Tottenham 1 Norwich City 2

Tottenham's defeat at home to Norwich City has left their aspirations of qualification for next season's Champions League competition hanging by a thread.  Ahead of the match, it was in their own hands but defeat has left them looking for Chelsea and Newcastle to slip up in their final games.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Norwich City 2

Scorers: Defoe            Pilkington, Bennett

Team: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul (Nelsen), King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Livermore (Va der Vaart), Modric, Bale; Saha (Adebayor), Defoe  Subs: (unused) Cudicini, Sandro, Kranjcar, Rose

Tottenham's objective, going into this game, was to take three points from a Norwich team who were comfortable in mid-table and sure of a second season in the Premier League having gained forty points.  Harry Redknapp made a number of changes to the team which struggled to break down a defensive minded Sunderland on Saturday.  Ledley King replaced William Gallas in central defence with Jake Livermore in central midfield with Luka Modric - Sandro dropping to the bench and Scott Parker not included.  Aaron Lennon started on the right wing with Louis Saha and Jermain Defoe as strikers.  Rafael Van der Vaart and Emmanuel Adebayor were among the substitutes.

In the opening minutes Norwich showed more attacking intention than Sunderland had in the ninety minutes at the Stadium of Light at the weekend.  They put the Spurs players under immediate pressure and looked to get forward quickly themselves.  Early attacks by Spurs saw Gareth Bale receive the ball from Luka Modric on the edge of the area but he was crowded out and then a good pass by Benoit Assou-Ekotto released Saha but his attempted cross was blocked.  This was followed by a shot from Saha following a pass from Defoe, which the goalkeeper saved with difficulty and a defender hacked clear.

On ten minutes, a slip by Ledley King let Norwich in but it was cleared with difficulty through the combined effort of Assou-Ekotto, Kyle Walker and Brad Friedel.  Spurs had been warned that the visitors attack would provide a threat but it was one they didn't take note of as three minutes later they were behind.  Poor defending again caused confusion and rushed attempts to clear.  Younes Kaboul and King didn't deal with the early danger and then Walker's hacked clearance ricochetted off King into the path of Pilkington who scored.

King was having a difficult time coping with the strength of Holt who was putting the defence under constant pressure.  Following the goal Norwich were quite comfortable and Spurs early impetus had gone.  It was not until the midway point of the half that Spurs started to make a greater impression as Bale ran from his own half and had a shot blocked for a corner.  Then good work on the right between Livermore and Walker saw a cross miss handled by the goalkeeper but no-one was on hand to take advantage.

Another quick break by Norwich caused danger for Spurs with a free-kick awarded against them which Friedel clawed away for a corner.  Norwich then threatened from a free-kick following the corner.  Central, on the edge of the area, the shot was blocked and Bale collected the ball and ran the length of the pitch to put in a dangerous cross which Defoe just failed to reach.

After half an hour Norwich made strong claims for a penalty as King struggled to cope with Holt - the referee possibly feeling that Holt was leaning on King as they fell.  Immediately, Spurs gathered the ball on halfway and Livermore's pass released Defoe who took the ball on and lifted it over the goalkeeper.

Norwich responded at once and Friedel had to save a shot at his back post following a free-kick.  The game was played at a furious pace as both teams tried to establish their supremacy.  In the final moments of the half, Kaboul had a header over from a free-kick but then was taken off, having injured himself as he landed, with Ryan Nelsen replacing him.

Adebayor replaced Saha at half-time but it was Norwich who started the brighter.  An early run by Lennon nearly created an opening for Bale but it was the visitors who were quicker to the ball and their strong running was continuing to cause the Spurs defence problems.

After fifty two minutes Spurs nearly went ahead.  A good passing movement brought Assou-Ekotto into the game, he linked well with Adebayor to get through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. As he tried to lift his shot over the goalkeeper, Ruddy managed to get a hand to it and away for a corner.  Bale then saw a shot blocked for a corner after a good run by Lennon but Norwich again caused confusion in the Spurs defence as they broke forward quickly and Johnston shot past with the open goal at this mercy.

Only rarely were Spurs threatening the Norwich goal but a good run by Modric  ended with Bale shooting against the bar after sixty three minutes.  Three minutes later Norwich were ahead and Spurs again paid the penalty for failing to stop Norwich's forward movement.  As the defence again back pedalled, Bennett was allowed time to run and shoot powerfully from the edge of the box, giving Friedel no chance.

For the rest of the match, Norwich had good possession and when they lost the ball they harried the Spurs player in possession so that they had no time on the ball to make a positive pass.  Only rarely did Spurs threaten with a Assou-Ekotto cross headed over by Bale being one of few highlights.  Ruddy was rarely troubled and it would have been no surprise if Norwich had added to their lead, so shaky was the Totenham defence.

Spurs lacked inspiration and any sign of fight to get back into the match and no player could impose themselves on it to make a difference or find a way of rescuing the situation.

Tottenham's Champions League aspirations lie almost in tatters - from a position a few weeks ago where they were in total control, so bad has been their recent performances and results that they are no longer assured of making the top four.  This result now gives Arsenal the advantage and provides encouragement to Chelsea and Newcastle that they can also move ahead of us.  Spurs' season has tailed off badly at a time when Arsenal and Newcastle have gained a momentum through an excellent run of result while Chelsea have progressed with an abundance of good fortune.

The consequences of failing to achieve the objective of Champions League qualification are far reaching for the club - the best players, Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart and Lennon are going to be tempted by other clubs with the guarantee of playing at the highest level while prospective signings will shun Tottenham's advances due to their inability to provide that opportunity.  With Harry Redknapp the obvious appointment for the England manager's post, White Hart Lane might have a number of new faces next season, if Spurs don't find a way to turn around this disappointing end to the season.  From a season of such promise, it is in danger of turning into a repeat of 1986-87 when it was a matter of so near yet so far from success.  Even FA Cup success, which at the present time is looking very unlikely, would not be any compensation for the lack of Champions League which for much of the season had appeared to be a nailed on certainty.

The coming weeks will tell if the Spurs players can find  a motivation to drive them on to a greater effort to make it become a reality.

Manchester City 3 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Spurs came back from conceding two goals in three minutes in the second half to draw level within six and in the second minute of added time were inches away from winning the game only for City to be awarded a match winning penalty with fifteen seconds remaining.  So nearly a great day for Spurs - a performance to be proud of but ultimately they are now eight points behind City in the title race.

City Make Spurs Pay the Penalty

Manchester City 3  Tottenham Hotspur 2

                           Scorers: Nasri, Lescott, Balotelli (p)            Defoe, Bale 

Team: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon (Pienaar), Parker, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart (Livermore), Defoe  Subs: (unused) Cudicini, Bassong, Dawson, Kranjcar, Pavlyuchenko

Jermain Defoe

With the match in added time my prediction that Spurs could win against Manchester City was within inches of becoming a reality only for Jermain Defoe to knock the ball wide of the far post as he stretched to reach a cross from Gareth Bale.  Then with fifteen seconds remaining Ledley King gave away Tottenham's first penalty of the season for City to win the game and increase their lead at the top of the Premier League.

Spurs had shown remarkable powers of recovery to come back from the shock of conceding two quick goals with half an hour remaining but had drawn level within six minutes and from then on looked comfortable and capable of taking all three points.

Spurs had started the game with King in central defence and Defoe replacing the ineligible Emmanuel Adebayor and throughout the first half contained City who were defending a 100% home record this season in the Premier League, having conceded only four goals.  The first half was fairly even with City quick to confront any Tottenham forward movement while Spurs tended to allow City to run with the ball before cutting out the danger as they closed in on the penalty area.  Brad Friedel was quick to come out to meet any dangerous through ball and in this game was taking more responsibility for meeting crosses and corners - punching them clear to relieve the danger.  City had spells of possession but Spurs stood up to the threat and with patience were dangerous through the pace of Bale, Aaron Lennon and Kyle Walker.  Defoe worked hard up front on his own but the team did miss the ability of Adebayor to compete for high balls and hold up possession until support arrived.

At the interval Spurs would have been the happier of the two teams although their attacking threat had been minimal but they had coped with any threat City had created.  The first fifteen minutes of the second progressed in a similar fashion but then the game came to life just before the hour.  On fifty six minutes City had possession just inside the Spurs half and this time were given too much time to pick out a pass as Silva found Nasri who had come in from the wing ahead of Walker to hammer a shot past Friedel.  

