do anything decent?
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Youth Spurs Youth 2019/20
- Thread starter WindyCOYS
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I do hate this notion that players have to "bulk up" though. I know it's not necessarily your view, and you are maybe just expressing what you think coaches like Poch and Mourinho want, but when you watch Bayern play Chelsea off the pitch in their own back yard with a pair a skinny little CM's it's anathema to me that we should require actually slowing players down by bulking them up.
The tragedy is, you are probably right. The thing that kept/is keeping Skipp out off this side is that he's not a bloody tank unit like Dier or Sissoko, or as tall as fucking Gedson. Never mind that he's tenacious and dynamic and can play football - pretty much the combo we are missing and all of those lack as a set. He's not big enough. Something that's blighted English football for decades, and still does.
I think if Edwards was as tall as Alli, Poch might have been more inclined to forgive him for not being a perfect human being.
Clarke came on 62. Score was 1-1 and so he "sparked" an improvement.
No mentions in BBC live text. Lots for Eze who assisted the winner.
QPR match report:
As the game started to become stretched, Rangers made a first change on 62 minutes when Jack Clarke replaced Hugill. Osayi-Samuel was pushed up into the central striker role.
Moments later, the R’s almost regained their lead. Substitute Clarke’s right-flank cross was met by Pugh at the back post, who forced Roos into a fine low save.
Crucial he goes out on loan next season. Whether that's in England or overseas he needs to start playing real football.
Still 18, Harvey White has played against 'mens teams' in preseason (as described in detail in a previous post yesterday) and in about 2 or 3 Checkatrade Trophy (may be renamed) matches, so its a very short list of experience of mens football - and as far as I am aware he's coped fine.
As an aside, I really don't understand why McDermott hasn't thought to arrange, maybe once or twice a month, friendlies against League 1 or 2 clubs (asking for most of their first team to be involved) for Spurs u23's to get the lads more used to playing mens sides. Not ideal but its then easier to assess whether players are 'lightweight' and being knocked off the ball as well as a host of other things (eg for youth gks, men will often kick the ball harder so the youth gk needs to learn to deal with the ball coming at a greater speed).
At 18 he's still putting on muscle naturally, and learning to take maybe harder knocks and learning how to position himself to better resist being pushed over etc.
I don't but into the size argument at all - Messi is a great example of a non tall person being a top footballer. As is Modric - but just look at the muscles in his legs and lower body which is what I suggest makes him so difficult to disposess off the ball, and maybe tghat's an example for White to follow.
Its certainly not body building that I'm advocating, although I accept 'bulking up' can mean many things to many people.
Tough to say how easy it would be to arrange friendlies with those clubs. Think they have a pretty packed schedule as it is and these wouldn't be huge money making friendlies, so there wouldn't be much of an attraction to the lower league clubs.
You're being too polite - it would be impossible to get friendlies against full strength lower league sides.
What many fans of PL teams don't realise is that L1/L2 teams basically use the checkatrade to blood their own youngsters which has lead the ridiculously complex rules to try to get them to play at least half a team of regulars. I do wonder whether breaking that competition was worth it for just 3 games a year against lower league reserve sides (especially related to the figures in the article I've linked below)
The only way I could see friendlies getting arranged would be to pay serious money (at least 6 figures) to get the other team on board. But you still can't guarantee that the oppo will try - certainly most L1 teams have at least couple of players who are a good run of form away from getting a financially life changing move to the championship - why would they risk injury against a bunch of kids many of whom will never make it as professionals?
A more general youth topic and I'm not sure if it's been posted before but a very good anslysis of the use of B teams here (and why 3 games a year against "men" is pretty useless in the grand scheme of things):
The B team myth
The articles argument 'if you are good enough you play' is just a nonsense. Plenty of players miss out - some go to lower leagues ad work their way up again, others just miss out. No different from any many aspects of life
The fact is that in any academy, out of each year group of say a dozen or more players only one or two will make it to the first team maximum - whether its in a country with B teams or any other system.
What is certainly true is that playing mens football is different to playing against youth opposition. That's why its worth young players getting a decent amount of experience playing men wherever possible.
In the UK, B teams are not possible - pretty much everyone accepts that. Loans are and they work ok usually but not always,
Training at any professional club involves playing practice games - often organised within the club itself. Its not money making (ie no spectators). Where a club is playing at weekends and mid week, any practice games are likely to be much shorter than 90 minutes.
Many League 1 and League 2 clubs play once a week, for much of the year. So they will be playing practice matches mid week.
So suggestion is to pick up the phone and ask the clubs - can we play an X1 from your first team squad (first team squad usually 20 odd players) mid week if you are not playing any professional games mid week ? No supporters, on a training ground etc. One of the benefits to League 1 or 2 club is to see Spurs u21 players they might want to think of loaning playing their team.
Good Post.
The one thing that the foreign influence in the English game has done is place more emphasis on technical ability. This is slowly reflecting in the England national team. But still see coaches prioritising athletic ability which is a shame.
This is noticeable in players like sissoko getting in ahead of Skipp. Ironically the English player being technically better than the foreigner.
Looks like Roles hitting it off with the first team , presuming this was pre season
Yeah, would have been during the ICC I assume.
Is he still injured?
No was on bench last weekend, first time he's been seen in the Cambridge match squad for maybe 6 weeks due to injury.
