The Spurs Youth Thread - 2018/19
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Blake Griffin
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- Oct 3, 2011
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by the way, ages of the two teams last night:
spurs - 20, 18, 19, 19, 18, 17, 19, 18, 17, 20, 20 avg 18.6
zagreb - 19, 25, 18, 25, 22, 19, 19, 26, 19, 18, 18 avg 20.7
still wasn't a great performance but that kind of gap will usually make a difference at these ages. i don't think burnett is making the best use of some players either.
spurs - 20, 18, 19, 19, 18, 17, 19, 18, 17, 20, 20 avg 18.6
zagreb - 19, 25, 18, 25, 22, 19, 19, 26, 19, 18, 18 avg 20.7
still wasn't a great performance but that kind of gap will usually make a difference at these ages. i don't think burnett is making the best use of some players either.
edson
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- May 17, 2005
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Having no strikers has done a job on the u23s and playing Roles up top has not done him any good either.
I have seen them play worse than they did last night,the arsenal game they was never in that match from start to finish and with a good striker they could have got something last night because Dinamo Zagreb was a poor side as well.
loaderspurs
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- May 21, 2012
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A random one from the Mirror, apparently Norwich want Max Statham, with Sunderland, Brentford and Notts Forest also watching him. Not particularly highly rated is he, out of contract in the summer?
IGSpur
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- Jan 11, 2013
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https://www.fourfourtwo.com/feature...s-accidental-hero-how-many-more-are-out-there
Another article basically saying what I and others have been saying for ages. The situation we currently find ourselves in means that every and any young player that eventaully stumbles through into first team football get described of as 'special' or a 'talent' when the large majority aren't at all. This then gets swiftly followed by calls form the fans to buy them as they are the latest young talent we need to get our hands on.
For whatever reason academy players are still massiveley underrated and distrusted whereas the PL is overrated which is why anytime that an academy player merely holds their own they're greeted as the next big thing. Most of these players aren't even 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd choice in their position in the national team. Judging by how well the international youth sides do clearly the scouts and coaches are doing excellently, and can be accused of bias or making wrong decisions and yet the type of players you see come through are regularly 'overlooked'. Is it that they are not good enough to play Premier League football? No, it's just because there are better players out there than them that will likely never see the light of Premier League football. These are the more special kids and even in then they aren't necessarily special. I've said so many times that 80% of an academy intake for the top 6 clubs have teh ability to play Premier League football, and most 11s of any England match have the ability to play PL football, however within those teams there are special players. But we're not even getting the standard players come through from those intakes or age groups, and unless pure fortune arises we might see that special player come through. To try and make that clearer. Let's take Edwards' 98 age group. They weren't that great relative to the group preceding and succeeding it, but still if you took the strongest 11, there were some players better than others but all 11 probably had the ability to play PL, except maybe James Yates. Heck even Davies looked decidedly average yet when he got his chance people thought he was a wonderkid. The special players in that age group were Edwards and maybe Willock. But we may never see them ever play in the PL. Edwards is a special player.
In the 00 age group there are so many different 11s you could make of players that are good enough to play Premier League football but the age group has many special players, Sancho being one of them, but we are still struggling to find opportunity for them.
We are in a situation where players like Rice, Longstaff, Davies, Wan-Bissaka, TAA and at the risk of taking bullets Winks. These are all good to very players, but none of them are what you would have considered special especially at age group level and yet they are good enough for PL football and a couple for top 6 clubs. They are players who through injury found there way into the first team and weren't being given an opportunity because their managers thought they were better than what they have, which is strange as apparently these managers should have been able to see them in training, and notice that they are better than the first teamers. It's a strange situation where academy players are expected to perform better than first teamers in training, to earn their opportunity, so either they weren't doing, or they were and the managers were unable to identify their ability at close quarters as they all came through via injury. That is why I don't buy the nonsense training argument as it is clear as day, that whatever they are doing in training, managers still don't see them as viable options, but yet when given the opportunity via injury they are proving they are better. How does that work? Or do they only up their training levels once they are first teamers?
Walker-Peters and Kenny were the only 2 RBs in contention for a very successful England age group. In Walker-Peters' very limited chances he has 3 PL MOTMs and 3 assists in one game but because of a slip at Barcelona, he isn't ready, while Trippier makes mistakes all week but it's excused by management. Then a player that could come near him in his age group comes through via injury and he is now the ideal signing for the summer window. There are so many players that should be playing PL football but don't get the opportunity. It's so hard for me to get my head around all of this, that players like Edwards and Hudson-Odoi are considered not good enough for their clubs as they need to be showing this that and the other, and yet players who are significantly less talented than them are actually showing they are good enough for PL football. As I've said before Fergie used players like Fletcher, Evans, Brown, O'Shea, Welbeck and Cleverly these were not stars or special players but more than good enough for a championship winning team. Players that when placed with other top players look a lot better, like when we had Mason, Townsend and Caulker. Performed at a top level but would never progress beyond us and would eventually move on, or if they were lucky hang around a player for a long time as squad player. This is what I see happening to Winks. I could see at 18 he was more than good enough to player football for a top 6 club in the first team, but I don't ever see him playing for a club better than us. That was my expectation of him and I still believe that. Yet there are so many other players like him and so many special talents missed out on, for mediocre signings.
Another article basically saying what I and others have been saying for ages. The situation we currently find ourselves in means that every and any young player that eventaully stumbles through into first team football get described of as 'special' or a 'talent' when the large majority aren't at all. This then gets swiftly followed by calls form the fans to buy them as they are the latest young talent we need to get our hands on.
