Windy's Blog

Spurs loanee update - 09/02/12

2012-02-09T08:52:00.000Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Currently we have the following players out on loan:

Premier League
Steven Caulker - Swansea City (season)
Kyle Naughton - Norwich City (season)
Steven Pienaar - Everton (season)
Sebastian Bassong - Wolves (season)

Championship
David Button - Doncaster (March 1st)
Andros Townsend - Leeds (season)
Adam Smith - Leeds (season)
Yago Falque - Southampton (season)
Tom Carroll - Derby (season)
Ryan Mason - Millwall (season)
Harry Kane - Millwall (season)

League One
Nathan Byrne - Bournemouth (season)
Jon Obika - Yeovil Town (season)
Dean Parrett Yeovil Town (season)
John Bostock - Sheffield Wednesday (season)

Conference North
Jordan Archer - Bishop's Stortford

Other
Vedran Corluka - Bayer Leverkusen (season)
Mirko Ranieri - FC Esperia Viareggio (season)
Kudus Oyenuga - St Johnstone (season)

Now returned
Oscar Jansson - Bradford City
Kudus Oyenuga - Bury
David Bentley - West Ham
Ryan Mason - Doncaster
Simon Dawkins - San Jose Earthquakes
Jermaine Jenas - Aston Villa
Ben Alnwick - Leyton Orient
David Button - Leyton Orient
Bongani Khumalo - Reading
Adam Smith - MK Dons

Keeping track of all of our loanees has turned into a full-time job, with nineteen players currently out on loan, not including Jenas who was ruled out for the season in December, and Bentley, who has also returned to Spurs to receive treatment (and who could, incidentally be fit within a matter of weeks).

Premier League

Since his return from injury in December, Steven Caulker has been one of Swansea City's most impressive and consistent performers, and has now started thirteen games for them - they've kept five clean sheets in that time.

Chris Carra from the ForzaSwansea blog (@ForzaSwansea on Twitter) has kindly offered his opinion on Caulker:

From his first game for the Swans, Steven Caulker has been solid. He slots in very nicely next to Ashley Williams and has been one of the first on the team sheet all season. He is strong and consistently solid the air. The only blemish was his brush with the police earlier in the season, but his on field performance makes up for it. He seems happy to stay with Swansea after the summer; something we all hope will happen as he would leave a very big hole to fill.

Like Caulker, Kyle Naughton has been putting in consistently good performances for Norwich City. He has played primarily at right back, but has also had a couple of matches at left back, and even played as an emergency centre back this weekend after both of their regular CBs had come off injured. He has now made twenty starts and one substitute appearance for City. Below are some comments on Naughton from two Norwich fans.

Firstly, my friend and City season ticket holder Luke Bell (@soulwaxer on Twitter):

Like so many of his team-mates, Kyle Naughton has been hugely impressive in the first half of this season. After a slightly shaky pre-season, he swiftly won over the Norwich fans with a run of strong defensive performances and a promising attacking partnership with Elliott Bennett in front of him. Most would agree that he has now established himself as Norwich's first-choice right-back; an impressive achievement given he ousted Russell Martin from that position, who played every minute of the Championship promotion campaign. A series of injuries to other players has seen him switched to left-back, where he's been equally efficient defensively, although perhaps not quite so threatening going forward. Against Bolton he was even employed as a makeshift centre-back for the majority of the game, where he coped superbly with the physical threat of Ngog and Davies.

Paul Lambert has made it clear that he'd like to keep Naughton on a permanent deal; most Norwich fans will be hoping that the club can come up with a deal to make it happen.

Secondly, from the author of the excellent Holtamania blog (@Holtamania on Twitter):

How much for him? Seriously. How much? Let’s start negotiating now because he’s surely our number one target this summer.

Kyle has been brilliant for Norwich so far this season, a season in which we have exceeded everyone’s expectations. Like the majority of the team, Kyle came to us with little Premier League experience but has looked at home. After missing the first match of the season, he stepped in at right back and has made the position his own; a tough ask when going up against crowd favourite and last year’s Player of the Season runner up, Russell Martin. Kyle’s performances have been solid, with only a couple of dips against Villa and Blackburn. Otherwise he has been excellent defensively; a tough job when we frequently play a diamond formation that leaves fullbacks exposed. He’s shown a certain maturity and composure that you might not have expected, and is comfortable wherever he’s asked to play. He’s stepped in at left back several times this season and was arguably man of the match in that position against Fulham, and most recently covered at centre back against Bolton and put in another assured, quality performance. He seems to pass Lambert’s character test and is trusted across the back line. Most of us wanted him secured in the January window but that was always unlikely with what appears to be a hefty asking price. Nevertheless, once we secure Premier League status for another year, the topic will come up again. With Kyle Walker deservedly securing his place in the Spurs defence, Naughton will want to play games rather than be his friends’ backup. At this point I hope both clubs can agree a deal that sees Spurs adequately paid and Norwich getting a fullback with years ahead of him.

Encouraging reports!

Steven Pienaar made his second debut for Everton this weekend, playing on the left of a 4-4-1-1 in their 1-1 draw with Wigan. Pienaar hinted after the match that he could look to stay at Everton beyond the loan.

"There were other options but, for me, coming back here was the simple thing to do. When [Harry Redknapp] asked me where I wanted to go I said I just want to go to Everton.

At the moment, let me focus on the first few months here and just get playing and see what happens in the summer.

It's until the end of the season and I just have to make sure I make the most of this for a few months and in the summer we can talk about my future.

I'm an open minded person - I've always been open minded. It doesn't matter what happens but the most important thing is that in these next few months I do my best for the squad."

Sebastian Bassong made his debut at centre back for Wolves, and this Wolves blog summed up his debut as follows:

"Speaking of new signings, Sebastian Bassong was correctly given his debut and although Zamora outmuscled him to toe poke them into the lead, I thought the on-loan Spurs man acquitted himself well.

I’m a bigger fan of Berra than most but the pace off the ball and composure on it that Bassong brought to the back four were notable."

Championship

Having made a couple of appearances for Leyton Orient earlier in the season (before succumbing to injury), 22-year old goalkeeper David Button was sent to Doncaster at the start of January. He has made five appearances, keeping three clean sheets - a remarkable record thus far - and he impressed manager Dean Saunders in their away draw at Hull:

“David made some great saves and I couldn’t ask for more from the lads.”

Paul Goodwin @paulgoodwinDFP, a Sports writer at Doncaster Free Press tweeted the following to me:

"Influential in keeping 3 clean sheets out of last 4. Good shot stopper, confident, calming influence. Only weakness: kicking."

Since moving to Leeds at the beginning of January, Andros Townsend has made five starts, including one away at Arsenal in the FA Cup, but was only on the bench this weekend. He had a terrific start for Leeds in their match against Burnley, being fouled twice by full back Kieran Trippier, leading to his dismissal.

The editor of the Dirty Leeds blog (@DirtyLeedsBlog on Twitter) has kindly given me his opinion on Andros and Adam so far:

I had been asked by the editor to give my opinion on the two Tottenham youngsters currently on loan at Elland Road, I gladly offered the following;

ADAM SMITH
Unfortunately, my views on the young full back are limited as I haven't actually seen him play yet. By all accounts his debut was impressive at Bristol on Saturday and apparently he would have been MOM had Aston Villa's (on loan) Fabian Delph not excelled himself. It is worth noting though that Bristol played the final 30 mins with 9 men. Hopefully he can take that form into this Saturday and I can give a real opinion on him then.

ANDROS TOWNSEND
His debut was sensational. He ran Burnley ragged, resulting in the dismissal of the opposing full back after just half an hour (yes lots of opponents get sent off at the minute, 5 in the last 5 matches!)!

One thing that stands out for me is his ability to overcome the main criticism that is levelled at young wide men; delivery and final pass. Plenty of wingers are eye-gougingly frustrating with their killer pass, there is at least a couple in North London... Andros does seem to have grasped this skill.

Whilst he is yet to replicate his debut heroics and didn't get off the bench in the last game, I can't help feeling that he'd be a far better player in a better team. Hopefully the effect of a new manager will give him and the squad a lift.

It is worth noting that Simon Grayson was very fond of wingers, whether Neil Redfearn or a subsequent new manager will be as keen is anybody's guess.

Thanks for the opportunity. Let me also offer my sympathies over the impending departure on Harry Redknapp. Hopefully you can still gate crash the top 3.

Adam Smith joined Andros at Leeds recently and made his debut in last weekend's game. He had an outstanding first half of the season at Milton Keynes Dons under the tutelage Karl Robinson, who is used to working with young players having previously worked at Liverpool's Academy. Smith made 22 starts for MK Dons, playing as a very attacking full back. He scored two goals, both superb long-range efforts, and his good performances helped him to force his way into the England U21 squad.

Having signed Yago Falque permanently, we immediately sent him on loan to Southampton. He played 55 minutes of their draw with Leicester, was an unused substitute in their next game, but wasn't involved in last weekend's match against Birmingham, or their cup game against Millwall (for which he was cup-tied).

Tom Carroll made a scoring start to his Derby County career with a late goal. It was only a consolation though, as they were 3-1 down with seconds to go. You can watch the goal here, at 1:40.

A big thank you to Derby County Blog (@derbycountyblog on Twitter) for the following on Carroll:

Tom Carroll joined Derby in unusual circumstances. He was signed on a half-season loan to replace Paul Green, who had been made available for transfer after failing to agree a new contract. Green was duly left out of the squad on transfer deadline day, as the Rams travelled to Barnsley, but no move transpired. Carroll is therefore left to fight for his place against four other midfielders - two box-to-box types (Green and Craig Bryson), a technically-adept holding midfielder (James Bailey) and Ireland U'21 Jeff Hendrick, who is also more of a passer than a bruiser by nature.

With Green out for the Barnsley game, Hendrick replaced him on the right side of midfield, with Carroll slotting into the centre alongside Bryson, in place of Bailey. Unfortunately, Barnsley's midfield three totally swamped Derby's 4-4-2 and the Rams were 2-0 down in the blink of an eye. Nigel Clough then changed the formation to match the Tykes up in the middle of the park, but by that time, the horse had bolted and Barnsley, with their tails up, scored a splendid third goal before settling down and enjoying the rest of the half.

At the interval, a cricket score looked wholly plausible, but pretty much from the start of the second half, Derby managed to claw their way back into the game. Carroll, who cut a forlorn figure in the first half, saw far more of the ball and started to show what he can do; he is a clever, technically smart schemer with the ability to pick a pass.

Derby got a goal back through Ward and with Barnsley on the back foot, Carroll got into the box and pirouetted away from a defender, who blatantly cleaned him out, only for the referee to signal for a corner. Had that decision gone Derby's way, with about 15 minutes to go, you can't help but feel that the Rams would have gone on to grab an equaliser. As it was, Carroll's injury-time goal, poached from closish range after a poor clearance from the goalkeeper was pounced on by Hendrick, was too little too late.

A lot of Derby fans are prejudiced against a midfield three system - 4-5-1, as it is pejoratively known - perceiving any such formation as automatically 'negative'.
Carroll could be the clever linking midfielder who makes sense of a 4-3-3 at Pride Park, especially as we have two players - Ward and Tyson - who could operate effectively as wide forwards. Such a system would certainly suit Carroll better than 4-4-2, as it usually leads to more midfield possession, with the team building from the back more often than quickly hitting the frontmen.

There is plenty of competition for places, so Carroll will have to play well to justify his place in the team - if he does so, it'll benefit Derby in the short-term and Spurs in the long-term.

Harry Kane moved to Millwall at the start of January for the remainder of the season, and scored his first goals against Dagenham and Redbridge in the FA Cup. He has now made eight starts and one substitute appearance, and was a part of the side that won 3-2 away at Southampton in Tuesday's FA Cup win.

Some decent comments on Kane from the Millwall forum after last weekend's match:

"Kane is far better than anything we have bar Henderson and now Keogh."

"Kane looked good when he came on."

"Kane has a first touch and wins headers."

Ryan Mason has joined Kane at Millwall having not been given too many opportunities under Dean Saunders at Doncaster, mostly owing to constant injury problems. He made his debut against Watford in the league, and came off the bench in their weekend defeat against West Ham as they chased an equaliser. He was widely criticised on Millwall forums after his debut, but it is worth remembering that this was his first game at this level for nearly three months having had more niggling injuries. He had a much improved match against Southampton in the FA Cup, but should have put them 2-0 up when through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

League One

Nathan Byrne is due back soon for Bournemouth after overcoming a very nasty injury.

Jonathan Obika has been a regular for Yeovil Town since returning from injury at the end of November. He has now started thirteen times and made two substitute appearances, scoring twice, including a fantastic bicycle kick against Charlton on Boxing Day. Whilst his scoring record doesn't look good on paper, Yeovil do not score many goals as a team, and Obika's overall performances have been good.

Dean Parrett joined Jonathan at Yeovil Town in mid February, signing initially on a one month loan. He has already started four times for them claiming an assist on his debut vs Tranmere. His loan has now been extended for the rest of the season.

Many thanks to Vyse (@vyseofhr) from Green And White Blog for the following piece on Parrett and Obika's progress, especially as it came at such short notice:

Obika
Jon has had a season that has been severely interrupted by injury, although he is just beginning to show signs of the form he displayed during his earlier loan spells. His two goals this season have both arrived since Christmas, and his bicycle kick against Charlton was a display of technique often missing in strikers at our level.
That said, he remains frustrating. His work rate is often the source of terrace jeering, and whilst he remains our best natural finisher, his off the ball work is at best reactive, and sometimes plain not good enough; he often doesn't make the 'right' runs and never seems to be very good at anticipating how play will develop. This is something that can be taught though, and perhaps another good half season at Yeovil will begin to see Jon realise his potential.

Parrett
Dean on the other hand, appears to have arrived at Huish Park almost as the finished article; so much so that I find it amazing that Spurs have today announced that he'll spend the rest of the season here. He has gelled fantastically with one of our brightest talents, Ed Upson, and fans have been waxing lyrical about the similarities with a club legend, Darren Way, in his tigrish approach and eye for a pass and goal.
Yeovil's recent upturn in results and performances have occurred since Dean joined the club, and it's no coincidence. Like Ryan Mason and Steven Caulker before him, he's been fantastic.

