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Our academy graduates - Where are they now?

C0YS

Just another member
Jul 9, 2007
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I am sure there is a thread about this elsewhere but seeing as I can't find it I'll start this one for now.

With our academy seemingly getting better, and some of those players even managing to break into the first team, I thought it might be nice to look back on the careers of the could of beens.

I remember when I began to start going to the lane there was this 16 year old fullback making a name for himself. His name was Phil Ifil and he has been missing from the football limelight since 2011 after an unsuccessful spell with Daggenham & Redbridge. Since then Phil Ifil slipped into non-league football with Kettering Town before slipping into obscurity. He had a few failed trials at Wrexham and other clubs before popping up in the Watford sunday league side Evergreen FC. Last I heard he had a goal scoring debut from the bench but could not prevent a 4-2 loss.

It is not all bad news though, Jacques Maghoma made a name for himself in Burton Albion. Scoring and creating often and forming a good partnership with the unpredictable but brilliant Kalvin Zola. The two players formed one of the flairest and deadliest partnerships in League two. After a successful 2012-2013 season which ended with 18 goals to his name and a team of the year position he became highly sought by championship clubs. Eventually Sheffield Wednesday securing his services. He seems to be playing fairly regularly and well for them on the left wing and it would not surprise me to see him make a few premier league appearances before he calls it a day.

John Bostock, was another player with high hopes and our youngest ever player to make an appearance. He seems to finally be finding his feet in the Belgium second division. After a decent if not exceptional season at Royal Antwerp he made the move to Oud-Heverlee Leuven, who were relegated from the top division the season before. There he has scored 4 goals in the first 9 as the club hunt for promotion.

I'm gonna leave it here for now. But looking at these things it really becomes clear how thin the line between success and failure really is.
 

Spursidol

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2007
12,636
15,834
I am sure there is a thread about this elsewhere but seeing as I can't find it I'll start this one for now.

With our academy seemingly getting better, and some of those players even managing to break into the first team, I thought it might be nice to look back on the careers of the could of beens.

I remember when I began to start going to the lane there was this 16 year old fullback making a name for himself. His name was Phil Ifil and he has been missing from the football limelight since 2011 after an unsuccessful spell with Daggenham & Redbridge. Since then Phil Ifil slipped into non-league football with Kettering Town before slipping into obscurity. He had a few failed trials at Wrexham and other clubs before popping up in the Watford sunday league side Evergreen FC. Last I heard he had a goal scoring debut from the bench but could not prevent a 4-2 loss.

It is not all bad news though, Jacques Maghoma made a name for himself in Burton Albion. Scoring and creating often and forming a good partnership with the unpredictable but brilliant Kalvin Zola. The two players formed one of the flairest and deadliest partnerships in League two. After a successful 2012-2013 season which ended with 18 goals to his name and a team of the year position he became highly sought by championship clubs. Eventually Sheffield Wednesday securing his services. He seems to be playing fairly regularly and well for them on the left wing and it would not surprise me to see him make a few premier league appearances before he calls it a day.

John Bostock, was another player with high hopes and our youngest ever player to make an appearance. He seems to finally be finding his feet in the Belgium second division. After a decent if not exceptional season at Royal Antwerp he made the move to Oud-Heverlee Leuven, who were relegated from the top division the season before. There he has scored 4 goals in the first 9 as the club hunt for promotion.

I'm gonna leave it here for now. But looking at these things it really becomes clear how thin the line between success and failure really is.

Regrettably with a dozen kids making it to our u18's each season its likely that 80% will NOT make it into the first team squad, and a further 10% of those will not stay in the team for more than a couple of seasons (although some of these will stay as PL players eg Caulker, Livermore) - so a total 'failure rate' of 90%.

There are simply too many youngsters trying to get into football amongst all the PL and other clubs than the game can sustain. So whereas at Spurs maybe 50% of the u18's will remain in professional football, the other 50% will not and go and find jobs in the real world !. Sad but true.
 

eddiebailey

Well-Known Member
Oct 12, 2004
7,452
6,672
But looking at these things it really becomes clear how thin the line between success and failure really is.

That is the thing, the right chances at the right time can make all the difference between going on to a successful career and dropping out of the game altogether. Often gifted players struggle in the lower leagues as they have to unlearn the good habits they have learnt playing at a club like Spurs. What happened to Phil Ifil still breaks my heart - I never saw a player with such potential fall so far. After a season on loan at Millwall he came back to Spurs looking like he was suffering from shellshock, and it was all downhill from there.

