Pochettino: "It is our job to bring through young players..."

[Kendall]

We're starting the bear fruit.

November 2012 - Barcelona 1-4 Tottenham - Our youth's finest hour in the modern era I expect and where are they now?

McGee - Still at club
McQueen - Still at club
Barthram - at Swindon
Ogilvie - Still at club, bench spots
Veljkovic - Still at club, out on loan, made first team apps
Ball - Still at club, bench spots
Stewart - Left club, now at Livepool
McEvoy - Still at club
Winks - Still at club, made debut a couple of weeks ago
Bentaleb - First teamer
Lesniak - Still at club
Coulthirst - Still at club
Onomah - Still at club
Dombaxe - Not sure if still at the club
Pritchard - Still at club, on loan, made first team apps
Michael-Percil - Left club

 

[DogsOfWar]

Only now do we decide to bring through youth after 14 years and spending 70 million.

The changes in the academy would have taken place a long time ago, I suspect under Arnesen.
The kids usually start from about 8 years of age so all the youngsters we are seeing coming through today are from the ENIC era so it's not a question of only bringing youth through now. We didn't have the system in place to develop youngsters but now we have we're seeing those who have spent a decade or more in it starting to bear fruit.

This is the best thing about having a proper businessman in charge, they invest in the long term future of the club (regardless of our feelings about first team matters).

For me, it's Levy's biggest success. The academy and training facilities. And whilst it doesn't mean much to us directly, as we're only interested in first team results, the effect it has on morale and the infrastructure at the club is huge.

 

[WiganSpur]

There were a lot of people upset that Bentaleb replaced Capoue, and when Tim dropped Soldado after he'd actually managed to score a goal from open play and brought in Kane—even though Kane was far more effective.

People were upset with TS for fielding unbalanced teams.

It just happened that Bentaleb was part of many poor team selections. Him paired with Sigurdsson in a CM2 at Anfield last season a prime example.

I don't think anyone disagreed about Tim giving them a chance, in fact it was a refreshing change.

 

[SpurSince57]

People were upset with TS for fielding unbalanced teams.

It just happened that Bentaleb was part of many poor team selections. Him paired with Sigurdsson in a CM2 at Anfield last season a prime example.

I don't think anyone disagreed about Tim giving them a chance, in fact it was a refreshing change.

They were, and with good reason—the off-the-wall pairing of Bentaleb and Sig that you quote being a classic example. How the guy did as well as he did is one of the great mysteries of modern football. However, many people had a down on him from the start, long before the 'WTF is that team selection about?' began. Let's be honest. A lot of people took violently against him from the off, although, to be fair, he was hardly his own best friend.

 

[Spurger King]

They were, and with good reason—the off-the-wall pairing of Bentaleb and Sig that you quote being a classic example. How the guy did as well as he did is one of the great mysteries of modern football. However, many people had a down on him from the start, long before the 'WTF is that team selection about?' began. Let's be honest. A lot of people took violently against him from the off, although, to be fair, he was hardly his own best friend.

I still maintain that the worst thing he could have done was insist on being given a full contract. If Sherwood had remained as a caretaker I suspect people would have been a lot more relaxed about his problematic aspects, and more favourable toward his achievements.

He wasn't being judged as a stop-gap. He was being judged as someone who in theory would be our manager going into the next season.

 

[Hotspur33]

This all sounds great. But it is all a bit of a cake and eat it situation.
We have had to have a dip in form and expectations to allow the likes of Kane, Mason and Bentaleb to have a chance.
Had we have kept the likes of Berbatov, Bale, Modric and Carrick, then Mason, Bentaleb and Kane would be nowhere near the first team.
I am pleased as punch for the academy lads, but should we be pushing for the top four, we would all be calling for Levy to get the cheque book out because you can't win anything with kids.

 

[Mullers]

We're starting the bear fruit.

November 2012 - Barcelona 1-4 Tottenham - Our youth's finest hour in the modern era I expect and where are they now?

McGee - Still at club
McQueen - Still at club
Barthram - at Swindon
Ogilvie - Still at club, bench spots
Veljkovic - Still at club, out on loan, made first team apps
Ball - Still at club, bench spots
Stewart - Left club, now at Livepool
McEvoy - Still at club
Winks - Still at club, made debut a couple of weeks ago
Bentaleb - First teamer
Lesniak - Still at club
Coulthirst - Still at club
Onomah - Still at club
Dombaxe - Not sure if still at the club
Pritchard - Still at club, on loan, made first team apps
Michael-Percil - Left club

The changes in the academy would have taken place a long time ago, I suspect under Arnesen.
The kids usually start from about 8 years of age so all the youngsters we are seeing coming through today are from the ENIC era so it's not a question of only bringing youth through now. We didn't have the system in place to develop youngsters but now we have we're seeing those who have spent a decade or more in it starting to bear fruit.

This is the best thing about having a proper businessman in charge, they invest in the long term future of the club (regardless of our feelings about first team matters).

For me, it's Levy's biggest success. The academy and training facilities. And whilst it doesn't mean much to us directly, as we're only interested in first team results, the effect it has on morale and the infrastructure at the club is huge.

Personally I have to wait a see who makes through to be a first team regular before I say it is bearing fruit. It's a big step up to being a first team regular and most don't make it. You also have to create an environment where young players feel they have a fair chance. Livermore preferred to stay at a relegation threatened club rather than come back to us because he didn't feel he was being given a fair chance.

Also fans have short memories and I'll take Adebayor as just one example of this, in his first season he was great, the second season, he missed preseason, he had injuries and a loss of form and was completely written off as shit by many.

People are riding on the crest of the wave now because of the success of Mason and Kane but if we were able to buy the best players, there wouldn't be much thought given to the academy I feel.

 

[sim0n]

Bentaleb is already a first teamer and Spurs have to make room for Pritchard next season... wondering who will leave to make room?...