City suddenly came to life and three minutes later from a corner they reacted quicker to a ball that had been flicked on with Lescott being stronger than Scott Parker as he bundled the ball over the line.  Suddenly, memories of the game at White Hart Lane in August were resurfacing but a minute later Spurs were back in the game.

Younes Kaboul played a high ball forward out of defence and Savic misdirected his defensive header allowing Defoe to run on into the area and as Hart came out he played it past him to score from a tight angle. 

Spurs belief had been restored and they were level within five minutes as Lennon held up the ball on the left and played it across for Bale to strike a beautiful curved shot past Hart from twenty yards.  In five minutes Spurs had increased the number of goals City have conceded at home in ten games this season by 50%.  It was now time for City to have doubts.

The game continued from end to end but neither goalkeeper had a save to make and a draw looked the most likely outcome until those final agonising moments in added time. 

Spurs had been keeping possession well and in the second minute of added time hassled City into a mistake which allowed Bale to run at the defence with Defoe free to his right.  Bale put in a cross which beat the defender and goalkeeper but as Defoe stretched to reach it at the far post he could only knock it just outside the goal.  Spurs had missed a golden opportunity to take all three points. 

The match was drawing to a close but with fifteen seconds left City got the ball forward to Balotelli in the penalty area and as King challenged for the ball both players went down.  The referee could only award a penalty - the first Spurs have conceded this season.  Balotelli scored and City had the three points.

What an unfortunate way to lose - especially after being so close to winning.  What an unfortunate time to concede the first penalty of the season - especially for Ledley King who had played so well in his first game back after injury and brings such authority to the Spurs defence. 

A disappointing result but Spurs know that they can compete with the best and there will be many more good days through the rest of the season.                     

Tottenham Can WIN against Manchester City

Tottenham face a formidable task as they meet Premier League leaders, Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow afternoon.  Last August it would have seemed unthinkable that Spurs would be only five points behind City following the Manchester's club overwhelming win at White Hart Lane.

Let's be positive because, let's face it, if we can't be no-one else will be.  Spurs can beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.  In August I wrote an article suggesting that Spurs could win at Old Trafford but that proved ill-founded.  United's win, I thought, was not as impressive as the media made out at the time as Spurs had matched them for an hour. 

Perhaps I just made an error over the site of Spurs' success in Manchester this season just as I did in 1966 when throughout the World Cup I was certain that Jimmy Greaves would score a hat-trick in the Final only for his replacement, Geoff Hurst, to snatch the glory.

The match on Sunday can't be classified as the 'winner takes all' scenario that the games in Manchester against City have been in the past two seasons but Spurs must take something from the match to prevent City from opening an eight advantage over them at the top of the Premier League table.  City have a formidable home record in the Premier League this season.  They have won all ten of their home games, scoring 31 goals with only four conceded.  City have however, lost both of their last two home games to United and Liverpool in the Cup competitions.  It is City, however, who are probably under more pressure to succeed as the expectations for them are so high.

Reasons for Spurs to be Positive:

• Setting aside the game at White Hart Lane in August when City had started the season at a pace while Spurs were still in the starting stalls, encouragement can be taken from the fact that since that game Spurs have taken more points, 46, than any other club in the Premier League.  City had a nine point advantage then but that has been reduced to five.

• Encouragement can be taken from Tottenham's Premier League record at City's various stadia.

P  14  W  9  D  2  L  3  For  19  Ag  13

In the Premier League era we can also add two League Cup successes (1 - 0 in 1982, 2 - 0 in 2007), an FA Cup triumph (4 - 2 in 1993) and a draw (1 - 1 in 2004) in the same competition. 

• The past two seasons have seen Spurs play City at the end of the season with a Champions League place up for grabs.  No-one will forget Peter Crouch's goal in May, 2010 which provided Spurs with their passage to Europe's top club competition.  On the night Spurs deservedly took the spoils.  A year later while Crouch's own goal handed the Champions League place to City, it was Spurs who finished the stronger and City fans who were relieved to hear the final whistle.  In that game City had already put together much of the team which Spurs will face tomorrow while Spurs are considerably stronger with the introduction of Scott Parker, Brad Friedel and Kyle Walker.  The team will also include Gareth Bale who was injured at the end of last and Ledley King is rumoured to be ready for this weekend's game.

• If Ledley King is available to play he brings a much needed assurance to the defence and whoever partners him in central defence, Younes Kaboul or Michael Dawson, will be much more confident and reliable in their play.  King brings with him a record of success to the side - he has not appeared in a losing team in the Premier League since August, 2010 when Spurs lost unexpectedly to Wigan Athletic at White Hart Lane.  He has played in 17 games since then in all competitions and has remained undefeated with 14 wins and three draws.  His last appearance was against Chelsea when Spurs drew 1 - 1.

• Spurs will be without Emmanuel Adebayor who can't play as he is on loan at Spurs from City.  City, however, will be without a number of key players - Vincent Kompany who is suspended while Yaya and Kolo Toure are playing in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.  The absence of Adebayor will be a chance for Jermain Defoe to show that he is the striker with a goal scoring instinct that the team has lacked in previous games.  For all their creative, skilful football Spurs have failed to take opportunities which have presented themselves and so victories have been hard-earned against lesser opposition.  This game would be a perfect time to find that clinical goal scoring touch.

The game against City will be an interesting test for Spurs and an opportunity to gauge how far they have progressed as a team when faced with top opposition.  For Spurs to succeed they will need to be secure in defence while being clinical when any goal scoring opportunities arise. 

Equally, it will be  test for City to face the pace and attacking skills of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Kyle Walker, while Rafael Van der Vaart can usually be relied upon to raise his game in  a match of this importance.  A win for Spurs would increase their belief for their prospects for the season, a result would restrict City's progress while a defeat would make life more difficult for Tottenham but would not bring an end to what, so far, has been a fantastic season.

'Come On You Spurs!'

Senior Players Let Harry Down

Last night's defeat to PAOK Salonika in the Europa League has almost certainly brought to an end Tottenham's European campaign for another year.  Harry Redknapp fielded his most experienced side so far in the group stages so what went wrong that they couldn't overcome a team reduced to ten men from late in the first half?

Throughout the Europa League Harry Redknapp has successfully rotated his squad to ensure that the first team players were well rested for the next weekend's Premier League fixture.  The teams comprised of a mixture of squad players and youngsters and for the most part they have acquitted themselves well.  The younger players have shown considerable ability and have worked hard throughout the campaign.  Most importantly from the manager's perspective, the first team has maintained their form in the League matches and Spurs have climbed to third place.

Having lost in Russia Spurs slipped from the top of the group to third and so needed a result against PAOK at White Hart Lane to maintain their interest in the competition.  A win or a draw would suffice but a defeat would make things very precarious for the final match in Dublin.  Harry Redknapp duly sent out an experienced team with numerous internationals and only three younger players - Jake Livermore, Harry Kane and Danny Rose.  He even added additional strength to the side with the inclusion of first team regulars, Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe.  As backup he named Gareth Bale and Kyle Walker among the substitutes - to be called upon in case of an emergency if the game wasn't going as planned.  The rest of the team consisted of another four internationals - Heureulho Gomes, Vedran Corluka, Sebastien Bassong and Steven Pienaar.

Observers were surprised at the strength of the side selected for the game as it was much stronger than any other sent out in the Europa League so far with the exception of the first match in Scotland against Hearts.  So what went wrong that the first sign of the need to call on the backup was as early as the fifteenth minute when Bale and Walker were sent out to do a 'warm up'?

Excuses can be made that some of the players were returning from injury and were not match sharp but as experienced players they should have been able to produce a better performance than was seen last night.  Spurs were two goals down within thirteen minutes and both goals were the result of theor own casual, sloppy play.  Whereas in the previous matches the younger players had worked hard and kept good possession of the ball through careful passing and movement, last night Tottenham's passing was going astray from the opening minutes which gifted PAOK the ball.  The visitors were well organised and were set up to be patient and wait their opportunity to step in and take the ball away from a Spurs player and they were presented with many opportunities to do that.

