Player Watch: Emerson Royal
- Thread starter THFCSPURS19
- Start date
I think Porro should be Kulu’s depth at RWF
rossdapep
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- Aug 25, 2011
- 22,196
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If we are chasing a game Id shift both Emerson and Romero back one position and put Porro RWB and keep him high.
But that would have to be against weaker opposition
SpursSince1980
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- Jan 23, 2011
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He has been the best player on the field in his last three PL starts. Not hyperbole. And his goal today was a manifestation of that form. Gotta give the kid credit. Ever since Porro started to pack his bags, Emerson knuckled down and focused. Decided, “you’re gonna have to pry this spot from me”.
SpursSince1980
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- Jan 23, 2011
- 4,754
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If you changed those players names to KDB, to Grealish, to Silva… goal. ESPN FC muppets would have drown in their own jizz.
It was perfect passage of play. Doesn’t get better than that, but it won’t get the plaudits from a lot of the media.
Drink!Drink!
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- Oct 10, 2014
- 1,362
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With Pedro Pordo we have gained a 40m right back….his name is Emerson Royal! ??
g_harry
Well-Known Member
Emerson player of season so far always committed from start.In the best Nigel Farage style - Yous all laughed at me. ?
Armstrong_11
Spurs makes me happy, you... not so much :)
- Aug 3, 2011
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please for him.
Reado
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- Nov 3, 2008
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EM-ER-SON. GOAL! Always believe in your soul...
Finchyid
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- Jun 27, 2017
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Agree although I would say last 5 games not 3
Finchyid
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- Jun 27, 2017
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I really enjoyed yesterday, it was a good atmosphere and Emerson was simply brilliant..Obvs he got a goal but he his all round play was brilliant, tackling and just putting in the effort. Yes Wet Spam are pretty average, the irony of the fans singing made me chuckle
It made me laugh that when he picked up the ball in the area and then coolly put it away, the whole of the South Stand went quiet in disbelief discernibly for a half second - then went crazy. Everyone was so pleased for the lad. The adoring cheers he got every time he touched the ball afterwards was so funny.
It definitely wasn't into the corner of the net. I was behind it. Lucky Flapiansky was put off by the planes and elastic bands
carmeldevil
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- May 15, 2018
- 7,667
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Being booed off the pitch by your own supporters when you’ve been substituted after a poor performance is pretty bad.
It must be a devastating thing to experience. An instant negative, vocal, embarrassing and very public judgement on your performance from thousands of people. It’s not something the vast majority of us can equate to in our jobs or lives. The chances of you walking out of the office today to see a crowd of people have gathered to tell you you’re crap at your job are pretty slim (unless you’re a politician).
Not only was Emerson Royal invariably being booed off the field by some Tottenham Hotspur supporters either side of Christmas, but he was also being booed onto it. Which is much worse. And extremely rare.
Being booed on the pitch isn’t a snap judgement on what you’ve just done, it isn’t a comment on the manager’s decision to send you on. It’s an assessment of your ability as a footballer over a prolonged period — in Royal’s, case 18 months or so.
Again, we’re talking about a minority here, but a vocal one. And you can only assume it must have been incredibly hurtful for Royal to hear. While he was on the pitch, there was an air of impatience when Royal was in possession. If he didn’t instantly play a quick pass or move the ball forward, the murmurings would start. It’s to his credit that Royal didn’t shy away from wanting the ball during these few games, but he did seem to go into his shell when in possession. Which is a completely understandable reaction.
How did his relationship with the fans get to this point? His form had been poor for a couple of months, with a mixture of defensive lapses of concentration and a lack of quality in the final third. Combining that with occasional slapstick hilarity (a no-look pass against Sporting Lisbon going out for a goal kick, an almost vertical shot at Bournemouth clearing the stadium), the fact he was sometimes picked ahead of the limited but reliable Matt Doherty, and a consistent frustration at Spurs failing to sign a top-level right wing-back that Antonio Conte wanted left Royal was in the crosshairs. Plus he slowed Spurs down. Hesitant touches, crosses that didn’t see air… at his worst, Royal was a doddering and dysfunctional footballer who looked out of place.
