I love Ryan Mason.
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Everyone is talking about Kane, and deservedly so, but lets give Mason some credit. I was just looking at his stats and he averages 3.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions a game. Combine that with his ability to pick a pass and move the ball quickly that is a pretty special skillset. I'm really excited for his future.
He's making the right noises. I know this was a few years ago but what he has said is what I'm expecting from Ryan.
Give the players confidence, don't throw them under the bus, don't make them scared of making mistakes, sort out disagreements behind closed doors.
I've just been chatting to my mate who worked with Ryan with the U18s, and he basically said the same thing.
We were both really pleased for him, one thing you can guarantee is that he will be passionate and make the players aware of what it means for the fans. That's the minimum I expect from professionals.
The intricacies of tactics are neither here nor there for me. The players are good enough if they can be motivated. A lot of the shit we have seen recently is because the players have been unmotivated.
Got that buzzed feeling back, can't wait for the Southampton game now.
If Mason is put in as interim, I hope everyone here can get behind him. It's not his fault he's thrust into these positions. He loves the club and wants us to win, you can't say that for our recent managers.
I have no doubt he will do his best and try getting top four. Win or lose, I'm not hating Mason for it. This is all on Conte and Levy.
I have no doubt he will do his best and try getting top four. Win or lose, I'm not hating Mason for it. This is all on Conte and Levy.
He loves Spurs. No one can argue.
People who were serious about appointing Mason full time scare me.
Windy has always said he was one of the best talents he's seen in a his time following the youth squad. Mason has just been so unlucky with injuries and unfortunate loans.
Even without the goal he looked great. Really influenced the game with his creativity, energy, and quick passing. He's earned a premier league start in my estimation. Not against the scum as I think a pairing like Capoue and Stambouli would be better to deal with their acting power but definitely in the near future. He could be an impact sub though.
Also, I know some aren't into the academy homegrown player thing but I love it. I don't believe the whole guts and trying hard thing wins games but when you combine it with talent it is a sight to behold. You look at guys like Kane, Bentaleb, Townsend even Walker and Naughton and Mason tonight and you can see that the club really means something to them. They always give it their best and love the shirt. It's also great how almost all the kids who come through our academy seem to be very technically gifted. Shows the club has the right goals in coaching and recruitment.
That's meant to be a these foreigners are ruining our game thing. We have tons of none academy players who have given it all for the shirt both past and present. But there is a special buzz when you get a player who you can tell has spent years dreaming of breaking into the first team at Spurs and then having a moment like Mason did tonight. For me, it's still one of the best things in football. Absolutely love it and you can see how much it meant to him.
Up Ryan Mason and Up the Spurs.
Even without the goal he looked great. Really influenced the game with his creativity, energy, and quick passing. He's earned a premier league start in my estimation. Not against the scum as I think a pairing like Capoue and Stambouli would be better to deal with their acting power but definitely in the near future. He could be an impact sub though.
Also, I know some aren't into the academy homegrown player thing but I love it. I don't believe the whole guts and trying hard thing wins games but when you combine it with talent it is a sight to behold. You look at guys like Kane, Bentaleb, Townsend even Walker and Naughton and Mason tonight and you can see that the club really means something to them. They always give it their best and love the shirt. It's also great how almost all the kids who come through our academy seem to be very technically gifted. Shows the club has the right goals in coaching and recruitment.
That's meant to be a these foreigners are ruining our game thing. We have tons of none academy players who have given it all for the shirt both past and present. But there is a special buzz when you get a player who you can tell has spent years dreaming of breaking into the first team at Spurs and then having a moment like Mason did tonight. For me, it's still one of the best things in football. Absolutely love it and you can see how much it meant to him.
Up Ryan Mason and Up the Spurs.
He was almost too up for yesterday he was playing with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. Love seeing that. His passing wasn't his best yesterday but he made up for it by battling for every 50-50 ball. Such a tenacious player, shows you don't have a Yaya Toure or Patrick Vieira to make a physical difference in the center of the pitch.
http://www.football365.com/faves/9748789/Ryan-Mason-Spurs-Other-Local-Hero
Ryan Mason - Spurs' 'Other' Local Hero
Whilst Harry Kane takes the headlines and plaudits, it's worst remembering that he isn't the only tale of 'local boy done good' at Spurs. Ryan Mason has been superb...
It doesn't feel like there is room for another story of 'local boy done good' at White Hart Lane this season. The progress of Harry Kane has been pronounced and astounding, his goalscoring record understandably grabbing the headlines and column inches. Against QPR on Saturday, Kane scored his 25th and 26th Tottenham goals of the season - the obsession is at least understandable.
