Benoît Assou-Ekotto calls on Tottenham's owners to fight to keep leading players at White Hart Lane
Tottenham defender Benoît Assou-Ekotto has warned that the club must keep their leading players or risk “ending up like Aston Villa”.
Leap of faith: Spurs' Benoît Assou-Ekotto has called on the club to back their ambition
The French-born Cameroon international singled out Villa as an example of a club failing to show enough ambition to compete at the highest level. His comments are likely to cause consternation at Villa Park, where the owner, Randy Lerner, has been criticised by a section of supporters for not pumping more money into the club.
Villa have lost several prominent players in recent seasons: James Milner was sold to Manchester City, Stewart Downing left for Liverpool and Ashley Young was bought by Manchester United, for a combined income of £63million.
In contrast, Tottenham successfully fended off an attempt from Chelsea to sign playmaker Luka Modric in the summer, while the Wales international Gareth Bale also remained at White Hart Lane, despite attracting interest from some of Europe’s elite clubs.
Assou-Ekotto, 27, believes Spurs must retain that hard-line stance if they are to realise their ambition of becoming regulars in the Champions League.
“There’s a lot to be excited about at Spurs now with the new training ground and maybe a new stadium,” he said. “It feels like the future could be really good for the fans but if the players don’t stay, we could end up like Aston Villa.
Fair comment I think.
Truth hurts when we see in black and white how most of football sees us.
Assou-Ekotto might be right, but I bet he'll be looking for an exit sign too if Spurs don't make the CL this season, and suddenly Bale, VDV, Defoe, Modric all decide Spurs aren't good enough anymore.Maybe he will. But whether they ultimately do or not, at the very least he'll see them having a damn good go.
This is why I'm so depressed about Villa at the moment.
Alex Mcleish is a second rate manager, with second rate tactics, we are now just a Bolton, Wigan, West Brom level club.
Assou-Ekotto might be right, but I bet he'll be looking for an exit sign too if Spurs don't make the CL this season, and suddenly Bale, VDV, Defoe, Modric all decide Spurs aren't good enough anymore.Maybe he will. But whether they ultimately do or not, at the very least he'll see them having a damn good go.
Assou-Ekotto might be right, but I bet he'll be looking for an exit sign too if Spurs don't make the CL this season, and suddenly Bale, VDV, Defoe, Modric all decide Spurs aren't good enough anymore.Maybe he will. But whether they ultimately do or not, at the very least he'll see them having a damn good go.
unfortunately, as we've found out, having a damn good go isn't always enough. You have to have a go, and keep having a go and stay there for the players to stay there, and hope that much bigger cats don't prey on you along the way.
No, but it's still better than not even trying.Assou-Ekotto might be right, but I bet he'll be looking for an exit sign too if Spurs don't make the CL this season, and suddenly Bale, VDV, Defoe, Modric all decide Spurs aren't good enough anymore.Maybe he will. But whether they ultimately do or not, at the very least he'll see them having a damn good go.
unfortunately, as we've found out, having a damn good go isn't always enough.
Says the player who openly admitted that he only plays for the money!
Indeed.Says the player who openly admitted that he only plays for the money!
Is that much different from most if us though, as long as he does his job well does it really matter?
What this player is really saying, though I doubt he has the intelligence to know the full implications of what he was saying, is you will finish up like Aston Villa (who are going through a period of retrenchment ahead of uncertain economic times).Yes.
If I owned a premiership club at the moment my first priority would be to see that the club can survive the economic firestorm which is blowing across europe.
Italy has a national debt of 1.7 trillion dollars. What do you think is going to happen to Inter and Juve and Roma if Germany turns off the bail out tap? And if Italy goes Spain will be right next in line. Cesc Fabregas would be left dreaming of those golden days when his salary cheque did not bounce.
Players like Assou-Ekotto can holds forth like Joey Barton reading a volume of Pam Ayres poetry about clubs and ambition but what he really wants is the gravy train to keep on rolling.
And the hits just keep on coming.
Didn't Scholes have a pop at us during the summer too?
Maybe we are entering a lengthy period of transition/ regression.
Maybe - like Tottingham have done for many, many seasons since the 60's- we'll find a nice, comfy position in mid-table and make it our own. Who knows?
