Player Watch - Japhet Tanganga

Sevens · Jan 17, 2020

DJS said:
I’m pretty sure it was Pleat who played him in midfield the season he was caretaker boss as Hoddle had somehow left us with only Toda as a defensive midfielder lol (spurs in neglecting defensive midfield horror!).

Hoddle’s wet dream was playing King, Richards and Gardner in a back three.

It was so good the next season when we actually bought some midfielders are we’re actually able to put a king back where he belonged!

It was Graham that played King in midfield. Pleat tried him there too.

It wasn't Hoddle who left us with no defensive midfielders. It was a combination of Pleat and Levy. Hoddle wanted to sign Scott Parker and/or Sean Davis, but Pleat vetoed both moves. We ended up with Dalmat instead.

Sevens · Jan 17, 2020

mpickard2087 said:
Hate to say it but I think a little bit of revisionism is going on re. King. He was always a very good talent, comfortable in midfield or at the back, but it took him a few years to be really consistent and become that commanding centre back - not till about 04/05. Along the way it was a learning curve, two or three years in to his Spurs career you see him make a huge cock up that cost us in a cup final for instance.

As I've said before though with other youngsters, don't get the obsession with labels and fans obsessing how good they could be. Tanganga is physically very robust, ok technically, and has a good head on his shoulders it seems, so has every chance of having a decent career, but lets just sit back and keep the pressure off and watch how it unwinds. At the moment he's put in two performances, and most importantly for me gave a team badly in need of some energy, eagerness, and urgency precisely that, and so deserves his place in the team. Hopefully that continues, whether that's for five games or five hundred.

When Graham first played King it was clear he was something very special indeed. He was superb in the midfield and looked a class above Campbell had been at that age. Of course he picked up that knee injury very early on in his career so we'll never know what may have happened in those early years had he played more.

When Hoddle arrived he tended to play King on the right side of back three, and later a back two. For some reason King never looked comfortable when playing on the right side of defence. He was far more home as the left centre back, which is where he settled in after we signed Naybet, Woodgate and Dawson (who all played on the right).

Sevens · Jan 17, 2020

Gbspurs said:

A brilliant challenge but what people don't remember is that it was all in vain. Chelsea scored from the resulting bloody corner kick! Also as great as it was, Robben didn't do very well. As it was on his weaker foot he hesitated and hesitated which allowed King to get back. Had that been on his left foot it would have likely been a very different story!

bho · Jan 17, 2020

We did end up winning that match, so not all was lost though!

Gbspurs · Jan 17, 2020

Sevens said:
A brilliant challenge but what people don't remember is that it was all in vain. Chelsea scored from the resulting bloody corner kick! Also as great as it was, Robben didn't do very well. As it was on his weaker foot he hesitated and hesitated which allowed King to get back. Had that been on his left foot it would have likely been a very different story!

Gallas wasn't it?

punkisback · Jan 17, 2020

Gbspurs said:
Gallas wasn't it?

Yeah it was either him or Makelele with a screamer. I'm sure we won that game 2-1 with the Lennon winner.

Bulletspur · Jan 17, 2020

McFlash said:
Still love that time he chased down and tackled Henry. Didn't Henry say he was the best defender he'd ever faced?

He chased down Robben, but Henry did say he was the the best defender he ever faced, as King constantly took the ball off him, without having to resort to fouling.

allatsea said:
And he didn't need to foul. Ridiculously few cards for his career.

Something that Henry confirmed (see above)

Dzejkob · Jan 17, 2020

I hate you all, this talk about Ledley made me miss him so much... ?

The Opinionated Lurker · Jan 17, 2020

Yes, yes lads, we all love King dearly but it’s the Tanganga thread

coyspurs18 · Jan 17, 2020

Bulletspur · Jan 18, 2020

I do not like to be smug (lie), but I predicted a couple of years ago that Tanganga was going to be the next best saught after defender in the League, where he will win many caps for his country. My prediction seems more and more likely considering his standout debut against the European and world club champions.

swarvsta · Jan 18, 2020

I wonder if he will start tomorrow? Big call for Jose.

IGSpur · Jan 18, 2020

Bulletspur said:
I do not like to be smug (lie), but I predicted a couple of years ago that Tanganga was going to be the next best saught after defender in the League, where he will win many caps for his country. My prediction seems more and more likely considering his standout debut against the European and world club champions.

He is a very highly rated CB evidenced by the fact England have constantly selected him wherever possible. After a years lay off he was straight back in, and even despite the least minutes played prior to the last 2 games he has hung on in there, similar to Onomah actually. If he didn't play this year it would've definitely been his last appearances and he would likely have ended up being dropped from England.

I'm most looking forward to him settling in, and show a bit of his long passing game, and better short passing but he's keeping it fairly safe for now. Also he has showed people he is handy on his left foot as some seem convinced he's left footed not sure why. I like that he has kept his proactive, front foot defending trying to intercept the balls and being aggressive but he will need to adapt slightly to the pace and get his timings right but it's great to see at the moment, and he has the potential to be top class no doubt. What also makes him quite different to a lot of our academy players is his ability to play RCB or LCB which should help in the future.

IGSpur · Jan 18, 2020

swarvsta said:
I wonder if he will start tomorrow? Big call for Jose.

Doubt he'll go 3 games in a row

walworthyid · Jan 18, 2020

mill said:
I think that was Gardner, he was rapid too

Yep, it was gardner. Once he got going he was as quick as anybody over a longer sprint.

walworthyid · Jan 18, 2020

Bulletspur said:
He chased down Robben, but Henry did say he was the the best defender he ever faced, as King constantly took the ball off him, without having to resort to fouling.

Something that Henry confirmed (see above)

Henry actually said that the ball would be gone before you even knew it!

coy-spurs1882 · Jan 18, 2020

Dzejkob said:
I hate you all, this talk about Ledley made me miss him so much... ?

and also woodgate...

pffft · Jan 18, 2020

coy-spurs1882 said:
and also woodgate...

I think that Woodgate and King would have been one of the all-time great central defensive partnerships if it weren't for them both being plagued with constant injuries. Between them they had absolutely everything you want in a CB pairing. It's such a huge shame that we never got to see that partnership develop to its full potential.

And on topic, nice to see Tanganga in the starting line-up again today, he's earned it. I'd never heard of him until the summer, and I'm impressed with what I've seen so far.

SugarRay · Jan 18, 2020

pffft said:
I think that Woodgate and King would have been one of the all-time great central defensive partnerships if it weren't for them both being plagued with constant injuries. Between them they had absolutely everything you want in a CB pairing. It's such a huge shame that we never got to see that partnership develop to its full potential.

And on topic, nice to see Tanganga in the starting line-up again today, he's earned it. I'd never heard of him until the summer, and I'm impressed with what I've seen so far.

Without the injuries, Woodgate would never have played for us and Ledley, as much as we love him, would have left us before he hit 26

pffft · Jan 18, 2020

SugarRay said:
Without the injuries, Woodgate would never have played for us and Ledley, as much as we love him, would have left us before he hit 26

Yeah, I'm sure you're right, definitely about Woodgate and probably about King too.

But if they'd have both managed to stay injury free for a couple of years while we had them...

then we'd probably have sold them both to Manchester United, but that's beside the point.

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