John Bostock joined Sheffield Wednesday for the remainder of the season at the end of the transfer window, and came off the bench to make his debut on the 31st. He started this weekend's game against Yeovil, and below are some comments from a Sheffield Wednesday forum:

"Lightweight, but very early days, and not a day to judge a player. Seems to want to come inside all the time, as opposed to playing wide. When teams park the bus, we need width. "

"I think he looked decent and can pass the ball well. A couple of times he played some lovely balls in the second half. I think he'll turn out to be a decent signing. "

"He was quiet and a bit disappointing today, after seeing him at MK, but as said above, it's still very early days.

He's clearly not a winger but a central player, so he's got some adapting to do if Meggo insists on playing him wide."

"Yeah , looks more comfortable inside.

A bit lethargic and off the pace first half but played some intelligent passes second."

"His crossing needs to improve considerably if he is going to take every set piece"

"Thought he played OK today. Has a languid style, but has good ball control. Didn't hide, always tried to be involved. Think if Megson can get him to be more confident generally and encourage him to be more authoritative and start dictating the play, I think we could have a really good player for the rest of the season. I think though he'll be more effective in the centre alongside Semedo than out wide, because he doesn't seem pacey enough to play on the flank. "

Wednesday manager Gary Megson seems to know what he's getting, commenting on him after his debut:

“He showed his talent when he ran with the ball from his own half. He’s really languid on the ball and has great touch and control. He’s got to find a way of applying himself so he can have a lot more impact on the game than ordinarily he might do.

We have central midfield players who are very good at tackling, or closing down, or running forward with the ball, or picking a pass; John is a bit different - he can play wide or in the middle.”

Conference North

Jordan Archer has had a decent spell at Bishop's Stortford since joining them in October (when Ian Walker was still their manager!).

I contacted the Sports Editor from the 'Herts and Essex Observer', Alan Scott, and he kindly gave me his opinion on Jordan:

I've only seen him twice but I've been really impressed with him.

He's got great reflexes and is a good shot stopper.

He make some mistakes but then he is very young, that will come with experience.

He's also quite brave which is very useful for a keeper - especially playing in this league against some big old Northern lumps.

David Rimmer, another reporter from the same paper was also generous enough to give me his take on Jordan's appearances so far:

I would say on the games I have seen is that Jordan Archer is a very good shot stopper.

He is very good at keeping out shots which are bound for the top of the goal and has made quite a few acrobatic tip overs.

However he needs to improve on collecting crosses but this will come with experience. He has height and in time will become a very good keeper but whether he will make it right to the top I am not sure. For his age he is not bad at commanding his box.

I would say he was not as good as a previous outstanding young keeper that Stortford had in Rob Elliott. He played in the first part of the 2004/05 season and I believe he is now at Newcastle.

Other

Vedran Corluka made his Bayer Leverkusen debut in a 2-2 with VfB Stuttgart, and one of his crosses led to a goal.

Mirko Ranieri was an unused sub as FC Esperia Viareggio drew 0-0 with Taranto - he had been starting regularly for them until recently, but seems to have lost his place in the team.

Kudus Oyenuga was an unused sub for St Johnstone in their 1-1 draw with Hearts, and will be hoping to make his debut soon after scoring for their reserves last week. The St Johnstone website featured a nice interview with him last week:

KUDUS GEARED UP TO AID SCOTTISH CUP CAMPAIGN IF NEEDED New loan signing Kudus Oyenuga is looking forward to spending the rest of his season with Saints and is ready to contribute to our Scottish Cup cause against Hearts on Sunday if required.

Striker Kudus joined Saints on loan from Spurs at the end of last month and made an immediate impression with a goal in a closed door game against Motherwell on Tuesday.

Before heading off to train with the rest of the squad in Alloa this morning, the eighteen year old told the Saints Official Website: "It's been a good week for me. I had a training session with the younger boys on Monday followed by the game against Motherwell on Tuesday and I managed to get myself a goal which was pleasing. I've not had many minutes of football recently so it was very worthwhile."

The Londoner met up with the first team players on Wednesday at a go-karting session in Cambuslang arranged by Steve Lomas to gather the squad together post-transfer window and although he didn't shine on the track he thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

"Don't ask me about the karting! Let's just say I wasn't troubling the top of the leaderboard! But it was really good to meet the boys, they are lovely people and I can tell there is a good team spirit."

With international clearance obtained, Kudus can feature in Sunday's televised cup encounter at Tynecastle if required and it may well be that he and fellow new loan recruit James Keatings from Celtic are the men selected to fill the requirement of having two Under 21 players in the stripped outfield squad.

Kudus says: "The Gaffer has been cool with me and told me to work hard and see what it brings myself and the club. I'm used to working hard and I'm ready to be involved if asked on Sunday."

Clearly struggling with the minus five temperature Perth endured this morning Kudus concluded: "The only thing that has surprised me is the cold but give me a week and I'll be used to it and wearing a t-shirt!"

Kudus enjoyed the go-karting event on Wednesday

A big thank you to all of the contributors to this article:

Luke Bell (@soulwaxer on Twitter)
The editor of the Dirty Leeds blog (@DirtyLeedsBlog on Twitter)
Chris Carra from the ForzaSwansea blog (@ForzaSwansea on Twitter)
Holtamania blog (@Holtamania on Twitter):
David Rimmer and Alan Scott from Herts and Essex Observer
Vyse (@vyseofhr on Twitter) from Green And White Blog
Paul Goodwin (@paulgoodwinDFP on Twitter), a Sports writer at Doncaster Free Press

Analysis of the goal conceded against Wigan Athletic (31/1)

2012-02-02T19:38:00.000Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

James McArthur's goal -Wigan make progress down our right hand side, working a two vs one which drags Sandro wide. McArthur takes advantage and makes an intelligent run and, although Parker gets back to him, his lunging challenge only loops the ball over Friedel.

Ben Watson carries the ball forward in a little space. Note Bale and Lancaster standing in the forward positions, and Kranjcar ahead of Sandro, Parker and Modric.

Substitute McArthur, the eventual scorer, picks takes possession and spreads play wide to Moses. Sandro is covering McArthur at this point, with Parker in the middle of the pitch and Modric to his left.

As Beausejour makes the overlapping run, Sandro is forced to make up the numbers, with Bale caught up-field. McArthur sees this and intelligently makes a break in behind him. Although Parker reads the danger, he is always going to struggle to get across in time.

Moses weights his ball perfectly for McArthur...

...who is able to take the shot first time, despite the desperate lunge from Parker.

The ball deflects off Parker and loops awkwardly over Friedel, who has an impossible task.

28/01/12 Reading U18s 4-2 Tottenham Hotspur U18s, Hogwood Park

2012-01-29T09:05:00.003Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

First things first, I need to let you know about #TottenhamUltras - The Fighting Cock Project. The Fighting Cock podcast is aiming to get 100+ people to The Valley for Charlton U18s vs Tottenham Hotspur U18s in the FA Youth Cup. The match is on February 16th, 7pm kick off - we're meeting between 4:30pm and 6:00pm at The Bridge Bar in London Bridge Station, before heading to the game and giving our young players the kind of support they have yet to experience. It would be great to see you there!

Now on to the game... Spurs were playing a physically big and strong Reading side who, before kick off, were second in Group B of the FA Premier Academy League, having beaten league leaders Coventry last week. Spurs were in third place, four points behind Reading having played two games more.

Billy Granger (17)
Alex McQueen (16) William Ekong (18) Oliver Modeste (17) Connor Ogilvie (15)
Jack Munns (18) Ruben Lameiras (17)
Victor Zapata-Caceido (17) Grant Ward (17) Daniel Akindayini (15?)
Mason Bush (17)*

*I list Bush as being the primary forward, but he and Ward constantly switched, and Ward was often more advanced in the second half.

Subs:

Kenneth McEvoy (17) for Daniel Akindayini.
Dominic Ball (16) for Connor Ogilvie.

Unused subs:

Roman Michael-Percil (16)
Liam Priestley (15?)
James Yeboah (17)

Reading's team:

Dean Santagrio
Niall Keown Matt Partridge Jake Cooper Shane Griffin
Ryan Edwards Aaron Tshibola John Webb Daniel Carr
Craig Tanner
Dominic Samuel

We arrived late due to having a few issues locating Reading's Hogwood Park training ground in Finchampstead, and we missed the opening minutes. Just as we approached the pitch, Grant Ward scored for Spurs - I assumed this was the opening goal, but later found out that it was an equaliser.

Spurs seemed to be dominating possession, and had another good chance on around 14 minutes when Zapta-Caceido picked up on a loose ball, and cleverly headed it over the centre back into the path of Ward, but he was unable to prod the ball home, with defenders converging on him.

Zapata-Caceido himself then had a goal ruled out for offside, as he got on the end of an excellent cross from the left, before Reading made an early change - Murphy coming on for Webb. A Munns through ball nearly made it into the path of Zapta-Caceido, before McQueen pounced on a loose ball and drove down the right before over-hitting his cross badly to the frustration of his team mates.

Spurs scored their second on 21 minutes as Bush broke clear in the left channel, and his firm, low finish was saved by the goalkeeper, but rebounded back and trickled in off the defender's legs.

McQueen again was quick to pick up on an error and raided on the right, but his low cross was cleared at the near post. A long ball from Reading was then helped on, and Granger anticipated it well, coming and claiming right at the edge of his box with Samuel bearing down on him.

Reading's Dominic Samuel, who signed a professional contract in December, had a good chance on 25 minutes, when he met a low cross with a scissor-kick, but it skidded wide. Spurs then put a neat passing move together, keeping it well in midfield, and nearly breaking Reading down again, but Bush's pass inside the full back was a little heavy for McQueen, who had made yet another break forward from right back.

Oliver Modeste found McQueen wide on the right with an excellent floated pass. He controlled and marauded forward again and,although hacked at by Reading's Daniel Carr, he kept his feet and fired a cross in, but it was cleared again. The action was straight back down the other end as Reading countered but Modeste made a perfectly timed sliding challenge to stop the threat.

On the half hour mark, Carr made an excellent run down the left, beating Zapata-Caceido and then McQueen before forcing a corner, which was over-hit and cleared easily. Mason Bush picked the pocket of James Murphy, and nearly found Ward, but his cross just evaded him.

Soon after, Ogilvie won a tackle and passed up the line to Akindayini, who immediately found Ward with a clever pass, but as he advanced he scuffed his shot slightly and it went wide at the near post. Dutch U19 international William Ekong then strode forward confidently having won the ball back, but over-hit his pass to Bush.

Reading had another dangerous moment as the ball was flashed across the box, but put wide by substitute Murphy, who seemed surprised that it had reached him at the far post. Craig Tanner's deep free kick from the Reading left looked like it may dip over Granger, but he adjusted his body at the last minute to leap back and palm it out.

Akindayini was substituted shortly before half time, presumably injured - he was replaced by Irish U19 winger, Kenneth McEvoy.

Jake Cooper headed wide from a corner, before the referee gave Reading a route back into the game. Oliver Modeste was tussling with Tanner in the box, both tugging slightly at each other, and when Tanner threw himself to the ground, the referee blew up and awarded a very generous penalty, which was converted by Samuel.

The second half began with Reading stopping Spurs playing out from the back. As a result, Spurs were forced to play more long passes, which Reading's big centre halves had no problem defending. Reading were also using the ball better themselves, and Murphy, very involved after coming on as a first half sub, beat Granger to the ball, but was only able to direct the ball wide.

Dominic Samuel fed Tanner, who drew a good save from Granger. Minutes later, Samuel picked up the ball around 25 yards out, took a touch and smashed the ball beyond Granger into the top corner. Unstoppable.

Reading had another penalty shout a minute later, when Ogilvie appeared to go shoulder to shoulder with his man when running into the box. With Ogilvie slightly behind the advancing winger, it could easily have been given, but when the Reading fans to our right asked the linesman (who had a good view) why he hadn't given it, he said "no chance".

On 60 minutes, Lameiras was booked after being caught in possession and pulling the advancing player back.

McEvoy made progress down the left, and found Ward - his cross was well cleared out for a throw. Ward then had a snapshot saved at the near post after Lameiras had found McEvoy. Soon after, Bush, who played much deeper in the second half, failed to slide in Zapata-Caceido as we broke forward.

On 68 minutes, it was 4-2. Reading advanced down the left - Granger made a move to his near post, but didn't do anything to close the angle, and when the cross came in, it ran past him and Samuel scored his hat-trick goal at the far post, this time a tap in.

As Spurs looked for a way back into the game, Dominic Ball came on for left-back Ogilvie, and seemed to play just ahead of the defence, with Modeste playing slightly further left, and McQueen slightly less advanced, presumably in an effort to help us play out from the back. Whilst this did happen, we failed to keep the ball in midfield, with Munns not having much luck with his typically swashbuckling runs, and Lameiras tiring and struggling to find the rhythm to his passing that he had in the first half.

Keown was booked for going to ground on Zapata-Caceido and then preventing him taking the resultant throw-in, before Jack Munns charged forward with purpose, danced down the left blank, fed Bush, and his chipped cross was met at the far post by little Ken McEvoy. It looked like a definite goal, but the keeper managed to keep it out, before the ball rebounded off the defender and was cleared off the line, and the loose ball was eventually cleared.

There was yet another booking for a shirt pull by Tshibola in midfield, before Ball, the substitute, was also booked for a tackle, just seconds after the referee had missed a clear foul on Munns (which riled our players!).

Spurs had a late penalty appeal when Zapata-Caceido appeared to be pulled back, but the game petered out.