But a player who is a long way from being World class might want to wind his neck in a bit. He could end up at Sunderland, Everton or even -shock!- Aston Villa in little over 12 months. Stranger things have happened.
Cant realy argue with him, Randy either looks at getting new investment onboard, or it will be Bannon, Albrighton and Bent next summer, because they are the only players that would command a decent fee.
Cant realy argue with him, Randy either looks at getting new investment onboard, or it will be Bannon, Albrighton and Bent next summer, because they are the only players that would command a decent fee.
Decent fee for Albrighton? Have you seen the guy play in the last 12 months? The only member of the squad who we'd get more than £10M for now is Bent.
I think he referred to us as 'a half-assed place that used to be famous'.
I think he referred to us as 'a half-assed place that used to be famous'.
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Isn't that kind of what ass ekotto is saying here?
What this player is really saying, though I doubt he has the intelligence to know the full implications of what he was saying, is you will finish up like Aston Villa (who are going through a period of retrenchment ahead of uncertain economic times).excellent post brian. my sisters father in law(slightly tenuous) works for a big oil firm in london and he reckons if an oil field catches fire that could be the collapse of the UAE and so the end of Man city. isnt dubai having problems maintaining their wealth? the way the economies are in the world could randy be totally correct for tightening the purse strings? i dont know the answer.
If I owned a premiership club at the moment my first priority would be to see that the club can survive the economic firestorm which is blowing across europe.
Italy has a national debt of 1.7 trillion dollars. What do you think is going to happen to Inter and Juve and Roma if Germany turns off the bail out tap? And if Italy goes Spain will be right next in line. Cesc Fabregas would be left dreaming of those golden days when his salary cheque did not bounce.
Players like Assou-Ekotto can holds forth like Joey Barton reading a volume of Pam Ayres poetry about clubs and ambition but what he really wants is the gravy train to keep on rolling.
Dubai has nothing at all to do with Man City. Abu Dhabi does, and there is so much wealth there that all of our dreams of them leaving City high and dry are just that, dreams. It won't happen.
Dubai has nothing at all to do with Man City. Abu Dhabi does, and there is so much wealth there that all of our dreams of them leaving City high and dry are just that, dreams. It won't happen.sorry quoted wrong place, still fragile economies
Can't argue with anything that he's quoted as saying.
Spurs hung onto their best players, whereas Villa sold two of their's
Can't argue with anything that he's quoted as saying.
Spurs hung onto their best players, whereas Villa sold two of their's
This time they did but in recent times they've sold Berbatov, Carrick etc and unless something remarkable happens Bale and Modric will also leave.
Dubai has nothing at all to do with Man City. Abu Dhabi does, and there is so much wealth there that all of our dreams of them leaving City high and dry are just that, dreams. It won't happen.sorry quoted wrong place, still fragile economies
Can't argue with anything that he's quoted as saying.
Spurs hung onto their best players, whereas Villa sold two of their's
This time they did but in recent times they've sold Berbatov, Carrick etc and unless something remarkable happens Bale and Modric will also leave.
Can't argue with anything that he's quoted as saying.
Spurs hung onto their best players, whereas Villa sold two of their's
This time they did but in recent times they've sold Berbatov, Carrick etc and unless something remarkable happens Bale and Modric will also leave.
Carrick has been at Man U for 5 years now. They have sold some decent players, but not as many as we have in as short a time. They've largely been better at replacing them as well.
It is not a question of the economy of Abu Dhabi collapsing, it is a question of it taking flight. There is a lot of purring and mutual back patting going on about the is so called "arab spring". If the civil unrest spreads to the really big centres of oil wealth, especially Saudi Arabia, the ruling families will scatter, taking their money with them. They will want their multi billion dollar nest eggs invested in something more secure than football clubs.
Can't argue with anything that he's quoted as saying.
Spurs hung onto their best players, whereas Villa sold two of their's
This time they did but in recent times they've sold Berbatov, Carrick etc and unless something remarkable happens Bale and Modric will also leave.
Carrick has been at Man U for 5 years now. They have sold some decent players, but not as many as we have in as short a time. They've largely been better at replacing them as well.