After five minutes William Gallas ventured into the PAOK half and was caught in possession, PAOK broke quickly before Spurs could recover and a simple cross was delicately headed past a flat-footed Gomes.  The PAOK forward was totally unmarked in the centre of the penalty between two defenders.  A bad start, self-inflicted, but there was plenty of time to recover.  Tottenham, however, continued in their ponderous ways and when PAOK put a ball behind Vedran Corluka after thirteen minutes, he was so slow that there was no way he was going to prevent a cross going into the area and so Spurs were two down.

Misplaced passes, even simple ones, over hit or misdirected, continued as the order of the day from Spurs while PAOK waited and took every opportunity to pick up a loose ball or catch someone in possession.  It was half an hour before Spurs gathered some momentum and that was inspired by the crowd's encouragement.  In this period they were helped back into the game by the referee who awarded them a harsh penalty and sent off the defender.  Modric scored and surely that would ignite the recovery especially against ten men.  PAOK got through to the interval comfortably and then in the second half set out their stall to defend.

For the whole of the second half Tottenham huffed and puffed but couldn't blow the PAOK defensive wall down.  Spurs had all the possession and it was wave after wave of attack but no end product in either chances or goals.  Bale and Walker eventually were brought on but it was too late - the momentum was with the visitors and while they defended heroically, they weren't really in very much danger of conceding a goal.  They stopped Spurs in front of the penalty area and if Tottenham did manage to break through that barrier there was usually so many men around them that it came to nothing.

Vedran Corluka expressed the view during the week that as he wasn't playing regular football he would have to consider leaving in January to protect his international place with the Euros coming up in the summer.  From last night's performance it was clear why Kyle Walker has replaced him in the team.  He has never been the quickest of foot but last night he was slow and ponderous in every aspect of his game and his passing was poor.  The purpose of including the squad players in these games is to enable them to show the manager that they deserve an opportunity in the Premier League team.  Last night Redknapp had it confirmed that he had made the right choice in selecting Walker.

William Gallas was at fault for the first goal and his partnership in central defence with Sebastien Bassong was non-existent.  They looked as if they'd never met before, never mind played together.  Bassong has been low on confidence for the past eighteen months and again last night his defending was lacking.  The weakness of last night's pairing in central defence once again proves the point that Tottenham's best central defensive partnership is Ledley King and one other, Dawson, Kaboul, Gallas or Bassong, such is the importance of King to Spurs.

Steven Pienaar who is also recovering from injury was also well short of the required standard - his passing was poor and he was regularly caught in possession with no idea of what he was going to do with the ball.  He has had a difficult time with injuries since joining Spurs last January and has played very few matches.  He worked so hard and effectively for Everton but it will be some time before he is pushing for inclusion in the first team going on last night's performance.

In some ways the sending off made it more difficult for Spurs as PAOK decided at half-time to defend and hold what they had.  They did this very successfully but Spurs had enough experience in the team and should have been able to turn the game around.  Spurs lost because of casual play and poor defending in the first half which gave the visitors the encouragement they needed to get a positive result and the mistakes, as in Russia, came from experienced players.  A team can only perform in  all competitions if the squad players do their part.  Harry Redknapp has never been overly enthusiastic about the Europa League or Cup competitions but on this occasion he was let down very badly by the more experienced squad players.

Tottenham 2 Villa 0

Two goals from Emmanuel Adebayor gave Spurs the three points they required to move into third position in the Premier League.  However, winning by two goals doesn't tell the full story of Tottenham's dominance throughout the ninety minutes and Villa will be relieved to have got off so lightly.

Adebayor Double Takes Spurs to Third

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Aston Villa 0

Scorer: Adebayor (2)

Team: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Parker, Modric (Sandro), Bale; Van der Vaart (Defoe), Adebayor  Subs (unused): Cudicini, Gallas, Bassong, Pienaar, Dos Santos.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Harry Redknapp, Ledley King and Rafael Van der Vaart were all fit so the manager returned to duty and sent out an unchanged team against Aston Villa.  Alex McLeish had selected a team designed to restrict Spurs with Alan Hutton on the right side of midfield and Carlos  Cuellar who had come into the team in place of the more attacking Charles N'Zogbia, at right back.  Hutton and Cuellar were looking to double up against Gareth Bale in an attempt to reduce his involvement in the game.  It failed as Bale was the creator of both goals in the first half and could have scored himself.  In reporting on a league game Villa played against the Spurs 'Double' winning side in early 1961, the reporter stated that Villa had decided on strength and endeavour in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Tottenham.  Last night Villa had definitely settled on a plan to use their height and strength to unsettle Spurs but again it proved unsuccessful and for most of the first half the players looked to each other in search of an answer against Tottenham's flowing, attacking play.  Meanwhile, the manager and coaches spent the half attempting to get messages to the players from the sidelines.

The first cheer of the evening was of an ironic nature as Darren Bent sent his shot from an early Villa attacking foray, high into the stand at the Paxton Road end.  Spurs then took control and it was two goals from Emmanuel Adebayor which settled the match.  While Adebayor scored twice, it could easily have been six.  His first came after fourteen minutes but he could have already had two by then, having failed to reach a Van der Vaart pass and then missing a header from an Aaron Lennon cross.  His goal came from a corner awarded when a Younes Kaboul shot was deflected wide.  The corner was partially cleared to Bale who sent the ball back in and Adebayor scored with an overhead kick. 

Tottenham continued to look dangerous with both Bale and Van der Vaart unable to take opportunities which presented themselves.  Villa offered little going forward with Kaboul immense in central defence and King his usual dependable self.  The second goal came with five minutes of the half remaining.  Bale put in a dangerous cross which deceived James Collins and Shay Given, bouncing between them, leaving Adebayor a simple tap-in from a few inches.

Tottenham in recent games have outplayed their opponents in the first half but then struggled to maintain the momentum in the second period.  Would the same thing happen again after Alex McLeish's inspirational team talk?  Villa started a little more positively in the early stages and this time Bent manged to put a header on target but Brad Friedel, playing against his former club, made a comfortable text book save, diving to his left and catching the ball in both hands. 

Then Tottenham re-asserted themselves and took control but failed to score the third goal which might have led to an avalanche, so much were Spurs superior.  Emmanuel Adebayor showed a great work rate throughout the game and continued to have opportunities to complete his hat-trick but contrived to miss when put through on goal by Modric, saw a shot saved by Given, put another just wide and had a goal disallowed as Lennon had been offside before delivering the cross.  He even thought he was going to have a penalty to take.  Bale was fouled on the edge of the penalty area and as the referee sorted it out Adebayor picked up the ball ready to take a penalty, only to discover the decision had been to award a free-kick on the edge of the box.  He tried to get the decision overturned but to no avail.  Others had shots on goal as Spurs poured forward meeting little opposition from a Villa side concentrating on damage limitation - Kyle Walker's shot was just wide, Parker's followed the same path past the post, Defoe on as a substitute had a shot blocked - seventeen shots in total.

This was an outstanding team performance by Spurs - every player contributing to the success.  The only concern was that Tottenham didn't score the goals their play deserved and that one slip could have let an undeserving Villa back into the game and produced another backs to the walls finish which wouldn't have done Harry Redknapp's heart any good.  However, Villa couldn't even achieve that.

Tottenham are now on twenty five points from eleven matches and have risen to third above Newcastle United on goal difference and three points ahead of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal with a game in hand over all their rivals.  West Bromwich Albion await on Saturday afternoon with a three o'clock kick-off at The Hawthorns, an unusual occurrence for Tottenham this season.  West Brom have proved difficult opponents in recent times but hopefully Spurs can put that right this season.  A win would increase their points advantage over the corresponding fixtures last season as the match in early September, 2010 finished in a draw.

Spurs are playing as a team and producing some of the best football seen by supporters in their lifetime.  Teams know that they have to stop Bale and Van der Vaart who have been both creator and scorer in recent weeks but last night Adebayor came up with the goals and Defoe has also managed to find the net on his limited opportunities from the bench which is all to Spurs advantage and creates an extra problem for opponents.  This is the club's best start to a season since season 1966 - 67 and long may it continue.

