Spurs Youth 2023/24

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Is that 3 losses on the bounce for our U18s now by the way?

All 3 that Moore has missed?

I like that. It’s better to have a youth team with 1-2 next generational elite players than 10 decent ones. If Hall and Moore are what make our U18’s move from average to exceptional then chances are their talent levels are enough they might get into the first team one day. All very well having a U18 team that can win a title but if they don’t produce an exceptional talent or two it feels a let down.
 
I like that. It’s better to have a youth team with 1-2 next generational elite players than 10 decent ones. If Hall and Moore are what make our U18’s move from average to exceptional then chances are their talent levels are enough they might get into the first team one day. All very well having a U18 team that can win a title but if they don’t produce an exceptional talent or two it feels a let down.
Very true. Good teams are ok but we need outstanding players. Won it in 1970….Perryman and Souness not bad. That’s why we shouldn’t go overboard with the under21’s . If we get one first team player from them we should be happy. Our last was Skippy who is 23 now . Donley, Hall and Moore seem the obvious ones but you can’t be certain until they go and do it.
Others may be good enough for other teams and we could make some money from them.
Man Utd have recently sold Elanga. 11m…..James Garner 12m. ….They put that towards Antony at 80m
Would hope we could do better.
 
How many of the U21s might make a lasting first team impact?

Most managers struggle to get more than one player through from their youth system into the first team.

Example Managers who did better
Fergie managed to get (I think it was 5) through from youth into first team in pretty much one year back in the 90's (Beckham, Scholes et al)

When Chelsea had a transfer ban for a year, Lampard brought through (about 2019 ?) maybe 8 players (mainly 1 or 2 from each of 4 or 5 year groups who had been overlooked by previous managers who had overlooked the youth). A couple of those have stayed on (eg Reece James) whilst others have moved on to other clubs (maybe Tomori would be a good example - made only about 20 appearances for Chelsea but has had a handful of England caps and moved on for £25m to AC Milan). Then there are others such as Tammy Abrahams who had made one or two appearances before being loaned out, but brought back by Lampard in 2019 to become their main striker due to transfer ban - made 50 odd appearances and 20 goals before moving on..

Opportunity is key
I'd suggest opportunity being given to the youngsters is the biggest problem in getting kids through to the first team - Spurs probably have half a dozen or so who may be good enough to get to the first team, but even if Ange gave all these players opportunities over the next year or two or three, its probable that half of them will prove to be good, but not good enough, and move on sometimes to have very good careers elsewhere (the equivalent of a Tomori).

Its difficult to be sure which young players will make it and which will not - a prime example might be that Ledley King made his debut as a DM in about 1999 alongside Alton Thelwell playing as CB. Thelwell had by far the better debut but over the next 5 or 6 matches his performances did not improve and might have even regressed. Whilst Ledley ...... just got better and better. So Thelwell got moved on within a year or so having made about 20 appearances.

The Answer to your question
So the honest answer to your question might be 'it depends ........ but we hope Ange will help facilitate (alongside good loans etc) maybe one or two players a season. But we will probably only know for sure. when we look back in 3 or 4 years time'.
 
Matthew Craig getting a lot of praise from the Doncaster fans in recent games. 10 points from the last 4 games he's started which has completely turned around their season, they're now 13 clear of relegation. He won the motm vote yesterday after their win against Wimbledon.
 

The reason Lewis Miley got opportunities was the amount of injuries Newcastle have had all season.
Even last night Eddie Howe was saying that his midfield just picks Itself.
More often than not it is injuries that give someone an opportunity. Mainoo got in at Utd because Casemiro , Eriksen and Mount were all injured. First game at Everton just looked a first team player, best player on the pitch . Stayed in the team ever sInce.
At present we have the best Under 21 team but means nothing as they are just playing age group football.
To think we can get one or two first team players a season is in the realms of fantasy.
We battered Fleetwood reserve team yesterday, but what else did we expect. No point building these players up until they actually do something. Pre season friendlies are the time some of these lads should be making an impression.
No doubt there are 2 or 3 outstanding prospects in our youth teams . Just let them play and see how they get on.
Quite a few years ago Man Utd won the under 21 title and released the lot. None have come back to bite them .
Last year there was a lot of noise about Ramell Carter, about 15yrs old I think. Ramell who? has left the club
 
