Yid Youth

[basskadet]

While I've been excited by the new faces coming to the Lane this transfer window I'm equally excited by the new faces coming thru our academy.

We've always had a strong history of producing our own talent and it had all gone a bit quiet in recent years. I can't think of too many quality players produced by our academy in the last 5 years (I could be wrong) and it wasn't the way it should be.

Yes we've raided other people's academies for their kids and brought them up into our 1st team but its been a while since we raised our own. I think that it shows a healthy club that has the time & resources to dedicate itself in scouting and training young talent. I also think that it represents a successful club as any talent created chooses to stay as opposed to moving on to bigger things (a la John Bostock). Manchester United have always been good at this.

I've never liked Simon Jordan (I think he's a pompous, opinionated pr**k) but he really managed to infuriate me with all his verbal attacks on Spurs over the Bostock deal but that's for another thread.

I was thrilled to see Adam Smith come on the other night and do so well and it can only be good for our club. Having already had Jamie O'Hara come thru the ranks and perform well in our 1st team its really looking good for the future.

Its extremely important to have kids like this in the team. They have been at the club from a very young age and really understand the importance and privilege of the shirt. They fully appreciate local rivalries and their sentiments will rub off on the foreign lads who, although may 'understand' such derbies, would not otherwise fully appreciate them nor feel the emotions the rest of us do.

They also play with their hearts on their sleeves. Just look at the way Smithy bust a gut to catch up with Lennon and roll that ball across the 6 yard box to O'Hara. Same with Jamie who gives 110% every time he plays. You just don't get that to the same extent any other way.

Well done Jamie, well done Adam & well done Juande for giving them a go. Lets hope there are more to come!

[basskadet]

I fact, I'm guessing off the top of my head, the last player to do so was probably Ledley King, wasn't it?

[MyGoula]

I'm not sure about the past as I am a new fan but it looks as if we have quite a few promising players

[P UNIT 1980]

Being a top fligh club allows you to cherry pick the best of the young tallent around. And they want to sign schoolboy forms with you too.

Youth investment is good at our club but because we have effectively been mediorce for a good few years the young tallent has opted to go else where. Again this is another reason to break into the upper ehcalon of the league, so we can produce our own great players and keep them.

The Spammers did well with their squad that they couldnt keep hold of because they had a blinding scouting structure and blinding yout coaching staff. But couldnt keep hold of them.

The Mancs and the Goons also get the chance to pick tallent from the globe and it pays dividends for them in the long run. The only club that dont seem of recent years to produce their own starlets are The Scousers. They'd rather pay 20+ million for a 28 year old from the club that is going to replace them in the top 4!!!

Remember though only 1 in evry 100,000 kids ever sign a pro contract, and many of them never sign another. Extreemly harsh when you look at the aspirations of the 99,999 lads being dashed.

Youth investment is clearly the way forward

[MyGoula]

how do they know that a kid will be good when he's only like 14 or something like that to me that is incredible

[basskadet]

They pick em up alot younger than 14. That kid Adam Smith that came on for us against Dortmund has been with us since he was 7!

[MyGoula]

that's amazing I wish I could have that kind of experience how do they decide who to pick or can they just take people?

The youth seems to be pretty good but I would like to see use make it world class and that Tottenham would be know world wide for it's Academy kinda like Ajax Amsterdam who have one of the best if not the best youth academies anywhere.

[basskadet]

We did used to have a very respected youth academy.

I'm not sure what they look for in the young kids but they obviously know what they're doing. I think it goes along the lines of kids come and try out. If they pass a few tests they get to train with us and if they progress well, much like at school, they either move up a grade, get held back or are released.

Great to see Ryan Mason, another member of our Academy who is a local lad, get handed his 1st pro contract. He did good last year in our academy team, despite only 18 appearances, bagging 11 goals as an attacking midfielder.

Tottenhamhotspur.com - News Articles - Mason signs pro deal

Also, just noticed Troy has been loaned out to Norwich for the whole season. That will be great for him & hopefully he'll get plenty of starts. Being a defender is a real test in the Championship & it should help toughen him up.

Tottenhamhotspur.com - News Articles - Troy loan to Norwich

[P UNIT 1980]

Isnt it Troy Archibald-Henvile?

He will do well for the Canaries and come back a better player or earn us some dough when they want to sign him.

Done an excelent job for our ressies and got rewarded with a few trips out with the first team last term to sit on the bench.

From what I hear he is "sh!t off a stick" quick

[basskadet]

Might try and check out some Norwich games this year on sky and keep an eye on one of our investments.

[MyGoula]

do we have a certain clubs(s) that we normally loan our young players out to to get some experience:questionmark:

[P UNIT 1980]

do we have a certain clubs(s) that we normally loan our young players out to to get some experience:questionmark:

No we usually just sell the rejects to West Ham, looks like we can add Sunderland to that list now.

I think Orient get a few of our boys.

[basskadet]

Leyton Orient have become the most frequent but there's no official agreement. It seems we normally loan to clubs around the London + Sout East area (Millwall, Barnet, Gilingham, Dagenham, Brentford, etc) but it really depends on who's interested & whether it suits us.

We very rarely loan players to teams in the same division and certainly not our rivals. When a loan works out well the 2 clubs will likely do business again (like with Orient as its close by so we can keep a close eye on things & they play in a lower division so it guarantees 1st team football. Quite a few of our youngsters have been there in recent years, Andy Barcham, Charlie Daniels last year ad now Simon Dawkins).