The Daily ITK Discussion Thread - 15th July 2016

[EZSpur]

I'm overly loyal to our academy products, but Pritch is 23 and has zero Prem experience. He impressed at Brentford, but outside of that, nothing. Injuries have been unfair to him, and he's certainly talented, but would we sign a 23 year old with zero experience and a spotty injury history?

Players know the game. The academy serves to provide talent AND assets.

I think a move to the toons would actually be about as good as he could expect.

Not quite zero prem experience, he did have some fleeting appearances for West Brom - but i totally get what you're saying.

If you remember a while back, at the end of the season (i can't remember which), but Pritchard came on for around 20 mins and he didn't look out of place at all, in fact he looked positively exciting.

I was so looking forward to him being given a shot/developed, a tricky playmaker in the mould of Eriksen.......if not better!!

What the hell has gone so wrong!!!?

 

[tiger666]

What the hell has gone so wrong!!!?

Best ask Poch and his team. They know far more about him than any of us.

 

[Hot Spur]

Ojay again on 'shame we are letting pritch go': Agreed but it's what poch wants

If true then Poch has clearly seen reasons that we don't see. It may not be footballing reasons, it could be off the pitch reasons. Attitude, commitment, mentality, who knows but I'm damn sure Poch wouldn't be letting him go if he ticked all the necessary boxes.

 

[EZSpur]

Best ask Poch and his team. They know far more about him than any of us.

I wish I could mate!!
It's just weird, as far as prospects go, i think a lot of people would agree Pritch was right up there.
......and now he's on his way out!

 

[Drexl]

Injuries have held him back big time, stalled his progress as a player, he is never going to make it with us best to let him go where he can get some regular game time, probably the Championship

Even Pulis clearly thought he is not up to it, this so called wonder boy could not even get in a shite WBA team

 

[Yid1987]

Not surprised by this tbh. JJ said last summer he'd struggle for games with us & that Poch wasn't overly keen.
Think we need to be realistic as fans. We've had a number of academy graduates breakthrough but the reality is that not many of them will be good enough to step to become key players for us. Let's not get blinkered by the success of the likes of Kane and look at each player as an individual case rather than take the .... "Well Mason did it at 23 so Pritchard can" approach

 

[THFCSPURS19]

In response to a Guardian article about us signing Nkoudou...:

The original JJetset ‏@jetsetyid 1m1 minute ago
Good player

 

[Lou3000]

Is it just me or n'koudou signing picking up a lot of steam? I had ignored it because I know nothing about the player, but a lot of sources and maybe JJ agree.

 

[buckley]

why on earth would you give credence to the fact that pulis did not give playing time to Pritchard he is the archetypal manager that said way back in the 70s and 80s that hoddle was a luxuary
would you sooner watch the like of Vinnie jones and mc lean or hoddle and Pritchard
pulis is to good football what hitler was to peace in the word
I wil never forget the match at stoke where kaboul got sent off puliss is and will always be anti good football
he fills his teams with tough guys any smart or clever play is pure luck

 

[TEESSIDE1]

Is it just me or n'koudou signing picking up a lot of steam? I had ignored it because I know nothing about the player, but a lot of sources and maybe JJ agree.

I wasn't overly thrilled initially by this signing and I know we shouldn't judge by watching videos but what stands out about him is he's got a very low centre of gravity and his pace is rapid. Reminds me of a young Lennon but hopefully with a better end product.

 

[nickspurs]

Is it just me or n'koudou signing picking up a lot of steam? I had ignored it because I know nothing about the player, but a lot of sources and maybe JJ agree.

Wondering the same thing. Strange how quick it is getting coverage into major media outlets.

Still, could be my usual theory that he's on the list but interest being exaggerated to get movement on higher priority targets.

 

[thinktank]

Ojay on coys who im sure had some itk in the past but i dont remember what it was:
on pritchard: He is 100% going
when asked if opinion: No, fact

this was in the middle of a discussion about him going to the barcodes, with possibly winjaldum going the other way

Oh ffs.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Pritchard's a decent player but much like Mason or Carroll, it has to be said that if the quality bar has been raised to be a long term part of the squad and that means that these type of players move on, then that's a positive.

Got to say mate, I can fully understand Carroll being moved on, he clearly has talent, vision, ability and applies himself, but has had many chances now to establish himself but has failed to do so, I think he just lacks that ultimate mentality thing that's required to impose himself on games at times. Mason, even more reluctantly, at a push, I could accept just because I think under Pochettino he's not going to get the chance to play, he's incredibly injury prone and deserves to be somewhere where he can get a chance at regular football and we have players like Winks and Onomah who could one day play his role or something similar.

But Pritchard, unlike those two, has never been given the chance he deserves. He has passed every test with aplomb, player of the season at both his loan clubs (I think) team of the season in the championship for Brentford, the team who played the best football in that division. He has guile, tenacity, an eye for goal and works for the team off the ball.

We can never be sure how a kid will pan out, whether he will grab his chance or get the breaks (or both) but I'd be damn disappointed if he goes without being given a chance, especially when we have signed players like Lamela, Chadli, Son & Njie for over 70m to play in similar areas of the pitch.

 

[RicOfPeace]

Based on what evidence?

Based on the evidence I've seen a lot of Alex Pritchard at youth level and at Brentford and he has always stood out as our best prospect and has always looked like the ideal replacement for any of our attacking midfield positions where as Winjaldum has not impressed me at all at Newcastle. I base my judgement on what i see for myself not because somebody else tells me to believe an average player is great for our system.

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

Based on the evidence I've seen a lot of Alex Pritchard at youth level and at Brentford and he has always stood out as our best prospect and has always looked like the ideal replacement for any of our attacking midfield positions where as Winjaldum has not impressed me at all at Newcastle. I base my judgement on what i see for myself not because somebody else tells me to believe an average player is great for our system.

You need to tell yourself that you're categorically wrong then

 

[Grey Fox]

N'Koudou is real, N'jie not part of the deal financially, but as a possible loan sweetner

 

[Hengy1]

N'Koudou is real, N'jie not part of the deal financially, but as a possible loan sweetner

Hopefully we keep N'jie as hasn't really had chance to make an impact yet

 

[SpursTillIDie1882]

N'Koudou is real, N'jie not part of the deal financially, but as a possible loan sweetner

Thanks for the update Grey Fox!

Im quietly pleased with that, imcan see why poch would want him, on his attacking play, mauraudes down the left will conbine well with rose, plus quick and quick feet. His work rate off ball cant comment only as i dont know.

 

[Cornpattbuck]

As has been said, a lot (!), we have absolutely no idea what's going on behind the scenes, re: Pritchard. All we do know is that Poch was very excited about him when joining the club (to the point he was said to be having regular phone conversations with him while at Brentford etc), then the long-term injury happened and something appears to have changed...

 

[Cornpattbuck]

As for Nidge, he could be homesick, he may not have settled into the group, he may not have recovered from his injuries, he may have struggled to adapt to the English game... any number of reasons why signings don't work out but I guess we'll see what happens in the long run.