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I believe that the children are our future

4 min read
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Dan Rattigan looks at the youth policy in place at Spurs, and how despite being in an age where TV money is all that matters, Spurs and Pochettino are investing in youth players for the short, medium and long term future.

I can’t lie and present myself as a connoisseur of youth football. Through a mixture of life getting in the way and laziness, I’ve not paid my dues watching our u18s on a cold Saturday morning like Windy and so many others (ok, so it’s largely the laziness). But over the last few weeks, I’ve found myself amused by how other, ‘bigger’ clubs treat players from their academy – the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and James Wilson being hooked at half-time, as if they can be held squarely to account for their teams soporific performances.

Even clubs who are typically miles away from the money trap of the top four and Champions League find their young players heading abroad, not just for the (refreshing) cultural shift but because they feel they’ll have a better run at first team football in the short and long-term. In the case of Mandela Egbo, that’s a better chance of football at a Champions League club than at Crystal Palace. Sunderland, who’ve spent the earlier part of the season trying to blood in a few youth players, have just hired the managerial equivalent of chemotherapy – he’ll get you back on an even keel, but don’t expect much growth in that period.

It’s at moments like that you realise just how (largely) unique what Pochettino and the club are trying to do. It’s undoubtedly at least partly driven by finances as we build a new stadium, but there seems to be a realisation that providing a pathway to the first team for kids from the academy is preferable – even if that means having to wait a bit for them. Faith, not scapegoating.

[linequote]Maybe the increasingly dapper Argentinian in the dugout, who has had a hand in 9 of the last 16 England debutees’ development, might know better than me[/linequote]

Even with Kane, Mason, Townsend, Bentaleb and Rose all through (with others waiting in the wings), I even find myself wondering if it could happen even more quickly – like, could they have brought Onomah on at 5-1 at the weekend? Maybe the increasingly dapper Argentinian in the dugout, who has had a hand in 9 of the last 16 England debutees’ development, might know better than me. It’s taking me a while to get out of an addiction to transfers, the idea that we should go out and spend silly money from this bloke off YouTube and it will cure all our ills, but I think I’m getting there slowly.

You do read comments, whether on Twitter, forums or below the line, suggesting some of these players aren’t good enough for us. As if the last 25 years has been a non-stop serving of champagne football, where only the most elite footballers from across the world have graced our hallowed turf. Surely it would have been better for the team, bank balance and our collective mental health to not spend £16m on Paulinho, giving Bentaleb and Mason a run instead? Maybe that’s simplistic, too reliant on hindsight, I dunno.

There seems to be an inherent conservatism in English football; maybe as a result of all the money swishing about, clubs are driven by fear. In the Premier League? Better stay there at all costs – new TV deal. Spend. Relegated from the Premier League? Better get back straight away – new TV deal. Spend. Sat in the Championship? Jesus, have you seen the money they’ve got up there?

With this cynicism, and the short-termism it creates for managers, it becomes easier for other people to solve your problems. At the risk of sounding like a little Englander (when really I’m so #edgy, I don’t even support England), even the lower leagues turn to foreign managers and players to get themselves out of a self-imagined mire.

[linequote] Surely it would have been better for the team, bank balance and our collective mental health to not spend £16m on Paulinho, giving Bentaleb and Mason a run instead?[/linequote]

Maybe that says something about the standard of coaches and players in this country, I don’t know. Maybe it just says that chairmen and managers are terrified to take a chance on something that could be great, but could also fail miserably – it’s easier to aim for the relative safety of mediocrity. You might not be dug out by the brains trust on 606 or Talksport. But you do find yourself watching some games and wondering “is it actually possible that the players in the reserves are worse than this lot?” I’m increasingly unsure.

I’m not suggesting that we’re a beacon of hope for the game, somehow immune from the pull of money – for a bit of perspective, we’re owned by an investment company and the owner of our club probably pays less tax in this country than me (er, allegedly).

But in an age of hyper-globalised football, where everything is talked up to within an inch of its life and sitting in the West Upper and having a flat Carlsberg at half-time costs more than a family of four’s weekly food shop, seeing lads quietly come through the first-team with an emotional attachment to the club has been purifying. I’m probably as excited by and engaged in the club as I’ve been since the early Martin Jol days (in the interest of full disclosure, yes I did think a Michael Carrick and Sean Davis axis would lead us to glory). Long may that continue.

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

2 Comments

  1. belgian spur
    29/10/2015 @ 12:54 pm

    Great article, the fact that you can bring players to the game that have been around for so long, who have a strong link with the club and as such are maybe more likely to understand what it means to the fans is a purifying experience indeed. Being where we are (lets keep it at just above mediocre for now) with so many players that have been around since they were teenagers is great. Even if we have to give some credit to Timmy (reluctantly) for bringing them into the first team last year.

  2. Bill Madrid
    31/10/2015 @ 12:00 am

    Nice piece, thanks!
    One caveat I have – I know its not a fashionable position but I was a fan of Baldini’s work overall at the club. However, the one area I would very much criticise him is that the striker crisis at first team level is reflected at the yoot level too.
    Perhaps the DoF’s biggest responsibility is ensuring that there is a seamless move up the levels – that’s where the idea that you can replace managers but leave the DoF in place comes from. It’s shocking that there’s no striker at U21 level even vaguely close to being a UEFA Cup sub, for example

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