Player Watch: Marcus Edwards

[cider spurs]

No doubt he's talented, but maybe alot of this has to do with his application.

He might not want to go back to Norwich because of a lack of minutes, whilst not privvy, surely that already kind of explains you're not currently ready for whatever reason.

If he wants it enough hopefully he continually works hard to achieve his goal. Ultimately, if the talents there it's down to him.

 

[coys200]

It’s obviously a delicate one. Personally I don’t think a loan is best. I’d keep him close and nurture him through.

 

[eddiev14]

He's clearly got some way to go still.

Needs to look at the way Harry Kane approaches everything. There's no better role model.

 

[coys200]

Just realised be 19 8mnths start next season. Same age dele had already made his England debut. Clocks definitely ticking, I’d say next season will define his pathway.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Just realised be 19 8mnths start next season. Same age dele had already made his England debut. Clocks definitely ticking, I’d say next season will define his pathway.

Kane made his league debut for us when he was just past his 19th birthday, and didn’t meaningfully break through until he was approaching 21 with Sherwood in charge.

 

[Cornpattbuck]

He's clearly got some way to go still.

Needs to look at the way Harry Kane approaches everything. There's no better role model.

Ryan Mason too, now that he's back at the club.

 

[mpickard2087]

This loan was a waste of time and I don't think its necessarily wrong to walk out of it - cant say I wouldn't in the same scenario, people can cite the 'testing him' or character building etc etc. but I think that's bollocks. You've either got the motivation or haven't, and if he's just going to train he'd be far better off at Spurs doing that. You go on loan to play and gain competitive match experience.

I think the approach going forward should be simple and with clarity:

a) If Poch/McDermott/whoever don't think he's got the right attitude or hunger or does as is asked of him etc etc etc, or even talent for that matter, then sell him.

b) If they do rate him and see a future here, bite the bullet - get him training with the first team each day and go from there in terms of earning appearances.

c) any loan next season should be a short, six month one (say, later in the season when less likely to appear in cups/latter stages of competitions etc.) which should be to gain competitive match experience week in, week out. With loans done this way I don't even think the highest level matters so much, just the match time every week and experience transitioning from youth football.

What I don't like is the going round in circles, back to U21 football purgatory and another random loan next season. We are quite guilty of this with a number of players.

 

[jurgen]

Kane made his league debut for us when he was just past his 19th birthday, and didn’t meaningfully break through until he was approaching 21 with Sherwood in charge.

We've also had evidence from others that have trained and played with him that he was obsessed with improving his game and was a bit of a swot when it came to training himself up and getting involved. So he's a poster boy for working really bloody hard as a youth player.

The trouble is that Poch is going to demand that he brings it 100% of the time more than pretty much any other manager he might play under, so if he can't convince other people, he's going to have a hell of a time trying to convince the Spurs coaches that he's going to do what it takes to succeed with us.

 

[cozzo]

He will probably have to start thinking of getting a job soon

 

[onthetwo]

One things for sure, if he doesnt make it he will only have himself to blame as he couldnt hope for a better set up in terms of Youth Development, mentoring and the promotion of young prospects.

 

[ljinko888]

Perhaps this is a great example that telling a boy he's the real deal all throughout youth ranks is adverse.

These lads aren't long out of school. Teenagers are generally impressionable and a lot are cocky. I follow our academy and I know some people who are involved with youth coaching. A guy at Leyton Orient told me a couple of years ago the problem with dealing with youngsters away from football. When they go through school, the football boys are the popular lads, they're the class clowns, the troublesome students and the ones who are too naive to realise only a very tiny percentage of academy players actually make it. Rejection hits them hard and many end up having to play catch up academically or in some form of training to make a living, while their peers have moved onward and upwards. Others end up in deep shit. Bluntly a lot of academy footballers 'peak' at school age.

Why is this relevant to Edwards?

Because he's one of that tiny percentage that was earmarked to make it. At the very least he would have received his first contract post schoolboy. He was above and beyond his peers working through each age-group and found it easy. This is perhaps - and probably - the first time he's had to work for it and everyone reacts differently when an obstacle comes up.

The Orient coach told me social media, forums and youtube is a new frontier to navigate because kids as young as seven are being showcased and hyped up. That's not healthy whatsoever. The old days of only match-going academy followers knowing the players coming up is gone. You don't even have to watch the matches shown on television to know who the hot star everyone is talking about is. But such players shouldn't really have thousands or tens of thousands in wages before they play a game for the first team, or have 30k followers on social media. This is something that has burst in recent years and a big challenge to manage.

 

[thelak]

Very delicate situation. Don’t think the Kane comparisons are really valid given Kane was seen a a decent prospect that worked amazingly hard to convince ca Edwards has been billed as the next big thing and hyped as. Massive natural talent - I saw an interview when he signed for Norwich and he seems like a quietly spoken guy but clearly saw himself walking into the team and lighting things up - whether it’s his attitude or performance in training off the ball etc. I have no idea but doesn’t seem like a Taarabt type of complete maverick individualist

 

[Cravenspurs]

Wouldn't be the first "wonder kid" to not make it. Look back at lists from years past about the "Top 50 Up and Coming Stars" or the like and you will see that many at the top have not made it and current stars that are not even listed.

