samways
18-05-2010, 03:40 PM
By OxfordSpur, Vital Football 18 May
Only time will tell whether Tottenham`s scrapping of the reserve team and loaning out their brightest prospects was a good idea, but have the best of the bunch got any nearer the first team for 2010/11?
The loaning of so many players, with the option to bring them back for the occasional behind closed door game was a master stroke by Spurs in my opinion and even those players who perhaps didn`t play as many first team games as they would have liked, if the end result justifies the means then we should all be happy.
Many fans complain that we don`t send our brightest prospects to Championship or even Premiership clubs, but we have to remember that we are talking about teenage kids who are still developing physically and mentally. Rushing them too soon could so easily be counterproductive for them and therefore the club.
I noted with interest that Jon Obika scored four goals against Chelsea`s best kids last week in a 5-3 win, which perhaps makes his inability to start for Millwall a little puzzling, but the mere fact that he returns to Spurs and looks on fire and an all-round stronger player has to be seen as a positive for his and our future.
Similarly we have seen a player of the year season from our young CD Steven Caulker and an outstanding first half of the season from Ryan Mason at Yeovil, but his decline after Christmas was probably an indication that he isn`t physically strong enough to cope with the demands of league football just yet, but from what I have seen, it will come. Some of these kids have been the best in their age groups all their sporting lives and the fact that for the first time they have to struggle to get a game is a challenge they have to get used to and some blossom whilst others wilt under the pressure.
The likes of Andros Townsend, David Button, Adam Smith have all spent time away to great praise and no doubt feel better, stronger and more confident for the experience. Perhaps the only negative this season was the loan of John Bostock to Brentford, as the the player returned earlier than expected amid talk that he was a bit of a big time Charlie, but I`m sure that he has been left in doubt of his responsibilities and will return next season better for the knock back.
Talk is already underway to loan kids out next season, with Townsend being talked about with a loan to Ipswich, and Yeovil and a few other clubs scouting our boys during last week`s visit of Chelsea, but I assume we will be reasonable in expecting the likes of Obika, Parrett, Mason, Bostock, Caulker and Townsend to be looking at playing more games, with some at a higher level and making a bigger statement with a view of challenging for the first team squad in 2011/12.
In the case of these kids we have to be careful not to expect too much too soon though, and remember that half of those I mentioned are only seventeen, so hardly yet at an age where we should be demanding they start for the first team, in anything other than an occasional cameo. Also expecting match winning performance and game on game consistency when on loan is unrealistic, as the jump between academy/reserve football and the football league is massive, in experience and physicality, even though they have all the ability on a technical level.
Will we see any of our kids make the grade next season? In truth I am not expecting too much just yet and still feel there is plenty of time to gain experience and strength. In some ways our lack of success in bringing through our kids has almost made it an obsession for the fans, but we must be patient and hope we will be rewarded with one or two gems in the next year or so...
I personally hope that we see a league cup team consisting mainly of our kids this season, I think it will be worth it in the long run and I like the idea of them re-uniting more frequently and feeling like Tottenham players a bit more
Only time will tell whether Tottenham`s scrapping of the reserve team and loaning out their brightest prospects was a good idea, but have the best of the bunch got any nearer the first team for 2010/11?
The loaning of so many players, with the option to bring them back for the occasional behind closed door game was a master stroke by Spurs in my opinion and even those players who perhaps didn`t play as many first team games as they would have liked, if the end result justifies the means then we should all be happy.
Many fans complain that we don`t send our brightest prospects to Championship or even Premiership clubs, but we have to remember that we are talking about teenage kids who are still developing physically and mentally. Rushing them too soon could so easily be counterproductive for them and therefore the club.
I noted with interest that Jon Obika scored four goals against Chelsea`s best kids last week in a 5-3 win, which perhaps makes his inability to start for Millwall a little puzzling, but the mere fact that he returns to Spurs and looks on fire and an all-round stronger player has to be seen as a positive for his and our future.
Similarly we have seen a player of the year season from our young CD Steven Caulker and an outstanding first half of the season from Ryan Mason at Yeovil, but his decline after Christmas was probably an indication that he isn`t physically strong enough to cope with the demands of league football just yet, but from what I have seen, it will come. Some of these kids have been the best in their age groups all their sporting lives and the fact that for the first time they have to struggle to get a game is a challenge they have to get used to and some blossom whilst others wilt under the pressure.
The likes of Andros Townsend, David Button, Adam Smith have all spent time away to great praise and no doubt feel better, stronger and more confident for the experience. Perhaps the only negative this season was the loan of John Bostock to Brentford, as the the player returned earlier than expected amid talk that he was a bit of a big time Charlie, but I`m sure that he has been left in doubt of his responsibilities and will return next season better for the knock back.
Talk is already underway to loan kids out next season, with Townsend being talked about with a loan to Ipswich, and Yeovil and a few other clubs scouting our boys during last week`s visit of Chelsea, but I assume we will be reasonable in expecting the likes of Obika, Parrett, Mason, Bostock, Caulker and Townsend to be looking at playing more games, with some at a higher level and making a bigger statement with a view of challenging for the first team squad in 2011/12.
In the case of these kids we have to be careful not to expect too much too soon though, and remember that half of those I mentioned are only seventeen, so hardly yet at an age where we should be demanding they start for the first team, in anything other than an occasional cameo. Also expecting match winning performance and game on game consistency when on loan is unrealistic, as the jump between academy/reserve football and the football league is massive, in experience and physicality, even though they have all the ability on a technical level.
Will we see any of our kids make the grade next season? In truth I am not expecting too much just yet and still feel there is plenty of time to gain experience and strength. In some ways our lack of success in bringing through our kids has almost made it an obsession for the fans, but we must be patient and hope we will be rewarded with one or two gems in the next year or so...
I personally hope that we see a league cup team consisting mainly of our kids this season, I think it will be worth it in the long run and I like the idea of them re-uniting more frequently and feeling like Tottenham players a bit more