- Jun 5, 2004
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- #21
How?
Big News on Spurs future - training ground approved
- Thread starter Silver82
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How?
London lawyers. We have been knocked back so many times and had to pay countless middle men to put together painstaking proposals from everything from environmental impact issues to the refusals and appeals etc that were denied.
I don;t think people realize the grand scale of these facilities.
Check it out:
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/docstore/training_ground_project.pdf
SpurSince57
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- Jan 20, 2006
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Are we that much worse at it than most other clubs, though? And it's not a recent thing. I bet if you went through a list of all the players from the youth team who've signed professional contracts over the past 50 years there would only be about 30 at most who have become first-team regulars for any length of time, and fewer still who you'd rate as top-drawer players.
I'll amaze you by partially agreeing with you. If it comes off, great, and I thought it was a good idea that Comolli went to Portugal to see how they do it, because their academies seem to be a regular production line. But how many EPL clubs have academies that are really delivering the goods when it comes to home-grown players? People go on about Arsenal, but look through their current first-choice XI and every one of them has been brought in—some of them may have been brought in young, but they were brought in nonetheless; not a single one is 'home grown' in the sense that he came up through their youth team. City and Boro are the only ones that really spring to mind immediately, and they're still bringing in the majority of their players.
Still, it's got to be worth a shot, and it will have been carefully costed out. Levy may have abysmal timing when it comes to hiring and firing managers, but no one disputes that he's a whizz with money.
I'll amaze you by partially agreeing with you. If it comes off, great, and I thought it was a good idea that Comolli went to Portugal to see how they do it, because their academies seem to be a regular production line. But how many EPL clubs have academies that are really delivering the goods when it comes to home-grown players? People go on about Arsenal, but look through their current first-choice XI and every one of them has been brought in—some of them may have been brought in young, but they were brought in nonetheless; not a single one is 'home grown' in the sense that he came up through their youth team. City and Boro are the only ones that really spring to mind immediately, and they're still bringing in the majority of their players.
Still, it's got to be worth a shot, and it will have been carefully costed out. Levy may have abysmal timing when it comes to hiring and firing managers, but no one disputes that he's a whizz with money.
I have a feeling we are playing a numbers game. We are going to have 100's of kids going in and out of the gates through the months. Some via charities, some via tryouts, some via community work etc etc.
We will have to have some eagle eyed coaches that can spot raw talent and pick the athletic, quick skillful ones that impress.
I just think paying more scouts to scour the inner city competitions and top performing schools etc would be significantly cheaper. We have has some crackpot ideas (Soccer Kings etc) but a good scout can make a team millions in the short term.
We will have to have some eagle eyed coaches that can spot raw talent and pick the athletic, quick skillful ones that impress.
I just think paying more scouts to scour the inner city competitions and top performing schools etc would be significantly cheaper. We have has some crackpot ideas (Soccer Kings etc) but a good scout can make a team millions in the short term.
MattyP
Advises to have a beer & sleep with prostitutes
- May 14, 2007
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Gibbsy, we've only had Alex Inglethorpe on board for just over a year. Give him time and let's see if he comes good.
Else I look forward to seeing multiple threads in the future, ala Chrissie, on how bad a youth team coach he is :wink:
On a more general note, I'm quite happy that we are developing the academy, allegedly improving the ground and investing in a new manager.
Like him or loathe him, Levy is doing something, seemingly in my opinion to better the club in a number of areas.
Now, all he has to sort out is the PR department and green team!
Else I look forward to seeing multiple threads in the future, ala Chrissie, on how bad a youth team coach he is :wink:
On a more general note, I'm quite happy that we are developing the academy, allegedly improving the ground and investing in a new manager.
Like him or loathe him, Levy is doing something, seemingly in my opinion to better the club in a number of areas.
Now, all he has to sort out is the PR department and green team!
This is good news. But without being too glib about it, I think the board's preoccupation with the training ground is more to do with asset value prior to sale that providing us with a conveyor belt of top talent. Having processes and facilities in place that are going to maximise the club's potential to produce high-value playing staff will primarily serve to make us more attractive to investors.
Same with the stadium really. Levy / Enic were given the brief to make a killing. The good thing from a fan's perspective is that with stadium and facilities, that endgame more or less fits in with what we're after.
