The Spurs Youth Thread - 2017/2018

[danielneeds]

FA Youth Cup Liverpool 2-3 Arsenal. In extra time. 2-1 to Pool then Arsenal equalised 5mins to go normal time. As we beat Liverpool comfortably where does that leave us in relation to Arsenal, bearing in mind they battered us earlier this season.

The nature of youth teams is inconsistency though. Apart from Chelsea and City’s uber sides, the rest can all beat each other on their days.

 

[Blake Griffin]

Are you able to post how many games each has played?

de bie 18 apps
austin 2 apps
oluwayemi 2 apps
freeman 1 app

hinds 21 apps / 1 assist
lock 8 apps / 2 assists
tainio 2 apps

lyons-foster 18 apps
eyoma 9 apps / 1 goal
statham 9 apps
omolabi 8 apps / 1 goal
dinzeyi 7 apps / 1 assist
okedina 2 apps
walcott 2 apps

reynolds 20 apps / 5 assists

p.maghoma 21 apps / 2 goals
bowden 16 apps / 1 goal
skipp 10 apps / 1 assist
oakley-boothe 2 apps

patterson 19 apps / 8 goals / 8 assists
richards 17 apps / 11 goals / 1 assist
a.shashoua 14 apps
markanday 11 apps / 5 goals / 1 assist
mukendi 11 apps / 2 assists
bennett 8 apps / 1 goal / 3 assists
clarke 8 apps / 2 goals / 1 assist
poch jr 6 apps / 1 goal
thorpe 1 app

griffiths 22 apps / 17 goals / 3 assists
asante 1 app

 

[coys200]

Someone on twitter saying TOB is in squad tomorrow would be very surprised.

 

[Blake Griffin]

he's probably just travelled with the team.

 

[Hengy1]

Someone on twitter saying TOB is in squad tomorrow would be very surprised.

Because he tagged himself at Southampton. Just travelled in case of injuries etc

 

[SpursD22]

Someone on twitter saying TOB is in squad tomorrow would be very surprised.

He is, he posted this on Instagram direct, Alfie Whiteman has travelled with the squad and performed stand by me for some reason

 

[spurs9]

de bie 18 apps
austin 2 apps
oluwayemi 2 apps
freeman 1 app

hinds 21 apps / 1 assist
lock 8 apps / 2 assists
tainio 2 apps

lyons-foster 18 apps
eyoma 9 apps / 1 goal
statham 9 apps
omolabi 8 apps / 1 goal
dinzeyi 7 apps / 1 assist
okedina 2 apps
walcott 2 apps

reynolds 20 apps / 5 assists

p.maghoma 21 apps / 2 goals
bowden 16 apps / 1 goal
skipp 10 apps / 1 assist
oakley-boothe 2 apps

patterson 19 apps / 8 goals / 8 assists
richards 17 apps / 11 goals / 1 assist
a.shashoua 14 apps
markanday 11 apps / 5 goals / 1 assist
mukendi 11 apps / 2 assists
bennett 8 apps / 1 goal / 3 assists
clarke 8 apps / 2 goals / 1 assist
poch jr 6 apps / 1 goal
thorpe 1 app

griffiths 22 apps / 17 goals / 3 assists
asante 1 app

Awesome thanks bro.

 

[Hengy1]

View attachment 35388


He is, he posted this on Instagram direct, Alfie Whiteman has travelled with the squad and song stand by me for some reason

Oh that’s who that was

 

[coys200]

Yeah with no Hugo. We’d have 19 available. Still shows he’s basically 1st in-line Poch must really rare him. Still only 17.

 

[nigespurs]

View attachment 35388


He is, he posted this on Instagram direct, Alfie Whiteman has travelled with the squad and performed stand by me for some reason

Alfie Whiteman performed an initiation song which all first team players are made to do and Lamela put it on his instagram.

 

[coys200]

Alfie Whiteman performed an initiation song which all first team players are made to do and Lamela put it on his instagram.

Sure whuteman has travelled with squad before. In fact certain he has.

 

[coys200]

He was always on the small side. He has definitely grown a bit but I think his slight build and baby face make him look shorter than he actually is. He's a really excellent young player.

Yeah I think he is about winks size.

 

[SpursD22]

Here is Alfie Whiteman performing Stand by me
https://twitter.com/spursd22/status/954846516790820864

 

[SpursD22]

Alfie Whiteman performed an initiation song which all first team players are made to do and Lamela put it on his instagram.

It was actually because he got nutmegged 3 times Dier asked him if it will happen again and he said never again. So in Tottenham if you get nutmegged 3 times you have to sing to the team

 

[Streetspur77]

No, I’m saying that Poch doesn’t apply his criteria equitably to all groups.

And for the record, not only is “quality” quite an important thing to be lacking, Sissoko also hides from the ball and points when we are under pressure, which also demonstrates a lack of “mental strength”.

And I could give you plenty of examples of senior players that repeatedly fall short on Poch’s self proclaimed criteria that play week after week.

I’m 2/3rds through his book, and a feature of it is how often he has to get hold of first team players and spend hours lecturing them about their application etc.

