Nah, i can see how it could be misunderstood though, i'm just crap at writing. I wouldn't say any of those flourished tbh. Carroll maybe next season or from jan onwards if we can have him back. I think its nice to have at least one "Spurs lad" in the team and we haven't really had that since King.
IMHO this summer has adversely damaged the future prospects of a few of the kids. Mainly because of the age of the talent. Normally you would try to have emerging talent bedding in as seniors shuffle off the player treadmill. But with the ages of Eriksen, Lamela etc being the same-ish as Carroll/Pritchard etc, the Academy kids cannot even play a waiting game
Except if our newbies turn out to be world beaters, then they are off to Real Madrid. If they are not, then they are off to QPR.
Paulinho was linked with Real the other day. I laughed. How much do you think we could take them for this time? Bale and Modric have hardly lived up to the price-tags, so far.
"Except if our newbies turn out to be world beaters, then they are off to Real Madrid." After a couple of seasons of delivering for Spurs. "If they are not, then they are off to QPR." While Arry remains there + can remember who the kids actually are.
I think that Townsend's progress has been a great morale booster for some of our better youngsters. The likes of Pritchard and Carroll can see exactly what can happen if they go out on loan and impress, then put in a good shift when they return.
The bar has been raised much higher now for the Academy kids. With the current squad, it will take a serious improvement in ability, or an injury plague well beyond the usual, to get a chance of playing in the first team against PL or decent cup opposition.
I don't think we can claim either of Walker or Naughton as our youth products, Sheffield Utd will lay claim to that.
Lennon wouldn't start the majority of matches for any of the teams who finished above us. There is a reason why we came fifth. Their players were better than ours! We need two out of Chadli, Lamela and Townsend to be better than Lennon or we will finish fifth again. Lennon has done a great job for us and will be a major asset if we have injuries but we can't rely on him to make us better.
Come on are you blaming Lennon for us coming fifth. Too simplistic to say their players were better than ours and I don't believe true. We are talking ONE POINT here, hardly any difference at all and we coukld just as easily have finished TWO POINTS better off and taken 4th place. Lennon as one our most important players last season is why we were in contention for the desired 4th in the first place. We need MORE players like Lennon not less and I do believe we have them.
Power, you need to think about what you said mate, which was That is a ridiculous comment ! Lennon has played in a team which challenged for 4th and missed out by a point, not to mention has played in a team which gained champions league football. The reason we missed out wasn't because the other team had better players, it was because of AVB last year, who failed to manage the team properly once we had that 7 point lead. Before that ok I'm a huge fan of Redknapp and even though we finished 4th (yes with lennon) we missed out on 3rd by 1 point (and yes redknapp deserves certain blame for us not getting 3rd, yet we stilll finished top four), so how can you suggest lennon can't be a regular starter in a team which challengers for 4th?
The difference this time is that whenever Lennon was out, you got all this stuff about how it affects the "shape" of the team and consequently the results. Not apparently the case now. I am hoping that AVB will set up the home formations for serious flank attack. Which means a fully fit Lennon will have a big part to play.
Our home form cost us 4th last season. Draws against WBA, NCFC, Stoke and losses to Wigan, Chelsea, Fulham cost us dearly. We've challenged and succeeded in getting 4 twice with Lennon as one of our main players. At present, neither Lamela, Chadli or Gylfi have done enough to keep their place above him at the moment and as of right now, we should be jumping for joy that he's back (which I am ). The prospect of Townsend and Lennon on a counter attack is frightening and baring in mind our football has been very dull to say the least for the most part of our season so far, Lennon could be the exact player needed to boost that up a bit - and give Chadli and Lamela some ideas on how to improve their game.
What I meant, was that I don't believe Townsend is going to do a Bale, in terms of being an undroppable world class talent that grows each year, as if you look at Bale since he joined us, he first started off as a left back, then moved to left wing, then moved central and after his intial period settling in, each year Bale has improved and added new skills/ability to his game and is pretty much a fearless player who showed progression. Townsend for me, is a good young player and I was talking him up last year and early this year as I find it frustrating when we sign players like Chadli but young players like Townsend and Carroll have their road blocked, so to see Townsend not just be given a chance but show such great form, is really superb for us and a good message for our younger talent. Townsend has said it himself "hes a confidence player" and I just feel he will have large drops in form and be a player that goes through periods where hes exciting and effective and then will be largely anonymous, we have seen alot of wingers like him, which is why I like Lennon as when he is off form attacking wise, he is still working like a warrior down that flank, never moans, doesn't give anyone any trouble and works tireless. But just for the record, not trying to "attack" Townsend as i think its great we have him and hes certainty an important part of our plans.
We've been overachieving given our players, largely due to the efforts of Bale and one or two others. I still don't think Lennon would be a certain starter for any of the teams above us. I may not have been precise in what I wrote so for clarification what I meant was that if Lennon is a certain starter then Chadli, Lamela and Townsend are not up to scratch to improve us so we can't hope to push on. We came fifth not because AVB did anything wrong - but because Arsenal went on a world class run (that is still continuing). To match them we have to improve our team which means Lennon, Defoe and the like really shouldn't be certain starters.
Don't wish to turn this into another AVB thread so I'll keep quiet on that comment in bold as you probably know I disagree! Just going back to the Lennon point and what you just said, aren't you underestimating the role Lennon plays overall and have personally viewed his position as a position we have to improve on, to push on? I don't view Lennon as a weak link or someone that would hold us back and its probably too early to claim Townsend as 1st choice, plus we haven't seen how Lennon is going to work with Soldado, if he is given games and he doesn't work in the current system then sure maybe he isn't right for us yet going on his previous form he certainty deserves the chance to prove if he can be part of us pushing on.