Tottenham Need Three

As Tottenham prepare to take on Aston Villa at White Hart Lane they are aware that three points will take them away from the chasing pack of teams attempting to break into the top four in the Premier League and would lift them to third, with a match in hand.

Tottenham are looking for three points against Aston Villa to maintain their progress following the most difficult of starts to the 2011 - 12 season.  Those points would see them move ahead of Chelsea and Newcastle United.  The weekend's results favoured Spurs with both of those teams losing so now it's in Spurs own hands to show they have the winning mentality when the stakes are at their highest. At present Spurs are seven points ahead of the corresponding fixtures last season and to maintain that record they must win against Villa as they took three points from them with a win at White Hart Lane last year.

Tottenham supporters are hoping for another three points to help them achieve their goal of a win over Villa.

• The presence of Ledley King at the heart of their defence.  Since King's unexpected return to the side for the victory at Wolves, Spurs are undefeated in eight games, winning seven of them.  King has been present for seven of those matches and the only match from which they failed to take maximum points was the draw at Newcastle when King had to leave the pitch after half an hour.  Such is the importance of King to the team that in his his last 11 League appearances, Spurs are undefeated with 10 wins.  The last time Ledley King experienced defeat in the Premier League is almost fifteen months ago when Wigan Athletic unexpectedly won at White Hart Lane by a solitary goal in August, 2010.  Since that reverse, King in his injury plagued season managed four wins - against Wolves and Fulham in September/October and in the season's final two matches against Liverpool and Birmingham.  King's commanding play brings a much needed assurance to the defence, leaving everyone amazed that he is able to perform at such a consistently high level when he has to spend most of the time between matches recovering from the rigours of the game.

• The recovery of Rafael Van der Vaart from the injury sustained last weekend.  Spurs revival has come on the back of the six goals scored by Rafael Van der Vaart in five successive matches following his early return from a previous injury.  He scored the opening goal in the first four games which gave the team reward for their play and something to battle for and protect.  Four of his goals have been away from home so fans will be hoping that he has recovered from the injury he received in the Holland match last weekend and that he maintains his home scoring form having scored in the last two matches against QPR and Arsenal.  Van der Vaart is a player who is unpredictable and with a flash of inspiration, a delicate touch or a fantastic strike can transform a game with a much needed goal for himself or a colleague.  Last season he scored all four of Spurs' goals against Villa as they won both games by a 2 - 1 scoreline. There is inspiration all around him but fans will be hoping that his influence and enthusiasm will have a positive affect on the game and the result. Van der Vaart's most recent Tweet has assured fans that he has recovered. 

• The return of Harry Redknapp.  As many had expected, it is anticipated that Harry Redknapp will return to his managerial duties against Villa, less than three weeks after undergoing heart surgery.  The initial recovery time was estimated as two weeks but then it was extended to six on his doctor's advice.  However, Redknapp ever eager to be involved appears to be in a position to return to regain the control which he handed over for that short period to Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan.  Harry Redknapp has an enthusiasm for football and he has gathered around him a squad of players who are responding to his ways and are playing some of the best football that Spurs have played in a very long time.  Hopefully, his return will bring a further response from the players and achieve the right result from a Tottenham viewpoint.

Newcastle United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Newcastle United maintained their undefeated opening to the season by coming from behind twice to end Tottenham's run of four consecutive wins.  The loss of Ledley King in the first half made the Tottenham defence less comfortable and Newcastle took advantage to grab a point with a late equaliser.

Newcastle United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2 

Scorers:  Ba, Ameobi             Van der Vaart (p), Defoe

Team: Friedel; Walker, King (Bassong), Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto; Bale, Parker, Liveremore, Modric; Van der Vaart (Defoe), Adebayor (Pavlyuchenko).  Subs (unused): Cudicini, Townsend, Giovani Dos Santos, Rose

Spurs' Loss of King Allows Newcastle to Come from Behind to Draw

Tottenham missed the chance to move into fifth place in the League as Newcastle twice came from behind to snatch a draw with a goal three minutes from time.  In the first half neither side created any scoring chances with Newcastle content to use the long ball to put the Tottenham defence under pressure.  With Ledley King playing in his fifth consecutive League game Spurs looked quite comfortable and in control against these tactics.

After half an hour King suffered an injury and had to leave the pitch as he always does in these circumstances, quietly walking off having felt another twinge in his injury wracked body.  His departure meant that the defence was less composed as Younes Kaboul and Sebastien Bassong are more erratic in their play with Bassong lacking confidence and appearing to be very unsure of himself.  However, five minutes before the interval, Jake Livermore pressurised the Newcastle defence and the ball went to Emmanuel Adebayor who was brought down for a penalty as he strode into the penalty area.  Rafael Van der Vaart coolly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to put Spurs ahead.

Newcastle upped their game in the final minutes of the half but Spurs scoped with the increased intensity of the game.  Newcastle strated the second half with more purpose and withing two minutes had equalised.  Poor defending on the right by Luka Modric gave Newcastle room to put in a cross which Ba met and although Brad Friedel got across his goal to get his body behind the ball, his momentum carried him and the ball into the net.

Newcastle were encouraged by their supporters but Spurs looked dangerous as the game swung from end to end and five minutes after replacing Van der Vaart, Jermain Defoe put Spurs ahead with a shot from the edge of the box, having taken the ball from Adebayor with his back to goal, he quickly turned his defender and fired an unstoppable shot past Krul.  Tottenham had further chances to increase their lead while Newcastle were dangerous on the break and from free-kicks.  Twice Spurs were in dangerous positions but failed to find the pass to an unmarked colleague.

With three minutes remaining as Newcastle increased the pressure, Tottenham failed to clear the ball properly and Newcastle returned it into the Spurs area and Ameobi hit a fierce shot past Friedel and inside the post.  Spurs weren't finished as twice Defoe was denied.  First a last gasp tackle blocked his shot and from the rebound, Krul blocked his powerful follow-up shot.  In added time Newcastle went looking for the winner but Spurs held out.

That result continued Spurs poor Premier League record against Newcastle United at St James' Park.  They haven't won there since 2004 and this is the third consecutive game that has had a late goal affect the result.  Last year, Aaron Lennon got a late equaliser for Spurs while the previois year it was Newcastle who grabbed a late winner.

The result means that Spurs remain in sixth place behind Liverpool, with Newcastle in fourth.  Spurs have a match in hand over the teams above them.  If Spurs had managed to secure a two goal victory they could have moved above Newcastle into fourth place.

Tottenham's injury problems are increasing with every game.  Sandro was unavailable due to injury while Adebayor played despite uncertainty about his fitness.  The loss of King is a big blow for Tottenham as their defending is so much more composed and controlled with him in the team.  He brings a calm that is missing when he is absent.  With Michael Dawson, William Gallas and King injured, Harry Redknapp has only two fit central defenders, Kaboul and Bassong, and with a possible cover in Vedran Corluka also injured, Livermore may be called upon to fill in in central defence for the Europa League game on Thursday evening.
 

Ledley, King of Tottenham

Ledley King has seen his career so restricted by injury that he is now unable to train during the week with the other players and can only make a decision about his availability on the day prior to a game when he meets up with the squad for final preparations.  Under such circumstances one would expect a player's standards and level of play to be slipping but with Ledley King, his performances are as good as ever. 

Ledley King - the King of Tottenham

No player could be more aptly named than Ledley King - he is King of Tottenham.  Restricted by injury problems at the start of another season, Ledley King was unavailable for Spurs' opening two games when the confidence within the club was severely dented by crushing defeats at the hands of Manchester United and City.  Eight goals were conceded and doubts were being raised about Tottenham's prospects for the season.  The defence looked out of sorts and with Ledley King, Michael Dawson and William Gallas injured, there was no experienced player to bring some organisation and stability to the team.

Unexpectedly, Ledley King returned to lead the team at Wolverhampton and giving his usual exemplary performance assisted Spurs to their first win of the season with the additional bonus of keeping a clean sheet.  The importance of Ledley King's appearance in the team cannot be under estimated - he brought a calm to the defence and the other defenders responded in kind and gave a much more confident display.

