Spurs to sign England U-17 captain John Bostock?

GlastonSpur

"John Bostock is on the verge of signing for Tottenham after Crystal Palace reluctantly agreed to sell the most sought-after teenager in the country in a deal that could be worth millions to the Championship club.

Bostock, who made his debut for Palace aged 15 years 289 days, was told he could leave Selhurst Park last Wednesday and Tottenham sporting director Damien Comolli believes he has persuaded the England Under 17 midfielder, also wanted by Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, to move to White Hart Lane. "

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...=1779&ito=1490

The Guardian are also saying that Bostock is set to sign for Spurs.

If true, it's another 'one for the future'. Of course not all such players necessarily make the grade in the end, but over the last 2 or 3 years Spurs have made significant investment in signing and developing quality youth players, the majority of them British. If we keep going we could have one hell of a team in a 2 or 3 years from now.

Snake Doctor

looks promising!

Cold_Boy

WE have signed or are close to signing Ramsey.

topper

echoes of the Scousers there

GAngel

I'd be a little upset if our feeder club didn't bring in the best young talent for us to have a look at.

kanchelskis14

I was told by a quite reliable source that Chelsea tried to turn his head by offering his dad a lot of money. Apparently he was due to sign a contract extension at Palece, and then his dad stepped in and said he had to go away for the weekend and he's never signed it. Training groundd gossip has suggested Chelsea have tapped him up.

Would rather he joined Spurs anyway.

CockneyHammer

Give it two years and Spurs fans will be claiming he was from the Academy

It pisses me off how they always do this which is why I hope he goes to Chelsea if he doesn't stay at Palace. Which I think he will if Palace come up through the play offs

GlastonSpur

It's good that delusions are keeping you calm - but might I suggest trying yoga?

GlastonSpur

Don't blame Spurs because many up and coming players want to sign for us. Try thinking instead about why they usually shun WHAM.

francobaresi

who?

fuckin Spurs

CockneyHammer

We don't try for them, we have these things called academies to produce our own rather than poaching them from other teams

GlastonSpur

It's called a 'transfer window' sunshine - ever heard of it? You know, when some clubs sign players from other clubs? Even WHAM have been known to dabble in it from time to time.

So what's your beef? That Spurs shouldn't sign any players under 18? If so, I'd suggest writing to the FA to try and get the rules changed. Until then: the rules apply equally to all clubs - Spurs have no special advantages conferred on them. So stop whining obsessively about Spurs at every tiny little opportunity.

tbtt

As far as I know, majority of Spurs fans are not haapy about this transfer policy. Your management invest in young British players not for footballing reasons, but for financial reasons. From a business point of view, it could make sense, but it won't help improve team performance at least in the near future.

francobaresi

I fucking hate Tottenham, only slightly less than i hate Leeds and fucking Liverpool.

GlastonSpur

Is this some strangely distorted second half of a knock-knock joke? If so, the first part is missing.

KeyserSoze

Spurs have ruined the career of quite a few young players buy just buying them all up no matter how much depth they have in that position. There is no point if he is not going to improve their team significantly, i have not seen him play enough to make a judgement.

francobaresi

dick

CockneyHammer

Yes we do dabble in the transfer window, it has made our club a lot of money and the transfer window is one thing that kept our club afloat after we was relegated

I don't have a problem with teams buying the odd young promising player but when your doing it all the time rather than developing any of your own then claiming those players to be products of your own academy it's very wrong.

A grade one showing from Tottenham of what is wrong with the English game

And yes you only do it for financial reasons rather than trying to build a team for the future

And by the way I doubt you'll sign him anyway

I'm going to add you to my list of favourte posters

RedKaos

GlastonSpur

I don't know where you get this idea from - it's rubbish. Most Spurs fans are very happy with the array of young players that we've been signing and developing over the last 2 or 3 years: players like Danny Rose, Dean Parrett, Adel Taarabt and several others. Not all will necessarily make it, but I bet you that several will be appearing in Spurs' match-day squad before too long. And most Spurs fans think likewise.

Also rubbish. Spurs have the 11th largest income in the world - unlike some clubs we don't need to sell players to survive.

If we didn't sign Lennon and Huddlestone (for example) for footballing reasons, then it's mighty strange that they play so frequently for us.

GlastonSpur

Like who?

Routledge is the only young player I can think of who was signed, didn't make the grade and was sold. He's now at Villa and still young - so his career is hardly ruined.

KeyserSoze

Yeah ruined is not the right word, they just stunted their development:

Darren Bent
Younes Kaboul
Helder Postiga
Kevin-Prince Boateng
Calum Davenport
Sean Davis

I know some of them are still there and could become good players for them, however, it aint looking good right now.

rocks13

I can't understand why people in this thread are getting so worked up about Spurs.

They're a nothing mid-table club with delusions of grandeur. Ultimately, if this kid's any good he be sold on at a profit.

CockneyHammer

Add Matthew Etherington and Bobby Zamora to that list

Defoe also had a goal ratio of 1 goal every 1.6 games at West Ham, it's currently 1.5 at Portsmouth at Tottenham it was 3.2

CockneyHammer

Lee Barnard and Andy Reid

GlastonSpur

Spurs don't claim any such thing - it's simply you building up a straw man argument.

