Sides that should have won something but didn't

[treibeis]

The Eintracht Frankfurt team in the early 1990s, with Okocha, Yeboah, Gaudino, Bein and Möller. And Rudi Bommer.

[Jah Womble]

That 1987 League Cup semi went to a replay, iirc. Possibly the last one that did, before penalties? But yeah, that Spurs team were good to watch. I kind of considered them but they did win trophies in 1984 and 1991, so they weren't in the same category as the completely potless ones.

Fair comment, although Gary Mabbutt was - I think - the only player common to all three finals.

[Snake Plissken]

Which makes me think of Ballack and Bayer Leverkusen. Two finals and a league runners-up wasn’t it?

[Antepli Ejderha]

Which makes me think of Ballack and Bayer Leverkusen. Two finals and a league runners-up wasn’t it?

That reminds me of Hector Cuper and Valencia, did they win anything?

[ursus arctos]

One Spanish Super Cup, which says it all

[Logan Mountstuart]

Which makes me think of Ballack and Bayer Leverkusen. Two finals and a league runners-up wasn’t it?

Berbatov. Ballack. Brazilian center back. They were a great side. IIRC, half the team ended up at Bayern. Even IIR incorrectly, I bet half the team ended up at Bayern.

[ale]

The criterion here is 'sides that should've won something but didn't' - as spelled out in the header. 'It' should be considered because over the past 2-3 seasons, Spurs have had by far the best Prem League record. If that doesn't fit some kind of agenda you might have, well, can't really help you, tbh.

And everyone is miles behind the Harlem Globetrotters this season.

Dont have an agenda though there seems to be one by those pushing the nomination for Spurs. Based on a vague sense that two seasons of highest accumulated points entitles such nonsense. Results especially away against their nearest challengers if nothing else should ensure theres no need for consideration.

[lackedpunch]

The Sheffield Wednesday team of the 92/93 season were decent, and should have won one of the two cup finals they got to that season.

[Jah Womble]

Dont have an agenda though there seems to be one by those pushing the nomination for Spurs. Based on a vague sense that two seasons of highest accumulated points entitles such nonsense. Results especially away against their nearest challengers if nothing else should ensure theres no need for consideration.

...few of whom have seen a great deal of traction when visiting Spurs. But, like the BBC, we can conveniently ignore that fact.

Spurs have been 'decent' (top 4-5) for most of the past decade, if that had somehow escaped you. If not title contenders, then we absolutely should have won something - which, if you double-check, is actually what this thread is about.

[Janik]

The Spurs team before Pochettino joined and Harry Kane and Dele Alli came good were indeed decent, but not to the level where them not winning a trophy was an aberration. That side had reached the standard of a place finisher, a strong also-ran, but no more than that. Coming up empty-handed in that period was a par performance rather than underachievement.
They have clearly gone up a level since then, and are now of the standard where they become potential candidates for this thread. But only once this team has run it's course. They may yet claim the handful of trophies their abilities ought to have them collecting. If, in five years time, the 2008 League Cup remains Spurs last pot then they will deserve an entry, but for this concept to work it has to be retrospective and not taking a current side.

[Janik]

Never seriously challenged Leicester or Chelsea whatever pundits may now say.

They never seriously threatened Chelsea last year, but from a Leicester perspective their challenge felt very real. 13 wins in a row, wasn't it? They appeared relentless. It was Arsenal who were the non-entities in that title 'race'.

I guess that could be put at Spurs door. They are clearly superior to Arsenal currently. And yet it's Arsenal who have won Cups recently, not Spurs.

[Satchmo Distel]

Argentina 2006 certainly were good enough to go farther than the QFs.

Dinamo Kiev in the Shevchenkio era.

[Jah Womble]

Fair play to them, Arse have acquired that habit - Spurs really haven't.

We were closing in 2015-16 (before capitulation) and should've topped the table at one point - but didn't manage that many consecutive victories. Last season's overall performance was far more imperious, however - 86 points and a +60 goal difference, ie, enough to have won the EPL on nine previous occasions. It was Chelsea's early-season form in particular that saw them across the line.

I'd maintain that the side of Bale, Modric, Van der Vaart, Defoe et al should've won something, however.

[tee rex]

The all time winners at being non-winners had to be (in England at least) Plymouth Argyle in the 1920's. Incredibly, they finished second in Div 3 (S) for six seasons running. Only the champions got promoted, of course.

After a few more years they did eventually go up, but in those days of limited transfers there must have been players who endured every near miss but had gone before the club's promotion. I think that's when grief counselling was invented.

[My Name Is Ian]

The Hungarian team of the early 1950s won the gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games. Not sure whether that counts, although, with no European Championships at the time it seems a little harsh to judge them because they didn't win the 1954 World Cup. (The Brazil team of the early 1980s was also beaten in the final of the 1983 Copa America.)

[3 Colours Red]

Wrexham 2011/12 - can't think of many teams finishing with 98 points and failing to get promoted.

Denied mainly thanks to the goals of a Mr. J. Vardy - wonder what happened to him?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Hungary's golden team also won the Central European International Cup in 1953, which was their equivalent of the Home Internationals, against Czechosovakia, Italy, Austria and the Swiss. Not a European Championship proxy but it sounds like it was a big deal in its day.

[Gerontophile]

Other than Cliff and Eurovision, I can't think of anyone who SHOULD have won something.

Generally, it's the Dutch. Post '88.