It is what it is…one last moan about the transfer window

I discuss the summer transfer window, the Europa League and Carabao cup draws, and pray for a better performance in our latest trip to Tyneside.

‘It is what it is,’ is a shit term, isn’t it?

You just spew it out to make yourself feel better about a situation that you can’t possibly change but still affects you emotionally.

So much so that you spend too much of your mental capacity thinking about how it could have been different.

As a Tottenham supporter, our summer transfer window feels like that. The club hasn’t really done enough.

Talented prodigies like Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall are all well and good but where are the established stars that can propel the club to where we want to be?

Has Daniel Levy and the club left another manager short once again? The fear of injuries that could derail another season still lingers.

There is also a natural tendency to look enviously at our rivals signing the likes of Raheem Sterling and Federico Chiesa on deadline day.

Could these types of players have sprinkled a bit of stardust on what is a young squad?

The caveat is we all have different opinions of how to rebuild this squad. But then you must remember that our version of rebuilding Tottenham differs from Ange Postecoglou and Johan Lange.

For them, It is using data to identify young players and then considering if they’re a fit for the manager’s style of play and philosophy.

A Moneyball approach perhaps - A slow slog of spending money wisely on development rather than the sexy or traditional approach of splurging cash on big names with big wages.

But Spurs fans have also been angered at the club’s inability to catch the stars of the future before becoming big names – think Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze or Jack Grealish, to name a few.

Of course, Spurs should be able to do a bit of both with a billion-pound stadium, record profits and the highest ticket prices in the league.

But philosophies such as Chelsea’s go against Levy and Postecoglou’s more conservative approach.

Our Australian manager was content when he was asked by Jack Pitt-Brooke and Alasdair Gold if he had been backed in the summer window.

“Yeah, yeah (I’ve been backed). It was definitely part of my plan to sign younger players.”

“Look, all managers hope they're there for the long-term, but the reality is that you don't know how long you'll be there, but I've always tried to build teams that will last over a cycle which is, you know, three, four, five years.”

“It's just a natural consequence of that. You're looking at a younger demographic, a team that will grow, that will improve, that will adapt to the challenges ahead.”

“So, like I said, when I got here it was a team that, even from a demographic point of view, looked like it was at the end of a cycle.”

“A lot of players who had had great careers but were either ready to move on or getting to the end of it. So that combination with a different approach for me, it was definitely part of it to go younger.”

So, with the transfer window now closed, we are going to have to accept it for what is. It may not be our version of a successful window – with supporters it never is.

But there is a plan, and if that painful rebuild is ever going to come to fruition, then we at least must have the patience to see it through.

IN OTHER NEWS...

The Europa League and Carabao cup draws took place this week and has thrown up some enticing ties.

Spurs will play Coventry City away in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Whilst it is an ideal tie - on paper - those old enough will remember they have been quite the bogey team down the years.

The most famous match was the 1987 FA Cup Final when Spurs surprisingly lost 3-2 in extra time after an own goal from Gary Mabbutt secured the Sky Blues’ first and only major cup win.

In the Europa League, Spurs will host AZ Alkmaar, Qarabağ, Elfsborg as well as an exciting match against AS Roma at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

A British derby against Rangers and a trip to Istanbul to face Galatasaray, will be Tottenham’s most difficult away fixtures. We also travel to Hungary and Germany to face Ferencváros and Hoffenheim.

Spurs will have to finish in the top eight of the new format to avoid a play-off match in the new year.

TEAM NEWS

Spurs travel to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon having secured four points from their first two fixtures.

However, St James’ Park has been far from a happy hunting ground in recent years after being thrashed 4-0 and 6-1 in their last two meetings on Tyneside.

Tottenham wilted in both fixtures and will have to handle the atmosphere and the expected onslaught that will happen early on.

Spurs getting through the first twenty minutes without self-destructing or making defensive mistakes will be key to taking points back to London.

Ange Postecoglou told reporters that new signing Dominik Solanke will miss the trip to Tyneside but should return after the international break.

Richarlison will also miss the game after “pulling up sore,” with a muscle injury.