Yet Kane is not the only north Londoner to rise to prominence at Spurs this season. Born in Enfield, Ryan Mason's journey to the first team has been lengthy and arduous, but his performances this season deserves no less praise. One could argue that it is he, not Kane, who is the poster boy of Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham.
Mason's route to the top is unusual. He made his Spurs debut in the Europa League against NEC Nijmegen in November 2008, but was forced to wait almost four years for his next appearance. With Aaron Lennon now out on loan, Mason is the only player still at the club who remains from that squad in the Stadion de Goffert, but there were times when he must have doubted that fact. "Yes, I had offers," Mason told the Daily Telegraph in October. "I had meetings with my agent about opportunities elsewhere but I had the confidence and belief to play here and I decided to stick it out."
There must have been times when that belief ebbed away. Mason was loaned out five times in as many years, including spells at Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall and Swindon Town. A move to Lorient in France was the least successful, failing to make a single appearance. "That was difficult to take," Mason says. "But it has all helped make me mentally stronger." That constant positivity seems a theme in his personality.
The midfielder had to wait almost six years for his Premier League debut, thrown in by Pochettino into the cauldron atmosphere of a north London derby against Woolwich. He's not looked back since.
The Spurs manager has a cavalcade of central midfielders at his disposal - Nabil Bentaleb, Paulinho, Moussa Dembele, Etienne Capoue and Benjamin Stambouli - with the presence of Sandro in QPR's side a reminder of just how many have tried (and ultimately failed) to fulfil the role. None currently at the club provide the qualities that Mason brings. He has become indispensable.
The statistics are hugely impressive. No Tottenham player makes more sprints, makes a higher percentage of forward passes, or runs further than Mason. He is the tireless Duracell bunny, the personification of Pochettino's pressing system. "He's strong - and more so than he believes," his manager says. "We show him that he has improved his physical condition from the beginning of the season." A compliment on your physical condition from Pochettino, who demands such commitment from his players, should be taken seriously.
However, don't be fooled into thinking that Mason is merely a worker, for there is imagination and invention to match the effort. He is at his happiest when driving forward from midfield, his exuberance sometime slightly verging into positional naivety. It's just nice to see a young English player happy with ball at feet, looking to take on players.
The midfielder scored his first Premier League goal against Swansea on Wednesday, and after the game admitted it was a part of his game that he wanted to improve: "I want to score more than ten goals and help the team to win games. I'm very happy to score and it's a good feeling to win again."
Whilst that target still remains some way off, Mason has become noticeably more comfortable in the final third. He followed up his goal on Wednesday with a delightful pass to assist Kane's second goal at Loftus Road, and looked assured on the ball throughout. During a frantic match, Mason lost possession just nine times. The figures for Christian Eriksen, Bentaleb and Kyle Walker were 25, 17 and 27 respectively.
The natural step is to involve Mason in the England set-up, and the watching Roy Hodgson can only have been impressed. Pochettino may be understandably apprehensive about loading too much expectation on his midfielder, but there is no doubt that Spurs are an enjoyable team for Hodgson to watch. Not only did Pochettino name the youngest Premier League side of the season against QPR (breaking their own record), but their goals and assists were all registered by Englishmen aged 23 or younger. That's an anomaly in the top half.
There is also an important lesson to be learned with Mason. Normally when a player reaches 22 and is still being loaned out by a Premier League club, his chances in the top flight look slim. Mason offers a different tale. He is evidence that expecting players to be the finished article at 18, 19 or 20 is highly foolish. Are we guilty of letting players slip through the net?
That's certainly the view of sport psychologist Dan Abrahams, who used the example of Mason when speaking to Football365 about his concerns over English youth football.
"They need to create a coaching culture that extends the life span of young players like Mason," Abrahams said. "They have to be patient and wait. Young physical talent also need time to mature psychologically. Neuroscience teaches us that your intelligent brain doesn't fully wire up to your emotional brain until you are in your mid 20s." Mason is a categorical example of that.
That Mason only made his Premier League debut less than six months ago seems preposterous given his confidence and form during Spurs' bid for Champions League qualification. Importantly his feels a sustainable rise, built on hard work and a devotion to making the grade. There is a great deal to admire in that - one suspects he is far better for the experience.
Daniel Storey
Ryan Mason - Spurs' 'Other' Local Hero
Whilst Harry Kane takes the headlines and plaudits, it's worst remembering that he isn't the only tale of 'local boy done good' at Spurs. Ryan Mason has been superb...