Billy Granger - He didn't have a particularly good day, making a few fundamental errors with his handling, and his positioning for the third goal was not great. He will learn from today, though, and hopefully come back stronger.
Alex McQueen - I like him playing at full back - he has so much energy when going forward, and has the Walker-esque recovery pace to not be caught out too often.
William Ekong - Despite Spurs conceding four, he actually had a good game. Decent in possession and largely dominant.
Oliver Modeste - He had some good moments, and some less so. Very unfortunate for the penalty, but he lost possession a couple of times in dangerous areas.
Connor Ogilvie - Was generally solid defensively, with a couple of lapses. In fairness, he was up against a very handy winger. Going forward he showed enthusiasm and determination, but didn't always make progress.
Jack Munns - As ever, he worked hard and tried to drive us forward, but he tends to be a little let down by his forward passing.
Ruben Lameiras - Had an excellent first half, controlling our possession play with clever movement and passing. In the second half he seemed to tire, and was quite wasteful.
Victor Zapata-Caceido - Was in and out of the game, and may have benefited from playing in a more central area.
Grant Ward - Was influential in the first half, picking up the ball in pockets of space and creating openings. Much quieter in the second.
Daniel Akindayini - My first look at him, and he looks to have a good touch and impressive balance, although he struggled to get into the game. Unfortunately his day ended early, presumably due to injury.
Mason Bush - Looks a lot bigger and taller than when I last saw him, and he seemed to mainly play as the front man in the first half. In the second half he kept coming deeper, and we seemed less of a threat as a result. Looks to have a very neat touch and good awareness.

Kenneth McEvoy - Although he came on early, he didn't really get on the ball much, although he was very unlucky not to score with a back-post header.
Dominic Ball - I thought we could have done with him coming on a little earlier in the second half as Reading were imposing themselves physically.

Analysis of the goals conceded against Man City (22/1)

2012-01-25T21:07:00.000Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

PLEASE DON'T READ THIS! It will only make you feel worse. I wanted to avoid doing it, but my OCD wouldn't allow me to. Ah well, here goes...

Samir Nasri's goal - Silva picks up the ball on the right, cuts in to where he is most dangerous, and releases Nasri with a superb through-ball, which is finished well.

Silva picks up the ball wide on City's right.

He comes inside looking to create and exchanges passes to receive the ball back in a more central area.

This is the part of the pitch where he damages teams. As Modric closes him, he looks up and sees the run that Nasri is making.

Nasri has made a driving run in front of Walker and is darting in behind Kaboul.

Silva executes a straight pass absolutely perfectly, totally splitting our defence. Because Walker has not read the situation, Nasri is unchallenged when he receives the ball.

It's a fine finish from Nasri - smashed beyond Friedel first time.

Joleon Lescott's goal - A City corner is bundled home by Lescott, who pulls away from Walker and wins a challenge with Parker.

As City take their set piece, Spurs are set out relatively unusually, with no man on either post (we usually have at least one man on a post!). Bale is beaten by Dzeko at the near post. Note Lescott making his run toward the back post with his marker, Walker, totally unaware.

Walker is nowhere near touch-tight to Lescott.

When Dzeko wins the flick on, Lescott has far too much space and is able to meet the ball. Parker attempts to challenge him.

Lescott is stronger in the challenge, with momentum on his side.

Does the ball eventually go in off Parker? When watching the video, it does look that way.

Mario Balotelli's goal - Clichy hits a hopeful pass forward, and the bounce of the ball puts Spurs on the back foot. Balotelli gets the better of King, who makes a desperate lunge, missing the ball. Balotelli scores the resultant penalty.

Assou-Ekotto doesn't allow the ball to roll out for a Spurs throw-in, instead choosing to smash the ball up-field. Defoe doesn't make a challenge, as it is headed clear.

Clichy smashes the ball forward with the outside of his left foot.

The ball bounces beyond our midfield, as City look to find a way through.

It seems like Kaboul has covered round, but....

...Balotelli seems to get away from both King and Kaboul. He seems to be in such a wide position that he won't trouble us, but when he delays his shot, King thinks he can nab the ball.

He gets so close to making contact, but Balotelli holds him off, and he brings him down.

The penalty is well-placed and cruelly makes it 3-2.

Spurs's game-plan pretty much worked in the first half - van der Vaart and Modric played ahead of Parker in a 4-1-4-1 formation, and the game was tight and cagey. In the second, we were generally the better side, putting together some nice passing moves and creating chances. If it wasn't for some poor defending and missed chances, we'd have come away with three richly deserved points.

Analysis of the goal conceded against Wolves (15/1)

2012-01-15T09:25:00.000Z

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Steven Fletcher's goal - Walker "concedes" a corner, and Johnson gets up above Dawson to meet Jarvis' kick. Friedel saves his header, but it comes out into the six-yard box, and Fletcher reacts first.

Walker gives the ball away with a chipped pass down the line, and it comes back at us. However, Walker redeems himself by going shoulder to shoulder with Edwards, who nudges the ball forward. Walker sees the ball out, and trots off expecting a goal kick to be given - the referee (out of shot, so presumably without a decent view of the incident) gives a corner.

Jarvis is quick on the scene and seems to want to take the corner before we are set up - a move that we should also adopt more often - and Spurs don't seem quite ready. However, it is a "looping" corner into the six-yard box and, for all his faults, one that I would have expected Gomes to come out and attempt to punch clear. Friedel stays on his line, and lets the defenders attempt to deal with it. Johnson gets up really high and meets the ball at the back post ahead of Dawson.

Friedel reacts to keep out the header as Kaboul, who was leaping with Fletcher, readjusts his body and tries to see where the ball has gone.

Friedel's hand-out falls nicely for Wolves in the six-yard box, and Fletcher is first to react, and prods home from close range.

It was very frustrating to concede from a set piece - particularly one that was wrongly awarded - but it would be easier to take if we made the most of set pieces ourselves. We had eight corners in this game, compared to Wolves' one, and we failed to threaten from any. I personally think that van der Vaart's corners are poor, and that we should try someone else on corner duty for a sustained period - perhaps Assou-Ekotto. The only time that we seem to threaten from corners is when we find Bale's near-post run, but teams have got to know that ploy now, and he is generally either blocked off or closely watched.

Update on our young players

2012-01-02T13:47:00.000Z

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The following is a piece I have written for the magazine of a Norwegian supporters' club called Tottenhams Venner ("Tottenham's Friends").

Goalkeepers

Jordan Archer, 18, Professional – He only played in the first NextGen Series and FA Premier Academy League (FAPAL) matches owing to his loan at Bishop's Stortford, where he has been performing consistently well. He is also a recent call up to the Scotland U21 squad, and will be looking for a league club to join on loan in January.

Jonathan Miles, 18, 3rd year – He had a good game against Inter Milan in the NextGen Series, and was also one of the star men against Basel when he excelled with some great saves, especially one with his legs towards the end of the match. Jon seems to be getting more pro-active with age, and is always very vocal.

Billy Granger, 17, 1st year – Having played most of the Milk Cup matches, he initially found it hard to displace Miles and Archer for the FAPAL matches, but since Archer went out on loan, and Miles moved more towards the development squad, he has become more of a regular.

Defenders

Jake Nicholson, 19, Professional – He has primarily played as a centre-back in NextGen Series matches, despite being a holding midfield player by trade. He has been a steadying influence at the back, and someone who constantly talks to his team-mates - he will certainly be looking for a taste of league football over the next year.

Jack Barthram, 18, 2nd year – Jack is becoming a very competent attacking right-back, with good recovery pace and a fantastic attitude. In the Basel home game he was up against a very physical opponent in substitute Sulejmani, but coped well throughout and made constant bursts forward when Pritchard tucked in (although was rarely picked out).

Kevin Stewart, 18, 2nd year - A versatile player who is often played at left back despite not being naturally left-sided. He can do a job anywhere along the back-line, although I personally think that he is best at centre back, and that it would do him some good to get a prolonged run there. I could see him going out on loan, as he seems to have the maturity to cope with league football.

Daniel Day, 18, 2nd year – A very enthusiastic and committed full-back, but he is occasionally reckless. He is one player who really helps to set the tempo, though, which is always needed at any level. He likes to make overlapping runs, which suits Tim Sherwood’s team shape.

Milos Veljkovic, 16, Unknown – A strong, composed centre half who plays like he is ten years older than he is; it is hard to believe that he is the youngest player in the squad. It was good to see him get on the score-sheet against his former club, Basel, when he headed in at the back post.

William Ekong, 18, 2nd year – He has unfortunately struggled with injury having initially been an under-18 regular, but is now fit again. A strong, imposing defender who is calm in possession - he will be hoping to gain more experience of playing for the Development Squad.

Ramil Sheriff, 18, 2nd year –I gather that he missed the start of the season through injury, but has come into the team from October on, playing either at centre back or right back. I think that is probably more a case of trying to keep him involved, rather than not being sure of his best position, as he seems much better at centre back to me.

James Yeboah, 18, 2nd year – Involved for both the under-18s and the Development squad this season, I get the impression that the club are taking a good look at him, trying to work out whether or not he will be offered a professional contract.

Thomas Gardiner, 16, 1st year – Having played most of the Milk Cup matches at centre back, he has only made two under-18 appearances (both at right back), so will be looking to push on during the remainder of the season.

Darren McQueen, 16, 1st year – Having missed the start of the season through injury, he made his comeback against Coventry in October, but sadly only lasted fifteen minutes before going down injured and being taken off. He is a promising player, though, and if he can put his injury problems behind him, he will be one to watch.

Oliver Modeste, 16, 1st year – One of the first year scholars who has really forced himself into the reckoning – he has been involved in most of the under-18 matches, either starting or coming off the bench. He has mostly played at left back, where he seems to be increasingly competent and reliable.

Alexander McQueen, 16, 1st year – A very quick player, who initially came into the under-18 side as an impact sub at full back or on the wing, but now tends to mostly play at centre back. I was really impressed with his use of the ball against Leicester City – he constantly stepped out from the back to attempt to play-make.

Midfielders

Massimo Luongo, 19, Professional - If you have read my reports before, you will know that I enjoy watching him play. Breaks up play, has good one and two touch passing, gets forward well, and is a strong, calm influence in the middle of the pitch. He made his first-team debut, coming off the bench in the League Cup game against Stoke, and unfortunately missed a penalty in the shoot-out. I think he will get more chances this season - an impressive player, and one to watch.

Alex Pritchard, 18, Professional - One of the stars of our NextGen Series campaign so far with some excellent performances, and he has also been an unused sub in two Europa League games. A clever, quick-footed, schemer who is very dangerous when cutting in from the flank. His set piece delivery has also caused teams a lot of problems.

Laste Dombaxe, 17, 1st year – A player who was used in various positions as a 15 and 16 year old in the Under-18s, but he now seems to have settled as a central midfield player. He has generally played more of a holding role, picking up the ball from the defence, and getting it into the feet of Pritchard and co. If he could add consistency to his performances, he could become a very useful player.

Tomislav Gomelt, 16, Unknown – He had the most bizarre match in the home fixture against Inter, scoring three excellent goals and showing some good touches, movement and passing, but then unfortunately getting a harsh red card for the trip which lead to the penalty. He wasn’t so effective in the away leg, and was withdrawn at half time. He was apparently wanted by Manchester City, but chose to come to Spurs.

Lee Angol, 17, 2nd year – Having been involved in the majority of the FAPAL games (mainly starting), Angol has not played a part since mid-November, so I suspect that he may have picked up an injury. I think he suffers a little from not really knowing his best position – is he a striker, or is he a midfield player?

Ronnie Hawkins, 17, 2nd year - He is a natural ball-player in the middle of midfield, so a little different in style to Luongo and Dombaxe. I could see Luongo going out on loan and, if he does, Hawkins could benefit with more games in the NextGen Series and for the Spurs XI.

Jack Munns, 18, 2nd year – One of the senior members of the team now, Munns is a very reliable midfield player who, somewhat like Scott Parker, gives everything in a game. His short passing game is good, and he is not afraid to put himself about. I gather that he has been one of the most consistent performers this season.

Roman Michael-Percil, 16, 1st year –He has been used as a bit of a utility player so far this season, starting either at right back or on either flank. He possesses pace and the ability to beat a man so has been a very useful impact sub. I would expect him to become more of a regular starter during the rest of the season.

Dominic Ball, 16, 1st year – Having been one of the stars of our Milk Cup campaign in pre-season, he started the opening game of the season, and has been in and out of the team since. He played at centre back in a couple of matches, using his passing ability to play-make from deep. He is clearly a talent, and will be looking to become a mainstay in the side during the rest of the season.

Mason Bush, 16, 1st year – He was getting the occasional start at the beginning of the FAPAL campaign but has not been involved since mid-October, so I presume that he is injured.

Ruben Lameiras, 17, 1st year –He has recently forced himself into the reckoning with some important contributions from the bench, including a leveller against Leicester. His quick one and two touch passing is a good fit for the brand of football that Inglethorpe likes to play, so I can see him really establishing himself in the second half of the season.

Samuel Smith, 17, 1st year –Yet to start an FAPAL match, but used as a substitute late in games. He is not the most creative of midfield players, but does seem to use the ball well and keep things simple, so he is ideal to bring on when winning a game. I am sure that he will get more chances in the remaining games.

Kenneth McEvoy, 17, 1st year –He won acclaim during the Milk Cup, and has been involved in the majority of the FAPAL games, scoring a hat-trick against MK Dons and starting on the right wing in all of the matches from mid-October. He is also the youngest of the players called up to recent Ireland under-19 squads. He is quick, skilful, and full of energy – I expect him to finish the season strongly.

Grant Ward, 17, 1st year –Predominantly a right winger, he has played across midfield, and also in both full backs positions for the under-18s, as Inglethorpe likes his full backs to offer width.

Forwards

Harry Kane, 18, Professional - Often playing in midfield in the NextGen Series, Kane has been quietly effective without uprooting any trees. He has an ungainly style, but his touch is deceptively good and he has plenty of strength for one so young. He has scored goals at youth and reserve level, and also had a reasonable scoring record for League One side Leyton Orient last year. I think a lot of fans were expecting more from him in his Europa League showings, but it is important to remember that he is still very young and inexperienced - time is on his side.

Kudus Oyenuga, 18, Professional - Involved in some of the NextGen Series games, and some Spurs XI games, Kudus will be looking for more league experience after he only got a few brief appearances at Bury. He is hard-working and strong, but for me he still does not quite know when to release the ball, and he does make some odd decisions - Sherwood and Ferdinand both seem to focus a lot of their attention on him throughout matches!

