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Handle Kane with care

3 min read
by Stephen Puddicombe
Kane has come a long way from the misunderstood, under appreciated Europa League stand-in. After grabbing a last-minute winner against Villa some are calling for his inclusion from the off versus Stoke, but Stephen Puddicombe thinks we need to be careful with our rising star.

Harry Kane is Tottenham’s saviour, the local lad who’s going to turn our fortunes with the hunger and desire that all these expensive foreign signings lack. At least that’s what some fans seem to be implying amid the current wave of Kane-hype.

Following the misery of what had perhaps been our worst performance of the season at Villa Park, Kane’s last minute winner brought fans from abject despair to ecstatic joy in a matter of minutes.

Not only did his free-kick win us the game and put us back to within touching distance of the top four, but it was scored by the man the fans had elected as their champion. In the first half, the away end could be heard chanting Kane’s name, expressing both their fondness for him and a degree of disillusionment towards the attackers on the pitch. His goal after coming off the bench was seen as proof that they were right to call for his selection, and elevated him to almost heroic status.

But aren’t we all getting a little carried away?

His free-kick, after all, only went in thanks to a substantial deflection, and before then he had done little more than our other attackers to inject life into the lacklustre display. Sure, he’s been on great form in the cup competitions, but performing well at the top level is a whole other matter – lest we forget Roberto Soldado’s hat-trick against FC Anzhi Makhachkala, compared with his league form.

[fullquote]His goal after coming off the bench was seen as proof that they were right to call for his selection, and elevated him to almost heroic status[/fullquote]

To see a 21-year old come through the academy and start scoring goals for fun in the first team is exciting, especially for a club that has up until recently produced so few players since the great Ledley King. But it also means that we’re in danger of over-hyping such prospects. Remember how excited we all were for Andros Townsend this time last year? Since then he has regressed into a fringe player and continues to frustrate with his lack of final product.

That Kane looks set to break into the Premier League first eleven is more a depressing indictment of our of other forwards’ form than it is a marker of his own quality. It’s becoming harder and harder to see how Soldado’s shattered confidence can be restored while his hapless run continues, while Emanuel Adebayor is enduring one of his infuriating off-form spells.

Yet despite their contrasting form, it’s very difficult to imagine Kane scaling the heights that Adebayor did in the second half of last season. When Tim Sherwood brought him into the side he galvanised the team, not only scoring eleven goals at a rate greater than one every two games, but providing a fast, strong, technical focal point from which the rest of the attack can revolve around.

At his best, Abebayor is a Champions League level – something that cannot yet be said for Kane. The 21-year old has shown plenty of determination and passion, sure (although he’s not, as some have claimed, the only player who cares – just look at the reaction from the whole team when the winner against Villa went in), but his all-round game is not as refined, and he lacks the pace and technique of the Togolese.

[fullquote]We’re in danger of creating unrealistic expectations of what he is capable of achieving, which could ultimately lead to unreasonable disappointment[/fullquote]

Perhaps, then, Pochetino’s priority should not be to get Kane in the starting eleven, but to get Adebayor back on top form. A difficult task, as many managers will vouch for, and not one that can be solved simply by picking him until he starts playing well again, but one that nonetheless needs to be achieved if we hope to qualify for the Champions League this season. I can’t imagine Kane being selected for any of our rivals for the top four, but an on-form Adebayor is a player all of them would envy.

For now, Kane deserves to be tried in the league and at just 21-years old still has plenty of potential to continue improving. But we’re in danger of creating unrealistic expectations of what he is capable of achieving, which could ultimately lead to unreasonable disappointment.

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

Stephen Puddicombe

9 Comments

  1. Ashfordyid
    04/11/2014 @ 7:23 pm

    Give the boy a chance.ade isn’t worth a toss most of the time and Bobby Soldado couldn’t spank a donkeys arse with a banjo .

  2. Well done my son!
    04/11/2014 @ 8:26 pm

    OMG, the first time I have agreed with every word of an article. Nothing to add, tells it like it is.

  3. Mike
    04/11/2014 @ 9:04 pm

    Stopped reading when you said he did little more then the other strikers! He did more in the first 30 seconds wen he got round the back of villa! Close to scoring another and energised the whole team wiv a passion that is lacking!

  4. Nanty
    04/11/2014 @ 9:44 pm

    Kane’s a young, fit, enthusiastic athlete at a peak level of appetite and energy.

    Bollocks to taking care – stick him in the team and give him a run. He’ll score, make goals and make him and us happy.

    The media and pundits are brainwashing us into over-thinking football.

  5. Eriksons hair transplant
    05/11/2014 @ 3:28 am

    Level headed article as usual. I remember seeing Kane play earlier in the yr, thinking someone had slipped 15kgs of lead into each of his boots. The fact that he gives his all and actually scores a goal or 2 means he should get a run. But, let’s face it, he’s not the striking answer for a team hoping to finish in the top 4. Please prove me wrong Harry.

  6. SA Spurs
    05/11/2014 @ 4:02 pm

    Totally agree with the author, I would also caution our fans to tone down the England rhetoric – remember what happened with Townsend !

  7. Graham Roberts
    05/11/2014 @ 4:11 pm

    “our rivals for the top four”.

    Priceless!

  8. PeeLee
    05/11/2014 @ 6:31 pm

    I’m not bothered whether Kane would get selected by a top four team because it is irrelevant. He is in form, scoring goals, lifting the team when he plays, and other strikers are misfiring. He should not be selected for England seniors, but there is no good reason why he would not be first-choice striker for Spurs in the current situation. Play one of the other two with him, whichever one is on good form, though if they don’t improve then it won’t be long before there is no good reason to select them at all. He’s home-grown, one of our own, and a bit like Townsend, Mason and Bentaleb, he’s motivated to put in a good performance for his club.

    • Why the high 3....
      05/11/2014 @ 7:59 pm

      “play him with one of the other two”…..neat idea but Pochettino’s system is 4:1:1:(high)3:1 so if two strikers are selected then one has to go in the high 3. I know it’s bonkers but that is Pochettino’s one and only system so that’s that. I know it means huge gaps down our flanks as our “wide” players have to tuck in but that’s the system. I know it led to Villa, who up until Sunday had had only 12 shots all season, having 12 shots in one game against us but that’s the……..system. Yes, play Kane but it won’t change much if anything. You can give Poch as long as you like but get ready for further disappointment and/or to fall asleep.

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