However, we do contribute to the development of several young players who arrive at a young age from the outside and spend time inside our academy and/or reserve teams before - we hope - progressing further.

And we do also have a fine developing array of academy players who have been with Spurs from the outset. Those players - including only 4 players from an 18-strong squad who were signed from outside Spurs - have just won an U-20 international youth tourney in Switzerland, emerging as the best side amongst youth teams from Sevilla FC, Galatasaray, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Sion, CR Flamengo and FC Monthey. The Portuguese club, for instance, have one of the very best youth teams in Europe.

If you don't like the Spurs policy of signing young, British players - then gee that's tough. At least compared to many clubs we give British players a decent chance at a Prem club and a good environment in which to flourish.

GlastonSpur

Clever

francobaresi

not really

KeyserSoze

Grow up a bit lads.

CockneyHammer

I specifically remember you trying to tell me that Lennon and Huddlestone were basically Academy products due to the age that they signed for Tottenham

Wow there are some big teams there, really they won a Youth tournament in Switzerland

I can't think of any really decent players that have come from your academy please enlighten me, let's say for example that decent means that they can regularly play for a top 4 team, show me your cards Glaston

Every club gives British players a chance, I challenge you to name me one who doesn't

francobaresi

fair point

GlastonSpur

Bent, Kaboul and Boateng are still at Spurs, so that's half of your list scratched off straight away.

In any case, none of the players you've listed were signed as academy or youth team players - so the whole basis for your silly argument collapses before it even gets going.

Sean Davis was virtually 25 when he signed for us - hardly a youth player. And he went to Pompey - so hardly a ruined career.

Davenport was nearly 22 when he signed for us - as CB backup player. He went to WHAM where his career was not ruined - er', hang on, you may have a point in his case.

Helder Postiga - how far back do you want to go? He was 21 - it didn't work out and now he plays for Panathinaikos. So what?

So what's left from what you're saying? Spurs sometimes sign players and then sell them? Wow, big news. I suppose MUFC never sold Rossi, or Smith or any other players.

Alex

I find it amusing

FortBoyard

To be fair to Spurs they do have several players that they have developed from their academies over the years, and correct me if im wrong but aren't the likes of King, O'Hara etc products of such a system.

But i do also think that they sign a lot of young players and never seem to do much about loaning them out, which is possibly the best way to let them develop.

GlastonSpur

Barnard came up through the Spurs ranks, played in our Reserve team and was then sold. So what? Is every player in every Prem reserve team going to make it into the first XI? No, only a minority actually do. Your attempted point-scoring is pathetically lacking in substance.

Andy Reid was signed a a squad player, had an established career before he came to us and now he has an established career at Sunderland. So what's your point?

I suggest three things.

1) Try to not obsess about Spurs all the time.

2) Look to your own club's less than sparkling transfer record.

3) Take a look at your trophy cabinet - then wonder if the empty spaces are linked to point 2).

FortBoyard

Ah the old Spurs v West Ham fan, reminds me of my school days.

KeyserSoze

I believe i have already said ruined was the wrong word. I also said although some of them are still there it is not looking good so half of your silly rant should be scratched off. They spent shit loads on Bent and did not play him when every man and his dog coud see u needed defenders. Kaboul does not play at all and defenders have been bought since. I also dont know where your going with the academy prospect thing i said young players and i believe Postiga, Davenport, Kaboul etc are just that.

So whats left from what your saying? United sold Rossi after helping him develop into a better player who has gone on to have success elsewhere. While other young players such as Rooney, Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson have come in to be a big part of a successful team while Spurs have actually got worse with the ones they have bought? Wow, big news. I suppose Spurs winning the league cup has proved that buying these players was the correct decision.

CockneyHammer

I'll end this argument here, your academy is shit, you poach young promising players from other clubs who often turn out to be failures at Spurs yet sucessful elsewhere

End of

GlastonSpur

Wrong. I said that Spurs signed them young and have helped to develop them further. Neither of them were ever in our academy.

I also said the distinction between academy players who've never been attached to another club and those who have is relatively unimportant - to me at least. What matters to me is that Spurs as a club improves, brings in quality players and players with potential and helps to develop them for the club's good.

You are a hypocrite who bangs on endlessly - at every slight chance - about WHAM's academy, but who would be delighted if Victor Moses or Aaron Ramsey signed for you tomorrow.

Looking for yet another chance to laud WHAM's academy? Such a pity that any good player that emerges soon moves off elsewhere first chance they get.

You don't like the fact that Spurs sometimes sign players with potential, or that such players like to come to Spurs? Too bad, you'll just have to live with it.

Arsenal are hardly a shining example, in case you hadn't noticed.

GlastonSpur

It does get rather boring.

Cockney_Ham seems to be so obessed with Spurs that I can barely post anything without him popping up to make some silly jibe about the club. Closet stalker perhaps?

It's a pity really, because I honestly don't care much what happens at WHAM and ordinarily feel no especial need to criticise them. All would be well if only he'd confine himself to droning on in his own threads about their fabulous academy.