Tweets from Cambridge today say he will be in matchday squad again at the weekend - hopefully playing a part although Cambridge have won their last 3 matches so I'd imagine he starts on the bench again.
That's a good read. Thanks.
Especially liked this paragraph:
And as the author mentions. Alexander-Arnold, who is being hyped as one of the best right backs ever, is bascially just lucky that Clyne got injured.
Similar can be said of Gareth Bale and many others. Right place at the right time, which led to them getting a chance and taking it.
Agree with the right time and right place.
But also means that the youngster has to be 'experienced enough' to step up. Tough how to define how he gets to that stage - with Tanganga he's always been physically strong only played u21's plus England age group football up to age 20, and possibly only went to preseason 2019 due to Eyoma being injured - but took that chance fantastically well.
And then Mourhino, at least in part due to injuries to the likes of Davies put Tanganga in the first team.
So Tanganga had no need for loans or b teams or history of playing mens football (possibly because he's got a naturally strong build as well as the technical ability to make it) but its said for many youngsters that experience of mens football before breaking into the first team is highly desirable - and the likes of Harry Kane learned a lot from stints with Orient and Millwall in particular where he showed how to score albeit in lower leagues. But would he have got a chance at Spurs without the experience of playing mens football when Spurs still had Adebayor and a non scoring Soldado in the squad ?
The question for most youth watchers is how to get some youngsters experience of playing mens football - rougher, tougher, faster balls (as men have muscles allowing them to kick ball harder than youngsters) etc. Loans are good, can we find a way to play u21's v lower league teams (less good but netter than nothing) etc.
There’s a little segment on the stats bomb podcast this week where they talk about the development manager at Southampton giving a talk discussing how they have to adapt their program for youth players because the young boys go through this immense growth spurt during their teenage years which affects everything to do with their physicality, their feet grow their legs grow and it literally changes how they move, how they run, their technique etc. And these growth patterns can be different, some can be rapid and huge, some incremental.
And they have this rule where they don’t get rid of any kid going through this because they know that it can take a massive adjustment and and time for the kids to adjust to these physical changes.
It got me wondering about how we see some of these kids go through long dips in form at certain ages in the academy. Could be one of the factors.
And they have this rule where they don’t get rid of any kid going through this because they know that it can take a massive adjustment and and time for the kids to adjust to these physical changes.
It got me wondering about how we see some of these kids go through long dips in form at certain ages in the academy. Could be one of the factors.
Certainly difficult for club and player to adjust to.
Good example might be Elliott Thorpe - arrived in academy with a big reputation but has hardly played possible because he was very spindly, but in the last 2 - 3 years has physically developed into a real unit aged 19.
Totally different footballer. No idea what the coaches make of him though and still not playing much
Getting to that time of year when we start to hear via social media who has been offered and accepted scholarships to become next seasons first year academy. Likely youngsters are :
Aaron Maguire (GK) (E u16, has played for Republic of Ireland)
Adam Hayton (GK)
Jordan Hackett - Valton (CB/LB) (E u16)
Ben Watt (CB) (E u16)
Ferdinand Okoh (CB/DM)
Oliver Turner or Max Hudson (both LB)
Dante Casanova (Mid and FB)
Khalon Haysman (Mid)
Hamed Abdel-Salam (Mid) - But may have left to join Reading
Roshaun Mathurin (winger - like J'Lloyd Bennett)
Renaldo Torraj (Winger) (Albanian u16 ?)
Dane Scarlett (Striker) (E u16)
So that would be an intake of 12 youngsters, not an unusual size.
Hackett, Casanova, Mathurin and Scarlett have all appeared for Spurs u18's so far this season - usually another sign they will be offered a scholarship - and they plus Maguire and Watt are probably the best players in the squad. Worth seeing who else plays u18's before the end of the season
Hackett, Mathurin and Scarlett were also included in Spurs youth UEFA League squad showing the club think they are very good players in their positions,
www.uefa.com
Historically we sometimes lose a couple and gain a couple before the players sign their scholarships.
Aaron Maguire (GK) (E u16, has played for Republic of Ireland)
Adam Hayton (GK)
Jordan Hackett - Valton (CB/LB) (E u16)
Ben Watt (CB) (E u16)
Ferdinand Okoh (CB/DM)
Oliver Turner or Max Hudson (both LB)
Dante Casanova (Mid and FB)
Khalon Haysman (Mid)
Hamed Abdel-Salam (Mid) - But may have left to join Reading
Roshaun Mathurin (winger - like J'Lloyd Bennett)
Renaldo Torraj (Winger) (Albanian u16 ?)
Dane Scarlett (Striker) (E u16)
So that would be an intake of 12 youngsters, not an unusual size.
Hackett, Casanova, Mathurin and Scarlett have all appeared for Spurs u18's so far this season - usually another sign they will be offered a scholarship - and they plus Maguire and Watt are probably the best players in the squad. Worth seeing who else plays u18's before the end of the season
Hackett, Mathurin and Scarlett were also included in Spurs youth UEFA League squad showing the club think they are very good players in their positions,
Tottenham - UYL
The home of Tottenham on UEFA.com. Click for all the latest news, matches and statistics.
Historically we sometimes lose a couple and gain a couple before the players sign their scholarships.
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