Souleymane Coulibaly, 17, Professional (?) –For one so young, scoring three in the under-19 NextGen Series tournament so far is impressive. He is a work-horse, who does not stop running for the team, but often chooses to shoot when he has better options. In the Basel match he struggled a little against the impressive Kofi Nimely, but he did well to force the equaliser in the match away at Inter Milan.

Shaquile Coulthirst, 17, 1st year – He is in the first year of his scholarship, but he has the advantage of already knowing this level well, having played a lot as an under-16 player. He seems to have come on leaps and bounds this season, partly thanks to often playing from the left and cutting in. He has scored goals throughout the season, and seems to be one of the most important players in the side now.

Victor Zapata-Caicedo, 17, 1st year – He started most of the Milk Cup games (as a lone striker), but has found starts in the FAPAL hard to come by, mainly being used as a substitute. He may well get some more starts in the second half of the season, especially since Coulthirst has generally been playing from the left (although he may face competition from Coulibaly, who has now made his under-18 debut).

If you're interested in following the progress of our young players, here are some people to follow:

@RayLo18 - goes to every U18 game and writes staggeringly detailed reports.
@spursodyssey - publishes said reports, and has fantastic Spurs knowledge.
@SamRooke89 and @therhinospeaks - both attend U18 matches.
@englandyouth - a superb tweeter and blogger on young English talent.

Also, listen out for my weekly segment on the youth and loan players on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Analysis of the goal conceded against Swansea (31/12)

2012-01-02T08:51:00.000Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Scott Sinclair's goal - Joe Allen strides forward and finds Rangel. His deflected cross is not held by Friedel, and Scott Sinclair is left with an open goal at the far post.

Sometimes Redknapp goes a little kamikaze in search of a second goal - this time, he tries to hang on to the lead. Spurs drop deeper and deeper and stop pressing in the Swansea half - probably partly because the players no longer have the energy to do so.

As a result, Allen surges forward totally unchallenged, with our players sat off.

Allen slides the ball just beyond the reach of Bale who may have intercepted had he been fresh-legged.

The pass finds Rangel, who is a very similar player to Corluka. Not only does he wear the same shirt number, but he is a talented ball-playing right back, who is not blessed with tremendous pace.

For me, he tricks Assou-Ekotto far too easily with the classic winger trick of taking him inside with his first touch...

...and back out with his second - how many times have we seen Corluka, Walker or even Assou-Ekotto himself use this trick? The cross is sent in low, and despite being a couple of yards away, Assou-Ekotto manages to half block it. This should make it easier to deal with.

Kaboul seems to have had a shout from Friedel, as rather than hack the ball clear with his left foot, he slows down and protects the ball from Graham, ready for the goalkeeper to pounce.

Note at this point that the eventual goal-scorer, Sinclair, is behind Walker in the left wing position, but has a run on Kyle, who has made the assumption that Friedel will gather this.

But unfortunately Friedel has a howler, and doesn't gather it cleanly. Walker needs to have assumed the worst...

...but instead, he has let Sinclair run alone to the far post, and he has the simple job of tapping home.

No doubt a point was a fair result in this game, as Swansea had a couple of other good chances to score. However, with five minutes to go, I can't help but feel that we should have clung on. Redknapp's substitutions were not the best - bringing on Defoe seemed like a logical idea early in the second half, to allow us to keep pressing the Swansea back line and forcing them into errors. However, bringing on Defoe and using him in the right wing-forward position with twenty minutes to go was quite odd - why not just put on a player that was used to playing a similar role? Kranjcar or Pienaar were both available. We stopped keeping the ball, and to me it seemed logical that a player like Kranjcar was needed to calm us in possession.

Ultimately, though, we were cost by Friedel's first major blunder - his reliability has had a real impact on our team this season, and so I hope that this error does not undo all the confidence-building that his steady performances have achieved.

Analysis of the goal conceded against Chelsea (22/12)

2011-12-23T10:58:00.002Z

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You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Daniel Sturridge's goal - Chelsea take a quick free kick, feed the ball into Drogba, who lays the ball off to Cole. It runs kindly off his arm, and he crosses well for Sturridge to finish at the back post.

Chelsea are wrongly awarded a free kick for a Modric foul in midfield - he takes the ball cleanly, and Webb has a good view of this, so it is surprising that he blows for a foul.

Chelsea take the kick quickly - note Spurs' 4-5-1 shape, with van der Vaart on the far side, and Walker dashing forward to pick up Mata.

The ball is fed forward to Drogba, who has dropped off Gallas. He could turn, but instead plays a first-time flick to Cole, still tracked by van der Vaart. Notice Walker, who in trying to close Mata, has ended up out of position.

Also at this point, note Assou-Ekotto's positioning, and Sturridge just starting to make a move in behind him. Assou-Ekotto is positioned quite wide to deal with Sturridge, but he is so intent on watching the ball, that he hasn't spotted Sturridge making his move.

Van der Vaart goes to ground, probably knowing that he will be out-run by Cole. He dives in with his wrong foot, and only manages to glance the ball upwards towards Cole. The ball does strike Cole's arm but, as his arm is not in an unnatural position, there is no way that it can be deemed handball, especially as it comes from such close range.

The ball runs really kindly for Cole. Notice King, central, with his arm up appealing for handball (and therefore caught on his heels), and Assou-Ekotto, who has rather embarrassingly afforded Sturridge yards and yards.

Sturridge is left with an easy tap-in at the back post.

Really poor defending from Spurs, but it was a poor free-kick award (so we lost possession when we should not have done), and Cole got a stroke of luck with the way the ball ran kindly for him. Still, Gallas standing off Drogba, van der Vaart going to ground with his wrong foot, Walker charging up-field and committing himself, King wasting time appealing when the game is still going on, and Assou-Ekotto's criminal ball-watching is a pretty ugly combination.

Analysis of the goals conceded against Stoke City (11/12)

2011-12-12T09:02:00.000Z

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You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Etherington's first goal - a deflected Shotton cross loops up, and is helped on by Walters. Crouch controls it (with the help of his hand!), and squeezes the ball back across goal for Etherington to stab home.

Spurs clear the ball from a long throw-in, but Adebayor plays a one-two with Modric, and tries to dribble out with Stoke players converging around him.

He could turn back and play it safe, but he tries to press on, and eventually loses the ball.

Stoke get it wide, and work a two against one, with Shotton eventually getting clear.

Assou-Ekotto makes up ground well, and is able to half-block the cross, causing it to loop up into the air.

The ball is in the air for around three seconds and, personally, I think that Friedel should be coming to punch this away. Instead he leaves it for Gallas to battle it out with Walters - a battle that he struggled with all game.

Walters inevitably wins the flick on, and a better striker than Crouch, who has somehow ghosted into space over Kaboul's shoulder, would volley this home first time.

Instead,he awkwardly controls it on his arm, before Gallas gets a foot in and pushes him wide of goal.

In fairness to Crouch, he does well to keep the ball alive, and he squeezes it back across goal.

Kaboul and Walker between them should be able to clear this, but Etherington anticipates well.

He gets to the bounce of the ball before both of them, and prods the ball in.

Etherington's second goal - a Shotton long throw is helped on by Walters, and Etherington is again on hand to finish.

As Shotton prepares to take the throw-in,Spurs have ten players in the penalty area, against Stoke's City's four (with three just outside). The eventual goal-scorer, Etherington, is close to the edge of the box, between Modric and Bale.

As the ball is in the air, Walters gets up early (he has that Kevin Davies-like ability to hang), and Etherington makes his move towards the back post, anticipating a flick-on.

Parker has his eye on Etherington, and backs away to mark him.

Walters wins the header, and Parker just doesn't get close enough to Etherington to stop the ball dropping to him. The finish is quite fortuitous - he hits it into the ground, and it loops up over Friedel.

Overall, the first half was pretty poor from Spurs, but had the first goal been disallowed for handball, we would have gone in at 1-0. Redknapp was very pro-active at half-time, making two substitutions, and moving from a 4-4-1-1 to a 3-5-2. It worked well, with the team creating a number of excellent goal-scoring opportunities and good situations. On another day, the referee would have given us three penalties (the one we got, the hauling down of Kaboul, the handball on the line), and there could easily have been two red cards for Stoke as well - Woodgate committed a second bookable offence on the edge of the penalty area in the first half, and handball on the line is a red card offence too.

These kind of games will always happen, and I think it's important not to get too down-heated - the team battled back well in the second half, and did enough to get something from the game. Redknapp also deserves praise. I have long-criticised him for his lack of pro-active substitutions and tactical changes, but he made some bold moves yesterday. Bale had a stunning second half, and Modric/van der Vaart schemed behind the two forwards, with Adebayor frequently pulling over to the left and causing havoc with his good close control.

Analysis of the goals conceded against PAOK Salonika (30/11)

2011-12-01T21:07:00.000Z

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You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Salpingidiss goal - Gallas loses the ball in central midfield and when the ball is played into the box, it's headed home by the unmarked forward after Bassong had stepped up.

Gallas tries to bring the ball out from the back but gets in a muddle and, rather than turning back, tries to cut inside a player... unfortunately his touch is heavy and he is dispossessed.

The ball is played forward down the left channel and, as Gallas charges back, there are two men running towards the box, with Rose caught out and trying to make up ground.

The winger backs Corluka into the box, before looking up and seeing Salpingidis in the centre, with Rose having tucked in a bit, and Bassong in front of him.

Bassong takes a stride forward as the ball is delivered - is he, bizarrely, trying to play the striker offside?! Either way, it leaves the eventual scorer totally unmarked, with Rose having one eye on the runner behind him. Gomes doesn't even make a despairing dive - he just stands and watches as the ball finds the corner of the net. A very ugly goal from our point of view.

Athanasiadis' goal - a good pass inside Corluka has the full-back treading water, and Bassong's man gets a yard on him to finish as the ball is slid across.

As Livermore and Kane attempt to press the ball, it is played forward between Gallas and Corluka.

Corluka's lack of acceleration on the turn shows (even more so than usual, possibly as he is coming back from an injury), as the winger gets to the ball before him despite him having a clear head-start.

As the ball is played across the face, Bassong hasn't marked his man tightly - if you actually watch the video, Athanasiadis is trying to play on the shoulder, and Bassong never really gets to grips with him as the move unfolds.

As a result, he is left unmarked to slide in...

...and prod the ball beyond Gomes and into the corner.

Spurs' back four were at sixes and sevens for the majority of the first half, with all four caught out on a number of occasions. It is understandable to an extent that they might be rusty after injury/irregular appearances, but such basic mistakes were quite concerning.

Analysis of the goal conceded against West Brom (26/11)

2011-11-27T09:41:00.000Z

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You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Youssuf Mulumbu's goal - A long ball down-field is held up by Long - we seem to have cleared the danger but Brunt finds Gera, who holds off Assou-Ekotto, and waits for support from Reid, who crosses for Mulumbu to score with a header across Friedel.

A long ball is played forward and Younes Kaboul, who has been a man-mountain in the air this season, looks set to clear away.

Long, however, is deceptively strong, and manages to not only hold Kaboul off, but chest it down and bring a team-mate into play. Personally I think Kaboul should do more to stop this happening.

West Brom now have useful possession in our defensive third. Note Mulumbu making the break forward from his defensive starting position, un-tracked by either of our strikers, who should be picking him up (when playing 4-4-2 against 4-2-3-1, one of the strikers has to take responsibility for the deepest lying player).

Gera tries to thread a reverse pass through for Mulumbu, but King blocks, and Sandro clears...

...but with Defoe and Adebayor not picking up Brunt, either, he has the opportunity to play a first-time pass to Gera, who has made an intelligent run into the left-back area. Also worth noting that West Brom actually have four other options, all unmarked, with too many of our players ahead of theirs - especially considering that we're the away side!

Gera beats Assou-Ekotto to the ball easily...

...but as he slides in to control it, Assou-Ekotto has an opportunity to get tight and make a challenge.

He doesn't, though, and Gera has the time to hold the ball up, and wait for support from Reid, who has not been tracked by Bale, who has other concerns.

Due to the nature of the two formations, Spurs are a man light in midfield - in this image, I have circled the midfield players (although Mulumbu is in the box, and Long has pulled wide to their left, you can still see the nature of the problem). Due to Defoe's position centrally (not near a West Brom player), Bale is left with two players to keep an eye on, plus Reid, who is out of shot.

Reid, in space, whips in a superb first time cross...

...and Mulumbu heads expertly across Friedel and into the far corner, but is afforded the space to do so by King and Kaboul.

In the first half there were numerous examples of West Brom using the extra man in midfield to their advantage, with Mulumbu causing havoc with some of his movement and his high-energy pressing. He was winning the ball back frequently, and then making bursts forward, with our players unsure of who should pick him up. Many of us were calling for a change to a 4-3-3 at half-time but, credit to Redknapp, he stuck with his side and played to our strengths.

In the second half, Defoe worked harder to stick with Mulumbu and we worked harder to get the ball forward quickly into the wide areas, where Bale and especially Lennon were finding space and using the ball brilliantly. Both created numerous chances and, on another day, Adebayor may have scored four.

The game was a little too open for my liking and, despite our dominance of possession and chances, it could have easily gone either way, but Redknapp's positivity was there for all to see, and for that he should be applauded.

23/11/11 Tottenham Hotspur U19s 1-0 FC Basel U19s, Spurs Lodge

2011-11-24T14:04:00.000Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

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Jonathan Miles (18)
Jack Barthram (18) Milos Veljkovic (16) Jake Nicholson (19) Kevin Stewart (18)
Massimo Luongo (c) (19) Laste Dombaxe (17)
Kudus Oyenuga (18) Harry Kane (18) Alex Pritchard (18)
Souleymane Coulibaly (16)

Subs:

Ronnie Hawkins (17) for Laste Dombaxe, 60.

Not used:

James Yeboah (17)
Billy Granger (16)
Cameron Lancaster (19)

Spurs secured qualification to the quarter-finals of the NextGen Series with a 1-0 win over FC Basel. The result was not as comfortable as the previous two home games - 7-1 against Inter and 4-1 against PSV Eindhoven - and, in truth, we made quite hard work of this against a physical and talented Basel team.

