Slowly pushing for a start at White Hart Lane?
As Tottenham Hotspur begin to really start kicking on under Andre Villas-Boas, supporters are beginning to get a good idea as to which players are likely to form a cornerstone under the new set-up.
With the likes of Moussa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen settling in wonderfully alongside the existing talents of Gareth Bale et al, the overall make-up of Villas-Boas’ starting XI isn’t of any particular shock to the system. But already, there have been a couple of surprises along the way. And the Portuguese’s willingness to blood the fledgling talent of Andros Townsend so far this term has been one of the most refreshing ones.
Indeed, the Spurs youth conveyor belt has come to signify a palpable source of frustration for many at the club over the last few years. There can be no denying that Tottenham are producing some young players of real quality, but blooding them within the first team has proven a real problem in recent times at White Hart Lane. Perhaps only Jamie O’Hara and Jake Livermore represent Spurs’ real academy successes of recent times.
But this season seems to have marked something of a change. It is very early days indeed, but Andre Villas-Boas doesn’t seem scared to give youth a chance in N17 and even though Andros Townsend’s league appearances have amounted to a couple of brief cameos, it has sent out a genuinely positive message to all those residing in the youth ranks.
Because although two of Townsend’s four appearances in a Spurs shirt this season have come in cup competitions, most prominently, two of those appearances have been clocked up in the Barclays Premier League. Harry Redknapp can’t be knocked for fielding some of Spurs’ spectrum of youngsters in the Europa League, but it is the experience of league football that perhaps determines one of the most important phases in a young footballer’s development.
And If Townsend can continue to make an impact when given the chance by AVB, it might not be long before he’s offered the opportunity to make a name from himself from the off, rather than the substitute’s bench.
Where as the similar fleeting youth talents of John Bostock and Dean Parrett learnt elements of their craft elsewhere in the capital, there can be no denying that Townsend is just about a homegrown as you could possibly wish for. A lifetime Spurs fan and Chingford-born, Townsend joined the White Hart Lane club as a nine-year-old and is unquestionably Tottenham through and through. It’ s a trait that certainly won’t do him any harm in winning a bit of affection from the home support, anyway.
But although such a bit of trivia is usually rendered relatively useless, it seems quite poignant that Townsend’s love of Spurs isn’t massively uncommon knowledge for those who frequent White Hart Lane. Because although he’s only 21, it feels like he’s been in fans’ periphery for quite some time now. And in some respects, it seems surprising that it’s taken until this season for the left-winger to make his league debut for Spurs.
It was the March of 2009 when Townsend made the first of a staggering eight loan moves away from N17, with a spell in Somerset with Yeovil Town. Although he was only 17, it seems remarkable to think that it’s taken near on three and a half years for him to make a league cameo for his parent club. Supporters have continued to be treated to exciting glimpses of the youngster in the cup competitions, the first of which culminated in a goal and a man of the match performances against Charlton in the 2010-11 FA Cup.
But since then, it’s been somewhat frustrating to see him shipped out on loan all over the country in an attempt for him to attain some much needed minutes. Townsend has seemingly consistently produced the goods wherever he’s gone, but as opposed to being developed in house and given a road map for first team football, the club have chose to farm him around League One and then the Championship.
The value of course has seen Townsend rack up well-needed game time that he may not have received at White Hart Lane, especially not with the imposing figure of Gareth Bale in the team. But at times, it’s felt difficult to understand the motivations of the Spurs hierarchy in loaning him out – a move to Watford in 2011, in which the Hornets were desperate for a left-back as opposed to a left-winger, proved to be a complete waste of time, ending after only four weeks. Not all spells work out, but it has felt at times as if Townsend’s talents have been mismanaged.
But after a positive pre-season, Villas-Boas has chosen to keep hold of the young left-winger and it’s been so far so good for the 21-year-old. Against both Lazio and Carlisle he’s offered a real direct threat down the left-side, in the mould of a young Aaron Lennon with perhaps a more technically refined game. He’s racked up less than 10 minutes of Premier League football, but the fact is that Villas-Boas has been happy to blood him into the team. What that signifies to both Townsend and the rest of the academy cannot be underestimated.
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Trying to displace Gareth Bale offers a somewhat insurmountable challenge, but the Villas-Boas set-up lacks the rigidity of his predecessor’s tactical blueprint. The three that AVB plays behind the loan frontman offers fluidity and the chance for experimentation and if Townsend can develop a real tactical nous under the manager, then there is no reason why his pace and delivery can’t be an asset from left to right. Most importantly, he offers something slightly different and another good dimension for the Portuguese to pick from.
It’s an exciting time for all in White Hart Lane at the moment, but the notion of young, homegrown talent complementing the manager’s new vision, is something that really captures the eye. No one can get carried away with the likes of Townsend and his youth colleagues, but having already made half as many appearances under Villas-Boas in four weeks as he did under Redknapp in three years, it must be time to be positive in N17.
How do you see Andros Townsend’s season shaping up at Spurs? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus to talk all things Townsend and Tottenham.