Can't argue with anything that he's quoted as saying.
Spurs hung onto their best players, whereas Villa sold two of their's
This time they did but in recent times they've sold Berbatov, Carrick etc and unless something remarkable happens Bale and Modric will also leave.
Carrick has been at Man U for 5 years now. They have sold some decent players, but not as many as we have in as short a time. They've largely been better at replacing them as well.
That's true. Tottenham lose their top players as well, but at least they reinvest the cash back into the team. We certainly don't.
Can't argue with anything that he's quoted as saying.
Spurs hung onto their best players, whereas Villa sold two of their's
This time they did but in recent times they've sold Berbatov, Carrick etc and unless something remarkable happens Bale and Modric will also leave.
Carrick has been at Man U for 5 years now. They have sold some decent players, but not as many as we have in as short a time. They've largely been better at replacing them as well.
That's true. Tottenham lose their top players as well, but at least they reinvest the cash back into the team. We certainly don't.
That's not strictly true, in recent years we've signed Milner, Downing and Bent after selling players. Even this year when we're cutting back we've spent decent money on NZogbia.
They've now decided that they need to put the wages in order so we're having to live within our means. Spurs sell out every week and charge higher prices, how do you suggest we match them?
We have paid the top wages and big transfer fees, it's just that for the most part we've paid them to the likes of Heskey and Beye and spent it on the likes of Davies rather than players who would help us improve as a team. it's not that our turnover is particularly low, it's that we've wasted a silly amount of money on crap players.
We have paid the top wages and big transfer fees, it's just that for the most part we've paid them to the likes of Heskey and Beye and spent it on the likes of Davies rather than players who would help us improve as a team. it's not that our turnover is particularly low, it's that we've wasted a silly amount of money on crap players.
Bingo.
The claim that you can't compete with your neighbours is somewhat hollow if you're doing your weekly shopping in Harrods food hall.
I remember when we were signing dross like Heskey and Harewood, people on here were sneering at foreign show ponies of the likes of Modric.
Spurs turned down 40m for Modric in the last window. We, on the other hand, couldn't wait to cash in on Stewart Downing at 20m (and pocket the money), and had a director of our club asking (on VT) "if the club can get 20m for a player, I do not understand why any fan would want us not to do that"
That says it all.
Assou-Ekotto is dead right. We've consistently sold our best players, and this time not bothered replacing them, and as a result, we're fading away.
Over the period Lerner was throwing money at O'Neill, the whole venture was so badly planned and abysmally run that it was effectively "shit or bust" - with the result that we are now clawing back the money so desperately that the only manager we could get to take on the job was Alex McLeish.
How many of us would have believed that a year ago?
We had Downing, Young and Bent in the side last season and still crowds dipped so that argument doesn't really stack up. There's a hardcore of about 30k who will turn up every week but in the current economic climate we can't rely on much more.
We have paid the top wages and big transfer fees, it's just that for the most part we've paid them to the likes of Heskey and Beye and spent it on the likes of Davies rather than players who would help us improve as a team. it's not that our turnover is particularly low, it's that we've wasted a silly amount of money on crap players.
Bingo.
The claim that you can't compete with your neighbours is somewhat hollow if you're doing your weekly shopping in Harrods food hall.
I remember when we were signing dross like Heskey and Harewood, people on here were sneering at foreign show ponies of the likes of Modric.
Spurs turned down 40m for Modric in the last window. We, on the other hand, couldn't wait to cash in on Stewart Downing at 20m (and pocket the money), and had a director of our club asking (on VT) "if the club can get 20m for a player, I do not understand why any fan would want us not to do that"
That says it all.
Assou-Ekotto is dead right. We've consistently sold our best players, and this time not bothered replacing them, and as a result, we're fading away.
Over the period Lerner was throwing money at O'Neill, the whole venture was so badly planned and abysmally run that it was effectively "shit or bust" - with the result that we are now clawing back the money so desperately that the only manager we could get to take on the job was Alex McLeish.
How many of us would have believed that a year ago?
Yep it leaves a bitter taste him saying it, but he's pretty much bang on.
