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The Spurs Youth Thread - 2017/2018

SpursD22

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Aug 3, 2017
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I don’t think Griffiths is ready for the first team, especially mentally. He’s 17 and you can see that in him on the pitch and outside it. While Griffiths probably have higher potential than Sterling I personally think Sterling is more ready for the first team. He has been in and around the team and I think some people here underestimate him. I see a raw diamond in him okay I’m exaggerating but I think he’s all round game can improve. He can easily get faster, his body can become more muscular, his finishing has and can be better. I just think the thing he’s lacking the most is a real football brain if that makes sense.
I actually have Reo Griffiths number, he gave it to me so I could send a video of him scoring. I’m tempted to call him and ask about the situation but I won’t, that would be stupid and creepy of me
 

IGSpur

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Jan 11, 2013
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English football has the same problem that Spain had in the late 80's, Italy and Germany had after their booms of the mid late 80's to the mid 90's and France and Scotland of the early 90's. They were leagues flooded with money and as a result foreign talent. This blocked pathways for younger talent and a whole generation of players were lost. They then went through what was subsequently known as the "dark ages" in terms of youth development. Scotland and Italy are still struggling to find their way out for entirely political reasons. France and Germany got their acts together. However, it wasn't political will or luck that resulted in the attempts to fix the situation, it was very real economic circumstances. The booms turned to bust. In Italy, Spain, France and Germany established top division clubs went to the wall or very close to it. In Scotland this happened to a lesser extent with pretty much everyone bar Celtic having to adjust to living hand to mouth.

England will not become a leader in youth development until the boom is over. It will come to an end, all booms do. Until that time the political will to implement meaningful change cannot and will not find any traction. For evidence of this basic principle just look at the 2008 financial crisis. Everyone and their dog (well, apart from those ideologues of the Right) knew the system was f*cked long before it went pop but who's going to turn round to the shareholders and tell them that whilst everyone else is making money hand over fist their company is going to be run along sustainable but significantly less profitable lines. No one and that's what happened. No one dared. The same principle exists in football. No one shuts the stable door until the horses have bolted.

I just hope that if/when that happens England are still the number one produces of football talent. Otherwise would a lost opportunity. When might a country dominate every football dominate in the same year again. Though I could see England potentially doing it again in a couple of years.
 

Basil Brush

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Aug 20, 2013
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I actually have Reo Griffiths number, he gave it to me so I could send a video of him scoring. I’m tempted to call him and ask about the situation but I won’t, that would be stupid and creepy of me
Just do it...

And if you dont want to, post it here and we will do it.
 

WiganSpur

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Aug 31, 2012
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Don't blame Griffiths if he leaves. I would if I were him. Go and get some goals in League One/Championship and you'll make your way back to the top in no time.

Pochettino's record with academy players is getting worse every day that goes by and must be demoralising scoring a hatful in the youth team then not getting a game over a useless cardboard cut out in Llorente.
 

IGSpur

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Jan 11, 2013
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I think he only became a winger in the second half of his U16 year.
@therhinospeaks I think it was the start of the 15/16 season when he became a forward. I remember it was in the Lion City Cup he was still playing CB, and halfway through one of the games moved him to RW. He may have only started one of those games as an actual winger he kept being started at the back. The when the actual season started he was moved permanently to the wing.
 

Basil Brush

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Aug 20, 2013
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Don't blame Griffiths if he leaves. I would if I were him. Go and get some goals in League One/Championship and you'll make your way back to the top in no time.

Pochettino's record with academy players is getting worse every day that goes by and must be demoralising scoring a hatful in the youth team then not getting a game over a useless cardboard cut out in Llorente.
If that is Pochs biggest issue, we are ok.

Seriously, i don't understand why people think Poch should necessarily play our kids over our senior team (if they are not ready)
 

IGSpur

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Jan 11, 2013
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Well in my personal opinion, he couldn't do much worse than Llorente - but that is more down the the fact I don't rate Llorente at all...

Don't see Poch throwing him, or any other youngsters, into that game though. It's a must win.

Agree. If Llorente was doing a half decent job, I don't think I would be considering Griffiths yet, as I don't think he is quite at the standard required yet. As @Hengy1 said I think Sterling should be given a chance first regardless, he is also a different type of striker to both Kane and Griffiths. However, as Llorente is literally doing nothing, I don't see the harm in giving Sterling and then Griffiths a run out. They might work harder knowing they see a future here and again one chance falls and they take it, who knows what it does to their confidence.

However, if we're going on who is ready/deserves a chance basis, neither Sterling or Griffiths would even be in my top 5 players ready or deserving at this point, I assume people are just now talking about because A) Llorente is useless so think, what's the harm or B) this article has got people worried we're going to lose players and now just want to start giving them chances. If it's the latter that won't really work, no point playing players if they aren't actually going to help our first team at this point, especially if we have better options available.
 

IGSpur

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Jan 11, 2013
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And this is what I've been saying. I assume whoever wrote that article must know what he is talking about. Like @Univarn said people get so swept up by who the next best thing they forget who the current, misused talent is. Foden and Gomes are quality, and have already featured more for their club's first team than Edwards as for us, but anyone who knows about Edwards in the youth world will know how talented he is. After the World Cup all of a sudden all of u17 World Cup squad was now better than Edwards. I'd be the first to wax lyrical about them, but people need to slow down. Foden and Gomes are quality and similar and may depending on who you ask be better, but that's is only becuase Edwards has stagnated a bit due to a lack of opportunties. He is still an incredible talent.

It's a shame he is so far down the list, if this was done when they were u16s he would easily be in the Top 5 I reckon. I wish he had gone Ajax, massive opportunity lost
 

IGSpur

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Jan 11, 2013
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SpursD22

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Aug 3, 2017
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D94314C8-E861-4CC3-9CF6-D1304C9730EF.jpeg
Just do it...

And if you dont want to, post it here and we will do it.

You can call him if you guess the 6 numbers that I’ve marked over
 

Spurzinho

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Jan 24, 2016
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SpursD22

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Aug 3, 2017
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You could send him a polite text. Actually could send him the highlights from 4-1 he might not have seen his hatrick.Then a nonchalant “are you happy” lol.

Unfortunately for me he has already tweeted a video about his hattrick. What should I do now :(
 
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