Same with the stadium really. Levy / Enic were given the brief to make a killing. The good thing from a fan's perspective is that with stadium and facilities, that endgame more or less fits in with what we're after.
One thing is though it is super impressive. If we are trying to get a top young player, one look at the new facilities will really impress anyone as they will be world class. So we will have a good bargaining chip when it comes to that aspect.
I bet Pompey have a Charley horse, a rope and a rusty stationary bike in their training room/laundry room.
I bet Pompey have a Charley horse, a rope and a rusty stationary bike in their training room/laundry room.
- Jun 5, 2004
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- #28
I'd be very surprised if the lawyer fees alone had got to a million. Very surprised. Painstaking proposals. The proposals don't take hours to do, the reviewing and the backlog at the council is the time-consuming process. And once you've made one application it doesn't cost anything (straight to the council) again.
I grant you it's probably cost a good couple of hundred thou, but millions is going over the top.
I am delighted with the new training. There has been multiple reports from players who are blown away by the new training/coaching methods.
So far: Big thumbs up.
This has been going on for almost 3 years. Levy himself has made this one of his priorities. Do you know how much he earns? How valuable his time is? Have you seen how much architects charge etc etc. Building in London is a nightmare.
We are building the Wembley Stadium of training facilities.
Good point. I never thought of that.
- Jun 5, 2004
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- #32
Are you factoring in Levy's 'wages' as a cost of this? :?
I'm not arguing it doesn't cost a lot. It just doesn't cost millions! It was a point of exaggeration not that you were overly wrong.
It is a 30 million development. Not all of the cash is spent on bricks and grass seed.
- Jan 14, 2004
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- #35
Alex Inglethorpe has a great reputation as a youth coach, Ricardo Moniz works with all the age groups and so will be actively developing the technical ability of our academy, Marcos Alvarez will have a fitness regime for the entire club, all combined with the general work ethic that will be flowing through the club right from the top would suggest we have a very good chance of developing some very good youngsters.
With the top of the range facility this can only help to aid the coaching set up we have now developed. Sure it will take some time to see the benefits but I think we will see within the next few years a new generation of homegrown talent coming through.
This is becoming increasingly more important if UEFA can push through their plans for homegrown players in a squad for european competitions.
What is also encouraging for the young players coming through the academy and reserves is that it would seem that if they work hard enough and impress that Ramos will have no hesitation to involve them, such as Troy Archibald-Henville.
The training ground will be a valuable asset for the development of the club and essential if we hope to compete with other top clubs.
I agree with that. Inglethorpe is good in my book because he is a right old sneaky slippery type of guy that is essential believe it or not.
Nice guys finish last when it comes to the cut throat biz of gathering good young players. People who know to play the system like Inglethorpe and our previous DOF are needed.
I have always been a fan of Moniz too. I am all for new training facilities, but 30 million??? It just seems like overkill.
- Jun 5, 2004
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- #37
Mate I'm being a **** - but I've worked for planning departments. The planning proposal has not cost us millions.
Doing the fucking thing will. It's not just about the facility it's all part of the 106 stuff we'll have to do. Which is why I said earlier we'll probably have to build schools, develop roads and other infrastructure and give stuff to the community.
Planning departments notoriously get as much as they can out of football clubs. I've seen a s106 agreement for Charlton and the stuff they had to do was massive.
Its possible it didn't cost over a million.
- Jan 14, 2004
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- #39
We have all the right people in place in my opinion. I don't think 30 million is overkill at all for training facilities. Imagine if Dean Parrett (just an example) turns into a Steven Gerrard quality midfielder. How much would it cost to buy someone of that quality. Then imagine we have a whole group of these players coming through (ala Man Utd in the 90's). How much would it cost to sign the players to replace all of those that they have developed.
Not to mention that it will be used for first team training, will have fitness and medical facilities etc. which can only be beneficial.
When you consider we would have to eventually improve the old training ground anyway I don't see £30m as a big figure at all. Probably a very wise investment which could end up helping us make far more money and have a far better team.
MattyP
Advises to have a beer & sleep with prostitutes
- May 14, 2007
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Maybe gibbsy, but in a previous post I think you acknowledged that a spanking training facility may encourage talent to the club who may have not joined.
So, if we could get a Bent and a Berbatov to join the club as youngsters rather than through transfers, the training facility would almost have paid for itself.
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