Tell him to sit there and defend and he could do a job (Manchester City away), he’s good and aggressive in the tackle, his positioning is sturdy and he can show discipline. But as an attacking, all-action wing-back who needs to bomb up and down that flank, combine with Dejan Kulusevski and be an intrinsic and vital part of Conte’s 3-4-3 formation? He just didn’t look up to it.
A month after being booed onto the field, Royal has started to be cheered. A lot. A month after being second choice to Doherty, Royal has seen off the Irishman (his contract was paid up and he joined Atletico Madrid) and is now keeping new signing Pedro Porro out of the team.
Everyone loves an underdog redemption arc and Royal’s has been as brisk as it’s been unexpected.
It started at Manchester City away, when he produced a performance of control and common sense, particularly in the first half. He also scored just his second goal in 63 appearances for the club (plus just two assists… a pitiful figure for a player designed to be one of the most prominent for Spurs in the final third when their attack becomes a front five).
He then expertly shackled Jack Grealish in the return fixture a couple of weeks later, winning several tackles with some firm, fair and sensible aggression and helping Spurs to an unexpected 1-0 win.
It was here against West Ham that all parts of Royal’s game came together: defensive resoluteness, tidy wing play and a crucial opening goal, taken like a true No 9. He latched onto fellow wing-back Ben Davies’ pass (the pair underlapping inside Kulusevski and Richarlison was a theme of the afternoon), got his head over the ball and struck it low and true past Lukasz Fabianski. He had time to think about it, which hasn’t normally been a good thing with Royal, but kept his cool.
It was a completely unexpected moment. One of the moments of Spurs’ season, in fact.
Instead of booing, they were shouting “shoooot” when he had the ball and singing “he scores when he wants”. He looked as confident as he has for a very long time, winning possession and nonchalantly laying it off to team-mates.
Emerson Royal v West Ham
Stat | Number | Team Rank
Key passes | 2 | 2nd
Pass accuracy | 94.9 | 1st
Dribbles | 2 | 1st
Clearances | 5 | 2nd
Royal’s progression from bumbling comedy figure to effective footballer — akin to Mr Bean suddenly becoming a slick, smooth-talking hotshot lawyer — has aligned with the signing of Porro (Spurs were in late-stage talks with the Spaniard at the time of that first game against City in mid-January), which must have played its part. You must imagine that staying at Spurs beyond the window while Doherty left was also a confidence boost.
But beyond that, Royal’s game looks less complicated at the moment. He’s more hesitant to cross the ball now (this is a good thing — according to FBref, he has completed just five of his 57 crosses in all competitions this season) and tends to play a simple pass instead, plus he’s not busting a gut to hare past Kulusevski all the time (only to either not receive the ball as his team-mates don’t like passing to him, wasting a cross, or being tackled, etc).
Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini believes Royal has suffered from an interrupted season.
“I don’t think it’s linked with the signing of Pedro Porro,” he said. “This type of performance from Emerson we had at the start of the season. He played very well, then after the three-match ban after Arsenal (Royal was sent off during a 3-1 defeat) maybe he lost the pace.
“But there was the World Cup that interrupted the season and this is a weird season for many teams and players. It’s important the staff work to understand when is the moment to work, the moment to perform, the moment to recover. It’s not an easy season.”
It’s been anything but an easy season for Royal. His turnaround, which must have taken incredible mental resolve, is to be lauded.
It must be a devastating thing to experience. An instant negative, vocal, embarrassing and very public judgement on your performance from thousands of people. It’s not something the vast majority of us can equate to in our jobs or lives. The chances of you walking out of the office today to see a crowd of people have gathered to tell you you’re crap at your job are pretty slim (unless you’re a politician).
Not only was Emerson Royal invariably being booed off the field by some Tottenham Hotspur supporters either side of Christmas, but he was also being booed onto it. Which is much worse. And extremely rare.
Being booed on the pitch isn’t a snap judgement on what you’ve just done, it isn’t a comment on the manager’s decision to send you on. It’s an assessment of your ability as a footballer over a prolonged period — in Royal’s, case 18 months or so.
Again, we’re talking about a minority here, but a vocal one. And you can only assume it must have been incredibly hurtful for Royal to hear. While he was on the pitch, there was an air of impatience when Royal was in possession. If he didn’t instantly play a quick pass or move the ball forward, the murmurings would start. It’s to his credit that Royal didn’t shy away from wanting the ball during these few games, but he did seem to go into his shell when in possession. Which is a completely understandable reaction.
