when the new stadium was built, with substantial increase in salaries for the big boys (the ceiling was apparently 175k a week). Don’t be too surprised to see a whole new round of contract announcements sometime before the World Cup….

    #1621705
    Shinehead4
    Shinehead4
    Participant
    • :

    BJ ,I knew about the increases but was unaware about the figures,if £175k is available Toby might even be here next season,I really hope so.

    #1621709
    AshCFC
    AshCFC
    Participant
    • :

    Spurs are certainly a club with many things to admire, and will soon be able to add a shiny new stadium to the list of positives.

    However, until they actually win the league I think the degree of eulogising here is a little OTT.

    Bloggs says Spurs have proved that you don’t have to spend crazy money to find success. With respect I think Spurs have only reinforced that you do.

    It’s all well and good to celebrate ‘relative’ success, ie we’re in the top four, good manager etc., but Poch will be the first to tell you it all means nothing unless the club win something. The FA Cup would be a start, but even that would not be considered huge success by City, Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, or even Liverpool.

    Please be clear, I hugely admire the Tottenham project, and would love Chelsea to be in their league positon right now. I totally agree that all Spurs fans should be happy about the positivity that seems to be around the club atm.

    Let’s just keep some perspective lads. Spurs may yet have to seriously up their spending in order to make that jump up to serious contenders. Imho they or indeed any other club will have to do exactly that if they want to compete for top honours.

    #1621710
    Wonderfuel Gas
    Wonderfuel Gas
    Participant
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    £175k a week? Good luck lads…that’s yesterday’s prices.

    #1621757
    Al The Gooner
    Al The Gooner
    Participant
    • :

    Shanksy, the one thing I’m really envious of is the clear sense among both the players and the fans that the Spuds are a club going forward and you guys have the same thing going on. Ash mentions being envious of their league position but it’s the spirit of the club, at the moment, that has me a little green.

    People often a go at us Gooners, saying how umpteen clubs would love to swap places with us and we should just be grateful but for most of us, it’s not specifically our league position or a few FA Cups in the cupboard but the fact that we stagnated for years, while other clubs caught up with and overtook us and that now we’re actually going backwards.

    Doesn’t matter how good your manager is or what you spend, so much depends on what your rivals are up to so, unlike Ash, I don’t think the silverware is essential – nice, but not essential. For me, the main thing is that your manager and club management are doing the best they can with the resources they have. After that, I don’t think we can really demand anything else.

    Bloggy, while there’s an obvious correlation between the money spent on players and success, I think it’s the wages that really tell the story. Sanchez is one example – we lost him for next to nothing because of poor management, not his market value. Kane and Alli are also good examples – cost you guys nothing but how much must they be worth now? If you had to replace them this summer, you gotta be talking upwards of £200m. But wages are different. I’m sure if either of those players moved to Barca or Madrid, they’d expect to be paid in line with the players already there but they seem happy at Spurs and that’s testiment to your club and the way it’s being managed. Levy deserves some credit too because while Poch might be keeping the players happy, it’s Levy who’s keeping Poch happy.

    Also completely agree about lack of spending not equalling lack of ambition. You guys are going through the same thing we did when we moved from Highbury and however much I loved that ground, it was a necessary move, as was the relative “austerity”. Saying that, the way our attendance figures are going, we probably should have stayed where we were!

    #1621778
    Shinehead4
    Shinehead4
    Participant
    • :

    Ash ,fully agree with all of that, Spurs need to win trophies end of. I have my doubts about us winning the league unless Enic sell up to a buyer who would invest in world class players and pay the mental money that those little darlings think they are worth.I have high hopes of the FA Cup this season and for me that would be a start.
    When we move in to the new stadium our revenue will double from that at WHL due to the increased capacity of 62,062 as well as increased pricing.
    I have one major fear, I am lucky enough to be in a position to pay top wack for a season ticket, but I know others who I first met 49 years ago who are struggling to pay the new prices.This sadly will lead to plastic fans with bulging wallets sitting where the real fans should be,you only have to look at what happened to the atmosphere at The Emirates,I would be gutted if that happened to Spurs.
    Will THFC and Poch go on to win things on a regular basis who knows ?? Cheers.

    #1621783
    Al The Gooner
    Al The Gooner
    Participant
    • :

    Shinehead, gotta disagree about trophies. Of course it’s what us fans want to see – our clubs winning trophies – but let’s be honest, however well we do, we have to rely on other clubs having off-seasons.