A happier example is Yaser Kasim; he apparently refused to sign a new contract at Spurs because he felt Comolli's money signings Bostock and Parrett were being given preferential treatment. But he struggled to find another club until Gus Poyet picked him up at Brighton; even then he failed to get a game, being loaned out to Conference teams and still ending up on the bench. Then Lee Power took over at Swindon, and encouraged by Sherwood who wanted to loan players to a club that played in the Spurs style, Mark Cooper adopted a gameplan based on patient possession football. Kasim, once again a free agent, was given a trial, and is now the lynchpin of the Robins' fluent passing game, and an Iraqi international.

Also helping to keep the Robins in the play-off places despite their shoestring budget, are Kasim's equally rated midfield partner Massimo Luongo who opted to make his loan move there permanent, and ended up at the World Cup with Australia. The makeweight in that deal was fellow former loanee Nathan Byrne, thought of in the past as a utility player, but this season on fire in his preferred role as a right winger. Another one who has made his way back to Swindon is the free-scoring Jon Obika. Jack Barthram is warming the bench, but he is a cracking little player, and I hope he gets his chance.
 

eddiebailey

Well-Known Member
Oct 12, 2004
7,452
6,672
Regrettably with a dozen kids making it to our u18's each season its likely that 80% will NOT make it into the first team squad, and a further 10% of those will not stay in the team for more than a couple of seasons (although some of these will stay as PL players eg Caulker, Livermore) - so a total 'failure rate' of 90%.

There are simply too many youngsters trying to get into football amongst all the PL and other clubs than the game can sustain. So whereas at Spurs maybe 50% of the u18's will remain in professional football, the other 50% will not and go and find jobs in the real world !. Sad but true.
True, but if we did not important so many ordinary overseas players into the Premiership the success rate would be higher.
 

Spursidol

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2007
12,636
15,834
True, but if we did not important so many ordinary overseas players into the Premiership the success rate would be higher.

I'm hoping with the success of Spurs youth system that problem will be reduced (I don't think it will necessarily go away) within say 5 years, with maybe 50% of Spurs squad being from the youth system.

However its still true that we have more players in the academy than can ever be accomodated in football - if you look at the 20 PL academies we all have 20 teams of 11 players emerging each year ! Far too many. But the odds are not that much different to some other jobs - I understand for example that less than 10% of trained barristers practice law in chambers, most of the rest go into business.
 

beats1

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2010
30,006
29,551
Swindon fans consider Luongo and Kasim their best players, seeing Mason's rise. I think both players should be in the championship and could be seeing them higher tbh
 

THFCSPURS19

The Speaker of the Transfer Rumours Forum
Jan 6, 2013
37,886
130,485
Does Paul-Jose M'Poku count? He's been linked with Napoli and Inter in the last few weeks/months.
 

Spursidol

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2007
12,636
15,834
Does Paul-Jose M'Poku count? He's been linked with Napoli and Inter in the last few weeks/months.

Great youngster I had high hopes for him - apparantly allowed to go back to Standard Liege (from whom we signed him) due to home sickness, We could do with him as an AM alternative now !
 

wlhatwhl

Well-Known Member
Jan 6, 2012
325
721
Talking of Jacques Maghoma, older brother of Christian, injury problems were an issue for him at a crucial time at Spurs. When he had recovered, the chance had gone.

Good to see him and others making a go of it at other clubs.
 

eddiebailey

Well-Known Member
Oct 12, 2004
7,452
6,672
Simon Dawkins was another plagued by injuries. He and Maghoma were part of the clear out of the development squad that Harry undertook at the end of his first season to create space for the Mason-Townsend generation - as I recall only Livermore and Button were retained. After failing trials home and abroad, Simon wound up back at Spurs a year later and was allowed to train with us. Tim was impressed enough to offer him a contract, and David Beckham, who was also training with us, persuaded him to try his luck on loan in the MLS. In two seasons he did enough to catch the eye of Steve McLaren, who, after flirting with taking him to Twente and QPR, finally gave him his chance at Derby. He is now through to the quarter finals of the League Cup, having bagged a brace in the previous round, and could well be playing in the Premiership next season. It is an inspirational story for young profesionals.

