Summer business catching up on Jol

[Matt]

Is this the point when we can say that we didn't do that well in the Summer window?

We replaced Dempsey in Berbatov but except for the sicknote Ruiz that has stepped up we still lack of creativity in midfield after losing Dembele and Murphy.

Jol's ideas last season about a young squad with potential to be at it's best in a couple of seasons seem to be long gone looking at the rather old squad. Has he changed his views on how to take the club forward?

[Lighthouse]

I have been saying this since the close of the window. Jol clearly wanted three or four players that the club couldn't get and so Jol has been messing about trying to fill the positions with make weight players. Again it was clear that we would struggle with the loss of a few players through injury. I still maintain it is a poor squad with little depth.

However we just have to come to terms with a team that this season needs to work not to be drawn into any relegation battle. The teams good start tended to camouflage our problems to some of us.

[Berserker]

I have been saying this since the close of the window. Jol clearly wanted three or four players that the club couldn't get and so Jol has been messing about trying to fill the positions with make weight players. Again it was clear that we would struggle with the loss of a few players through injury. I still maintain it is a poor squad with little depth.

However we just have to come to terms with a team that this season needs to work not to be drawn into any relegation battle. The teams good start tended to camouflage our problems to some of us.

Yep agree with this

[Matt]

I have been saying this since the close of the window. Jol clearly wanted three or four players that the club couldn't get and so Jol has been messing about trying to fill the positions with make weight players. Again it was clear that we would struggle with the loss of a few players through injury. I still maintain it is a poor squad with little depth.

However we just have to come to terms with a team that this season needs to work not to be drawn into any relegation battle. The teams good start tended to camouflage our problems to some of us.

Yep agree with this

Agree as well. But what to expect from Jol in January? First thing I would've done, being aware of Dembele's clause and Spurs interest, would've been lining up a +£10m for a replacement...

[God The Mechanic]

I have been saying this since the close of the window. Jol clearly wanted three or four players that the club couldn't get and so Jol has been messing about trying to fill the positions with make weight players. Again it was clear that we would struggle with the loss of a few players through injury. I still maintain it is a poor squad with little depth.

However we just have to come to terms with a team that this season needs to work not to be drawn into any relegation battle. The teams good start tended to camouflage our problems to some of us.

Yep agree with this

Agree as well. But what to expect from Jol in January? First thing I would've done, being aware of Dembele's clause and Spurs interest, would've been lining up a +£10m for a replacement...

How easy do you think transfers are?  If you line up a £10m+ replacement for a player that may not leave, then the selling club equally has to line up a replacement before selling.  That's three players being involved in a transfer at the very least, totalling around £25-30m.  And if there's interest from other clubs in the player we're interested in, you can't really go... "woah dude... we may possibly be interested in signing you if we lose a player who may or may not be leaving.  Fancy sticking around?"  From the sounds of it there was interest, but Dembele wasn't necessarily interested in leaving at first.

[Matt]

Isn't that how the transfer windows work? Managers being a step ahead with the replacements if our players are acquired by other clubs. Please don't tell me it was news that Dempsay and Dembele weren't on the shortlist for many clubs. Jol failed with two things, replacing our key players (but Dempsey) and keeping the squad young. Summer was a step back during his days in charge.

[Jambo]

Definitely catching up with us, not sure it's Jol's fault though.  We seem to wait as late as possible to get the best deal and when 3 or 4 deals don't come off we find ourselves in this situation.  We are a well run club but during the summer window we really missed a trick.  Poor.

[Peabody]

So is this the start of making MJ the new scapegoat then?

[Matt]

So is this the start of making MJ the new scapegoat then?

Definitely not, leaving that to the "Jol Out Brigade". Different thing in saying that he failed in the transfer window though and has an important set of games coming up before his chance to repair that.

[jarv]

The Dems hurt Fulham but not sure Dempsey would have repeated last season and Dembele gets injured quite a bit. Neither have set Tottenham alight so far.

The problem is not the summer transfers, the problem is the DEFENCE and KEEPER. Simply put, the 4 points dropped at Reading and Southampton were HUGE. (Sunderland and spuds didn't help much either). That makes a total of 10 points dropped which should never have happened. Maybe 2 or 3 but not 10.

The team are still playing well so we can hope they hit a decent run in the next few games. The fixtures look winnable in the next 6 or 7 games. Lets get those lost 10 points back and all will be well.