We had Downing, Young and Bent in the side last season and still crowds dipped so that argument doesn't really stack up. There's a hardcore of about 30k who will turn up every week but in the current economic climate we can't rely on much more.
Last season we averaged 37,194. The season before that it was 38,573, so it dropped 1,400 or so.
This season we've averaged what, about 31,000? And that including two games against local rivals, one of which was 8,000 down on last year.
Last year was a horrible season by and large, and you're right, the economy is playing a part, but the economy was bollocksed last year as well. It isn't as if this downturn suddenly happened over the summer.
We had Downing, Young and Bent in the side last season and still crowds dipped so that argument doesn't really stack up. There's a hardcore of about 30k who will turn up every week but in the current economic climate we can't rely on much more.
Last season we averaged 37,194. The season before that it was 38,573, so it dropped 1,400 or so.
This season we've averaged what, about 31,000? And that including two games against local rivals, one of which was 8,000 down on last year.
Last year was a horrible season by and large, and you're right, the economy is playing a part, but the economy was bollocksed last year as well. It isn't as if this downturn suddenly happened over the summer.
Crowds are back to how they were before MON and Randy arrived after peaking 3 years ago.
When Redknapp joined spurs he apparently asked that he had sole control of transfers. No further comment except to say their purchases have been a lot less imaginative since the likes of Comoli and Arnesen left.
Villa desperately need to get someone within the framework of the club who can find players like Berbatov and Modric.
Villa desperately need to get someone within the framework of the club who can find players like Berbatov and Modric.
Villa desperately need to get someone within the framework of the club who can find players like Berbatov and Modric.
Kendrick tweeted this morning that one of the players Houllier wanted to get in had he stayed was Cabaye.
He's clearly not at the level of Berbatov or Modric yet, but that's the sort of imagination in the transfer market we haven't had for ages.
I agree with you a lot of the time brian, but not where Makoun is concerned. I don't think he's very good at all.
I agree with you a lot of the time brian, but not where Makoun is concerned. I don't think he's very good at all.
Was he ever really given a chance?
I agree with you a lot of the time brian, but not where Makoun is concerned. I don't think he's very good at all.
Was he ever really given a chance?
I agree with you a lot of the time brian, but not where Makoun is concerned. I don't think he's very good at all.
Was he ever really given a chance?
Maybe he didn't show enough in training to be given a chance.
Among the new players we'd be seeing this year had Houllier stayed would be the replacement for Gabby. He might have had good ideas about how the game should be played but the bloke had the man management skills of Joseph Stalin.
Brian, I'm basing it on Gabby's comments about being unhappy with Houllier and that he considered leaving.
He didn't seem to rate the player and might have seen it as a way of funding his own signings.
Truth hurts when we see in black and white how most of football sees us.
Most of them went for pretty modest fees (by English standards). Spahic went for 2 million Euros, Cabaye closer to 4 million et.c
I don't give a shit what this guy says. Anyone who plays for Tottingham automatically becomes persona non grata for me anyway;
I don't give a shit what this guy says. Anyone who plays for Tottingham automatically becomes persona non grata for me anyway;
Agree.
The fawning over Spurs for the last few days has been back to it's usual sickening best. They beat QPR at home, that's QPR , not Barcelona, not Real Madrid, not even anyone half decent.
Walker blossomed with us on his watch too. Shame Spurs seem to be getting the benefit of that.
I don't give a shit what this guy says. Anyone who plays for Tottingham automatically becomes persona non grata for me anyway;
Agree.
The fawning over Spurs for the last few days has been back to it's usual sickening best. They beat QPR at home, that's QPR , not Barcelona, not Real Madrid, not even anyone half decent.
Well, they've just also beaten Arsenal and Liverpool if that makes it any easier to stand. They're better than us in pretty well every department, on and off the pitch, sad to say.
Walker blossomed with us on his watch too. Shame Spurs seem to be getting the benefit of that.
I agree with most of the thinking about Houllier and the potential advantages we may have had in terms of incoming talent, but comments like this one above always make me laugh. It seems to conveniently ignore the fact that he is a Spurs player for whom they padi money for. I think it was Villa who got the benefit of being able to play him for a year. Spurs bought the 'benefit' or the priviledge to play him after all. I know we're all fans, but do we have to be such one-eyed and jingoistic fans of Villa?
