What's new

Player Watch: Marcus Edwards

Trix

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
19,337
329,025
Had a long convo with my source last night and I have to say I am worried for the youth progression to the first team. If we sign the players we are targeting in the Summer I just don't see how any of the current crop are going to push through in the next couple of years.

Remember when I say this I have always in the past defended the club and Poch on how the youth set up is integrated into the first team.
 

piedpiper

Well-Known Member
Aug 14, 2008
3,758
6,763
Had a long convo with my source last night and I have to say I am worried for the youth progression to the first team. If we sign the players we are targeting in the Summer I just don't see how any of the current crop are going to push through in the next couple of years.

Remember when I say this I have always in the past defended the club and Poch on how the youth set up is integrated into the first team.

Thanks for the update Trix. I guess it is a very difficult balancing act Poch has. There is a demand for us to compete with the other 5 big clubs for trophies and keep our existing stars believing in the project. To do this we need to buy quality if it is not readily available internally.

We also need to dip into our academy to keep churning out talented youngsters and to attract potential externally.

In KWP case we cannot have 3 RB in our squad.. Perhaps Poch could have given him more games against the lower positioned teams and kept Trippier and Aurier for CL and top half teams. A case in point is today's game KWP should start... In the Newport game i understood why Aurier started as he needed to build up his match fitness ahead if the gruelling PL fixture list and the Juventus game.

But if we are to compete and keep players of Kane and Eriksen's calibre we have to sign quality squad player's and not just acceptable academy players to fill the squad.
 

Trix

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
19,337
329,025
Thanks for the update Trix. I guess it is a very difficult balancing act Poch has. There is a demand for us to compete with the other 5 big clubs for trophies and keep our existing stars believing in the project. To do this we need to buy quality if it is not readily available internally.

We also need to dip into our academy to keep churning out talented youngsters and to attract potential externally.

In KWP case we cannot have 3 RB in our squad.. Perhaps Poch could have given him more games against the lower positioned teams and kept Trippier and Aurier for CL and top half teams. A case in point is today's game KWP should start... In the Newport game i understood why Aurier started as he needed to build up his match fitness ahead if the gruelling PL fixture list and the Juventus game.

But if we are to compete and keep players of Kane and Eriksen's calibre we have to sign quality squad player's and not just acceptable academy players to fill the squad.

I will just add I wasn't so much including KWP in that, as he is already in the first team squad. I do agree that KWP could have been used more, but the problem is Trip and Aurier need to play a good amount of games also in order to keep them happy.
 

spursfan77

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2005
46,680
104,956
Cough, cough, Harry Kane, cough

You’re proving my point. He came back, worked hard and got his chance. When Kane was at Norwich he played then had an injury. He played lots of games at Orient and Millwall on loan. He’s not really comparable.
 

SugarRay

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2011
7,984
11,110
Ideal world the whole XI will be products of our youth system.

Never compromise the quality of the side. Edwards and co have a tough job trying to crack our first team. That’s exactly how it should be. Kane saw off Soldado and Adebayor. It shouldn’t be easy for youth players to make the transition.
 

samsonlevi

Well-Known Member
Dec 13, 2005
962
3,539
The fact is, we are an excellent team with a very good squad and a decent youth team.

For the youth to break into our squad (let alone first team) they have to be very good. And this means very good premiership player standard/potential.

There probably will be some capable of doing this, however, it will require the level of dedication and determination that kane and winks put in. Some don’t have that.

If we are to remain fighting for major honours it means we will probably see less youth get the opportunity due to the exceptional standards required.

Rewind 15 years, if we had this current crop of youth players, they would probably be in the team/squad.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,391
Had a long convo with my source last night and I have to say I am worried for the youth progression to the first team. If we sign the players we are targeting in the Summer I just don't see how any of the current crop are going to push through in the next couple of years.

Remember when I say this I have always in the past defended the club and Poch on how the youth set up is integrated into the first team.

Seems to me that we will always have a problem with squad depth because we don't pay the massive wages to keep top quality players happy while they're on the bench. Maybe that will change with the new stadium but I still think it will be an issue. That's the only way I see many of our youngsters getting a chance but it still leaves us in a situation where we don't have comparable squad depth to our rivals. From what you say though, it sounds like Poch doesn't think they're up to the job.
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
Had a long convo with my source last night and I have to say I am worried for the youth progression to the first team. If we sign the players we are targeting in the Summer I just don't see how any of the current crop are going to push through in the next couple of years.

Remember when I say this I have always in the past defended the club and Poch on how the youth set up is integrated into the first team.

I guess you can’t have it all. Ask the majority of Chelsea fans if they give a f*** about how many youth players have come through in last 15 years. While they polish their PL trophies. We can’t on one hand bash Levy for no trophies then show some ambition and bash Poch for no youth players. I think it will just mean that only the really exceptional will come through.
 

tttcowan

Well-Known Member
Aug 12, 2005
2,792
3,295
It would be niceif we used the league cup as a platform for getting some of the youth players game time though. And any dead rubber games we get... There's been other chances as well to put a bit more trust in the kids this year which we haven't really taken advantage of.

.... Fergusson, with all the money and success STILL found ways to bring through a youth player here and and there. We don't have the silly money of some of the other clubs and one of the main attractions I see for players coming to spurs is progression. Seems a bit silly to effectively block off that line of progression.
 