For whatever reason academy players are still massiveley underrated and distrusted whereas the PL is overrated which is why anytime that an academy player merely holds their own they're greeted as the next big thing. Most of these players aren't even 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd choice in their position in the national team. Judging by how well the international youth sides do clearly the scouts and coaches are doing excellently, and can be accused of bias or making wrong decisions and yet the type of players you see come through are regularly 'overlooked'. Is it that they are not good enough to play Premier League football? No, it's just because there are better players out there than them that will likely never see the light of Premier League football. These are the more special kids and even in then they aren't necessarily special. I've said so many times that 80% of an academy intake for the top 6 clubs have teh ability to play Premier League football, and most 11s of any England match have the ability to play PL football, however within those teams there are special players. But we're not even getting the standard players come through from those intakes or age groups, and unless pure fortune arises we might see that special player come through. To try and make that clearer. Let's take Edwards' 98 age group. They weren't that great relative to the group preceding and succeeding it, but still if you took the strongest 11, there were some players better than others but all 11 probably had the ability to play PL, except maybe James Yates. Heck even Davies looked decidedly average yet when he got his chance people thought he was a wonderkid. The special players in that age group were Edwards and maybe Willock. But we may never see them ever play in the PL. Edwards is a special player.
In the 00 age group there are so many different 11s you could make of players that are good enough to play Premier League football but the age group has many special players, Sancho being one of them, but we are still struggling to find opportunity for them.
We are in a situation where players like Rice, Longstaff, Davies, Wan-Bissaka, TAA and at the risk of taking bullets Winks. These are all good to very players, but none of them are what you would have considered special especially at age group level and yet they are good enough for PL football and a couple for top 6 clubs. They are players who through injury found there way into the first team and weren't being given an opportunity because their managers thought they were better than what they have, which is strange as apparently these managers should have been able to see them in training, and notice that they are better than the first teamers. It's a strange situation where academy players are expected to perform better than first teamers in training, to earn their opportunity, so either they weren't doing, or they were and the managers were unable to identify their ability at close quarters as they all came through via injury. That is why I don't buy the nonsense training argument as it is clear as day, that whatever they are doing in training, managers still don't see them as viable options, but yet when given the opportunity via injury they are proving they are better. How does that work? Or do they only up their training levels once they are first teamers?
Walker-Peters and Kenny were the only 2 RBs in contention for a very successful England age group. In Walker-Peters' very limited chances he has 3 PL MOTMs and 3 assists in one game but because of a slip at Barcelona, he isn't ready, while Trippier makes mistakes all week but it's excused by management. Then a player that could come near him in his age group comes through via injury and he is now the ideal signing for the summer window. There are so many players that should be playing PL football but don't get the opportunity. It's so hard for me to get my head around all of this, that players like Edwards and Hudson-Odoi are considered not good enough for their clubs as they need to be showing this that and the other, and yet players who are significantly less talented than them are actually showing they are good enough for PL football. As I've said before Fergie used players like Fletcher, Evans, Brown, O'Shea, Welbeck and Cleverly these were not stars or special players but more than good enough for a championship winning team. Players that when placed with other top players look a lot better, like when we had Mason, Townsend and Caulker. Performed at a top level but would never progress beyond us and would eventually move on, or if they were lucky hang around a player for a long time as squad player. This is what I see happening to Winks. I could see at 18 he was more than good enough to player football for a top 6 club in the first team, but I don't ever see him playing for a club better than us. That was my expectation of him and I still believe that. Yet there are so many other players like him and so many special talents missed out on, for mediocre signings.
therhinospeaks
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- Dec 18, 2014
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I'd be astonished.
edson
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- May 17, 2005
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He has played quite well this year when he has stepped in for others but it does look like he is going and I wish him well, seems a good Lad and I have talked to a Parent who had a son playing in the same team at U16 and told me he is very well liked by all of his teammates.
Locotoro
Prince of Zamunda
- Sep 2, 2004
- 9,398
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Good article and I really do appreciate your view. But what is the solution? Can we point to a league and a system which is comparable to the EPL now and say are doing it better?
Everytime a league becomes stronger the teams start losing the ability to integrate youth players into first teams. We saw it in Italy in the 90s with their ageing teams, La Liga in the 00s with a lot of talent leaving to come to England and now we see it here with players moving aborad for development opportunities. My suggestion would be to look at what the reaction was in those leagues and see if it fixed the problem? Italy still not developing youth very well and La Liga use the B teams to great affect. What direction are we going?
spud
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- Sep 2, 2003
- 5,850
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I undoubtedly know less about our youth set up and players than anybody else reading this thread, but I have to say that I am completely mystified by the continued non-appearance in the first team of KWP. With Trippier having a terrible season and Aurier consistently proving that he's unfit for purpose I don't understand why a clearly talented player who has been excellent in his very limited opportunities has been consistently overlooked.
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topper
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- Jan 27, 2008
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edson
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No point in playing him in just one game KWP needs back to back matches and as it is now he is not getting that.
spurs9
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- Aug 31, 2012
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Ray Lo said it was an own goal from a Cirkin cross.
Edit: as does the our official site.
edson
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- May 17, 2005
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Could well be I was not sure it was down the other end and the bloke on the Pa does get it wrong from time to time.
edson
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- May 17, 2005
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HT 1-1
We have played very well, white has been brilliant,Bennett has come close on three occasions, BLF has done well playing right side CB,Cirkin has done well so has Hinds and Maghoma has done better tonight,shame about the Pen.
We have played very well, white has been brilliant,Bennett has come close on three occasions, BLF has done well playing right side CB,Cirkin has done well so has Hinds and Maghoma has done better tonight,shame about the Pen.
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spurs9
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- Aug 31, 2012
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Are we playing a diamond with Bennet and Tracey up front?
