Emi Martinez

[LeonW]

It’s in context to what he is looking at as a player in his career, not what you or I are looking right now in terms of the table. So in that sense Spurs isn’t substantially better. If you look at the table then playing for Fulham is better than playing for Villa right now.

Spurs are on a different level entirely to us, not just now but over the last several years.

Pretending otherwise is just nuts. And I don't like admitting it, but they are. It's not just some freak 'well, they're having an exceptional season' Fulham thing.

This club has not finished in the top half of the PL for the last 12 years, and wasn't even in it for 3 of those years.

Not only are they operating in a different league to us, they're also the subject of immense amounts of media love-in, whereas we have become an irrelevance.

And were in a champions league final not so long ago. Gritted teeth but I agree with where Spurs are operating compared to us. Although them joining the European super league was akin to Bananaman trying to join the Avengers.

[pauliewalnuts]

Their fans are currently up in arms because they're only 5th.

We're setting ourselves the target of finishing in the top half and retrospectively inventing good reasons not to have strengthened in the last transfer window.

We tell ourselves and anyone who will listen that we are a big club, but big clubs ACT like big clubs. We just don't do that, and if we want to change how we are perceived by others, or if we want those boasts not to sound like hollow nonsense. then we are going to have to actually show it - be big, not just talk like we are.

I know I am banging on a bit about this but I am just so sick of it always being 'next window' or 'next season' whilst most of my life passes by.

[Sexual Ealing]

Remember when we had that branding exercise in the Lerner/Lambert era that was essentially us just shouting "we are a big club!", having signed Bowery, Bacuna, Tonev et al?!

They were great days.

[pauliewalnuts]

Remember that slightly weird season ticket pack they sent out with that DVD with loads of military music as the backing track?

[Dave]

Spurs don’t offer anything substantially better than what he has with us.

Of course they do - they're in the European places most years or at the very least competing for them.

We're in the bottom half of the table, midway at best most years.

If he just wants European football then he could join any number of clubs in Europe. But at this stage he’s not settling for Europa League which is at best where Spurs will end up. And they will likely boot their manager yet again, and more than likely sell Harry Kane. So going into next season it’s probably better, but if you’re Emi Martinez, WC winner, desiring CL football, are you going to Tottenham?

I didn't say he'd go to Spurs, I took issue with the suggestion they don't offer anything 'substantially better' than we do. That's absolute nonsense as a quick look at the table will tell you.

Europa League is also significantly better than mid table mediocrity.

It’s in context to what he is looking at as a player in his career, not what you or I are looking right now in terms of the table. So in that sense Spurs isn’t substantially better. If you look at the table then playing for Fulham is better than playing for Villa right now.

The bigger issue is that playing for Villa isn't really any better than playing for Fulham right now.

Which is why it's rather annoying we've decided to waste the last 18 months, and the last time we had the chance to rectify that wasted time we decided that we couldn't be bothered.

[aj2k77]

He will be off and so will Kamara and anyone else with realistic ambitions to win anything because we never move forwards at a quick enough pace for the modern game. Jam tomorrow.

[Toronto Villa]

Spurs don’t offer anything substantially better than what he has with us.

Of course they do - they're in the European places most years or at the very least competing for them.

We're in the bottom half of the table, midway at best most years.

If he just wants European football then he could join any number of clubs in Europe. But at this stage he’s not settling for Europa League which is at best where Spurs will end up. And they will likely boot their manager yet again, and more than likely sell Harry Kane. So going into next season it’s probably better, but if you’re Emi Martinez, WC winner, desiring CL football, are you going to Tottenham?

I didn't say he'd go to Spurs, I took issue with the suggestion they don't offer anything 'substantially better' than we do. That's absolute nonsense as a quick look at the table will tell you.

Europa League is also significantly better than mid table mediocrity.

It’s in context to what he is looking at as a player in his career, not what you or I are looking right now in terms of the table. So in that sense Spurs isn’t substantially better. If you look at the table then playing for Fulham is better than playing for Villa right now.

The bigger issue is that playing for Villa isn't really any better than playing for Fulham right now.

Which is why it's rather annoying we've decided to waste the last 18 months, and the last time we had the chance to rectify that wasted time we decided that we couldn't be bothered.