It doesn't feel like there is room for another story of 'local boy done good' at White Hart Lane this season. The progress of Harry Kane has been pronounced and astounding, his goalscoring record understandably grabbing the headlines and column inches. Against QPR on Saturday, Kane scored his 25th and 26th Tottenham goals of the season - the obsession is at least understandable.
Yet Kane is not the only north Londoner to rise to prominence at Spurs this season. Born in Enfield, Ryan Mason's journey to the first team has been lengthy and arduous, but his performances this season deserves no less praise. One could argue that it is he, not Kane, who is the poster boy of Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham.
Mason's route to the top is unusual. He made his Spurs debut in the Europa League against NEC Nijmegen in November 2008, but was forced to wait almost four years for his next appearance. With Aaron Lennon now out on loan, Mason is the only player still at the club who remains from that squad in the Stadion de Goffert, but there were times when he must have doubted that fact. "Yes, I had offers," Mason told the Daily Telegraph in October. "I had meetings with my agent about opportunities elsewhere but I had the confidence and belief to play here and I decided to stick it out."
There must have been times when that belief ebbed away. Mason was loaned out five times in as many years, including spells at Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall and Swindon Town. A move to Lorient in France was the least successful, failing to make a single appearance. "That was difficult to take," Mason says. "But it has all helped make me mentally stronger." That constant positivity seems a theme in his personality.
The midfielder had to wait almost six years for his Premier League debut, thrown in by Pochettino into the cauldron atmosphere of a north London derby against Woolwich. He's not looked back since.
The Spurs manager has a cavalcade of central midfielders at his disposal - Nabil Bentaleb, Paulinho, Moussa Dembele, Etienne Capoue and Benjamin Stambouli - with the presence of Sandro in QPR's side a reminder of just how many have tried (and ultimately failed) to fulfil the role. None currently at the club provide the qualities that Mason brings. He has become indispensable.
The statistics are hugely impressive. No Tottenham player makes more sprints, makes a higher percentage of forward passes, or runs further than Mason. He is the tireless Duracell bunny, the personification of Pochettino's pressing system. "He's strong - and more so than he believes," his manager says. "We show him that he has improved his physical condition from the beginning of the season." A compliment on your physical condition from Pochettino, who demands such commitment from his players, should be taken seriously.
However, don't be fooled into thinking that Mason is merely a worker, for there is imagination and invention to match the effort. He is at his happiest when driving forward from midfield, his exuberance sometime slightly verging into positional naivety. It's just nice to see a young English player happy with ball at feet, looking to take on players.
The midfielder scored his first Premier League goal against Swansea on Wednesday, and after the game admitted it was a part of his game that he wanted to improve: "I want to score more than ten goals and help the team to win games. I'm very happy to score and it's a good feeling to win again."
Whilst that target still remains some way off, Mason has become noticeably more comfortable in the final third. He followed up his goal on Wednesday with a delightful pass to assist Kane's second goal at Loftus Road, and looked assured on the ball throughout. During a frantic match, Mason lost possession just nine times. The figures for Christian Eriksen, Bentaleb and Kyle Walker were 25, 17 and 27 respectively.
The natural step is to involve Mason in the England set-up, and the watching Roy Hodgson can only have been impressed. Pochettino may be understandably apprehensive about loading too much expectation on his midfielder, but there is no doubt that Spurs are an enjoyable team for Hodgson to watch. Not only did Pochettino name the youngest Premier League side of the season against QPR (breaking their own record), but their goals and assists were all registered by Englishmen aged 23 or younger. That's an anomaly in the top half.
There is also an important lesson to be learned with Mason. Normally when a player reaches 22 and is still being loaned out by a Premier League club, his chances in the top flight look slim. Mason offers a different tale. He is evidence that expecting players to be the finished article at 18, 19 or 20 is highly foolish. Are we guilty of letting players slip through the net?
That's certainly the view of sport psychologist Dan Abrahams, who used the example of Mason when speaking to Football365 about his concerns over English youth football.
"They need to create a coaching culture that extends the life span of young players like Mason," Abrahams said. "They have to be patient and wait. Young physical talent also need time to mature psychologically. Neuroscience teaches us that your intelligent brain doesn't fully wire up to your emotional brain until you are in your mid 20s." Mason is a categorical example of that.
That Mason only made his Premier League debut less than six months ago seems preposterous given his confidence and form during Spurs' bid for Champions League qualification. Importantly his feels a sustainable rise, built on hard work and a devotion to making the grade. There is a great deal to admire in that - one suspects he is far better for the experience.
Daniel Storey
I agree playing 4-4-3 and having the extra man will be the making of us.
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