In order to manage his injury King was not considered for the midweek Europa League game in Greece and so was able to captain the team to an unexpectedly emphatic victory over Liverpool at White Hart Lane where Ledley again used all his experience to frustrate the visitors' expensively acquired strikers by preventing them getting onto the scoresheet.  After, a very discouraging opening to the new League season, Tottenham with Ledley King have now achieved four successive wins and added Wigan and north London neighbours, Arsenal to their hit list.

Ledley King has now been victorious in the last eight games that he has played for Spurs.  He made an unexpected return to the team last May to play in the final two games of the season.  He had been fit to be included in the team at the start of season 2010 - 11 but an injury in October, 2010 kept him out for the rest of the season, until his appearance at Anfield where he had made his debut in May, 1999.  That first appearance had resulted in a 2 - 3 defeat but on this occasion he helped Tottenham achieve a two goal success that ensured their participation in the Europa League.  A week later he played at White Hart Lane as Spurs ensured Birmingham City would drop down to the Championship with a 2 - 1 success.  The two games earlier in the season at home to Wolves and at Fulham where he was injured marked the commencement of Ledley's winning run - a total of eight winning Premier League games.  Surprisingly, the last time he experienced a loss in Tottenham's colours was at home to Wigan Athletic in August.  The undefeated run actually stretches to ten games with two matches in the Champions League included.

14th Sept. 2010 CL v Werder Bremen (a) Draw  2 - 2
18th Sept. 2010 PL v Wolves (h) Won 3 - 1
29th Sept. 2010 CL v FC Twente (h) Won 4 - 1
16th Oct. 2010 PL v Fulham (a) Won 2 - 1
15th May, 2011 PL v Liverpool (a) Won 2 - 0
22nd May, 2011 PL v Birmingham City (h) Won 2 - 1
 10th Sept. 2011 PL v Wolves (a) Won 2 - 0
18th Sept. 2011 PL v Liverpool (h) Won 4 - 0
24th Sept. 2011 PL v Wigan Athletic (a) Won 2 - 1
1st Oct. 2011 PL v Arsenal (h) Won 2 - 1 

Tottenham's best central partnership is simply, Ledley King and one other.  Michael Dawson is such a better player when partnering King and the other less experienced defenders, Younes Kaboul and Sebastien Bassong are so much more composed when they have the ever reliable King beside them.  If Ledley King had not suffered with injuries over the past number of seasons Spurs would probably have claimed and maintained a top four position in the Premier League so much sooner.  In season 2005 - 06 when Spurs missed out on fourth under Martin Jol, an injury to Ledley King in a 1 - 0 win at Everton deprived Spurs of their captain and best defender in the crucial matches at the end of the season.  Without the inspirational leadership of King, Spurs took only four points from the final four games, including the infamous 'Lasagnegate' defeat at West Ham on the last day.

Early in his career King was frequently played in midfield, so comfortable was he on the ball.  It was George Graham who saw him as a central midfield player and it was from that position that King scored the fastest goal ever in the Premier League.  At Bradford City in 2000 he gave Spurs the lead after 10 seconds.  The match ended in a 3 - 3 draw.

Ledley King played in the Worthington Cup Final defeat to Blackburn Rovers in Cardiff in 2003 and it was an unfortunate slip by the central defender which led to Rovers winning goal.  However, King had the satisfaction of returning to the Spurs' team for the Carling Cup Final in 2008 at Wembley when Spurs overcame Chelsea 2 - 1 after extra time at Wembley.

With thirty England caps, King has experienced the joy of representing his country but injury has again denied him on so many occasions.  In season 2010 - 11 he managed to regain fitness for the climax of the season which saw Spurs qualify for the Champions League place for the first time and was selected for the England World Cup squad in Germany.  Maintaining his fitness throughout the preparations for the tournament he was selected for the first game but his World Cup experience was cut short as he went off injured at half-time in that opening match.  He also went to the European Championships in 2004 and played exceptionally well against France in the opening game.  It was only two late goals by France in the final moments of the game that deprived England of victory.  King had kept the French strikers, including Thierry Henry, quiet throughout the match.  In 2006 and 2008 he missed out on selection due to injury.  He scored his first goal for England against Mexico at Wembley in May, 2010.

Ledley King is a player of immense talent.  He is composed in defence, reads the game well and has the pace to recover in a difficult position and make a crucial saving tackle.  As a captain, he is quiet but he leads by the example of his exquisite performances.  He has been a crucial player for Tottenham, coming in to replace Sol Campbell when he joined Arsenal and immediately stepped up to the mark with performances beyond his years and experience.

Ledley King, in his fourteenth season in the first team, has made 251 League appearances (the win at Wigan marked his 250th appearance), scoring 10 goals for Spurs.  For the past five years he and the club have had to manage his worsening injury problems but if he had been fully fit, how many appearances could he have made and how much more successful would Tottenham have been?

So serious has the injury situation been for King that on many occasions it has been suggested that the time had come for him to retire but he has never given up, he has always had a desire to return to fitness and play for Spurs.  He has put himself through difficult times to make it back into the team, constantly training on his own, attending top consultants around the world, under-going surgery on numerous occasions, overcome many disappointments and set-backs and started out on many recovery programmes.  It has often been a long and lonely road but he has always shown great focus and determination along the way.

One can never take it for granted that King will be in the Tottenham team. In normal circumstances he is every manager's first choice but a fitness problem can arise at any time so it is only at the last moment that a decision is taken as to whether Ledley is able to play.  Hopefully, after a fortnight's break for the internationals, he will be available to once again be present in the side at Newcastle on Sunday and maintain Tottenham's current good form at a ground where they have disappointed in recent years.  Everyone will be so much more confident of a good, winning performance if Ledley
King is fit and ready for action on Sunday.

Ledley King, certainly deserves the title of 'King of Tottenham' and as far a Spurs supporters are concerned, 'Long may he reign.'

Wolves 0 Tottenham 2

Spurs get their season up and running with two second half goals against undefeated Wolves at Molineux, their first win there since the home side's return to the Premier League.  

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Scorers: Adebayor, Defoe

Team: Friedel; Walker, King, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto; Kranjcar, Parker (Livermore), Modric, Bale, Adebayor, Defoe (Dos Santos) Subs (unused): Cudicini, Bassong, Townsend, Falque, Pavlyuchenko

Adebayor - debut goal

Emmanuel Adebayor started his Tottenham career with a debut goal with his striking partner Jermain Defoe getting the second to ensure Tottenham gained their first win of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ledley king made a surprise return to the Spurs' team in place of the injured Michael Dawson, while new signings, Adebayor and Scott Parker made their debuts.  Nico Kranjcar started in place of Aaron Lennon who was injured.  Spurs faced two former players in the Wolves team - Jamie O'Hara and Michael Kightly who replaced the injured Matt Jarvis.

Defoe scored second goal

For an hour the match was competitive and evenly balanced match both teams made mistakes and found themselves caught in possession.  However, once Adebayor put Spurs ahead after a pass from Kranjcar found Parker who poked the ball into the area, the debutant finishing coolly, Spurs' confidence grew and they were in completed control.  Adebayor is the eleventh Tottenham player to score on their debut in the Premier League for the club.  Defoe secured the points when he finished a lovely move following a free-kick, scoring from Kranjcar's pass.

Tottenham now have three points which after the disappointing start to the season, is in one point more than they collected from the games against the same opposition last season.

The positives from this game are that Adebayor and Defoe both scored, Parker made an impression in midfield, Luka Modric played and King was fit enough for the whole game.  The win will lift the confidence of the whole team while a clean sheet is a major bonus for the defence after the previous traumatic games.  On the downside is the question of why Gareth Bale is playing on the right - it nullifies the strength of the team's most dangerous player.

Tottenham's season started here and now they head off to Greece for their Europa League game on Thursday, with Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday week.

Why Does the Tottenham Academy Produce So Few Successful Players?

The Tottenham Hotspur Academy spends vast sums of money annually in the search for talented youngsters who will develop into successful players at the club.  Why do they have such a low success rate?