Spurs set up in what was effectively a lop-sided 4-2-3-1 formation, with the right-footed Stewart at left back, Luongo and Dombaxe in deep midfield, Pritchard towards the left, Oyenuga primarily on the right but very advanced, and Kane playing in behind the Ivorian Coulibaly.

The opening to the game was quite frantic, with a lot of congested play in the middle of midfield, and a few hefty challenges from Basel players. Our first chance came after just a couple of minutes, when Luongo broke forward and swung in a shot from the right hand side of the penalty area which flew just wide of the far post. Soon after this, Alex Pritchard darted through and rounded the goalkeeper, only to be pushed wide and the shot to be saved.

Basel were quick to press our midfield, often going to ground in the challenge, but our centre backs were having a fair amount of time on the ball, with Tim Sherwood encouraging them to bring the ball out from the back ("Take it forward, Milos").

Coulibaly crossed well for Oyenuga, but he wasn't able to bring it down cleanly, and it was cleared, whilst Miles made a solid save from an effort from left winger Vuleta. Luongo made a superb bustling run past a number of players, only for the final player to nick the ball away just as he was opening up to shoot.

With Basel keen to challenge, Spurs were winning a lot of free kicks in similar positions - first, Kane slipped as he looked to strike one, and then Pritchard picked out Coulibaly beautifully at the back post. Unfortunately it took an awkward bounce, and he could only knee it into the hands of the goalkeeper. At the other end, a dangerous cross narrowly evaded the Basel striker, before Spurs took the lead through another Pritchard free kick. He flighted it superbly to the back post, where former Basel player, Veljkovic had found some space, and powered a header in from close range.

Soon after, Harry Kane charged forward and was fouled from behind - Pritchard spotted the ball, paced out his run-up, and hit the target, but the goalkeeper saved well. The action moved straight to the other end, and Zarkovic played in Zwimpfer, but he was too close to Miles and the goalkeeper smothered. Zwimpfer had another great chances minutes later - a Veljkovic error let him through, and he rounded Miles, but Kevin Stewart anticipated brilliantly and slid in to clear off the line.

Dombaxe dummied cleverly on the edge of the box to create space to shoot, but his low left-footed effort was saved. I felt sure that Vuleta would go into the book after hacking down Barthram, but the referee gave him a final warning, before Pritchard had another effort saved after he was found by an excellent Kane pass.

Basel made a substitution at half-time with the imposing Sulejmani coming on, whilst Spurs made a slight adjustment, with Kane playing primarily from the left, Oyenuga more central, and Pritchard from the right (although they rotated). We started on the front foot, with Coulibaly shooting over from the edge of the box, and then Kane putting his effort well over after we'd worked the ball into a good position.

Jevtic got forward into a great position on the break, but his cross was fortunately wasteful. Miles made the first of his really top saves from Sulejmani, and the resultant corner was headed harmlessly over.

Harry Kane's slide rule pass found Pritchard, who teed up Oyenuga, but he dallied and his shot was blocked. Sherwood made the decision to freshen up the midfield, bringing on Ronnie Hawkins (an excellent passer of the ball), for Laste Dombaxe, who was starting to tire.

Kane was the instigator again, this time picking out Stewart, who was arguably fouled in the box. The ball came back to him once he was back on his feet, but he put it over on the turn. Then came what could have been a costly miss - Kane was again the provider, getting free down the left and putting the ball on a plate for Kudus Oyenuga, who was about a yard out - he got his feet into a bit of a mess, and the ball came off his ankle and ran out to Luongo, who had a bit to do with defenders converging on him, and he blasted over when accuracy was required.

Basel's nearest miss yet soon followed - Miles came out to claim a corner, but missed the ball and Corbaz headed beyond the keeper but on to the post. Barthram had an excellent chance to add to our lead at the far post, but put his shot wide after he was well found by the industrious Pritchard. Miles redeemed himself with a solid save from the impressive Nimely, before the substitute Sulejmani, who was a real handful, out-muscled Barthram, and powered beyond Veljkovic, only to be foiled by a fantastic save from Miles with his legs.

Kane won another free kick with a driving run, but it came to nothing, and Oyenuga had one final chance before the referee blew for full time. The first half was a fairly scrappy affair, with the second being much more open once Basel started chasing the game.

Jonathan Miles 8 - one error when he failed to claim a corner, but excelled with some great saves, especially the one with his legs towards the end of the match.
Jack Barthram 6 - had a tough time in the second half up against the very physical substitute Sulejmani, but coped well throughout and made constant bursts forward when Pritchard tucked in (although was rarely picked out).
Milos Veljkovic 7 - really strong, composed showing from a player who plays like he is ten years older than he is.
Jake Nicholson 6 - a steadying influence at the back, and someone who constantly talks to his team-mates. He made me laugh with one comment - Stewart had the ball at left back, and needed to play it forward with his left foot. Oyenuga tried to spin in behind, with Nicholson shouting "where you running to Kudus?!" Ferdinand (I think) chimed in - "it's on his left foot, he's hardly going to drop it in there!"
Kevin Stewart 6 - a solid display from a player who is not naturally left-sided.
Massimo Luongo 8 - if you've read my reports before, you'll know that I enjoy watching him play. Breaks up play, has good one and two touch passing, gets forward well, and is a strong, calm influence in the middle of the pitch.
Laste Dombaxe 5 - having seen him play so well on Saturday morning, I was slightly disappointed that he didn't keep up his performance levels - made a few early mistakes and looked nervous, but after the odd arm around the shoulder from team-mates, he improved as the game went on and used the ball much better.
Kudus Oyenuga 4 - as hard-working and strong as ever, but he still doesn't quite know when to release the ball, and he does make some odd decisions - Sherwood and Ferdinand both focused a lot of their attention on him throughout!
Harry Kane 7 - he didn't seem to have a particularly great match but, in writing my report, I realised just how many times he threaded others in with cleverly-weighted passes. He could have had three assists on another day.
Alex Pritchard 8 - a real clever, quick-footed, schemer, who had an excellent first half in particular. His set piece delivery caused a lot of problems, and he is very dangerous when cutting in from the flank.
Souleymane Coulibaly 5 - he is a work-horse, but not much came off for him - kneeing his best chance straight into the goalkeeper's hands. Made good runs, but often chooses to shoot when he has better options. Didn't get much change out of Kofi Nimely.

Ronnie Hawkins - came on and helped us to keep the ball, with some intelligent passing.

19/11/11 Tottenham Hotspur U18s 3-3 Leicester City U18s, Spurs Lodge

2011-11-20T09:55:00.000Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Jonathan Miles (18)
Ramil Sheriff (17) Alex McQueen (16) Oliver Modeste (16) Connor Ogilvie (15)
Laste Dombaxe (17) Ronnie Hawkins (17)
Jack Munns (18)
Kenneth McEvoy (17) Lee Angol (17) Shaq Coulthirst (17)

Subs:

Dominic Ball (16) for Alex McQueen, 46.
Rueben Lameiras (16) for Lee Angol, 71.
Roman Michael-Percil (16) for Ronnie Hawkins, 80.

Oh so close! Leicester are a good side at this level - they consistently produce good teams that finish well in the FAPL (they're currently a point above us), although last year we beat them in the home match, with Bostock scoring. Today we started with a very young defence (presumably saving the likes of Jack Barthram, Daniel Day and James Yeboah saved for the NextGen Series), although had some experience in "overage" goalkeeper, Jonathan Miles. Leicester, on the other hand, fielded the maximum of three overage players including the giant centre half, George Taft.

Spurs set up in a sort of 4-3-3, with both wide men very advanced, tight to the full-backs, and Munns just ahead of Hawkins and Dombaxe, who both sat deep. The away side played a definite 4-2-3-1, so the formations were pretty much matched up.

The match took some time to settle, but the first chance fell to the away side - Miles' slip nearly proving costly, but the forward only able to prod the ball wide having got in.

Laste Dombaxe threaded Ken McEvoy through with an excellent pass - McEvoy showed good close control, but was only able to win a throw. Shortly after, McEvoy made strides again, and got a couple of crosses in in quick succession.

It was 0-1 on 13 minutes, when a long ball over the top caught our two centre backs out - the forward, Hopper, headed the ball into his own path, and finished well. Miles barely moved off his line, which led to a few of his team-mates questioning why he didn't come out as soon as the ball was played over the top.

Three minutes later Spurs got level; as Coulthirst tried to make a yard of space in the box, the ball popped up and was handled on the edge by a Leicester defender (although it was from very close range), and the referee was quick to make a decision. Dombaxe calmly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, as he put it low into the bottom corner.

Alex McQueen picked up a booking for a challenge on 20 minutes which meant that he was walking a tightrope for the rest of the game. The resultant free kick was crossed, and Miles palmed it up into space, where he collected at the second attempt.

McQueen stepped out of defence calmly and found McEvoy with a clever pass inside the full back. McEvoy used his pace well to work a cross and Jack Munns, a late runner into the box, narrowly missed the ball.

At the other end, Sheriff conceded a free kick - the dangerous Jack Warburton, stood in a central area unmarked - his manager shouted "you can receive it there and shoot". The free kick was duly played to him, he took a touch and his effort towards the corner was well saved by Miles, springing to his right.

Dombaxe gave the ball away n a dangerous area, and Hopper charged through only to put the chance wide. Again play changed to the other end and Coulthirst delivered a superb ball across the face with the outside of his right foot, but nobody was there to meet it. Connor Ogilvie then won a corner on the half hour mark when he made a strong run down the left, but it came to nothing.

Coulthirst had an excellent effort shortly afterwards from the edge of the box, before Munns had a tidy run before his shot was blocked and out for a corner. From the corner, the ball was played back out to Munns. His cute cross was controlled neatly by Coulthirst, who turned quickly and beat the goalkeeper low to his left. 2-1!

Ogilvie won a corner with another strong run from full back, and the second ball in was glanced on by Coulthirst, with the keeper making a good save.

On the stroke of half-time there was some controversy. A clear foul in the middle of midfield (possibly on Hawkins) was not given, and as the ball was played forward, there was a tangle between Alex McQueen and a Leicester forward on the edge of the box. The referee gave nothing, but the linesman continued to flag. The referee elected to go with his assistant (who seemed to be implying that McQueen had swung an elbow - I certainly didn't see an elbow), despite having been quite close to the scene. He had a long talk with McQueen, who had been booked earlier. The resultant free kick was lifted over the wall by Steve Smith and nestled in the corner to Miles' right - 2-2.

As the players walked off, Alex Inglethorpe had strong words with the referee, presumably questioning why he would let his assistant make the decision from a lot further away.

At half-time Inglethorpe made a change, with Dominic Ball coming on to replace Alex McQueen, who had been booked and was on a last warning following the incident in first half injury time. Ball is primarily a midfield player, but slotted into the centre back position. Spurs were straight on the front foot, with McEvoy flashing a cross/shot just wide, with a few players caught on their heels.

McEvoy had our next chance - played in with a diagonal ball he had the pace to beat the full back; as as he came inside to shoot, the keeper rushed out and he needed to lift the ball over him from close range. Unfortunately he didn't get enough height on his effort on the stretch, and the keeper smothered it.

Leicester City took the lead on 56 minutes when Spurs again lost the ball in a dangerous area, and Jack Warburton scored from an accurate cross. 2-3.

Spurs were struggling to create anything clear cut - McEvoy had a good run down the line, but ran out of space, before a low Coulthirst cross was hacked clear on the line by a Leicester defender. Hawkins won a free kick with some neat footwork, although it came to nothing, before Coulthirst had a reasonable shout for a penalty - knocking the ball beyond the full back on the right flank, before being taken down - the referee told him it was "a coming together, nothing more".

Spurs had a good spell of pressure, but were unable to find the elusive equaliser. At the other end, Leicester's left back Jamie Anton, who had a good game, curled a lovely effort just over the angle of post and bar, before Spurs brought on Ruben Lameiras for Lee Angol and then Roman Michel-Percil for Ronnie Hawkins. McEvoy had another cross right across the face, before Spurs piled on the pressure again. First Connor Ogilvie won yet another corner through chasing a lost cause, before Lameiras found an equaliser - his shot deflected into the bottom right corner after some very neat interplay between Munns and McEvoy. 3-3.

Leiceste's Joe Dodoo dragged a shot wide, before a superb piece of link-up play between Lameiras and Michel-Percil led to Coulthirst turning quickly on the edge of the box before being fouled for another penalty. With a minute to go, Laste Dombaxe stepped up for a second time, but this time the keeper guessed right - unfortunately it was placed at a nice height for the goalkeeper, and he parried it away.

Spurs still pushed for a winner, and Coulthirst got through, only for his clipped shot to smash the keeper in the face and bounce to safety - in fairness, a brave save from the goalkeeper, who spread himself well.

In the final seconds, the visitors won a corner and it was met by a Leicester City head - luckily for us the player was stretching, and it went harmlessly wide.

Jonathan Miles 6 - made a couple of decent saves, but questionable for both the opener (when he could have read the game and come off his line), and the free-kick (which was into his near post).
Ramil Sheriff 6 - a centre back playing at full-back, and he did a good job, often covering well. A little limited going forward, but he tried to provide an outlet.
Alex McQueen 6 - excellent on the ball, and consistently stepped out to start play. Had a bit of an issue once he'd received a yellow card, and was rightly taken off to ensure that he wasn't sent off for a mistimed tackle.
Oliver Modeste 5- I gather that he's primarily a full-back and, bearing that in mind, he did a reasonable job. He was caught out a couple of times against Warburton and Hopper, both considerably bigger than him.
Connor Ogilvie 7 - did exceptionally well at left-back for a player that I understand is normally a centre back. Made three or four solo raids down the left, winning corners or getting us into good positions each time. An imposing figure and, at just 15, he is one to keep an eye on.
Laste Dombaxe 8 - calm, strong, clever - an excellent performance from him. Always on hand to receive the ball when his team-mates were in trouble, and normally used it well. A few slack passes, but with the number of bodies and pressure in midfield, that was understandable. He took his first penalty well, and it was just a shame that he couldn't get the winner that his performance deserved.
Jack Munns 7 - industrious as ever, and his short, quick passing helps the team get forward quickly.
Ronnie Hawkins 7 - uses the ball very well with his left foot, always looking to spread play and bring others into the game. If he could work on his right-foot passing, he could become Carrick-esque.
Kenneth McEvoy 7 - quick, lively, with excellent close control and a good awareness of others. It didn't always come off for him, but that was more down to Jamie Anton sticking to his task well.
Lee Angol 5 - a little disappointing that he didn't get on the end of one or two of the dangerous crosses we had, but his constant pressing and harrying was very useful and often forced Leicester to play the ball forward early from the back, surrendering possession.
Shaq Coulthirst 8 - looked really lively on the left - strong enough to hold the ball up successfully before producing either a shot or a cross. Also very good at playing on the last man and springing a counter. The best performance I've seen from him.