Well if we assume that we spent the best part of £10m on N'Zogbia and are paying substantial wages for him and for Jenas on loan, I'm pretty certain the total outlay for those two is considerably more than it would have cost us for Cabaye and say, Drenthe on loan.Most of them went for pretty modest fees (by English standards). Spahic went for 2 million Euros, Cabaye closer to 4 million et.c
That's assuming that we could afford those players, and that they'd have wanted to play for us.
Houllier severely rocked the boat and pissed off a number of players but his philosophy has seen him succeed as a manager over his career. Players come and go, even the really loyal ones like Gabby. Personally I'd rather be left with the memories of trophies and achievement than anyone player. I liked the way we were starting to play, the players we we were linked with and the fact he was very keen on bringing through the kids. Shame we didn't see the end result.
This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as it comes from a Houllier 'supporter', but apparently the Frenchman was 'shocked' to find that the attitudes and culture at Villa Park in 2010 was largely the same as that at Anfield in 1999.
I agree with Kevin Gage, Houllier was the right idea but not necessarily the right man. And I don't agree that the football we played was shit. It was inconsistent, but in glimpses we played some of the best I've seen Villa play for years. More of that would have been nice. As mentioned by someone else on another thread, if all we can is float along, at least let's play some decent football.
This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as it comes from a Houllier 'supporter', but apparently the Frenchman was 'shocked' to find that the attitudes and culture at Villa Park in 2010 was largely the same as that at Anfield in 1999.
I agree with Kevin Gage, Houllier was the right idea but not necessarily the right man. And I don't agree that the football we played was shit. It was inconsistent, but in glimpses we played some of the best I've seen Villa play for years. More of that would have been nice. As mentioned by someone else on another thread, if all we can is float along, at least let's play some decent football.
What games were they then Eigentor? We were absolute gash for almost the entire year, and the theory about Houllier improving our football is as much of an ideological fantasy as is the idea that he was excellent in the transfer market and would bring us lots of exciting foreign talent.
This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as it comes from a Houllier 'supporter', but apparently the Frenchman was 'shocked' to find that the attitudes and culture at Villa Park in 2010 was largely the same as that at Anfield in 1999.
I agree with Kevin Gage, Houllier was the right idea but not necessarily the right man. And I don't agree that the football we played was shit. It was inconsistent, but in glimpses we played some of the best I've seen Villa play for years. More of that would have been nice. As mentioned by someone else on another thread, if all we can is float along, at least let's play some decent football.
What games were they then Eigentor? We were absolute gash for almost the entire year, and the theory about Houllier improving our football is as much of an ideological fantasy as is the idea that he was excellent in the transfer market and would bring us lots of exciting foreign talent.
The defence was rubbish, but we at least spent a decent part of the season trying to pass the ball around a bit, to play the game.
It's also a bit fair to slate his transfer policy or judge it as home biased when he only had one January window, and almost all the money went on the player who eventually kept us up.
This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as it comes from a Houllier 'supporter', but apparently the Frenchman was 'shocked' to find that the attitudes and culture at Villa Park in 2010 was largely the same as that at Anfield in 1999.
I agree with Kevin Gage, Houllier was the right idea but not necessarily the right man. And I don't agree that the football we played was shit. It was inconsistent, but in glimpses we played some of the best I've seen Villa play for years. More of that would have been nice. As mentioned by someone else on another thread, if all we can is float along, at least let's play some decent football.
What games were they then Eigentor? We were absolute gash for almost the entire year, and the theory about Houllier improving our football is as much of an ideological fantasy as is the idea that he was excellent in the transfer market and would bring us lots of exciting foreign talent.
Looking back I'd say that Hoillier tried to make players perform in a style to which they weren't suited and it was only when he returned to a more familiar way of playing that results improved.Just shows the limitations of the players we have, who are on stupid money, but are average. Thanks Mon.
Looking back I'd say that Hoillier tried to make players perform in a style to which they weren't suited and it was only when he returned to a more familiar way of playing that results improved.Just shows the limitations of the players we have, who are on stupid money, but are average. Thanks Mon.