New Training facilities at Bulls' Cross, Enfield

The evidence in the previous blog, 'Where Have All the Tottenham Academy Players Gone?' suggests that in the past twenty years only six players who have passed through the Academy/youth system at the club have developed into a regular member of the Premier League team at White Hart Lane.  While hundreds of youngsters can claim to have played for Spurs, a very small percentage have managed to make a career even in football's lower Leagues after leaving the club.  Why have there been so few success stories over the past two decades at Tottenham while other top clubs have produced players through their youth scheme?  Manchester United built the foundation of their Premier League successes on the young players who developed through the exceptional youth team which produced a list of international stars - David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary and Phil Neville.  Even smaller clubs who have slipped out of the Premier League in recent years  have seen their youth system produce players of a very high calibre.   Southampton have brought on Gareth Bale, Thoe Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.  Leeds United had to sell a number of their best youngsters to ensure their survival, including Aaron Lennon and Danny Rose while Nottingham Forest's youth system has seen players like Michael Dawson and Jermaine Jenas be sold on to clubs in the Premier League.

What is Wrong at Tottenham?
The young players in the Tottenham Academy are expected to play their football in the 'Tottenham' way - being able to pass and move, being confident on the ball and prepared to play football from the back.  The youth teams are required to play in a fashion similar to the senior team with the coaches aiming to develop their skills to play football as it should be played.

These players are given top class coaching and play for the Academy teams against other Premier League clubs.  They also have the opportunity to participate in tournaments around Europe so that they can compare and test themselves against the very best young players and teams. The recent success at the Eurofoot tournament and in other competitions in the past shows that the Spurs Academy is producing quality players at their level.  Spurs often include under-age players in their squad for these tournaments so as to broaden the experience of the players and the level of competition they are facing. For the club, the winning of such tournaments is not the chief goal, rather it is the experience that the young players gain from the competition although developing a winning mentality is also important.

Tottenham Hotspur have excellent facilities at Spurs Lodge and are developing a new training complex at Bull's Cross, Enfield for the first team and the Academy.

The club employs qualified and experienced coaches to oversee the development of the young players and have a nationwide scouting network.  The scope of the scouting operation is no longer restricted to these shores as the introduction of young players from oversees in to the Academy is becoming an important aspect of their work.

Everything would appear to be in place for Tottenham to produce high quality young players for the first team but why do these highly regarded 'prospects' who do so well at schoolboy and youth football not make those final steps up to the next level?

The answer, perhaps, lies with some of these considerations:

• Tottenham Hotspur as a club are too impatient for success to wait for the final development of their Academy players.  They require instant success so choose to purchase a player from another club rather than put their trust in one of the youth team. 

This has always been an issue for Spurs.  Even in the successful era of Bill Nicholson, the FA Youth Cup winning team of 1970 produced only one long-term player for the first team - Steve Perryman.  Other members of that team made some appearances for the first before leaving for other clubs, including Graeme Souness, Barry Daines, Phil Holder, Mike Dillon.  Others left without any first team experience but had successful careers - Mike Flanaghan and Ray Clarke.

• While the Academy players are provided with numerous opportunities to play competitive football up to the age of eighteen, their chances of  games after that become more limited as the club no longer has a team in the Premier League Reserve competition.  Young players now play in 'friendly' matches arranged for the Spurs XI or go out on loan to clubs in the lower Leagues.

The use of a Spurs XI, rather than having a reserve team, with young players going out on loan is a recent innovation so it will be interesting to see if it is any more productive that the previous system.

• Over the past two decades, Tottenham has been a club which has changed their manager every few years.  Every new manager brings his own ideas and requirements so their has been no element of stability within the club and this would have an effect even at youth level.  Each new manager has been aware that he is required to bring success to the first team and so that has been the focus of his attention to the detriment of players coming through from the Academy and so  restricting their opportunity for development in to the first team squad.  If the manager is under threat he doesn't have time to wait on young players and can't afford to put his confidence in them as they learn their trade in the first team, as mistakes could cost him his job.

It is widely speculated that Harry Redknapp will become the next England manager when Fabio Capello steps down next summer.  If that is the case then Tottenham's recent history of manager changes will continue.  There has also been the move away from the Director of Football role which the club had implemented for a number of years with David  Pleat,  Frank Arnesen and Daniel Comelli who each brought a different perspective to the position. David Pleat concentrated on bringing young players from other English clubs which saw the likes of Matthew Etherington, Michael Dawson, Simon Davies and Gary Doherty come to the club.  Frank Arnesen had wide contacts across Europe concerning youth football while Comelli brought in players from the Continent like Adel Taarabt.

• During the Premier League years Spurs have been a team which has been struggling to free itself from mid-table mediocrity.  A club which constantly feels it should be doing better but finding it difficult to break out of the constraints it finds itself in.  The senior players, in the many cases, have been under pressure to perform at a higher level than they've been capable of and so have not been in a position to nurture and support a young prospect taking their first tentative steps in the first team.  Ideally, a young player making his debut wants to go into a team that is playing confidently with senior players who are able to support and give them advise during a game.  Unfortunately, Tottenham Hotspur have not had a team like that - they have on occasions been more concerned with trying to avoid relegation or struggling to achieve a place in Europe, constantly playing catch up - nearly there but falling short.  Even with the improvement in recent years, it has never been easy, nothing has been guaranteed and there's been no room for a mistake.  Every match has been vital in the race for a Champions League place and the manager has relied on his experienced players.

The senior team has lacked a dominant leader, an inspirational player who in times of adversity has taken the game by the scruff of the neck and turned it round for Tottenham.  The role that Dave Mackay thrived on and that Steven Gerrard does so well for Liverpool.  Younger players need a player like that to look up to and follow their example. It is a long time since Spurs have had such a player.

• The Premier League teams have so many players in their squads that rarely is their an opportunity for a young player to get in to the team.  A top team can have seven internationals sitting on the bench as substitutes and some may not even have been included in the full match squad.  Both Spurs and Manchester City struggled last season with surplus players - David Bentley, Alan Hutton, Robbie Keane, Wayne Bridges and Emmanuel Adebayor.  This greatly restricts the playing opportunities for all young players. 

seven named substitutes, three to be used but no young players make it on to the bench.  Spurs have off-loaded some of their surplus players in the last transfer window, players who were taking up those positions but were very unlikely to be in the team on a regular basis.  Some younger players may now be given an opportunity late in a game to experience the pace and intensity of Premier League football as part of their development. Too many experienced players seeing out their contracts, leaves young players frustrated and feeling that they will never be given a chance to show their worth.  It was this sense of frustration that led to Spurs losing one of their brightest prospects in the early 70s.  Graeme Souness faced with Alan Mullery, Martin Peters and Steve Perryman ahead of him couldn't wait to be given a chance and created such a nuisance of himself that Bill Nicholson lost patience and sold him to Middlesbrough and the rest is history - Scottish international, captain of Liverpool's successful team of that period and winner of five League titles, three European Cups and four League Cups.

• The increasing number of overseas players in all divisions of English football is restricting the opportunity for young players to develop.  Prior to the arrival of Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa clubs in England had players from the four home countries and  Ireland.  The introduction of players from overseas developed slowly from that point but now it has taken over and  fewer 'home' players are playing in any of the Leagues. 

Young players from overseas are now being courted by the major clubs in England and this tendency will only increase in the years ahead.  The problem for these young players is being able to settle in England without feeling home-sick and clubs have lost promising youngsters for this reason with Paul-Jose M'Poku returning to Standard Liege during the summer after two seasons with Spurs and a promising period on loan with Leyton Orient last season.

• Tottenham tend to look for a particular type of player for their youth Academy.  Players who are highly skilled but many of them are lightly built and their stature and physique may be a hindrance when it comes to that final step up in professional football.

Good players will show through whatever their build - as the old saying goes, 'If you're good enough, you're big enough.'

• The expectations placed on the young players are very high and any player who is rated highly through international representation at their age-level and outstanding performances for the Academy teams will come under the spotlight even more which will fuel the supporters expectations even more.  Of the current group of young players at Spurs, Harry Kane who is only 18 years old has received high level recognition among fans because of his great goal scoring record for the youth teams.  This has brought him into consideration for the first team in the Europa League with his debut coming against Hearts.

Great things were expected of Steve Perryman when he arrived at Spurs in 1967, similarly with Glenn Hoddle and both went on to make it and fulfil their outstanding potential.  Today with the internet, messageboards, twitter and media fans are so much more aware of young players.  Previously, if a young player were doing well in the youth team or reserves, it would only have been those who attended matches and read the programme who would have an inkling of this young players success.  However, fans are now more aware of the young players at the club and how they are progressing.  The arrival of the young players who were signed during the summer may take the spotlight off Harry Kane and allow him to continue his development at an appropriate pace.