Dominic Ball 7 - played at centre back despite being a midfield player, and his ball-playing ability was very useful in the second half. Caught up-field a couple of times, but that was understandable.
Rueben Lameiras - his one and two touch passing game came at a perfect time, and he drew us level with a deflected effort from distance. Initially came on to play from the left, but replaced Hawkins in a central area when we made the third substitution.
Roman Michael-Percil - a very useful impact player to have on the bench - he has great acceleration and a low centre of gravity, and he got into some very useful positions down the left, cutting in and using his right foot.

The FA Premier Academy League table is now as follows:

From the Premier League website.

Young professionals - progress check

2011-11-13T20:34:00.002Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

A number of players from Tim Sherwood's "Development Squad" (this name seems to be catching on across the football world!) have made their first team debuts this season, so it seems a good time to consider the progress of some of them.

Jake Livermore, 21

Livermore is proving me wrong. I had totally written him off as a Spurs player, and was surprised when Redknapp started to use him in the first team squad in pre-season. I always felt that in the U18s and reserves that he lacked technique and genuine footballing ability, and was primarily making faster progress than others due to his physical attributes. Whilst he is clearly not the best technically, he has shown that he is, at the very least, competent and reliable in his Premier League and Europa League appearances. He is keen to get on the ball when we have possession, but also not afraid of puting in a shift and doing his share of the dirty work.

His main strength is still probably his physicality - he's big, strong, and has good energy levels - but he has also shown good positional awareness and showed in his goal against Hearts that he does have some footballing ability too! I still don't see him becoming a Spurs regular, but he should certainly be able to carve out a Premier League career for himself.

Tom Carroll, 19

There have been many comments from fans, the media and Harry Redknapp about him looking like a boy, but Carroll plays the game like a seasoned pro. His touch, movement and awareness are excellent - always looking to make himself available to receive the ball, and then quickly distributing it, before he again looks to find a suitable space. When he loses the ball (which has not been too often in his performances for the first team so far), he doesn't recklessly dive into a challenge - instead, he puts the maximum effort into getting back behind the ball and stopping the opposition from playing.

One criticism so far would be that he has perhaps kept it too simple - his passing range is such that he should perhaps look to be a little more ambitious at times but, on the other hand, it's totally understandable that he would look firstly to play himself into a game with simple passing, and secondly, look to impress the manager with his ability to keep the ball.

Whilst I rate Carroll as an excellent prospect, we must be patient with him - look at Manchester United's handling of Tom Cleverley (who is three years older than Carroll) as a comparison - he had lengthy loan spells before getting a chance in their first team.

Andros Townsend, 20

Having made a superb goal-scoring debut in the FA Cup match against Charlton last season, Townsend impressed on loan at Millwall and will certainly feel that he has earned his chance in our first team. He will be disappointed, however, that most of his opportunities have come at left-back, with Danny Rose out injured and Assou-Ekotto rested. However, he came on and really influenced the game when given his chance on the wing against Shamrock Rovers, getting an assist and generally looking lively.

I am not sure whether he will feel that he may have been better off going straight out on loan this season, or whether he will be pleased to have had first team football for Spurs in any position. There is plenty of the season left, so he should still get a loan move - hopefully to a lower-half Premier League team, or an upper-half Championship team - where he can continue to progress.

Ryan Fredericks, 19

Fredericks was on the bench for the first team in the 2009/10 season in the FA Cup Fourth Round replay against Leeds, but soon after he picked up a long-term injury, which meant him missing the majority of the 2010/11 season. To start against Hearts in the Europa League, then, must have come as quite a surprise - he was barely back to fitness! Fredericks is blessed with natural pace, and has good close control and crossing ability, although he didn't really get much of a chance to showcase much of his attacking play in his second start (against Rubin Kazan), which came at right back, a position that he has occasionally played for the Development Squad.

He will be looking for more involvement in the Europa League, before heading out on loan in order to get some league experience and to build up his strength and fitness.

Harry Kane, 18

The youngest of all of our players who have been involved with our first team squad this season - he only turned 18 at the end of July, a month before his first team debut. He did OK in his debut, although was left wondering what could have been, missing a penalty that he had won himself. In his second appearance he was very unfortunate not to win another penalty and was instead incorrectly shown a yellow card for simulation.

Kane has an ungainly style, but his touch is good and he has plenty of strength for one so young. He has scored goals at youth and reserve level, and also had a reasonable scoring record for League One side Leyton Orient last year. I think a lot of fans were expecting more from him in his Europa League showings, but it is important to remember that he is still very young and inexperienced - time is on his side.

Dean Parrett, 19

Parrett made his debut against Shakhtar in February 2009 - he put in a very tidy performance in that game and will feel a little unlucky that he has not seen more first team involvement, making just three further substitute appearances. Parrett will hopefully get a chance in the remaining Europa League matches, but the emergence of Livermore and Carroll, plus injury problems of his own, have meant that he has found himself (rightly or wrongly) a little way down the pecking order.

An all-action player, Parrett possesses great drive and no little technique, with good all-round football ability. He turns 20 soon, and will certainly be looking for first-team football this year, be it for us in the Europa League or on loan.

Ineligible Europa League players

A number of fans have been questioning why the likes of John Bostock, Massimo Luongo, Cristian Cellabos and Souleymane Coulibaly are not involved in the Europa League. In order to qualify for the UEFA "B List", a player must have been born after 1st January 1990 and have been registered with the club for two years since his 15th birthday. This obviously rules out the likes of Luongo, Ceballos and Coulibaly, all more recent signings, but also Bostock due to his loan spells away from the club. They could have been named in the main "A List" (as Iago Falqué, Giovani dos Santos and Jake Livermore were), but that would have to have been at the expense of first-team players. To illustrate, here is the squad list taken from the UEFA Europa League website.

To round-up, here is a line on the progress of each of our other young professionals (from the list on the official site):

Ben Alnwick, 24 - currently on loan at Leyton Orient as cover for the injured David Button. He has made five appearances so far.
Jordan Archer, 18 - on loan at Bishop's Stortford and performing well - he is also a recently call up to the Scotland U21 squad.
David Button, 22 - was having a good start to life on loan at Leyton Orient until he picked up a shoulder injury in September.
Oscar Jansson, 20 - playing on a near-weekly basis for the Spurs XI (reserve team) following the completion of his loan at Bradford.
Mirko Ranieri, 19 - on a season-long loan at Italian side FC Esperia Viareggio, presumably with one eye on a permanent move.
Nathan Byrne, 19 - had started to settle after a tough opening spell at Bournemouth, but suffered a serious ankle ligament injury and will miss a couple more months of football.
Steven Caulker, 19 - was playing consistently well for Swansea City prior to his knee cartilage injury, but is due back soon.
Bongani Khumalo, 24 - having initially been a regular starter at Reading, he has found himself down the pecking order of late, and is fighting to get his place back.
Kyle Naughton, 23 - a regular starter at right-back for Norwich, with a decent level of consistency to his performances.
Adam Smith, 20 - has been performing very well for MK Dons, and recently picked up three MOTM awards in a row (one having scored a superb goal). He has recently been called up to (and played for) England U21s.
John Bostock, 19 - has been playing in some of the NextGen Series and for the Spurs XI.
Cristian Ceballos, 18 - scored the opener in the 4-1 win over PSV in the NextGen Series and for the Spurs XI.
Yago Falqué, 21 - on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent, he has been heavily involved in the Europa League and has shown flashes of good play without ever really influencing a match.
Massimo Luongo, 19 - made his first-team debut, coming off the bench in the League Cup game against Stoke, and unfortunately missing a penalty. I think he will get more chances this season - an impressive player, and one to watch.
Ryan Mason, 20 - on loan at Doncaster although he has again seen his loan spell disrupted by injury problems. Doncaster have changed their manager (with Dean Saunders taking over) and so we need to wait and see whether he'll be involved in their first team on a regular basis.
Jake Nicholson, 19 - has played in NextGen Series matches, Spurs XI matches, and came off the bench in the Europa League - he will certainly be looking for a taste of league football this year.
Alex Pritchard, 18 - one of the stars of our NextGen Series team so far with some excellent performances, and he has also been an unused sub in two Europa League games.
Jesse Waller-Lassen, 18 - still getting over injury problems, although nearing full fitness - I'd expect that Jesse be given time to get up to speed with appearances for the Spurs XI.
Simon Dawkins, 23 - returned from a good spell with San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS - he finished an impressive 21st in the Castrol Index Player of the Season rankings (his team mate Chris Wondolowski was 1st, Thierry Henry was 3rd, Landon Donovan was 16th, Juan Pablo Angel was 25th, David Beckham was 69th).
Cameron Lancaster, 19 - scored a good goal for the Spurs XI last week, and was on the bench for the Europa League match with Rubin Kazan.
Jonathan Obika, 21 - still on loan at Yeovil, although just on his way back from injury.
Kudus Oyenuga, 18 - involved in some of the NextGen Series games, and some Spurs XI games, Kudus will be looking for more league experience after he only got a few brief appearances at Bury.

Analysis of the goal conceded against Fulham (6/11)

2011-11-06T17:26:00.004Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS. You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Younes Kaboul's own goal - Fulham were a threat from set pieces, but this goal was a gift - King heading against Kaboul and the ball trickling in.

Fulham caused us problems from set pieces all game, and Duff's corner here is whipped into a decent area.

But ironically, with all of the Fulham efforts on goal, this one stems from two Spurs players. King gets to the flight of the ball...

...but he fails to get his header up or out, and it hits Kaboul on the back...

...and trickles over the line, just far enough away from Bale.

To say we rode our luck in this game would be a massive understatement - the Friedel/Modric double clearance, and the Walker handball (which looked unintentional, but was still a penalty by default in my opinion) were verging on the ridiculous. We were clinical in front of goal, though, and to score three goals away from home nearly always sees you on your way to three points.

A quick nod to Aaron Lennon - he has had the least touches of any of the 22 starters in both of our last two league matches, but was influential in both games. His cross for the first goal, and run and finish for the second today were both superb.

The Spurs go marching on!

Analysis of the goal conceded against Rubin Kazan (3/11)

2011-11-03T18:58:00.004Z

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You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Bibras Natcho's goal -Bassong sloppily gives away a free kick, and Natcho bends it over the wall to Cudicini's right.

Unfortunately I've not been able to get a full video of the move leading up to the award of the free kick, but Bassong did not cover himself in glory.

Gallas stretched to clear a ball into the box, and headed the ball down to Bassong, who took a touch to control around the penalty spot. Once under control, he should have cleared immediately - however, he took another touch (this time with his right foot) . The ball got away from him and, in trying to retrieve it, he lunged into a challenge conceding a foul.

Bibras Natcho, the impressive Israeli midfielder, lines up the free kick - Cudicini positions his wall to the right of his goal, and moves over to protect the left.

Natcho executes it perfectly - over the wall, and tightly enough into the corner that Cudicni has little chance.

Analysis of the goal conceded against QPR (30/10)

2011-10-30T21:07:00.003Z

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

You can also hear me on The Fighting Cock podcast.

Bothroyd's goal - a Barton corner is helped into the danger area by Helguson, and Bothroyd heads home at the back post.

As Joey Barton floats a deep corner across, Spurs have adopted a strange zonal/man marking hybrid - there are some players man-marking (King seems to have Helguson, Parker has Wright-Phillips), but some players are just in general areas - Kaboul is one such player who has the job of making it difficult for players to find space, but is not marking anyone in particular.

As the ball lands in the area, first notice how Wright-Phillips has got away from Parker, and now stands totally unmarked in an area similar to the one from which Formica scored against us last week in similar circumstances. Also note how Kaboul has come across to attempt to get under the ball. King is beaten by the flight, but has attempted to block Helguson's route to the ball, and make it as difficult as possible.

Helguson is very strong and good in the air, though, and sends an intelligent header across the box.

There is a total mis-match at the back post, where Assou-Ekotto is marking Bothroyd. Bizarre as Bale, who is fairly strong in the air, is on the post.

Assou-Ekotto attempts to jump into Bothroyd to make it difficult, but it is a fairly straightforward header for the forward.

The second goal conceded from a set piece in two weeks, and in both cases we have missed both the original header, and then failed to clear the second ball.

Analysis of the goal conceded against Blackburn (23/10)

2011-10-23T18:47:00.004+01:00

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Formica's goal - a Pedersen free kick is floated into the box from just outside the centre circle. Samba beats Kaboul in the air and Formica, who had been marked by Parker, is left with a free shot from around the penalty spot.

A free-kick from Morten Gamst Pedersen is chipped in from the centre circle. Note Scott Parker, picking up the eventual scorer, Formica, around the penalty spot.

As was the case throughout the whole match, the kick is aimed at Samba - he is incredible in the air, and beats Kaboul and also Parker, who has now left Formica and attempted to pressure Samba.

But Samba cleverly heads down to Formica, who is left with a free shot from around the penalty spot.

And he plants the ball into the corner, leaving Friedel with no chance.

Spurs made hard work of this game and never looked secure. We failed to put pressure Blackburn in midfield, and had to defend against a nail-biting number of free kicks, corners and long throws.

A number of our normally reliable players - Modric, Parker, Adebayor - under-performed, and we were left relying on van der Vaart to win us the match with two superb finishes. Pre-match, I felt that Redknapp should have started Sandro, who was instead left on the bench. After the game, Redknapp explained that he had a calf injury, and the coaching staff had been warned that he was at risk of missing weeks of action had he played. Even so - Livermore could have come on at 2-1 to help beef up our midfield and reduce the amount of pressure that we were under.