Steffen

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
1,074
4,502
Had a long convo with my source last night and I have to say I am worried for the youth progression to the first team. If we sign the players we are targeting in the Summer I just don't see how any of the current crop are going to push through in the next couple of years.

Remember when I say this I have always in the past defended the club and Poch on how the youth set up is integrated into the first team.

Are you worried because you heard of targets that will stand in the way of our youths, or because your source said our youths aren't considered good enough by Poch?
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
Even with what Trix has said. City have still managed to give players like Foden and Diaz chances. There will always be injuries etc. Also in a weird way if you become so good like city. It can almost give youth more chances. If you’re winning games 4 or 5-0 regular they can get mins at end or in very busy periods like Xmas where you want a lot of rotation. I’d still maintain if they are good enough they will make it.
 

hughy

I'm SUPER cereal.
Nov 18, 2007
31,842
56,934
Had a long convo with my source last night and I have to say I am worried for the youth progression to the first team. If we sign the players we are targeting in the Summer I just don't see how any of the current crop are going to push through in the next couple of years.

Remember when I say this I have always in the past defended the club and Poch on how the youth set up is integrated into the first team.

Thing is you could have said the same thing when we signed players like Soldado and Paulinho. If they had worked out and been an absolute stars for us who knows if Kane and Winks would have been given the chance. I understand what you're saying, but I'm sure if the lads in our youth set-up are good enough they will either get their chance in Cup games/pre season or go out on loan in which case we can get a decent look at them. We shouldn't be keeping room in our first team just in case any of them happen to be good players.

I want to win cups/titles.
 

scat1620

L'espion mal fait
May 11, 2008
16,280
52,491
Had a long convo with my source last night and I have to say I am worried for the youth progression to the first team. If we sign the players we are targeting in the Summer I just don't see how any of the current crop are going to push through in the next couple of years.

Remember when I say this I have always in the past defended the club and Poch on how the youth set up is integrated into the first team.
Thanks for the update. If our planned future signings would effectively shut the door on some of our promising youngsters then let's hope the signings are good ones. If we get it wrong (e.g. Sissoko, Llorente etc) then we get the worst of both worlds: youth progress blocked, but first team needs not met.
 
Last edited:

Dzejkob

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2012
785
3,215
Expectations and pressure is just much bigger then 3-4 years ago. Youth players can't just show they can play in Premier League. They must show they can play as TOP4-team player. KWP or Winks would probably be starters in half of PL teams. It is a very tricky job managing this situation. If we end with nothing people will say why they haven't played. But if we end this season with FA Cup, CL final and TOP4 spot, would we care that neither Winks or KWP haven't played a minute since January?

Edwards and also Onomah is diffrent. If they don't play in Norwich and Villa it means they are nowhere near Spurs first team.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Something like this was always going to happen once we progressed from a team pushing top four to a team pushing for titles.

The current setup of the Premier League and the pressure to succeed simply doesn't lend itself to bringing through young kids and it's only gonna get worse. If we're gonna be realistic about things we have to realise that youngsters were always going to find it difficult to break through once we're established, if lesser teams in this league are struggling to bring players through successfully then going forward we will struggle as well.
 

scat1620

L'espion mal fait
May 11, 2008
16,280
52,491
Had a long convo with my source last night and I have to say I am worried for the youth progression to the first team. If we sign the players we are targeting in the Summer I just don't see how any of the current crop are going to push through in the next couple of years.

Remember when I say this I have always in the past defended the club and Poch on how the youth set up is integrated into the first team.
Putting out the Bat Signal for @Blake Griffin @IGSpur @WindyCOYS @Bus-Conductor etc to join this thread, while I head off to fetch the deckchair and the popcorn.
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
I can see why people get immersed in the whole youth thing. First off it’s fun, nothing better than spotting someone with potential in any walk of life and then seeing them fulfill it. It’s as close to being a proud parent as you can get. I’m pretty sure Dele would get a lot more leeway if he was “one of our own”. Although I hugely respect the views of our youth experts. I still feel it’s almost impossible for them to not give a slight bias view on how good a youth prospect is. Because it’s just a natural emotion in the same way a parent thinks their child is the best. It must actually be very difficult for Poch to be logical about youth players and not get emotionally distracted.
 

acid-casual

Active Member
Jun 14, 2006
82
139
Can’t even get in the Norwich squad today. Starting to look like this kid just isn’t going to cut it. If he can’t get into a mediocre Championship squad he’s not making it with us
 

scat1620

L'espion mal fait
May 11, 2008
16,280
52,491
I'm fine with the philosophy of signing players rather than developing youngsters, as long as the signed players are good enough for our first team squad objectives. But we need to get the signings right: if we introduce a player to the first team squad who doesn't cut the mustard, that pill is a lot easier to swallow if it's a youth player you've brought through rather than a dud signing that you've paid money for.

First choice is that new first team squad players are up to scratch, and in that case I'm not too fussed where they come from, chequebook or academy. But if a player is going to fail with us (and some players will), I'd much rather the failures be a Bentaleb rather than a Stambouli. Youth team integration takes off some of the pressure financially; for a club with limited resources like us then when you spend money to sign a player you have to make sure you're getting it right.
 
Top