• Young players who are taken on by top clubs are footballer with natural ability are the outstanding players in schools' football.  Playing football has always been easy to them and they were confident in their ability, winning trophies with their school and on a personal level.  For some the step up to the Academy and professional football will come a s a shock to them.  For some they will no longer be the best player around and it will become a struggle and they may not be prepared for the application that is required to meet that situation.  These players may discover players who have had to work much harder in their younger days overtaking them through their hard work and endeavour.  Also players who mature early will be taller and stronger than those they are playing against at school level but when others catch up, the difference in level of ability may even itself out. 

As the young players are growing up they have the support of their parents and family who take them to training and attend matches each week.  However, as they get older they have to make decisions for themselves, especially if they are away from home and have a greater freedom.  Will they continue to show the discipline which earned them the opportunity at the football academy?  If they don't then their progress may be compromised. 

• Everything is laid on to help the Academy players in their development and some come to take this for granted and so lose the desire to push on and make the further sacrifices and effort that are needed to reach the highest level.

Even the best players can find things too comfortable and need to guard against complacency.

Hopefully, the current group of players coming through the Academy and the young professionals who are highly regarded will be able to overcome the many obstacles which stand in their way to becoming a top class footballer with Spurs.  With the required application and endeavour and the good fortune that is essential some of them must have an opportunity to have lengthy careers in football.  To the outsider, it looks and seems glamorous but for those young men who are working their way through the system, there will be uncertainty and many disappointments but in the end if they achieve their life long ambition, it will all have been worth it.

Where have All Tottenham's Academy Players Gone?

The Failure of Spurs' Youth System

Tottenham Hotspur spends vast sums of money each year to discover, train and support young players through their Academy system but their 25-man squad for this season includes only two players who have progressed to the first team by that route - Ledley King and Jake Livermore. 

The publication of every Premier League clubs' 25-man squad for this season has identified a serious question about the success or failure of the Tottenham Hotspur Academy Youth system.  In their squad they have only two 'home-grown' players who have actually progressed through the club's youth system - Ledley King and Jake Livermore.  The other 'home-grown' players have been bought by Spurs after they developed and gained experience at other League clubs.  Michael Dawson came through the Nottingham Forest system, Aaron Lennon developed with Leeds United, Gareth Bale was first discovered by Southampton, new signing Scott Parker and Jermain Defoe were part of the Chartlton Athletic youth system, Ben Alnwick developed with Sunderland and Tom Huddlestone was introduced to League football at Derby County.

Ledley King

Ledley King and Jake Livermore are at opposite ends of their footballing careers.  King is the last player from the Tottenham Academy to have played at the highest levels of English football after progressing through the youth ranks and becoming a first team regular at White Hart Lane.  He made his debut at Anfield in May, 1999 and is the Club captain.  He was part of the the Carling Cup success over Chelsea in 2008 and has also represented England.  If through his career he had not been plagued by injury he would have made many more appearances for Spurs and added to his international caps.  The Tottenham defence has certainly missed his commanding, assured performances in recent seasons and he is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in English football.


Jake Livermore has just started out on his footballing career, making his first Premier League start in the opening game of the season at Old Trafford, having previously appeared as a substitute against Stoke in March, 2010.  He also played in last season's Carling Cup and this year in the Europa League game against Hearts in Edinburgh.  He is looking to build on those early opportunities and establish himself in the Tottenham squad and as a regular in the team.


Two true 'home-grown' players in the 2011-12 squad represents a very poor return for the finances invested in the Academy each year.  However, some of the young players listed in the Under-21 group will have an opportunity this year to show their worth in Cup games and in the European matches - especially Andros Townsend, while Tom Carroll, Harry Kane, Ryan Fredericks, and Jake Nicholson appeared in the recent home game against Hearts.  Other players from the Academy are currently out on loan gaining League experience at clubs in the lower divisions - Adam Smith who has just been selected for the England U-21 team coming on as a substitute is with MK Dons, Jonathan Obika has returned to Yeovil Town and David Button was with Leyton Orient until injury required him to return to Tottenham.

Danny Rose, Dean Parrett and John Bostock are included in the Under-21 squad and would be regarded as 'home-grown' players.  They have some first team experience having been members of the Academy but all were identified by other clubs at a young age and Tottenham paid a fee to Leeds United, Queen's Park Rangers and Crystal Palace respectively, to acquire each of them.

Scanning through the lists submitted by the other nineteen clubs, looking for players who have developed with Tottenham is not much more fruitful.  The obvious exception is Steven Caulker who is on a season long loan with newly promoted, Swansea City.  He is a product of the Tottenham Academy and a player in whom many have high hopes.  He has made excellent progress in the past two seasons while on loan with Yeovil Town and Bristol City, winning awards at both clubs, showing that they appreciated his talent and endeavour on their behalf.  He made his first Spurs' appearance in the Carling Cup last year and has played in Swansea's first three Premier League games.  He has now represented England at Under-19 and Under-21 level and it is thought that Caulker will be challenging for a place in the Tottenham squad next season.

Former Tottenham Youth Players
Recently departed England international, Peter Crouch, of course, started his career in the Tottenham Academy but had to leave White Hart Lane in order to get a chance to develop and gain experience.  He came through the system a year behind Ledley King but was sold to Queen's Park Rangers in July, 2000 for £60,000.  He later played for Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Southampton, Liverpool and Portsmouth again before returning to Tottenham for a fee of £ 10 million in July, 2009.  He has scored 22 goals in 42 appearances for England.  In his two seasons with Spurs his best goal scoring performances were in European games and he is best remembered for the goal he scored against Manchester City which secured the club's place in the Champions League at the end of his first season with the club.  In all competitions he made 88 appearances, scoring 24 goals before his £10 million transfer to Stoke City.

Stephen Kelly is a Republic of Ireland international with Fulham who as part of his development with the Tottenham Academy had loan spells with Southend United, Queen's Park Rangers and Watford in 2003.  He was highly regarded at each of those clubs and he made his Tottenham debut in 2003 but remained as understudy to Stephen Carr and Paul Stalteri.  He made 37 appearances, scoring twice, before transferring to Birmingham City for a fee of £750,000 in the summer of 2006.  He has subsequently played for Stoke City on loan and joined Fulham in 2009.


Luke Young who has just signed for QPR from Aston Villa made 76 League and Cup appearances for Tottenham following his debut in season 1998-99.  He was sold to  Charlton Athletic for £4 million pounds in the summer of 2001.  He has also played for Middlesbrough and has made 7 appearances for England.

Mark Gower playing against Tottenham

Mark Gower, a midfielder, was with Spurs for five years but failed to break into the first team and left to join Barnet in January, 2001 for a small fee.  He also played for Southend United for five seasons, returning to the Lane with them for Cup games in 2006-07 before joining Swansea City in 2008.  He has made over 400 appearances in lower League football and is now a member of Swansea's squad having played 42 games for them in their promotion season.  He has scored 60 goals in all competitions through his career.


Michael Kightly, a winger, had a season at Tottenham as a schoolboy but on being rejected by them has had to work his way back with Southend United and Gray's Athletic before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan in November, 2006, signing permanently the following January.  He helped Wolves in their failed promotion bid from the Championship that season and was attracting the attention of other clubs, including Tottenham.  However, injury has hindered Kightly during his career but he was part of the Wolves squad that was promoted in 2009 and has appeared in the Premier League for them.


Wolves also have Jamie O'Hara in their squad, having signed him in the summer from Spurs for £5 million.  His final years in youth football were with the Spurs Academy but he had been a product of Arsenal's youth system having spent five years with them.


Playing in the Lower Divisions

It is often assumed that young players who fail to make the grade at a club like Tottenham will go on to have a good career elsewhere in English football but from the evidence of the Premier League squads few have progressed to the highest level.  It is, however, true that a number of young players who left Spurs without appearing in a competitive game for the senior team at White Hart Lane have had lengthy careers in the lower divisions of the Football League.