The reason Lewis Miley got opportunities was the amount of injuries Newcastle have had all season.
Even last night Eddie Howe was saying that his midfield just picks Itself.
More often than not it is injuries that give someone an opportunity. Mainoo got in at Utd because Casemiro , Eriksen and Mount were all injured. First game at Everton just looked a first team player, best player on the pitch . Stayed in the team ever sInce.
At present we have the best Under 21 team but means nothing as they are just playing age group football.
To think we can get one or two first team players a season is in the realms of fantasy.
We battered Fleetwood reserve team yesterday, but what else did we expect. No point building these players up until they actually do something. Pre season friendlies are the time some of these lads should be making an impression.
No doubt there are 2 or 3 outstanding prospects in our youth teams . Just let them play and see how they get on.
Quite a few years ago Man Utd won the under 21 title and released the lot. None have come back to bite them .
Last year there was a lot of noise about Ramell Carter, about 15yrs old I think. Ramell who? has left the club

As I said 'opportunity is key'

Often that comes through first team players being injured

Lampard had the opportunity (or possibly had no option) to try out a number of youngsters through his club having a transfer ban.

Some managers think the youngster is potentially better than an existing first team player and that's why the youngster plays.

BTW nowhere did I say that the youngsters would all be dropped into first team without loans. And its likely that most will have had one or more loans before getting to have opportunities in the Spurs first team. So the kids have some experience before playing in the first team.

Rammel Carter was a youtube sensation aged about 8. Spurs usually take on about a dozen or so kids at aged 16 into the first year full time academy out of many who started in the academy at a much younger age who don't make it into of which Carter is but one.

Equally going from academy to u21's there's a big drop out.

And from going from u21's to loans and first team, an even bigger drop out.





Spurs lack Club trained footballers to get a full 25 man squad for uefa competitions - so its quite possible even likely that Ange will try to get a couple of youngsters into first team over next couple of years ...... and no doubt he'll be pretty selective. So its very small numbers who will get that chance rather than none.
 
I’m sure we’ll get by with a 23/24 man euro squad plus a bucket load of youngsters to fill in.
Who would you keep around though? Got to weigh squad depth against development

Phillips/Soonsup-Bell/Keeley/Bergvall would have to be registered on List A because they've not been at the club long enough to be on the u21 list B
Maybe Devine but arguably could do with another loan, seen fairly mixed views from Plymouth fans so far, Dane possibly needs to go back on loan for game time.
Santiago could probably do with a loan but would be a decent List B option if he stayed.
Do you keep Donley, Dorrington, Lankshear, Hall around? (all eligible to play in UEFA Youth League next season if they stay). Quite like to see Hall kept around for a full season with the u21s but the others could probably all get decent loans.
 
As I said 'opportunity is key'

Often that comes through first team players being injured

Lampard had the opportunity (or possibly had no option) to try out a number of youngsters through his club having a transfer ban.

Some managers think the youngster is potentially better than an existing first team player and that's why the youngster plays.

BTW nowhere did I say that the youngsters would all be dropped into first team without loans. And its likely that most will have had one or more loans before getting to have opportunities in the Spurs first team. So the kids have some experience before playing in the first team.

Rammel Carter was a youtube sensation aged about 8. Spurs usually take on about a dozen or so kids at aged 16 into the first year full time academy out of many who started in the academy at a much younger age who don't make it into of which Carter is but one.

Equally going from academy to u21's there's a big drop out.

And from going from u21's to loans and first team, an even bigger drop out.





Spurs lack Club trained footballers to get a full 25 man squad for uefa competitions - so its quite possible even likely that Ange will try to get a couple of youngsters into first team over next couple of years ...... and no doubt he'll be pretty selective. So its very small numbers who will get that chance rather than none.

Indeed opportunity is key
I’ve never liked klopp and I know they are decimated by injuries but absolute respect to him for his substitutions today fully deserved win today
 
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