Kane and friends will rescue Tottenham

I enjoy the feeling when you look at something and suddenly you see it clearly for the first time. Your mind is clear, your preconceptions put to one side and you take something it for what it truly is. On Sunday through the power of TV cameras, a few satellites floating above us, SKY, a television set and my own eyes, I saw Harry Kane.

I saw him, hair matted, a stray blade of grass sticking to his forehead, blue eyes reflecting the Swansea rainstorm and shirt sticking to his body. I saw that Harry Kane is a player, not just in the positive, searching for the next best thing, or semi capable alternative to Soldado or Adebayor, but he is a genuine player, a player we can believe in.

My relationship or knowledge of Kane is no deeper than many of you reading this now. I knew of him because he was young, English and a youth player at Spurs. On Football Manager I would cast a glance at him then immediately ponder how I could make 100k or so out of him. The thought of letting him loose on the first team akin to me resigning from Spurs and taking control at the Scum.

[linequote]As I made my way home not once point did I ponder a future for Kane, he was another player that would be swept away by football[/linequote]

In real-life I saw a tall, slow and rather uninteresting player. One July afternoon back in 2011 with nothing better to do I drove to Underhill to watch a Spurs youth team take on Barnet. My hope had been to catch a glimpse of Couilbaly, Cellabos and Falque, or perhaps the next big thing we had poached from Europe, instead I saw Andros Townsend at right back and Kane upfront.

It wasn’t the glamorous afternoon I had hoped for, Coulibaly didn’t play and Cellabos was a late sub if that, meanwhile Kane, who had plodded through the game left me totally underwhelmed. On the flank Townsend did impress me, but then again like a magpie I have always been drawn to something shiny or different, regardless of how effective it is. As I made my way home not once point did I ponder a future for Kane, he was another player that would be swept away by football, a name to recount when you spoke of obscure youth players who never made it.

However, as we now know something happened. After a series of loan moves he stuck, he grounded himself at Spurs and didn’t go anywhere else. On social media he started to feature in more senior players images, his cameos became longer, he became a proper squad player, more than just a number on a Europa League squad list. Then in walked Tim Sherwood, a man despised by many Spurs fans, but the man nevertheless responsible for promoting our best academy product since Ledley King.

[fullquote]The youngster has taken that gift of football talent, which in all honesty isn’t the biggest in world football, but through hard work and application he has sculpted it into something beautiful[/fullquote]

However, the success of Kane cannot be pinned to the blue eyed saboteur alone, the youngster’s dedication and self-belief played a major role. From awkward starts and substitute appearances he found his rhythm, he found his scoring boots and he became more valuable to us than a £26 million Spanish international.

I don’t know Kane, I have never met him, therefore perhaps I am jumping to conclusions, but whatever, lets hold hands and take a leap. I get the feeling that Kane’s rise has as much to do with his application as his talent. The youngster has taken that gift of football talent, which in all honesty isn’t the biggest in world football, but through hard work and application he has sculpted it into something beautiful.

At Swansea on Sunday he reminded me of David Beckham, obviously not aesthetically but mentally, perhaps not the biggest compliment to either Harry or David, but in his determination Kane made me think of the former England captain.

Personally I never thought Beckham was the greatest player, but what he lacked in skill he made up with hunger and dedication to his technique. The former England man worked incredibly hard on his game, this can be seen in his best assets, namely set pieces and crossing, two skills that require hours of honing. When I look at Kane I see that same desire to improve what God did not grant.

[fullquote]What I failed to recognise then, but see now is young players brought through the ranks with focus, drive and application are what I really want at Spurs[/fullquote]

His free-kicks, shooting off either foot and his tireless effort across the pitch are evidence of his character and lead me to believe that though he may never win a Balon D’or, he will win our hearts and appreciation. Looking back now at that summer afternoon at Underhill what I failed to recognise then, but see now, is young players brought through the ranks with focus, drive and application are what I really want at Spurs.

As much as I lust for Lamela, something more carnal desires Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb. Players who have earned their place by working their way through the ranks, not thanks to a lyrically skilled agent, a Technical Director searching for a marquee signing or a YouTube show reel. Of course it is rather unfair to suggest players like Lamela and Paulinho haven’t worked equally as hard as their Spurs youth product colleagues, but in an age where football and footballers live in a different galaxy, it’s quite nice to see one succeed that was born near you.

If I close my eyes and reminisce about my days playing football on some terrible pitches around North London I can see Mason, Kane, Townsend, Bentaleb, I can see them in the face of my teammates and people around me. This is what football was about, and this is what we at Spurs can make it about again. Build a club that no matter how lost it becomes in the mire of modern football, it retains its direction, its anchor within the area and its history.

[linequote]In an age where football and footballers live in a different galaxy, it’s quite nice to see one succeed that was born near you[/linequote]

The youth team is the future in not only building a successful club, but building a club we can connect with. Like a toddler holding on to a helium balloon, modern football is getting away from us, but the youth team can be the parent that rescues the situation. Despite the ticketing exchange platforms, the 2am club official tweets and other less palatable behaviour, if the club were able to reconnect itself with the community by promoting and believing in youth, just imagine then. A Spurs team built by Spurs with Spurs. Forget top four, Super Sunday and last minute winners, building our own team, that is glory.

Hope.

This is what I see when I see Kane. A player, a genuine player who we can look to rebuild, perhaps not the club, but our love for the team and the game. Through skill, determination and simply understanding us Kane can unite us, because fundamentally he is one of our own.