Mark Yeates came through the Spurs youth system and made his first team debut in the final game of 2004 against Wolves.  However, he only made another two League appearances as a substitute and left White Hart Lane in 2007 after five years with the club.  He joined Colchester United and in two seasons made 72 appearances which attracted the attention of Middlesbrough for whom he signed for £500,000 in July, 2009.  A year later he went to Sheffield United where after finding himself surplus for the second time with the arrival of a new manager, he joined Watford last summer.

Speaking ahead of the FA Cup 4th Round tie between Watford and Spurs in January, 2012, Yeates commented on his time at Spurs,  

" Tottenham was a big part of my life ...... so I've got a lot of fond memories.  I've still got a lot of pals there.  Martin Jol gave me a few run-outs, but Spurs are such a big club and at the time in every transfer window they were bringing in three or four new players.  It was hard for the likes of myself, Dean Marney and Johnnie Jackson, we were on the fringes.  Eventually we had to move on but there are no hard feelings."

Charlie Lee left Tottenham in 2007 and signed for Peterborough United where he played regularly in midfield and at full-back for four seasons.  He played for Peterborough at White Hart Lane in the FA Cup 3rd Round in 2010 and joined Gillingham during the summer.

Kevin Maher was a young midfield player with Tottenham who left on a free transfer in January, 1998 to join Southend United where he spent ten seasons as a regular in the team making over 380 appearances, including the Cup games against Spurs in 2006-07.  He joined Oldham for a season in 2008 and the following year joined Gillingham where he played for two seasons.  He is now with Dagenham and Redbridge.
 
The Dagenham and Redbridge squad also includes their captain, Mark Arber, a defender, who left Spurs in 1998 to join Barnet for £75,000.  He has had twelve seasons in League football making over 500 appearances for five different clubs, including Peterborough, Oldham and Stevenage Borough. 


Peter Gain was a midfield player with Spurs at the end of 1999s who joined Lincoln City for a fee of £15,000 in March, 1999 after working his way through the youth system.  He made 200 appearances in almost six years before moving to Peterborough where he played for three seasons and moved on to Dagenham and Redbridge in 2008. 


Two players who are regulars with Stevenage are goalkeeper, Chris Day and defender Ronnie Henry.  They failed to make the grade with Spurs but have furthered their careers away from the club. 


Now aged 36, Chris Day sat on the bench for Spurs on many occasions as substitute goalkeeper but never got on to the pitch.  He joined Crystal Palace for £225,000 in 1996 and has made over 300 appearances at eight League clubs including Queen's Park Rangers, Watford where he appeared in the Premier League, Lincoln City, Oldham, Millwall and Preston North End.  His greatest achievement was helping Stevenage gain League status and promotion to League 1.


Ronnie Henry is the grandson of Spurs 'Double' winning full back, Ron Henry.  He was released by Tottenham in November, 2003 but was unable to find a club.  He eventually signed for Dublin City but was released due to shortage of funds.  In January, 2004 he joined non-league Stevenage Borough, was made captain and led them into the Football League and further promotion.  He was the first player to raise a competitive trophy at the new Wembley, captaining Stevenage to FA Trophy success. 

Johnny Jackson left Spurs in 2006 after seven years, having made 20 appearances and scoring one goal.  He joined Colchester United where he made over 100 appearance in three seasons before joining Notts County in 2009.  The following summer he signed for his current club, Charlton Athletic.

Lee Barnard

Lee Barnard made three substitute appearances for Tottenham before his transfer to Southend United.  A regular scorer for the reserves, his opportunities were seriously limited at Spurs.  After six years with the club and several spells out on loan, he moved to Roots Hall on a free transfer in January, 2008 and scored 37 goals in 75 appearances before a transfer to Southampton two years later for an undisclosed fee.  He has scored 23 goals in 56 appearances and helped them to promotion to the Championship last year.


Rob Burch waited for five years for an opportunity to appear in goals for Tottenham after turning professional in 2002 having come through the youth scheme.  He had periods on loan at various clubs but in July, 2007, having been released by Spurs, he signed for Sheffield Wednesday but played only three games for them.  The following year he joined Lincoln City and made over 90 appearances in two seasons.  In the summer of 2010 he went to Notts County on a free transfer after turning down a new contract with Lincoln.

Another Tottenham junior goalkeeper was Simon Brown who left the club in 1999 to join Colchester United.  He spent five season there, making 140 appearances before moving to Scotland to play for Hibernian.  Under fifty appearances in three seasons, saw him join Brentford for two years.  This was followed by a season with Northampton Town and a move to non-league football with Cambridge United.


Charlie Daniels is a defender/midfielder who joined the Tottenham Academy from Norwich and progressed to the reserves but in January, 2009 he joined Leyton Orient and has over 100 appearances for the club.


A young youth player of whom much was expected was Phil Ifil.  He made his League debut for Spurs in Jacques Santini's first game in 2004, played the next game but then made only one more appearance before leaving for Colchester United in January, 2008 for an undisclosed six-figure fee.  He spent thirty months there making 40 appearances before making 13 appearances in a season with Dagenham and Redbridge.  He is now in non-League football with Kettering Town.


Another Kettering signing this summer was Jamie Clapham who had progressed through the Tottenham youth system in the early 1990s.  He made one substitute appearance for Spurs in 1997 but after being out on loan he joined Ipswich Town for £300,000 in March, 1998.  There, he made over 200 appearances, including playing in European competition, in five years.  He signed for Birmingham City in January, 2003 for a fee of £1,300,000 where he played for three years.  He also played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City, Notts County and Lincoln City.  He joined Kettering Town during the summer but in a career stretching over seventeen years from his youth days, he has made over 400 appearances in League and Cup football. 


Young Players Starting Out
More recently some former Academy players have taken their first tentative steps to re-establish their careers after getting over the disappointment of not making it with Spurs.  Lee Butcher is a goalkeeper with Leyton Orient having joined in July, 2010.  He had been with Norwich and Arsenal before joining the Spurs Academy in 2007 but after being out on loan he was released.

Troy Archibald-Henville is a young defender who came through the Academy with Tottenham and was an unused substitute on two occasions.  However, after a loan spell with Exeter City he signed for them in January, 2010 and now has over 40 appearances for the club, playing either in defence or midfield.

Sam Cox can play in defence or midfield but after coming through the Academy teams and going out on loan he was released in June, 2010.  He joined Barnet and has played for them in League Two.

Jacques Maghoma progressed through the Tottenham Academy but was released in June, 2009.  After trials at Burton Albion and Hereford United, he agreed to sign for Burton where he has made over 80 appearances.  An attacking midfield player, he is establishing himself in lower League football.


Long-term Problem at Tottenham

Even a famous footballing relation doesn't guarantee success as Ronnie Henry demonstrates and the recent Europa League game at Hearts brought forward another example - John Sutton, the younger brother of Chris Sutton who formed an important goal scoring partnership with Alan Shearer in Blackburn Rover's Premier League success in 1994-95.  The younger Sutton started his football career at Tottenham but on leaving in 2003 he joined Raith Rovers.  He has played for a number of Scottish clubs but ventures into English football were less successful and he returned to Motherwell and then signed for Hearts in the summer.


Going back through the years, even sons of famous fathers who have been associated with Tottenham have had to be satisfied with playing at a lower level than their fathers.  Danny Greaves, son of Jimmy, left Spurs for Southend United in 1981 but made less than fifty appearances there.  Ian Gilzean the son of Alan, left Tottenham for Dundee in 1992 and has played for many clubs around the British Isles.  Pat Jennings Junior followed his father into goal but his playing career after Tottenham was limited to playing in Ireland.

Having joined the Tottenham Academy there is no guarantee that a young player is destined to a successful football career and even after signing a professional contract there is a long way to go before stepping out as a regular member of the first team.  On the evidence provided by former graduates of the Tottenham Academy, only a very small proportion will make it in any form of senior professional League football in England.  For all the money expended each year, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club sees a very small return on their investments but where the fault lies, it is hard to identify because there have been many managers, coaches and scouts involves in this process over many years but the results are very similar.  

In the past twenty years the only Academy/youth players to have established themselves at the club are Nick Barmby, Sol Campbell, Ian Walker, Steven Clemence, Stephen Carr and Ledley King.  Perhaps, some of the current 'hopefuls' with the Academy will change that situation in the coming years.