Also through to the quarter finals are Bournemouth pair Charlie Daniels and Adam Smith. Daniels a leftback of lung busting stamina with a wand of a left foot has been a mainstay for them, but was rested for the cup game, the regular rightback moving across and creating a space for former England U21 Smith, who has been struggling for starts. Bournemouth are also looking decent candidates for promotion.
 

jondesouza

Well-Known Member
Oct 18, 2004
2,842
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So here's a few updates. I've left out the better known players (like our Swindon lads):
Zaine Francis-Angol - playing regularly for Motherwell
Calum Butcher - Dundee United
Kudus Oyenuga - Cowdenbeath (on loan from Dundee United)
Kyle Fraser-Allen - quit football and now in banking
Olumide Durojaiye - Falkirk
Anton Blackwood - recently signed for Blackpool
Sam Cox - Borehamwood
Lee Butcher - Welling Utd
Jamie Butler - Concord Rangers
Josh Ekim - Staines Town
Troy Archibald-Henville - Carlisle Utd
David Hutton and Terry Dixon - Dunstable Town
Cian Hughton - quit football and working in recruitment
Ajet Shehu - Ware
Yuri Berchiche - Real Sociedad
Leigh Mills - recently left Winchester City for personal reasons
 
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bceej

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2013
2,444
3,191
Are we looking at where players have made the first team really? Included top tier internationally and down to League One in England. This is over the past 10 years, so not a bad turn out. Can definitely see more of our recent graduates in the higher tiers of the football league.

Bolton - Dervite
Bournemouth - Daniels, Smith
Bradford - Yeates
Brentford - Button
Burnley - Marney
Charlton - Munns
Derby - Dawkins
Dundee - Butcher, Oyenuga
Gillingham - Martin
Hull - Livermore
Peterborough - Alnwick
QPR - Caulker
Reading - Kelly
Real Sociedad - Berchiche
Standard Liege - M'Poku
Stevenage - Parrett, Lancaster, Barnard, Henry
Stoke - Crouch
Swindon - Obika, Bartham, Byrne, Luongo
Vitoria G. - Defendi

EDIT: @jondesouza think you got the depth a bit better than me
 

beats1

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2010
30,006
29,551
I did a list the other day
Whilst probably the most productive academy in the last few years along with Liverpool and Southampton

We haven't got the reputation of being a top academy but looking at the players we produced we should be up. Looking at players that are currently playing in the PL we aren't doing that bad

Pl players
Bentaleb
Rose
Townsend
Kane
Mason
Caulker
Livermore

Carroll (not broken in to a PL first 11 yet)

La Liga players
Berchiche (second choice lb for Real Sociedad)

Championship players
Daniels (was at there at the start of the changes)
Dawkins (same as above)
Dervitte
Button
Maghoma
Hall
Smith (apparently going out with Amy Childs)
Fredericks (likely to be PL soon)
Pritchard (should make the setup to PL as well)

McQueen (not in the Ipswich team but made one appearance and the bench once but worth noting only 19)


Portugal
Rodrigo Defendi

Other worthy mentions Mpoku at Standard Leige, Obika, Kasim and Luongo are too good for Swindon imo and should make the step up to the championship, Grant ward at Chicago fire and Calum Butcher was in around the Dundee United squad but got injured and missed a year
Worth noting that Kasim was looking like our best CM before he left and played better than Mason over the season last year according to swindon fans
 

newbie

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2004
6,051
6,342
I did a list the other day

Worth noting that Kasim was looking like our best CM before he left and played better than Mason over the season last year according to swindon fans
I think it was only injury which hampered mason, goes to show we have brought in players at youth as well as first team holding back our own youth.
 

Mouse!

Fookin' Legend in Gin Alley
Aug 29, 2011
6,303
19,260
Don't forget Tomas Pekhart. He started to look a decent prospect again a couple of years ago, but has since gone off the boil.
 

beats1

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2010
30,006
29,551
Don't forget Tomas Pekhart. He started to look a decent prospect again a couple of years ago, but has since gone off the boil.
His team is doing well(sitting top of bundesliga 2) but he hasn't broken in the first 11

Hopefully they don't continue their good form
 

FinnYid

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2006
4,529
4,111
Chris Day is still playing and was regular with Stevenage last season on league one. Played his sole PL game for us on Gerry Francis days 95-96. Seems lifetime ago.
 
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