Hasn't Obika improved his overall game, SC? From the little that I've seen of him, he seems to have done a bit of a Bobby Zamora and worked on holding up the ball and bringing others into the game. Less one dimensional. What's Simon Dawkins doing? His MLS loan ran out, so he's presumably back. Not an out-and-out striker and probably nowhere near good enough, though.
Yeah I'll wish Jon all the best for his future, a few of my old friends know him and he went to a secondary school not far from mine so it's always nice seeing local lads go on to do well. I reckon down the line he can make it into the Championship though a move to a League 1 club (Yeovil anyone? ) will be better for him at the moment. I thought that RE Lancaster. Cheers
Fair observation PNP. In all fairness to the player, there are signs he has worked on his game and again in fairness to him he has always done ok when I've seen him this season. Still don't see him having a future at Spurs beyond the end of this contract. Simon Dawkins is back at the club although I don't know what plans AVB has for him. We start our next stage fixtures in the under 21 competition next Monday so maybe he'll give him a run out in that and have a look at him.
Dawkins to me seems like a similar case to Ledley (although nowhere near Ledley's level) in that he clearly has ability yet is hampered by injuries. Luckily his past two loans at San Jose he's been injury free for the majority of them - think he had ankle injury which kept him out for a couple of weeks in his recent stint - and I think he's impressed. From the clips I've seen it looks like he was playing as left wing forward coming inside on his right foot. It's hard to say whether I think he'll have any chance of becoming a first team player but it maybe worth giving him a go in a cup game? So many players, especially youngsters, could have had amazing careers had they not been troubled by career wrecking injuries. The one I can remember the most (and knew) was Terry Dixon, a player I had the fortune (or misfortune perhaps) of playing against a few times, was the best player I'd ever seen in terms of his age and ability. He played for Norseman FC before getting signed by Spurs and at 16, was called up to the senior Republic of Ireland squad. He was touted to go on and basically be Ireland's answer to Rooney but had two serious knee ligament injuries, which caused us to release him and has since fallen into obscurity after a short spell at West Ham. Yet a player like Jay Simpson, who I went Primary with (and knew a bit afterwards as he played for a local rival of my Sunday Legaue team), was no better than me through out the time I knew him, yet ended up on Arsenal's books at the time of when the media were touting their "wonderkid" team - which had the likes of Wilshere, Gibbs, Walcott etc - and is now at Hull City who are second in the Championship and going well. Really does show that sometimes, football is all about getting a lucky break and indeed, just overall luck.
That's interesting to hear your views on Terry Dixon because he was by far and away the best prospect I have seen. I only saw him a few times but he was just unbelievable. Did you know his father had been destined for a top career in the game but suffered the same knee problems as Terry did and also missed out on making it ?? He made several attempts to come back, West Ham was one as you mention, Stevenage was another I remember, but he was showing a fondness for a certain Belgian lager by then and he drifted away from the game.
Yeah his talent was limitless in my opinion Spurcat, I played Sunday League for years against some very good young players but Terry clipsed anyone out there, his ball control was just unbelievable and his striking power was ferocious and had vision that you'd never expect to see from a young player, such a shame he had the injuries. I have no doubt that had it not been for injuries, he'd already be a key player for our team providing he had the right attitude. Didn't know that about his Dad having a similar past, I can remember his old man being one of mouthy ones on the touchline though, Terry could've scored a hattrick in 5 minutes yet he still found faults in his game. Haha the drinking doesn't surprise me, he is Irish after all!
What's the news on Coulibaly? I don't really follow the youth teams but seem to remember him banging them in in the NextGen last year...?
Just googled him and was surprised to see he's still only 21 (he's 22 next week), and is still playing - for Dover Athletic. Looked at the Dover site and he came on as sub in their last game so he's still actively involved.
It hasn't been a happy time for him so far this season. For a while he was carrying a niggling injury which kept flaring up in games, so he was rested in the hope of avoiding surgery. That seems to have cured the problem but in the meantime Coulthirst has come on in leaps and bounds and is looking the brighter prospect. Coulibaly does tend to spend a lot of time on the periphery of a game, isolating himself from the rest of the play, and then suddenly out of nowhere, explodes into life and bangs in an absolute corker of a goal. At times his first touch is embarrassing and although he remains a good prospect, there is still a lot of work to do on the training ground with him.
For a second there I thought you were implying Coulibaly had a drink problem . Must find out more about our development players!
If we are left with only Defoe as a first choice striker by the end of the window then I would be very surprised (not shocked, mind!) Dempsey hasn't the attributes to lead the line, and has been utilised as more of a right sided attacking midfielder in substitute appearances when he has been successful. If we're honest, without Ade - even though he's shown himself to be exactly the kind of useless when he's got a contract, mercenary, divisive, problematic sack of **** some were expecting this season, we are are in serious trouble. The alternative may be to promote from within, the likes of Obika or Coulibaly perhaps?
I take the points about not wanting to change things around too much, but I'm tempted by: Lennon, Sandro, Dembele, Gylfi Dempsey Bale Gylfi's been effective on the left, even if he does cost us width. Bale is becoming more and more striker like. If we leave Bale on the left, we seem to have Dempsey and Gylfi starting. Which one do you prefer at CM, and which one at striker? I'd have Gylfi as CM, since that team would only have one player out of position (Dempsey), and I think Dempsey does better receiving passes and scoring than he does passing. I also think we'll have a Saha-type signing, meaning someone who combines low price and decent chances of filling in successfully for Defoe. Almost certainly an older guy.
I think it's pretty poor that we're now in this situation tbh. How long have we all been after NEW STRIKER? The fact that we are now left purely with Defoe (Dempsey isn't a striker in my eyes - he's a CAM) is rubbish. Defoe's great but he needs backup and all good strikers need competition as well. Adebayor has been pee poor this season as well in terms of goals and it's not great that his interview regarding ACON has been twisted. We need new striker pronto I think otherwise we'll be up the ol' creek without a paddle.
To be honest, the Spaniards fared all right over the summer playing Fabregas up front, perhaps this 'striker' malarky is a load of codswallop...
We have a winning momentum with other players able to find the net so I don't think it would matter too much if Defoe were injured. When was his last goal anyway? At Villa was it when everybody was thrashing them? I'm all for one or even two new strikers.
There's talk going around this morning that Adebayor may have changed his mind (again) and will not be going to the ACON after all.
Is there any chance we can send Bentley or Jenas instead? I know it might be a tough sell to the Togo manager but a mate of a mate does passports so I reckon we could get them registered to play in time.