Analysis of the goals conceded against Newcastle (16/10)

2011-10-16T17:16:00.008+01:00

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Ba's goal - after a loose ball is not challenged, Newcastle make inroads down our right and Jonás Gutiérrez picks out Ba with a superb cross; the striker is left with a tap-in.

There's a loose ball in midfield - look at Modric, towards whom the ball is travelling. It is most unlike him, but he is stood watching and waiting, whilst Ba is alert and wants to win the ball back.

Ba takes control and still no Spurs player is particularly close to him. He has time to find Tiote...

...who fires out a first time pass to Gutiérrez.

Gutiérrez has just Walker goal-side of him, although Modric now works hard to get back into position.

Having got there, Modric actually does more harm than good - he points for Walker to watch the overlapping Taylor...

...and then he fails to make a challenge (he could have conceded a free-kick as a last resort), as Gutiérrez dances round him. In doing this, he has also put Walker on the back-foot, and made it very difficult for him to make a decision. Note Livermore, side by side with Ba on the edge of the box.

Gutiérrez gets to the by-line and lifts over a fantastic cross - Livermore has let Ba steal a match on him.

Ba is left with a simple finish.

Although he hits it straight at Friedel, the pace on the ball makes it difficult for Friedel. Could he have done better? Possibly, but it wasn't as easy as it looked.

Ameobi's goal - Ameobi holds off Walker, and finds Friedel's left corner with a fine shot on the turn.

Tiote snaps into a challenge (as he did all afternoon), beating Livermore to the ball.

Ryan Taylor plays a clever first-time pass to Ameobi, but look at Assou-Ekotto on the edge of the shot. If he had got into a proper position, the flag may have gone up.

Ameobi still has a lot to do from this position - the angle is against him, and Walker is working hard to stop him getting a shot away (despite having picked up an ankle knock).

Walker flies into a challenge, but Ameobi strikes the ball unbelievably well...

...and picks out just about the only part of the goal that he could have scored in.

Jermain Defoe or Rafa van der Vaart?

2011-10-09T11:38:00.002+01:00

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"Yes, it does seem to be a problem. Rafa can't run back and chase the full-back. Against the better teams it is a problem.

Rafa's best position is in the middle, playing just behind the front man. The only problem is that Jermain Defoe plays there too and Jermain is playing very, very well at the moment.

So, I guess I have got a decision to make, haven't I? I suppose it's now between Rafa and Jermain over who plays in the team.

Rafa is a terrific footballer. He has great skill. But if you're in the team and asked to do a job, really, you should just do it."

There were Harry Redknapp's comments this week in The Sun, after van der Vaart had questioned the logic of playing him on the right.

Of course football is a squad game, and players rarely play in every match anymore. It is also great to have these sorts of selections dilemmas - a player as good as Sandro would not be on many benches (he'd be in my starting XI nine times out of ten!), and Defoe would be a regular in the majority of Premier League teams.

Assuming that Adebayor is a mainstay in the side (and he certainly should be at the moment), Redknapp has two options when picking his strongest eleven - if he wants to play Defoe, he can play van der Vaart on the right, as against Arsenal. If he decides, as he seems to have in the comments above, that this not appropriate, he needs to choose between the two for the second striker role.

In this article I will compare van der Vaart and Defoe, but first I would like to look at van der Vaart's performance against Arsenal.

1. Rafael van der Vaart play on the right in a 4-4-2

Against Arsenal we almost played a combination of 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1, but with Parker and Modric as the two "holding players". Clearly Modric is not a disciplined holder (and we wouldn't want him to be), so Parker was left doing a lot of the leg-work in midfield. Van der Vaart drifted from his starting position of right midfield (as we expected that he would), and did it to good effect in the attacking third - scoring once, feeding Parker for a one-on-one chance, and also being heavily involved in Adebayor's excellent one-on-one chance.

Defensively, though, he has been questioned by many. In my Analysis of the goal conceded against Arsenal (02/10) I point out that he is slow to close Song down. However, this goal essentially stemmed from a corner, and then our failure to re-organise as a team - van der Vaart actually chases Song from the other side of the penalty area, whilst no other players react or try to get close to him. To say, then, that this goal came about due to the nature of the formation is incredibly harsh. What is fair, though, is that Arsenal had a lot of possession, and could have used the ball better down our right, with Walker having little protection ahead of him.

My solution (and I pointed this out pre-match), would have been to play Sandro and Parker holding, as per the Wigan game. With Modric, Bale and van der Vaart inter-changing ahead of them we have plenty of offensive options, whilst with two dedicated holders, we are able to cover the central areas whilst also able to cover the full-back areas where necessary - this is often the case in 4-2-3-1 formations, where full-backs push forward to provide width. However, this would have involved dropping Defoe, which takes me on to my second point.

2. Defoe or van der Vaart?

Redknapp states that Defoe is playing "very, very well" at the moment. This could be a classic case of a manager talking up a player to help build his confidence, but it could be that Redknapp genuinely thinks that Defoe is in red hot form (as many fans also seem to think).

Looking at Defoe's contribution this season, it's firstly important to note that he has already scored two league goals - half of his contribution last season. It is good to see him scoring again, and long may it continue.

The minutes per goal or assist for Adebayor, van der Vaart and Defoe, however, is interesting:

Emmanuel Adebayor 355 total mins 3 goals 2 assists - 71.00
Rafael van der Vaart 367 total mins 2 goals 2 assists - 91.75
Jermain Defoe 390 total mins 2 goals 1 assist 130.0

The minutes per goal, where many would suspect that Defoe would have better stats, is also interesting:

Emmanuel Adebayor 355 total mins 3 goals 118.3
Rafael Van Der Vaart 367 total mins 2 goals 183.5
Jermain Defoe 390 total mins 2 goals 195.0

Obviously it is early days, but this follows the pattern from last year, where Defoe's "productivity" (to put it crudely) was well below that of van der Vaart and Pavlyuchenko.

In contrast to Redknapp's "very, very good" I have regularly been tweeting that Defoe has been on the periphery of games, albeit working hard to pressurise defenders (which should be a bear minimum). I thought it would be interesting to look at his involvement in our play in our league games so far - thanks to WhoScored.com there are stats available on the number of touches each player has in games.

Against Manchester United, Defoe had the least number of touches of any player (from either team). NB: Walker and Corluka played 45 minutes each, so I combined their touches.
Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Defoe also had the least number of touches of any player (35 - the next least for Spurs was Friedel with 58).
Against Liverpool, only Kranjcar (28) had less touches than Defoe (34), and he had 40 fewer minutes on the pitch.
And finally, against Arsenal, Defoe had the least touches of the ball (36) of all of our outfield players (including van der Vaart (39), who played 26 minutes less).

I will not try to suggest that touches of the ball show the impact that a player has in a match, but it is certainly a valid criteria on which one can judge a player's involvement. A striker cannot always be expected to have constant involvement, but van der Vaart managed 81 touches in his 81 minutes against Wigan, playing just a little deeper than Defoe did against Arsenal (see image below). Clearly Arsenal and Wigan are very different teams, but 81 touches is more than twice Defoe's maximum number of touches in a game so far - van der Vaart gets far more involved when he plays the second striker role.

Average positions vs Wigan at the top, average positions vs Arsenal below.

Taking into account all of the stats - goals, assists and involvement in play - Redknapp's summation makes me wonder - if Defoe is playing "very, very well", how does he think van der Vaart is doing?

Many will argue that it is too early in the season to start judging any of our players. I would therefore add that last year, when partnered with far inferior strikers to Adebayor, van der Vaart managed 13 goals and 8 assists in 28 starts in his first season in the Premier League.

Defoe has only bettered that Premier League goal tally once in his entire career, when he scored 18 goals two years ago (of course eight of those goals were scored in two games - against Wigan and Hull). He got 8 assists in 2002/3 his most in the last five years is 4.

Defoe certainly has a place in some games, but in games where we need to select our best eleven players it's a no-brainer for me - van der Vaart scores as many (or at least nearly as many), gets more assists, and has more influence on our play. He doesn't always have the stamina to last 90 minutes, and he isn't the most mobile but in my opinion he should be one of the first names on the team sheet.

Analysis of the goal conceded against Arsenal (02/10)

2011-10-02T19:26:00.005+01:00

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

Aaron Ramsey's goal - a Song run down the right causes havoc in the Spurs defence, and his cross finds Ramsey in space to finish.

Arsenal sustain some pressure after a corner, and Kaboul heads away after a cross is put deep into our penalty area.

The ball lands at Song's feet, and with van der Vaart slow to close him down, and no other players having pushed out following the clearance, he takes the opportunity to run down the right hand side.

Van der Vaart is very slow to get across and put pressure on Song, and Walker is holding his position to try to protect the near post. Note the four Arsenal players against three in the middle of our penalty area, where we have failed to re-organise effectively.

Song gets to the byline, having totally evaded van der Vaart and, although Walker is fairly well-positioned, he has plenty of players to aim at. Kaboul has got his positioning wrong, and now has three Arsenal players between him and the ball.

Song's pass is a good one, and Ramsey's run to the near post makes it easy for him to finish over Friedel.

Redknapp played a risky game, changing formation from the previous Premier League win at Wigan, where we effectively played a 4-2-3-1, with Parker in deep midfield alongside Sandro, and opting to go with Defoe and Adebayor up front. This left us with a problem of three Arsenal central midfield players against two of ours and, as a result, they dominated possession throughout (62% according to Opta).

Arsenal play with a very high defensive line and, whilst we exploited this on a number of occasions, we could have done so more often had our strikers been able to stay onside. Also, had Sandro started, he would have given us the energy and extra body to allow us to win the ball higher up the pitch, and spring that high line on the counter attack. As it was, Parker and Modric generally had to get back behind the ball as quickly as possible and maintain shape whilst waiting for Arsenal to give the ball away.

Had Arsenal been confident and on top form they may have punished us but, in truth, despite their possession, they barely created any clear cut chances; their only real chance coming when van Persie beat Kaboul on the touchline before finding Gervinho, who steered the ball wide.

At the other end, Arsenal’s sloppy passing and collectively poor defending meant that we had three one-on-ones (Adebayor, Parker, Bale) amongst other good chances (the ball falling to Modric in the box from a corner for example).

I have seen lots of criticism for Rafael van der Vaart, suggesting that his continual drifting from his starting position on the right caused us problems; I must disagree. He scored a goal (having drifted in-field) and was involved in several other key moments and, whilst he didn’t have his best game, his “drifting” for me is a positive. The key issue, though, is that we need to have two defensive midfield players capable of covering in the full-back areas, as is often the case in a 4-2-3-1. In summary - van der Vaart from the right is good, but only with two holding players.

A word on Scott Parker, who I was not overly keen on signing (as I thought he was on the decline) – how wrong I was. I’m still not quite sure how he managed to keep going for the full 90 – he was clearly cramping up, he looked totally dead on his feet (having competed in a 3 vs 2 situation for such a long period), and yet he still made bursts forward. His stats were incredibly impressive – he made the most attempted passes in our team (40), had the highest success rate (88%), made the most tackles (7) and the joint highest interceptions (3). Fantastic performance from him!

Analysis of the goal conceded against Shamrock Rovers (29/9)

2011-09-30T08:21:00.004+01:00

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Stephen Rice's goal - Cudicini parries a firmly struck free kick from McCabe, a first time effort is slammed in low, and Rice deftly lifts it over the goalkeeper.

A McCabe free kick is curled to the far post - Cudicini gets two hands to it but, instead of putting it round the post, he parries it back out into the area.

Twigg is running on to the ball at the edge of the box. Note Bassong's position - he has neither pushed out to play off-side, nor tried to cover part of the goal line. Instead, he is playing the eventual goal-scorer onside and stood in Cudicini's line of sight.

Twigg strikes the ball well, and the onside Rice gets a foot to his effort.

It's quick thinking from Rice, who dinks the ball over Cudicini, who is left helpless.

Overall it was a good performance from a Spurs team which included ten changes from the line-up against Wigan (only Walker survived). We held the midfield well, with Livermore and Carroll constantly picking up loose balls and feeding our attacking players. Giovani was bright and creative, although did not always pick the right option, and Danny Rose was typically industrious from left back, making surge after surge forward.

The big disappointment in the first half was the performance of our strikers; Defoe, who barely got involved, and Pavlyuchenko, who wasted some good opportunities. In the second half, our forwards looked hungrier (although not always wiser), and we had a lot more cutting edge to our play, particularly after going one down. Townsend came on for Lennon and provided direct running and good deliveries, one of which created our opener.

I would expect nine or ten changes for Arsenal game, with Walker and possibly Defoe retaining places (although personally I’d stick with the team that beat Wigan last weekend).

Spurs loanee update - 25/09/11

2011-09-25T19:03:00.001+01:00

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Currently we have the following players out on loan:

Premier League
Steven Caulker - Swansea City (season)
Kyle Naughton - Norwich City (season)
Jermaine Jenas - Aston Villa (season)

Championship
Bongani Khumalo - Reading (season)
Ryan Mason - Doncaster (season)
David Bentley - West Ham (season)

League One
Nathan Byrne - Bournemouth (season)
Jon Obika - Yeovil Town (January)
Adam Smith - MK Dons (season)
David Button - Leyton Orient (January)
Ben Alnwick - Leyton Orient (one month)

Other
Simon Dawkins - San Jose Earthquakes (December)
Mirko Ranieri - FC Esperia Viareggio (season)

Now returned:

Oscar Jansson - Bradford City
Kudus Oyenuga - Bury

Steven Caulker had made an excellent start to the season with Swansea City, playing against Man City, Wigan, Sunderland and Arsenal, Swansea's defence keeping two clean sheets in those games.

Unfortunately, during the Arsenal game he made a goal line clearance and clashed with the woodwork, damaging his knee cartilage in the process. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks in total, and 2 of those have already passed.

The Swansea fans seem very happy with him so far - some comments from the Swansea forums after the Wigan game:

"An absolute beast today.

Won everything in the air."

"Can't believe he's only 19.

He's fantastic in the air and very comfortable on the ball"
"He really does impress me, for somebody so young he shows maturity beyond his years football wise"

And after the Sunderland game:

"Is it me or does Caulker look an absolute rolls royce of a centre half"

"Caulker is strong, quick and has good instincts. He'll be hell of a player in a couple of years."