There is no doubt the Gerrard experiment was an unmitigated disaster. The good news we hope is that we should, IF we do it right, be able to accelerate past the likes of Fulham and stay the course.

IF

[PaulWinch again]

I just find it kind of surprising that some people admit the next window is key, and seem convinced we’ll do what we need to do. We have a hell of a lot of work to do and we’ve got a catalogue of evidence to show we consistently don’t make that step. Maybe we’ll buck that trend, I hope we do, but it’s going to take a big shift and we made it harder by chucking it in in January. Even if it doesn’t materially change the mindset of players like Emi, it certainly can’t help.

[Toronto Villa]

I think Newcastle have shown it can be done. We don’t have bad players. We have shown overall since Emery’s arrival that we have players that can play well above what we’ve seen thus far. Losing last weekend shouldn’t shake us to the core. We made 4 bad errors in a game that overall we played really well in and should have won. So coached well, set up with thought and good tactics, should provide the basis for success in most games we play. Add in a few very good players and we will be better against all sides and hopefully make less errors.

[Meanwood Villa]

He will be off and so will Kamara and anyone else with realistic ambitions to win anything because we never move forwards at a quick enough pace for the modern game. Jam tomorrow.

Sadly this is where I am.

[Dave]

I think Newcastle have shown it can be done.

Well, yes. When they had the opportunity they chucked £70m at the two massive holes in their team so that they got much better, and jumped half a dozen places in the league in the second half of the season.

That's not really the route we've chosen.

[Meanwood Villa]

Remember that slightly weird season ticket pack they sent out with that DVD with loads of military music as the backing track?

I found that recently while moving house. Didn't watch the DVD (maybe I should) but there was a letter from the CEO of the time saying we'd be in the Champions' League soon. 'Twas ever thus.

[Toronto Villa]

I think Newcastle have shown it can be done.

Well, yes. When they had the opportunity they chucked £70m at the two massive holes in their team so that they got much better, and jumped half a dozen places in the league in the second half of the season.

That's not really the route we've chosen.

Not yet. Guimares was an excellent Jan buy last year. Isak joined in the summer. Gordon just now and I have no idea if he’s worth £45m. They’d added astutely across two windows with a settled back room staff. It’s way too early to know for sure if we got it completely wrong all because of one window where we probably should have been a bit more aggressive.

Now, if by end of August our net spend isn’t significant then we will have fucked things up. There will be no excuses this summer not to seriously improve the what we have. And I think amongst the biggest changes we will see is Lange being replaced by someone Emery wants in that role.

[Stu]

Their fans are currently up in arms because they're only 5th.

We're setting ourselves the target of finishing in the top half and retrospectively inventing good reasons not to have strengthened in the last transfer window.

We tell ourselves and anyone who will listen that we are a big club, but big clubs ACT like big clubs. We just don't do that, and if we want to change how we are perceived by others, or if we want those boasts not to sound like hollow nonsense. then we are going to have to actually show it - be big, not just talk like we are.

I know I am banging on a bit about this but I am just so sick of it always being 'next window' or 'next season' whilst most of my life passes by.

I’ve given hoping we’ll win a trophy again in my lifetime. I just plod on now taking each match as it comes, and if something good happens then fantastic. Never hope. Hope is a lie.

[Dave]

I think Newcastle have shown it can be done.

Well, yes. When they had the opportunity they chucked £70m at the two massive holes in their team so that they got much better, and jumped half a dozen places in the league in the second half of the season.

That's not really the route we've chosen.

Not yet. Guimares was an excellent Jan buy last year. Isak joined in the summer. Gordon just now and I have no idea if he’s worth £45m. They’d added astutely across two windows with a settled back room staff. It’s way too early to know for sure if we got it completely wrong all because of one window where we probably should have been a bit more aggressive.

Sure. It's not impossible that Bailey, Watkins and Traore score twenty goals between them and we finish sixth.  Stranger things have happened.

But in the world where that doesn't happen and we finish somewhere between 9th and 13th, we're never going to look back at January '23 and say "not buying the players we needed back then is where it all started to go right".

Our version of Newcastle's previous January is where we don't talk to that pretty Guimares girl because she might laugh if we try to kiss her, and saying that we won't win the league with Chris Wood and he might be £2m cheaper in the summer anyway so why bother buying him now?