Why is our academy so shit?

  • The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...

    Get involved!

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

It pains me to see it and to say it. Liverpool, Chelsea, Woolwich, Leicester - all bringing in youngsters from their academy who seem very quickly to be up to the task and make a real positive contribution to the team. Why not us?

Who was the last real success from the academy before Harry Kane? Ledley? Indeed, in my lifetime there have been very few stars - Kane, King, Hoddle, Hughton, Perryman. There must be more but I can't think of any ...

Mostly we seem to churn out journeymen players who are simply not good enough in terms of skill, athleticism, attitude - or all 3 - for a top Premier League squad and are destined for life fighting relegation at best, more likely in the lower Championship downwards.

Like Steven Caulker, Tommy Carroll, Jake Livermore, Ryan Mason, Cameron Carter-Vickers, To be joined soon by Harry Winks and probably Oliver Skipp.

Why are we developing footballers while others are developing superstars?
 
I'm surprised we don't invest more in the youth and genuinely promote players from that level by having managers who believe in that philosophy. For a club so keen not to overspend in the transfer market i would have thought it made sense to become an Ajax of PL football
 
To have cohesion between the various academy levels and first team we need a proper sporting director/director of football, involved in recruitment at all levels to develop a proper strategy.

If the players play certain tactics all the way through the youth levels, and then the first team manager does something completely different then their education over the previous years is a waste of time and they won't be suited to first team football with us.

If Poch hadn't been so resistant to that kind of structure then I'm sure we'd have had that in place a long time ago, but hopefully within the next few years we'll see something put in place. And not some cunt like Tactics Tim
 
It pains me to see it and to say it. Liverpool, Chelsea, Woolwich, Leicester - all bringing in youngsters from their academy who seem very quickly to be up to the task and make a real positive contribution to the team. Why not us?

Who was the last real success from the academy before Harry Kane? Ledley? Indeed, in my lifetime there have been very few stars - Kane, King, Hoddle, Hughton, Perryman. There must be more but I can't think of any ...

Mostly we seem to churn out journeymen players who are simply not good enough in terms of skill, athleticism, attitude - or all 3 - for a top Premier League squad and are destined for life fighting relegation at best, more likely in the lower Championship downwards.

Like Steven Caulker, Tommy Carroll, Jake Livermore, Ryan Mason, Cameron Carter-Vickers, To be joined soon by Harry Winks and probably Oliver Skipp.

Why are we developing footballers while others are developing superstars?
Out of the top 6 I’ve come up with Alexander Arnold that could be called a top bracket player from an academy.

Care to list all these superstars?
Didn’t people claim Hudson Odoi was worth 50M not long ago?

Grass is always greener.
We’ve just started bringing through more youth in the last weeks.
The last manager abandoned the academy since Winks, and loaned everyone out and basically ruined their chances. Yet bizarrely got a reputation as youth development king.

Hardly the clubs fault.
 
So I’m getting:
Utd, Lingard, Rashford, Greenwood, Mctominay, James

Chelsea, James, Odoi, Cheek, Abraham

Woolwich, Willock, Holding

Liverpool, Arnold

City, Foden

Leicester, Grey, Vardy

Spurs, Kane, Winks, Skipp, Tanaganga

What am I missing here?
 
Out of the top 6 I’ve come up with Alexander Arnold that could be called a top bracket player from an academy.

Care to list all these superstars?
Didn’t people claim Hudson Odoi was worth 50M not long ago?

Grass is always greener.
We’ve just started bringing through more youth in the last weeks.
The last manager abandoned the academy since Winks, and loaned everyone out and basically ruined their chances. Yet bizarrely got a reputation as youth development king.

Hardly the clubs fault.

That Woolwich fullback looks brilliant tbf but you make a good point
 
So I’m getting:
Utd, Lingard, Rashford, Greenwood, Mctominay, James

Chelsea, James, Odoi, Cheek, Abraham

Woolwich, Willock, Holding

Liverpool, Arnold

City, Foden

Leicester, Grey, Vardy

Spurs, Kane, Winks, Skipp, Tanaganga

What am I missing here?

James wasn't United's, he came from Swansea and Vardy wasn't from Leicester's he came from the lower leagues.
 
Last edited:
Back in the early 80's you could almost field a full team of decent players that came through the ranks.

Parks
Perryman
Hughton
Miller

Brooke
Hazard
Hoddle

Falco
 
Good to know....even less to rave about other clubs
Not sure what this thread is saying really
Demarai Gray was from Birmingham's academy not Leicester, he joined their first team in their PL winning year. They do have Choudhury playing for them this year who come through their academy though.
 
How is our academy shit?

A football academy is a place to develop young hopefuls into Premier League players. Some for the club and some elsewhere.

Our youth academy has provided numerous England internationals over the last few years. It's provided plenty of top level footballers who are still plying their trade in the Premier League. Not to mention its provided one of, if not the best striker in world football in the last 5 years.

You look at other clubs and are jealous of what? Academy players that have been given a chance? We've had plenty of talented youngsters who haven't been given the oppertunity or allowed to develop due to poor managing by the previous regime.

Don't disrespect the young talent, disrespect the process.
 
If anything I think we do pretty well, like I said United's is understandably on top.
Yeah I think it’s harsh the sentiment here.
Our biggest let downs have not been our academy.
Imagine last season without Winks for example.

He has his issues, but very underrated especially when people are crooning over Ndombele and Dele’s “work rate”
 
It pains me to see it and to say it. Liverpool, Chelsea, Woolwich, Leicester - all bringing in youngsters from their academy who seem very quickly to be up to the task and make a real positive contribution to the team. Why not us?

Who was the last real success from the academy before Harry Kane? Ledley? Indeed, in my lifetime there have been very few stars - Kane, King, Hoddle, Hughton, Perryman. There must be more but I can't think of any ...

Mostly we seem to churn out journeymen players who are simply not good enough in terms of skill, athleticism, attitude - or all 3 - for a top Premier League squad and are destined for life fighting relegation at best, more likely in the lower Championship downwards.

Like Steven Caulker, Tommy Carroll, Jake Livermore, Ryan Mason, Cameron Carter-Vickers, To be joined soon by Harry Winks and probably Oliver Skipp.

Why are we developing footballers while others are developing superstars?
You missed out that player.

You know the one I mean
 
Back
Top Bottom