    Leicester fans will never forget that amazing season and can crow to pretty much everyone, apart from Chelski and City fans but, with all respect to them, it also took a lot of clubs performing badly too – something they had no control over. Could probably say the same about Atletico. I’m under no illusions that whoever replaces Wenger, no matter how good a manager he is, will never be able to guarantee us silverware because there will always be clubs with similar or better resources are competing for the same prizes.

    I mean if Pep decided to stay at City for another decade, there won’t be many clubs that get a look-in, regardless of how good their manager is.

    #1621791
    Shinehead4
    Shinehead4
    Participant
    • :

    WG ,yesterday’s prices ?? maybe not for your mob and do you know what I am so glad we don’t pay mental money to a bunch of mercenary’s.
    Al a really good post mate everything I wanted to say but better !!!

    #1621803
    Shinehead4
    Shinehead4
    Participant
    • :

    Al I agree with you, the league is defined by who has the money to buy and pay world class players.Arsenal, Spurs and to a lesser extent Liverpool’s success will governed by how much City, Utd and Chelsea decide to spend.If they spend big it will be all about 4th place and an occasional cup .

    #1621817
    Wonderfuel Gas
    Wonderfuel Gas
    Participant
    • :

    Not saying it is right shinehead and nor am I crowing about it….I think the wages we pay are beyond obscene. But I do reckon the likes of Kane and Erikssen at least will be offered at least double £175k a week this summer by the biggest clubs around Europe and I’m wondering aloud if that plus playing in a swanky new stadium will be enough to keep them? Hope so, got alot of time for Spurs and what they are doing but Poch could really do with winning the FA Cup this year.

    Also heard alot of Spurs lads saying exactly the same about the new ticket prices. Be a shame if your smart new ground got filled up of hoo-ray henry wankers and chipped away at your identity.

    #1621819
    shanksy
    shanksy
    Spectator
    • :

    So long as they don’t start serving prawn sandwiches and Prosecco they should be fine.

    #1621916
    Shinehead4
    Shinehead4
    Participant
    • :

    Shanksy , amen to that .

    #1621931
    roygbiv
    roygbiv
    Participant
    • :

    Tottenham players seem to be down to earth and aware of the fact that they’re yet to achieve anything. Too many footballers think they’re already superstars once they’ve signed their first professional contracts but Pocchetino has managed to keep them grounded as well as showing no mercy to those who aren’t willing to pull in the same direction. They’re yet to develop a real winning mentality but I think they’re getting closer.

    The question is will Kane, Alli and Eriksen stay forever if they aren’t winning trophies? Will the manager? He obviously has a connection with PSG and might be tempted if Real or maybe even United or City approached him in the future. He’s ruled out Barca and Arsenal but I’m sure most of other big clubs are following his progress.

    #1622226
    AshCFC
    AshCFC
    Participant
    • :

    Great shouts Shiny. I particularly agree re the trade off between high ticket prices and atmosphere. Every top team experiences the same I think.

    For me it would be disrespectful to say that a club as big as Spurs should be happy with the relative success of a consistent top four finish. I’m betting Pochettino, the players, and every die hard Spurs fan want only first place when they start the season these days.

    I do understand those who appreciate the current balance where things are exciting yet still uncomplicated by the really big money. I remember Chelsea in the late nineties with Gullit, Vialli, Zola etc. and a few FA Cup wins. It was magical yet still raw.

    But at the end of the day I don’t think you can stay content with that. You have to keep progressing or you end up actually slipping back. For Tottenham the summit is in sight and they must go for it.

    #1622254
    mwake
    mwake
    Participant
    • :

    Banjo – Interesting to hear about the automatic wage increases. I thought Spurs would be prey to losing some stars in the next two years but that forward planning sounds like smart business. Spurs are similar to my team Liverpool in many ways, we make a few steps forward only to get star players picked off by the top tier teams. Both Spurs and Liverpool have been great at developing talent in recent years. I hope both teams can break the stranglehold the mega rich teams have.

    #1622368
    banjo_chuckers
    banjo_chuckers
    Participant
    • :

    mwake… just what I heard cyber chum, along with the small matter of my Spuds also paying some of the largest win/goal bonuses around… for those who actually play. Putting their money where their mouth is so to speak. Have heard (which off course doesn’t mean it’s true!), Super Harry has made will over 10 mil for the last couple of years and is why Danny-boy Levy never looks happy when Harry gets a hat-trick!

    Also heard it’s a “Poncho Policy” that every Tuesday, all the players (I mean all!) meet up at somebody’s house for a “social night” (matches permitting off course) to help with team bonding…

    Personally, I reckon Toby and Rose are off this year, but that will be all this summer.

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