Hopefully Steven's injury will heal quickly and he will be able to get straight back into the swing of things.

Kyle Naughton has forced himself into the Norwich City starting eleven with some impressive showings. Paul Lambert initially seemed keen to stick with Russell Martin at right back, who did so well for them last year, but Naughton has now started four out of five Premier League matches, and has not really put a foot wrong.

He was recently interviewed for a local paper, and said all the right things:

"I haven’t really spoken to Spurs much. When I go out on loan I like to just try to get my head down and concentrate on the club that I’m playing for."

Jermaine Jenas joined Aston Villa on a season-long loan at the end of the transfer window, but has yet to play a part for them due to niggling injuries. He will be looking to cement himself in the Villa midfield, although has competition from Bannan and Delph.

Bongani Khumalo is currently out of the reckoning at Reading having played the opening five games of the season for them.

There were some relatively good fan comments after his first few games - these after his debut:

"Khumalo - 6.5 not as good as I was expecting but didn't do a lot wrong."

"Khumalo - 6 composed and decent in the air but made mistakes"

"Federici then compounds their errors (as he did with the first) and then both Griffin and Khumalo fail to cut out Marquis' header as you'd hope they might."

And these after their 2-0 win against Leicester:

"Khumalo - Better than I predicted. Good block."

"Kumalo - 8 - really good today, won a lot of good headers, took no chances"

"Khumalo also made a superb diving tackle block (think of Sonko's Superman incident but with legs rather than face) with the Leicester forward having a free shot on goal begging from 10 yards."

"Khumalo had a stormer today, I like the look of him already."

"Looked very assured today in the little he had to do. Looked a good relationship between him and Pearce."

However, things started to turn after the 2-1 home defeat to Barnsley:

"What the hell was Federici doing not coming for that first one!? There was no one in his way. His all the way. Fricking useless. Poor from Khumalo too."

And after the League Cup defeat against League One Charlton, the comments were even worse:

"our 3 first teamers (Harte, Khumalo and Captain MArvel) were our worst players. Khumalo no control whatsoever (was this one of Redknapp's dodgy buys???)"

"Too early to write him off, but it is a horrendous start. Positioning woeful, does not look confident, passing slapdash, looks out of his depth, will cost us goals galore."

"In central defence, Khumalo looks too raw and unpredictable. I have just read a McDermott quote saying we need a central defender to calm us down and that has to refer in part to Khumalo. To be honest I don't know who was supposed to be marking Euell for his goal but in general I thought Morrison looks slightly the better of the two central defenders"

"Khumalo - 4 Doesn't seem to be able to judge a header at all, and balls went over him a number of times."

"Khumalo - 2 no awareness, no positioning, can't head, can't mark, can't pass, can't control it. Got a bit of pace though."

He missed last week's match because he was having his wisdom teeth removed, but played for Reading's reserves in midweek, so there was talk of him being involved this weekend. He was not named on the bench, however, and so I am starting to wonder why we have not recalled him and sent him elsewhere.

Ryan Mason had a decent start for Doncaster before injury yet again got the better of him. He started in their 2-1 defeat to Brighton, and had a decent game.

A comment on a Doncaster forum:

"Also thought Mason did very well - tried to get on the ball and make things happen. If he can play like that he'll be an asset this season."

He then scored in their 3-0 League Cup win against Tranmere, playing off the striker, with a free role in a 4-2-3-1. Unfortunately he was also stretchered off after a bad tackle, later tweeting "Not too happy about the tackle that's put me on crutches! What can ya do it's football.. Will let u know how bad it is as soon as I find out".

A real shame, as the fans were impressed:

Fan comments:

"Gutted, and it took the gloss of a good team performance. Mason was MOM for me, followed by Oster and Bennett."

"Oster, Gilly and Mason where unplayable in the first half and Browny put himself about."

"Mason my Motm by a country mile!"

Ryan is now nearing full fitness again, although a lot has changed at Doncaster since he last played, with Sean O'Driscoll sacked and Dean Saunders brought in as manager. Ryan gave this interview to the Doncaster website yesterday:

After six week out of action attacking midfielder Ryan Mason is now ready to get back to playing.

"It's just good to be back out there on the training pitch", said Mason.

After a promising start to the season for Ryan, frustration was the emotion going through his head after being stretchered off in only the second game.

"I was gutted."

"I started the first two games of season, to get injured was probably the worst feeling I've had in football - hopefully I'm past that now and I can get some more games under my belt."

"It frustrating not being able to get involved, I just wanted to get back playing as soon as possible - no footballer likes to be out injured."

The hard work put in by the back room staff has payed off, with Mason training with the rest of the squad this week.

"If I'm honest its probably tougher being injured, you're in the earliest and you leave the latest, you're constantly doing stuff whether it be in the pool or the gym - It's been a long process but I'm raring to go."

"I trained Monday and Tuesday, it's good to be back out there after sitting on the sidelines for six weeks."

"I want to play; I feel if I'm fit enough to train then I'm fit enough to play."

"Six weeks out is a long time out to be chucked straight back in - but I think I'm ready if I get called upon."

Nathan Byrne has had a rocky start to his loan at Bournemouth, and now finds himself on the treatment table as well.

A few fan comments after his debut - very mixed reaction:

"Byrne - Poor debut, hesitant and awful distribution. Hope this was just a bad day for him."

"Second came from a needlessly conceded corner by Byrne and third Wright-Phillips made a meal of a challenge and turned it into a penalty."

"Byrne I thought he did ok but where was Feeney in front of him."

"Lyle Taylor having quite an effect on the game by the sounds of it and was unlucky not to win us a pen. Nathan Byrne impressed as well."

Fan comments after their 5-0 win against Dagenham & Redbridge:

"After a poorish first half, I thought Byrne had a great second half and linked up well with Feeney.

These two could cause a lot of problems to the opposition as the season progresses and they get to understand each other's play."

"byrne had a great second half"

He scored an own goal in a 2-1 defeat to Carlisle:

"Byrne - Doesn't have the same physical presence as Smith and although he linked up well with Feeney, particularly in the first half, he had a torrid time in the second half when he was often left to defend against two attackers, with very little support from Feeney, or any of the others. I felt a little sorry for him actually. The own goal was not his fault at all (5)"

Having started the season at right back, Nathan found himself pushed into midfield in his last few appearances. He has stated twelve games for Bournemouth, which will stand him in good stead for the rest of the season, but he unfortunately sustained an ankle ligament injury in the win against Exeter.

Jon Obika is another who has had an injury lay-off, which has stopped him playing regularly for Yeovil Town, where he is on loan until January. He played their first three league games, and was a substitute in their League Cup defeat to Exeter, but picked up a knee injury, and may require surgery. He was told to rest for four weeks, at which point he will be sent back to the surgeon, and I read this week that he has returned to Spurs for treatment.

Adam Smith has had a very good start to his season-long loan at MK Dons, playing eight times before picking up a knock.

After his debut, their manager Karl Robinson was full of praise:

Adam Smith was handed his debut for the Dons less than 12 hours after completing his loan move from Tottenham Hotspur, but the right-back looked natural on the ball and more than comfortable in the Dons' team.

"Adam is a great footballer, he's classy, elegant, not the biggest but he can play. He can pass, take people on, I really him, he looked like he had been here all pre-season, you wouldn't think he had trained in a five-a-side yesterday and just turned up to play today."

Smith's strong displays have earned him an England U21 call-up, but he recently picked up an ankle injury in a tackle in the game against Huddersfield and has missed a couple of games so far.

David Button is yet another injured loanee. He joined Leyton Orient until January towards the end of August, and played just two games before sustaining a shoulder injury which could keep him out for two months.

There was a nice interview with David on the Leyton Orient website after his debut, where he talks about his friendship with ex-Spur Lee Butcher.

With Button injured, Orient signed Ben Alnwick for a month to cover for him, but now he has got injured too! He played three league games in a week, only to suffer a groin injury and miss the next couple.

The comments about his performances were generally quite positive:

"Had me worried a few times in the first half and his kicking don't seem all that.

However made a couple of cracking saves in the second."

"Exactly, one or two stray kicks, his throwing is excellent and his eye for a quick release is great.

Very good keeper who played at championship clubs and done well."

"Did well but I thought he could have done better for the Col U goal...."

David Bentley has made three substitute appearances for West Ham so far, implying perhaps that he is not up to speed fitness-wise. Allardyce's comments after his first appearance were quite telling:

"David Bentley came on and his quality of passing opened the opposition up more. The additions before the window shut look exciting, I've got to say."

"Whereas David Bentley, Joey O'Brien and George McCartney had basically been discarded by the clubs they were at and had not got the right amount of training, so it'll take some time for them to catch up."

This week he was relatively complimentary again:

"The substitutes made us even better and John Carew looked more like his old self; David Bentley came on as well and gave us a bit more down the right, not that I was disappointed in Carlton Cole or Julien Faubert. But it's nice to know your subs can come up and take things a little higher again."

Simon Dawkins is a regular starter for San Jose Earthquakes, where he is on loan until December. He has now made 15 starts and 7 substitute appearances for them since March, including five starts in a row since the end of August.

Dawkins was recently included in an article called "24 under 24" on the MLS website:

One of the most exciting new arrivals of 2011 in MLS. The Englishman — on loan from the EPL’s Tottenham Hotspur — has shown he is capable of providing a jolt to the Earthquakes attack with his ability to keep opposing defenses on their heels. His speed, quickness and aggressive dribbling have made him an ideal support forward or playmaker, helping to fill the void left by the departure of Geovanni. However, injury setbacks have limited Dawkins’ contributions after he got off to an explosive start to the campaign.

What the TDs and coaches say: “Excellent dribbler who can break guys down on the dribble … He’s not a guy you want running at you … Scores and he’s hungry for it … When he’s on, he’s a difference-maker on the field and it’s all based on the dribble. He’s a decent passer, but it’s all about the ball being at his feet … He looks to pull the trigger and if you give him time and space he can hurt you … If he’s not facing the goal, he’s less of a threat. His weakness is playing with his back to goal.”

Oscar Jansson has returned to us from Bradford City having made just three appearances. In his debut he was thrown into a local derby with Leeds in the League Cup, where he had a decent game and wasn't at fault for any of the three goals conceded. He was released by Bradford after they signed the experienced Matt Duke at the end of the transfer window, with manager Phil Parkinson making positive noises:

"I'd like to thank Oscar for all his efforts during his time here.

In the short period that I've been at the club, he has been no problems at all and always trained in a professional manner.

I am sure that fans will remember Oscar fondly, especially thanks to his penalty saves in the Sheffield Wednesday match

Unfortunately for Oscar though, we cannot sustain three goalkeepers on books at the moment with Dukey and Jon [McLaughlin] here as well."

Kudus Oyenuga returned to us at the end of his one month loan with Bury having made three appearances - substitute appearances in League One and the League Cup, and a start in the Johnstones Paint Trophy. He will be looking for another loan move as soon as possible, and has been linked with Exeter.

Young goalkeeper Mirko Ranieri is on loan at FC Esperia Viareggio in the third tier of Italian football. Funnily enough I have not been able to find any information on his progress there!

Analysis of the goal conceded against Wigan (24/9)

2011-09-24T16:08:00.003+01:00

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

Diame's goal - Assou-Ekotto gifts possession to Wigan, and the ball reaches Diame, who holds off Kaboul and finds the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Assou-Ekotto has possession in his own box, after a Wigan attack breaks down. Parker (to his right) is the easy pass, or he can pass the the ball down the line for Bale.

Instead, his attempted pass is too close to Stam, and the ball loops back into the Spurs box.

King competes, and the ball ends up back with Stam.

He plays an intelligent first-time pass into Diame, who has Kaboul closing in on him.

Diame is very strong, and holds off Kaboul, but Parker comes along to mop up...

For some reason (presumably he doesn't want to give away a free kick), Parker pulls out of a challenge, and instead runs straight past Diame.

Which allows Diame to turn and find the bottom right corner of Friedel's goal - it's a great finish, and the keeper has little chance.

All in all it was a very nervy second half performance from Spurs which was in total contrast to the dominant, exciting first half, where we scored two good goals, but also missed a number of chances; a free header for Kaboul, a free header for Walker, Adebayor's first time effort when he could have taken a touch, Bale's shot when he should have squared to Modric, etc etc. As a result of not extending our lead, Wigan's goal created a real sense of tension, and the team seem suddenly sapped of confidence.

The result, however, is a good one and, whilst I criticise Parker for his lack of challenge in the move that lead to the goal, he generally had a decent enough game -he made five tackles, eight interceptions (which was more than double that of anyone else on pitch), 85 passes (again, the most on pitch) at 91% completion. Assou-Ekotto, on the other hand, did not have such a good match. Having been at fault for the goal, he dawdled on the ball later in the half and almost cost us again. He also had the lowest pass completion of our outfield players, primarily because he often elected to play a hopeful, lofted pass forward rather than to turn inside. However, he has had a throat infection over the last few days and almost missed the match, which may go some way to explaining his poor decision-making.

Expected line-up for PAOK

2011-09-14T21:34:00.002+01:00

Follow me on Twitter - @WindyCOYS.

Rumours suggest that the Spurs line-up for tomorrow's game will be:

Gomes
Walker Corluka Bassong Townsend
Falque Livermore Carroll dos Santos
Kane
Pavlyuchenko

Using the squad towards the bottom of our home page on the UEFA site, we can have a guess at the subs too - Cudicini, Nicholson, Fredericks, Pritchard, Stewart, Barthram, Parrett.

To give a brief run-down of the players that you may not have heard about:

Kevin Stewart - a calm defender who can play anywhere across the back-line but is better at centre back. A good reader of the game, with decent ability on the ball.

Jack Barthram - an energetic full-back, who mainly plays on the right (and is right-footed) but has played on the left. He is a very committed, hard-working player who likes to bomb forward in support.

Alex Pritchard - an inventive link-player who schemes in midfield, and likes to break forward. He has a good scoring record at youth level, and was fantastic in the recent NextGen Series game against Inter Milan. His superb free-kick is at the end of this video.