What was the trigger in our downward trend?

[Bedfordspurs]

My thoughts are that the academy is putting an emphasis on producing winning youth teams instead of producing youth players that can be successful in the first team. I wonder if that is because those in leadership positions at youth level are judged on where there finish in the league/what trophies they win instead of how many first team players they produce?

I actually don’t think that’s the case for the academy
I believe they still have the focus John put in place in on technical ability all those years ago and managers what more and more athletic ability imo
My nephew has spent the last 8 months working at every but knows Lads at most premier league academies and the only one he thought was bothered about trophies at the youth level was United
Of course he isn’t watching or talking to all the teams
He watched us play his team and said the difference was speed and strength initially but as the game went on it was the better technical players

 

[totalspurs]

1) Not buying enough high quality forwards who were proven goalscorers.
2) Buying prospects not quality - we were complacent and got the balance horribly wrong.

No goals = no wins, simple as that....

I think it's more to do with not buying enough high quality technical midfielders who can pass and create...

The strikers we have are capable of scoring goals... but they don't have any quality creativity behind them.

We keep buying runners and tacklers, that's why we never keep the ball long enough.

Every team (top or bottom) have more of the ball than us, it's ridiculous.

We don't have any technical midfielders at all (apart from Archie Gray) in the squad currently. (And Madison and Kulu). BRAIN PLAYERS, I call them.

None!!!

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I think it's more to do with not buying enough high quality technical midfielders who can pass and create...

The strikers we have are capable of scoring goals... but they don't have any quality creativity behind them.

We keep buying runners and tacklers, that's why we never keep the ball long enough.

Every team (top or bottom) have more of the ball than us, it's ridiculous.

We don't have any technical midfielders at all (apart from Archie Gray) in the squad currently. (And Madison and Kulu). BRAIN PLAYERS, I call them.

None!!!

See my comment above
Most managers currently value athleticism over technical ability
Even Ange went that way

 

[totalspurs]

See my comment above
Most managers currently value athleticism over technical ability
Even Ange went that way

Yes that's true for the PL. But even in the Prem every team has a number of technical players in midfield (even if it's just one) of varying degrees depending on their spending power.... We don't have any players like that at all. And included Xavi and Kudus in that too. They are what I call skilled players not technical players, there is a difference.

We have dumb players, workers, not a single technician (except Gray and Romero). It's so obvious to see.
We are the worst team in Premiership this season pound for pound.