Academy vs. foreign players

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Kafkaesque

Kafkaesque

When Totti posted United's potential line-up next season in the transfer thread, it got me thinking, and I didn't want to derail that thread (more than it already does by all manner of bs). It's not unlikely they'll line up with one English player; and he's from Liverpool!!! It's easy to point to LVG, but I guess, it was always a matter of time with the international brand machine they've become.

With United following the other three teams finishing above us last in having nearly no English players, my "simple" question is this:

Would you prefer to have a team with the preferred line-up consisting of 2-3 acadamy product, 2-3 English players that's been with the club since their teens/early 20's, while having a, say 10% chance of breaking into the top 4 (and staying there) within the next five years?

Or instead having 11 foreign players with a 90% chance of winning the PL in the next five years?

I guess, I've already revealed my position by bringing this up. And I'm not even English! Which is one of the reasons, I would find it interesting to know how you guys feel about the foreign imports, especially now we've got academy products, not just breaking through, but excelling.

I'm fairly new here, so apologies if you've had this discussion.....
 
I'm Scottish, so of course what happens for the English team means toss all to me in all honesty, but I would prefer a Spurs squad with a base of Academy products. Problem is, half of our academy products aren't necessarily English. But I feel a bigger sense of pride when I see Mason, Bentaleb or Kane outperforming other players who we have bought in.

They are the players who identify with the club and really battle for the points. They remind me of Ledley and I want that from our players. I want players who when they leave we can look back and say "Thanks for the last 20 years and good luck" wherever it is they may go. We currently don't have someone like a Lahm or a Schweinsteiger or a Casillas. I think it's important to have players who Identify with the club, because they give it more.

I don't think Mason or Bentaleb are our best midfielders. But I think their passion gives them an edge that Dembele won't ever have for us, not even after 10 seasons at the lane.
 
It's hard to turn down great odds for a Prem title, but fuck turning into City or this LVG United and buying 300 million worth of mercenaries to come challenge for the league. I want to cheer for a team that gets good results, sure, but the best part about following a club is seeing players that really identify and belong with the club succeed. Seeing Harry break out this year provided some of the greatest moments I've ever experienced as a football fan because he just IS Tottenham.
 
KySpurs said:
It's hard to turn down great odds for a Prem title, but fuck turning into City or this LVG United and buying 300 million worth of mercenaries to come challenge for the league. I want to cheer for a team that gets good results, sure, but the best part about following a club is seeing players that really identify and belong with the club succeed. Seeing Harry break out this year provided some of the greatest moments I've ever experienced as a football fan because he just IS Tottenham.
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Couldn't agree more. Though, I have enjoyed Mason's success a little more. He's a true warrior. It just looked so unlikely that he would ever make it. Unlikely that he would ever be a good player for us. Yet he pulled through and fought hard for his chance. And when it came he grabbed it. I want to see players fight for their place. And he is the epitome of that.
 
I'm unsure players who have joined United are mercenaries.

I doubt there is a single football supporter who, if given the option, wouldn't chose homegrown, and better yet local lad but that isn't ever going to happen. There isn't a team on earth who can survive and be tangibly successful. Take Bilbao - a great tradition but they seldom threaten to consistently win trophies.

La Masia's greatest prodigy is Messi. Iniesta and Xavi are once in a lifetime players but Messi may never, ever be replicated by the time he has finished playing.

What, I suppose supporters want, is for their academy's to be represented by a healthy number of players, and that isn't unreasonable nor unattainable. I believe Tottenham will have that over the next number of years.
 
I want as many Academy players as possible in the squad and starting for the club. But they don't have to just be English. They need to be of the proper ability, but I think our Academy is turning out quite a few who are, and they more we can bring through, the better. They'll play better as a unit, make it more fun for many of the fans, and are also economically smarter as every good Academy player is one less transfer fee needed, which can be turned into more money for wages paid to retain the stars we do have.
 
I want an all Belgian line up and if those players happen to come through the academy thats a bonus (Azzaouzi for instance)

Serious answer: 3 Academy players - 5 players born and raised in the country but bred at other clubs and 3 foreign stars is the best balance possible for me. This gives you a decent mix of players with different ambitions combined : Love of the club, love of the money and love of the glory are the three key elements of player ambition.
 
i'm portuguese, like the mighty lad on my avatar, but i do like to have good english players in Spurs. And it helps on Football Manager because of the 8 home grown players needed for european football :freundgoal:
 
As a foreign fan I'd prefer us to play local, regional, national, home nations' and then international players. In that order.

Seeing as succes like that is a fleeting prospect, at the same time I'd like the club to drop its CL rhetoric bullshit AND i'd like fans aged mid-age to elderly to stop moaning about Hoddle, Mabbutt and times past.

All of that - combined with a refreshing dogmatic approach to the playingstyle (e.g. high pressing, fast breaking football with room for attackingminded aggressive young players) would propably be my ideal vision of the club.
 
Given those two options, I'd take the title with bought-in players, even if just once, so I can experience it in my lifetime.
My one condition is that I wouldn't want it to be done through immoral funding (Russian stolen oil billions) or cheating (divers).

Obviously I'm.looking forward to Kane, Bentaleb, Mason, Rose and a few more choice youth, joined by Ballon D'or winning Christian Eriksen holding the 2018 Champions League Trophy!
 
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I would like Spurs to keep on bringing through the youngsters while having a few foreign players of high quality like Klinsman or Ozzy in the past. A club who only buy in fully developed stars is more of a franchise or brand than an actual club.
 
I prefer academy players, but also recongise it would need to be supplemented with good signings. So what we're doing now really.

Don't want us to do what other clubs have done. I guarantee no mercenary's goal no matter how important will be cheered the way we cheered Kane's goals vs woolwich and chavski. Even if it's in a CL final.
 
I think that a mixture of both is what is needed,
A team full of academy players with also some quality foreign players.

I think what is bad for the premier league and english football is average foreign players that are cheaper than english players
 
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