Oh, they weren't world beaters. I do agree.
But as we talked about in the youth thread, they need not be. They just needed to be as good as our players presently bulking up the last 6-5-4 places in the 25 man squad.
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Oh, they weren't world beaters. I do agree.
But as we talked about in the youth thread, they need not be. They just needed to be as good as our players presently bulking up the last 6-5-4 places in the 25 man squad.
Well obvs we cannot retain them all, even if they are good enough for the 25. Some of them aren't happy with being numbers 20-25, but others would be.
And if we can work that out, players in the Mason mould along with a few Nonis and Edwards', could save us 10's of millions of fees for the likes of Lamela and N'Kodou and Gedsons.
Yup.
This is old ground for many of us, but in terms of squad balance and quality of player:
Onomah would have been better than £30 million plus crazy salary for Sissoko.
Ditto Edwards for N'Koudou.
And losing Noni Madueke before he signed his scholarship was arguably a direct result of this lack of progression, including seeing KWP, the one significant Academy prospect who stayed in our squad, getting very little game time and regressing.
The progress KWP made in half-a-season at Soton was probably the trigger for Skipp requesting a season-long loan. Luckily he seems to have made a good choice and hopefully will play lots of matches before returning to the famous Spurs.
In a weird twist of faith. CCV is probably our most "successful" youth product from the Poch era with his 90 or so games in the Championship after Winks. And that is more in spite of Poch rather than some thought out progression plan for him.
Under-23s see off Colchester | Tottenham Hotspur
A fine performance from our Under-23s saw League Two side Colchester United dispatched 3-1 in our latest pre-season friendly at Hotspur Way on Tuesday afternoon.
www.tottenhamhotspur.com
Kazaiah Sterling’s persistence was rewarded with the opener in the first half before midfielder Jack Roles netted his third goal in as many games five minutes after the interval.
The excellent Josh Oluwayemi couldn’t quite stop Ryan Clampin’s shot from squirming over the line as Colchester pulled one back, but central midfielder Nile John made sure of the victory in stoppage time with a fine strike from the edge of the box.
Spurs: De Bie (Oluwayemi 46), Pochettino, Georgiou, Marsh (c) (John 59), Okedina (Richards 59), Trialist, Markanday (Pedder 81), Lyons-Foster (Skinner 87), Sterling (Etete 66), Roles (Cooper 81), Tracey.
The kid sure knows where the back of the net is. Surprised mourinho hasnt had him playing in the preseason matches for the first team.
Under-23s see off Colchester | Tottenham Hotspur
A fine performance from our Under-23s saw League Two side Colchester United dispatched 3-1 in our latest pre-season friendly at Hotspur Way on Tuesday afternoon.www.tottenhamhotspur.com
Kazaiah Sterling’s persistence was rewarded with the opener in the first half before midfielder Jack Roles netted his third goal in as many games five minutes after the interval.
The excellent Josh Oluwayemi couldn’t quite stop Ryan Clampin’s shot from squirming over the line as Colchester pulled one back, but central midfielder Nile John made sure of the victory in stoppage time with a fine strike from the edge of the box.
Spurs: De Bie (Oluwayemi 46), Pochettino, Georgiou, Marsh (c) (John 59), Okedina (Richards 59), Trialist, Markanday (Pedder 81), Lyons-Foster (Skinner 87), Sterling (Etete 66), Roles (Cooper 81), Tracey.
If that is the same Trialist (CB/RB) who played in all the 4 u23 preseason matches, I'd have thought we would have made up our minds on him by now.
Thought to be Keenan Ferguson ex Sheffield United
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From the way the U23s are listed, do we suspect Poch Jr is being tried out at RB?
Also, it looks like BLF was playing in midfield.
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Spurs Under-23s 3-1 Colchester United
Spurs: De Bie (Oluwayemi 46), Pochettino, Georgiou, Marsh (c) (John 59), Okedina (Richards 59), Trialist, Markanday (Pedder 81), Lyons-Foster (Skinner 87), Sterling (Etete 66), Roles (Cooper 81), Tracey.
Also, it looks like BLF was playing in midfield.
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Spurs Under-23s 3-1 Colchester United
Spurs: De Bie (Oluwayemi 46), Pochettino, Georgiou, Marsh (c) (John 59), Okedina (Richards 59), Trialist, Markanday (Pedder 81), Lyons-Foster (Skinner 87), Sterling (Etete 66), Roles (Cooper 81), Tracey.
Usually the order the players are listed in would suggest that.
But I wonder if that's just a mistake.
More logically BLF would play in defence (very possibly RB ?) with Georgiou playing as LB and Okedina and Trialist (CB/RB) if its the same guy. Skinner is like Marsh in playing DM but also CB/RB which he would be as sub for BLF.
Marsh usually plays as DM (but could play RB and CB) and most likely Markanday (then Pedder) his partner there.
Pochettino, Roles and Tracey as AM's supporting Sterling/Etete as striker.
3 goals in 3 games From a centre midfielder , what is going on with him ?
Plays more as an AM these days I think
I have to say, the kid looks really, really good. Usually I am quite critical when watching youtube highlight reels, but this one looked convincing. He should get a better loan and be allowed to continue developing.
My instinct is that Roles is an archetypal "Moneyball" player.
He's a bit ungainly, and doesn't have outstanding athleticism or pace. But he's a good team player, always gets his head up and involves other players, and at all levels has been a composed finisher.
By fast-tracking younger players to the first team squad, the club seems to be signalling that they don't think he's quite good enough for us. But I suspect he'll have a very successful professional career and, as he matures, may make his way up the ladder into the PL.
He's a bit ungainly, and doesn't have outstanding athleticism or pace. But he's a good team player, always gets his head up and involves other players, and at all levels has been a composed finisher.
By fast-tracking younger players to the first team squad, the club seems to be signalling that they don't think he's quite good enough for us. But I suspect he'll have a very successful professional career and, as he matures, may make his way up the ladder into the PL.
Pace maybe, but wasn't he a 400m runner as a teenager? Should have loads of stamina
I just don't understand why the lad is not being given a chance with the first team squad like White for example
He seems to be an intelligent footballer, I love the way he passes and moves into space and he has the ability to hit the back of the net at any level he plays. That is a gift
I didn't know that.
Watching him, he doesn't seem to have that burst of pace to get away from an opponent,
Since he often arrives late in the box, you're probably right about the stamina. I'd need to watch him for a number of matches where he played 90 minutes to judge his overall engine and ability to keep going until the end of a match.
Onomah and Edwards had that "X factor" when they beat a player at youth level and strode away. They were good on the eye in a fashion that Roles never has been. But that doesn't mean Roles can't be a very effective player in the classic Moneyball sense.
I think I remember seeing him doing a box to box run in the final minute of a game last season.
Agree with that.
He's head and shoulders above any other AM we have in the u23's (not to say there arent others younger in u23's who may come good in a year or two), but at the moment Roles is the one who scores goals at every level he's played at and looked good playing with pros (albeit at L2 Cambridge) and looked fine last pre-season.
Difficult to judge whether he's good enough to stay in Spurs first team squad, but certainly worth a try IMO.
With the schedule at the start of the season, I think Spurs would be wise to try out an extra AM now as he might be a great option in some of the League Cup and Europa League Games - he might well look as good or better than Jack Clarke who is JM's only other option as a young extra AM.
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