[Bassey the warrior]

In terms of money spent it was very good business. Unfortunately Jol just didn't get any money which is disappointing. As has been repeated many times Jol doesn't carry out the transfer negotiations, he just chooses his targets. So he can't really take the blame.

[Burt]

Would we still be having this debate if we had held on to beat Southampton and Reading? Those extra 4 points would have given us one of our strongest starts to a season.

Such is the thin line between perceived success, and a looming crisis.

[domprague]

So West Brom went fourth... and then lost twice in a row. Everton looked good and are now the only team to have lost to Reading. Spuds stuffed West Ham who then beat Chelsea.
For the past few seasons teams have had good runs, been talked up and then hit a bad run. That's true of us, too.
Defence and a creative midfielder are indeed our specific problems.

[BestOfBrede]

So West Brom went fourth... and then lost twice in a row. Everton looked good and are now the only team to have lost to Reading. Spuds stuffed West Ham who then beat Chelsea.
For the past few seasons teams have had good runs, been talked up and then hit a bad run. That's true of us, too.
Defence and a creative midfielder are indeed our specific problems.

:plus one:

[Harold Shand]

The Dems hurt Fulham but not sure Dempsey would have repeated last season and Dembele gets injured quite a bit. Neither have set Tottenham alight so far.

The problem is not the summer transfers, the problem is the DEFENCE and KEEPER. Simply put, the 4 points dropped at Reading and Southampton were HUGE. (Sunderland and spuds didn't help much either). That makes a total of 10 points dropped which should never have happened. Maybe 2 or 3 but not 10.

The team are still playing well so we can hope they hit a decent run in the next few games. The fixtures look winnable in the next 6 or 7 games. Lets get those lost 10 points back and all will be well.

Is this the same Dembele who has been man of the match for most of the games he's played for Spurs ?

[Bassey the warrior]

Isn't that how the transfer windows work? Managers being a step ahead with the replacements if our players are acquired by other clubs. Please don't tell me it was news that Dempsay and Dembele weren't on the shortlist for many clubs. Jol failed with two things, replacing our key players (but Dempsey) and keeping the squad young. Summer was a step back during his days in charge.

He had players on the list, it's just that the money came in so late that we couldn't finalise deals for replacements.
Berba is Dempsey's replacement. We made bids for a few players to replace Dembele apparently. Jol's job of choosing replacements was done.

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

We don't really know how these deals get done or fall through, do we?

It was reported that we had several players at Motspur Park on deadline day so it sounds as though Jol had plans in place. The deals couldn't be completed for whatever reasons: medicals, fees, wages, chains of transfers, etc..

And just as you might complain that we lost Dembele and the other midfielder at the last moment we also snatched Berbatov away from the two Italian clubs.

[EJL]

The Dems hurt Fulham but not sure Dempsey would have repeated last season and Dembele gets injured quite a bit. Neither have set Tottenham alight so far.

The problem is not the summer transfers, the problem is the DEFENCE and KEEPER. Simply put, the 4 points dropped at Reading and Southampton were HUGE. (Sunderland and spuds didn't help much either). That makes a total of 10 points dropped which should never have happened. Maybe 2 or 3 but not 10.

The team are still playing well so we can hope they hit a decent run in the next few games. The fixtures look winnable in the next 6 or 7 games. Lets get those lost 10 points back and all will be well.

Is this the same Dembele who has been man of the match for most of the games he's played for Spurs ?

Wasn't fantastic on Saturday, but yeah, you're right, he's been brilliant so far for Spurs.

[MJG]

The summer looked fine until 48 hours before the window finished. You could argue he should have backups in place but it all happened pretty fast.
Hence the two freebes we picked up in midfield which was a needs must move.

[CH FFC]

I for one still feel that with the time and resources available he has done a good job, especially regarding transfers.  He has picked up some good players for low or even free.  Yes these players were a short term fix to the situation, but he does not have the luxury of getting every player he wants either.  We have no idea how many people he courted, and contacted. 
Do not think that he does not have back ups either, so if his first pick does not work....well he may not find out for a few hours that for whatever reason that will not work.  In which case he can then go to his next pick, and so on. 
Point is, he has done extremely well in the transfer window, and another thing that people are not thinking about.  He has brought in some top youth talent, which means he is planning for the future. 

I still feel we have enough talent available, I do not feel we are "weak"...perhaps some of the players are more inconsistent? 

One other thing that people need to remember, for the most part, all of the players that left since he's been in charge have been because of contracts.  How much control does he have on contract negotiations?