Yet we are constantly being told that development players must be almost “100%” perfect in all aspects before they can even be changed considered.

And why are you suggesting poch doesn't apply this criteria to all equally? In that scenario the only reason could be that he just doesn't like youth players, which obviously isn't true.

My main problem is how the criticism of poch has turned since yesterday with the shit I've seen on twitter and the tone of some stuff in here, I respect people having concerns but shits on the road to getting toxic now. The comments from poch have been twisted horribly to fit people's agendas, he obviously didn't mean 8/10 as a professional footballer but 8/10 as a youth player. Kane is an 8/10 footballer, messi is a 9/10, no player is 10/10 so clearly poch isn't saying KWP needs to be on Kane's level. These comparisons saying "well is sissoko an 8/10 hehe?" to prove that poch is an evil youth hater have no value.

 

[Streetspur77]

Buying players instead of giving academy players is definitely not putting your job on the line. It's the safe option which can always be defended, it's why all Premier League managers do it. Playing academy players and risking them is putting your job on the line. Buying average players isn't risking your job, you know they will perform to a 'good enough standard' and no one will criticise the the signing. They will just ask they be sold and sign another player. The academy players who may have been better won't get that chance and so Premier League managers will never be proved wrong or shown up for their decision not to take a chance on them. NO one will know if they ever have lost out on playing superior players, so the PL manager continues to take the safe route. Occasionally a Pogba happens where the player leaves the club early enough to reestablish themselves, and then it is a little embarrassing. There is no downside for the managers. Only potential downside is we could miss out on a World Class player but if you can't prove it there is no loss. Keep buying average players and all is well.

I don't think any Premier League manager knowingly plays inferior players to shoot themselves in the foot, they would just rather choose players that are good enough than risk an inexperienced player that will leave them open for criticism. I hope that makes sense, it may not, and puts to bed the belief that people believes that PL managers purposely play lesser players.

That's a good argument, one of best I've seen in this thread but I just don't think it really applies to poch. He will throw young players in when the time is right. Winks's debut in a north London derby aginst West Ham, KWP against Newcastle when he could've just played dier there.

The problem here is it's not at at the rate fans (including me) like however that's why we're fans and he is the manager, I wouldn't like a fan to make these decisions because our biases would make us fuck up

I think there's a bit of an overreaction in this thread tbh, especially with the twisting of pochs recent comments. As I've previously said, if there's been no progress in this coming year I'll apologise and concede that poch is an evil youth hater but I'm not going to yet

 

[kmk]

Has Tanio Jr played any games for our U18s yet?

 

[Anuth]

Our U17 arrived Doha

 

[Bus-Conductor]

And why are you suggesting poch doesn't apply this criteria to all equally? In that scenario the only reason could be that he just doesn't like youth players, which obviously isn't true.

My main problem is how the criticism of poch has turned since yesterday with the shit I've seen on twitter and the tone of some stuff in here, I respect people having concerns but shits on the road to getting toxic now. The comments from poch have been twisted horribly to fit people's agendas, he obviously didn't mean 8/10 as a professional footballer but 8/10 as a youth player. Kane is an 8/10 footballer, messi is a 9/10, no player is 10/10 so clearly poch isn't saying KWP needs to be on Kane's level. These comparisons saying "well is sissoko an 8/10 hehe?" to prove that poch is an evil youth hater have no value.

I get a bit fed up with people labelling opinions as agendas. Its not about not liking youth players, it's about misplaced risk aversion. I think Poch has pretty much unilateral respect from Spurs fans of all spectrums, and he gets shitlaods of praise, but some criticism is justifiable, not all, but some.

From his appointment, when great play was made of his willingness to integrate our best academy players, by him and the chairman, to as recently as his own words in his book when he several times rambled on about what a huge believer he is in giving youth chances, and often preferring to promote academy players rather than buying, he's set himself to be criticised, because he's continually not walked his talk.

From packing Veljkovic off on loan, Pritchard to West Brom on loan and then sold without getting a single minute, refusing - inexplicably - to even give Onomah a single minute as a CM, even in friendlies, the complete reversal of Edwards trajectory, buying another (far from perfect) RB, when KWP had waited patiently for his chance (with us already having a RB here), the lack of games for Winks last season.

In that time we've spent about 110 million (plus millions in wages) on Wimmer, Njie, Nkoudou, Sissoko and Aurier to name 4. When, IMO, if Poch was the great integrator of youth he claims to be, none of those purchases were really necessary and the remit of all of those players could have been filled from within out own ranks.

And I'm sorry if this thread gets into this debate often, but the bottom line is, there is no point to spending all the money we have on our academy, having one of the best academy directors in football, producing some of the best youth players that are winning WC's, promoting them up to the first team and.... there is no point in this thread really (just like the whole transfer rumour thread if we were only signed one player every three years) if we aren't going to give them the appropriate chances - whatever that may mean - but it's got to be more than we have seen in some cases so far.

 

[Hengy1]

the lack of games for Winks last season.

Winks made 33 appearances last ( which was cut short by injury ) not bad for a youth player in a team that came second.