How did his relationship with the fans get to this point? His form had been poor for a couple of months, with a mixture of defensive lapses of concentration and a lack of quality in the final third. Combining that with occasional slapstick hilarity (a no-look pass against Sporting Lisbon going out for a goal kick, an almost vertical shot at Bournemouth clearing the stadium), the fact he was sometimes picked ahead of the limited but reliable Matt Doherty, and a consistent frustration at Spurs failing to sign a top-level right wing-back that Antonio Conte wanted left Royal was in the crosshairs. Plus he slowed Spurs down. Hesitant touches, crosses that didn’t see air… at his worst, Royal was a doddering and dysfunctional footballer who looked out of place.
Tell him to sit there and defend and he could do a job (Manchester City away), he’s good and aggressive in the tackle, his positioning is sturdy and he can show discipline. But as an attacking, all-action wing-back who needs to bomb up and down that flank, combine with Dejan Kulusevski and be an intrinsic and vital part of Conte’s 3-4-3 formation? He just didn’t look up to it.
A month after being booed onto the field, Royal has started to be cheered. A lot. A month after being second choice to Doherty, Royal has seen off the Irishman (his contract was paid up and he joined Atletico Madrid) and is now keeping new signing Pedro Porro out of the team.
Everyone loves an underdog redemption arc and Royal’s has been as brisk as it’s been unexpected.
It started at Manchester City away, when he produced a performance of control and common sense, particularly in the first half. He also scored just his second goal in 63 appearances for the club (plus just two assists… a pitiful figure for a player designed to be one of the most prominent for Spurs in the final third when their attack becomes a front five).
He then expertly shackled Jack Grealish in the return fixture a couple of weeks later, winning several tackles with some firm, fair and sensible aggression and helping Spurs to an unexpected 1-0 win.
It was here against West Ham that all parts of Royal’s game came together: defensive resoluteness, tidy wing play and a crucial opening goal, taken like a true No 9. He latched onto fellow wing-back Ben Davies’ pass (the pair underlapping inside Kulusevski and Richarlison was a theme of the afternoon), got his head over the ball and struck it low and true past Lukasz Fabianski. He had time to think about it, which hasn’t normally been a good thing with Royal, but kept his cool.
It was a completely unexpected moment. One of the moments of Spurs’ season, in fact.
Instead of booing, they were shouting “shoooot” when he had the ball and singing “he scores when he wants”. He looked as confident as he has for a very long time, winning possession and nonchalantly laying it off to team-mates.
Emerson Royal v West Ham
Stat | Number | Team Rank
Key passes | 2 | 2nd
Pass accuracy | 94.9 | 1st
Dribbles | 2 | 1st
Clearances | 5 | 2nd
Royal’s progression from bumbling comedy figure to effective footballer — akin to Mr Bean suddenly becoming a slick, smooth-talking hotshot lawyer — has aligned with the signing of Porro (Spurs were in late-stage talks with the Spaniard at the time of that first game against City in mid-January), which must have played its part. You must imagine that staying at Spurs beyond the window while Doherty left was also a confidence boost.
But beyond that, Royal’s game looks less complicated at the moment. He’s more hesitant to cross the ball now (this is a good thing — according to FBref, he has completed just five of his 57 crosses in all competitions this season) and tends to play a simple pass instead, plus he’s not busting a gut to hare past Kulusevski all the time (only to either not receive the ball as his team-mates don’t like passing to him, wasting a cross, or being tackled, etc).
Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini believes Royal has suffered from an interrupted season.
“I don’t think it’s linked with the signing of Pedro Porro,” he said. “This type of performance from Emerson we had at the start of the season. He played very well, then after the three-match ban after Arsenal (Royal was sent off during a 3-1 defeat) maybe he lost the pace.
“But there was the World Cup that interrupted the season and this is a weird season for many teams and players. It’s important the staff work to understand when is the moment to work, the moment to perform, the moment to recover. It’s not an easy season.”
It’s been anything but an easy season for Royal. His turnaround, which must have taken incredible mental resolve, is to be lauded.
wrd
Well-Known Member
- Aug 22, 2014
- 13,603
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