It's easy to judge a youth or senior on their physical tools, but it's much harder to gauge a players mental fortitude. The idea that Marcus is weak mentally has been thrown across these boards for years and same goes for Josh. Both are exceptional physical specimens, but do they have the desire and fortitude of Ryan Mason and Harry Kane? I don't know the answer to that, but I also don't think it is something that one can just flick on and off. Unfortunately these types are going to have to put hours of focus into the mental side of the game just like they did the physical and that may mean we move onto a kid that has the game in between the heads sorted.

It wouldn't surprise me to see Skipp get ahead of the lot due to his unwavering desire he displays.

 

[taricco]

He's clearly got some way to go still.

Needs to look at the way Harry Kane approaches everything. There's no better role model.

He's great, but it's so rare to have young English talent with that absolute determination to make it to the top and work at the level to do it. It might be that a few look at him and realise that they can't reach the same levels in terms of sheer effort.

 

[nicdic]

This loan was a waste of time and I don't think its necessarily wrong to walk out of it - cant say I wouldn't in the same scenario, people can cite the 'testing him' or character building etc etc. but I think that's bollocks. You've either got the motivation or haven't, and if he's just going to train he'd be far better off at Spurs doing that. You go on loan to play and gain competitive match experience.

I think the approach going forward should be simple and with clarity:

a) If Poch/McDermott/whoever don't think he's got the right attitude or hunger or does as is asked of him etc etc etc, or even talent for that matter, then sell him.

b) If they do rate him and see a future here, bite the bullet - get him training with the first team each day and go from there in terms of earning appearances.

c) any loan next season should be a short, six month one (say, later in the season when less likely to appear in cups/latter stages of competitions etc.) which should be to gain competitive match experience week in, week out. With loans done this way I don't even think the highest level matters so much, just the match time every week and experience transitioning from youth football.

What I don't like is the going round in circles, back to U21 football purgatory and another random loan next season. We are quite guilty of this with a number of players.

Loans are about a lot more than just playing. Academy football at a club like Spurs is incredibly sheltered, and Edwards is a kid who's been told for years that the world is at his feet. If the point of the loan was to open his eyes up to the real world of football then maybe it's been a success. Far too short-sighted to just say it's been a waste of time because he hasn't played.

 

[tommyt]

The Norwich manager said that Marcus was on the cusp of the first team so that says to me he has taken the advice and direction on board.

If he continues to take direction from the people around him at THFC then he'll see game time with us also.

 

[mpickard2087]

Loans are about a lot more than just playing. Academy football at a club like Spurs is incredibly sheltered, and Edwards is a kid who's been told for years that the world is at his feet. If the point of the loan was to open his eyes up to the real world of football then maybe it's been a success. Far too short-sighted to just say it's been a waste of time because he hasn't played.

Personally, and knowing a few people who have been through top clubs academies, I think it's overblown that academy kids don't realise there is a real world out there and the cynic in me would say these claims from managers etc. are as much excuses for parking kids out on loans because you don't know what to do with them......

It's not about being sheltered, the individual either has the continued drive and ambition to be the best he can be or he doesn't. You could easily argue that you could take him (or any kid) down a peg or two in house - put him in training one v one drills up against Dembele for instance for x amount of days, or being double marked by a Wanyama/Dier/Vertonghen/whoever and I'm fairly confident any cocky kid with a smidgen of awareness and ambition would be thinking 'fuck, ok that's the standard, I've got to try and live with this...'.

Some might argue about the living away from home in a new environment, and having to do things themselves, but most of them are in their own places here anyway. Just take away the player liaison stuff for stupid things like shopping etc. if they're that concerned about mollycoddled kids.

Normally I'm all for thinking and seeing football through a more complex angle, but in this aspect I am just pure simplicity. A loan, for me, is to gain competitive match experience and transition from youth to adult football.

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

I think the loan and his subsequent return is a bit of a red herring. What matters is how the spurs coaching staff see him and how he progresses internally.

 

[nicdic]

Personally, and knowing a few people who have been through top clubs academies, I think it's overblown that academy kids don't realise there is a real world out there and the cynic in me would say these claims from managers etc. are as much excuses for parking kids out on loans because you don't know what to do with them......

It's not about being sheltered, the individual either has the continued drive and ambition to be the best he can be or he doesn't. You could easily argue that you could take him (or any kid) down a peg or two in house - put him in training one v one drills up against Dembele for instance for x amount of days, or being double marked by a Wanyama/Dier/Vertonghen/whoever and I'm fairly confident any cocky kid with a smidgen of awareness and ambition would be thinking 'fuck, ok that's the standard, I've got to try and live with this...'.

Some might argue about the living away from home in a new environment, and having to do things themselves, but most of them are in their own places here anyway. Just take away the player liaison stuff for stupid things like shopping etc. if they're that concerned about mollycoddled kids.

Normally I'm all for thinking and seeing football through a more complex angle, but in this aspect I am just pure simplicity. A loan, for me, is to gain competitive match experience and transition from youth to adult football.

Fine, but then it was always pointless because he was never going to get games, particularly once injured.

 

[VegasII]