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Dele Alli

braineclipse said:
Been thinking a bit on Alli.

I've been a bit skeptical about high profile signings of teenagers not yet good enough to slot straight into the first team for some time. Sure there are success stories, but for every one of those there are plenty of failures and I've been wondering why. I think getting a big money, big wage move to a big club can be such a big positive experience that it has a negative impact on determination and effort put in during training, perhaps even professionalism. A kind of "I made it" point, a time for celebration, at a key time in a player's development where the only thing it's really time for is a lot more hard work.

I think this is a very good time for Alli to sign for us though. We've shown that we can develop youngsters, and we've shown that we can turn a high profile teenage signing into a true superstar. But more than that right now we're at a point where youngsters are breaking through left right and centre, thanks to a boatload of hard work and what has been reported as continued hard work. We have a manager that demands nothing less than full dedication, and a squad that's perhaps a bit fractured, but where the majority are responding really well to that approach.

Alli will come into our club knowing how much hard work pays off, and seeing every day how hard the players that have made it are working. Exactly what's needed in that kind of situation I think.
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We signed a 18 year old LB once and everyone said he'd never be good enough for us as well. Look how well that turned out :)
 
I've got a feeling he will be straight into the thick of things, ie understudy to Bentaleb/mason. I know hes still raw but so was Bentaleb a season or so ago....
 
camspur said:
We signed a 18 year old LB once and everyone said he'd never be good enough for us as well. Look how well that turned out :)
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Of course. Like I said in my post, there are success stories. And one success like that more than makes up for some failures.

I don't think that changes my overall point at all.

harr1984 said:
I've got a feeling he will be straight into the thick of things, ie understudy to Bentaleb/mason. I know hes still raw but so was Bentaleb a season or so ago....
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I hope so.
 
Got a feeling this chap is gonna be something special, lets hope he keeps himself in check, the temptation must be crazy at that age to get preoccupied with girls and clubbing with the kind of money he'll be earning.
 
I think we've got a star in the making here, from what I've seen of him. Villa and Saudi Sportswashing Machine were after him and had one of them got him, he could have been amazing and then we wouldn't have been able to sign him as normally one of the big clubs come in for him and he's sold for about £20m. At £5m it's not much of a gamble because someone like Villa or Saudi Sportswashing Machine would probably take him for £5m from us if he turned out to be ok for us. But if he turns out to be awesome we have got a bargain. Win win in my eyes.
 
I know people use Bale as a success story - but that's only because he was managed properly and got the kick up the are he needed.
Let's remember there was a time where he believed the hype and spent more time worrying about his hair clip than pushing on.

That actually makes him the perfect example to follow as anyone can see he was very close to not fulfilling his potential.
 
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monkeybarry said:
I know people use Bale as a success story - but that's only because he was managed properly and got the kick up the are he needed.
Let's remember there was a time where he believed the hype and spent more time worrying about his hair clip than pushing on.

That actually makes him the perfect example to follow as anyone can see he was very close to not fulfilling his potential.
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Surely a teenager combing his hair a lot translates into boringly normal?

Yes Bale has a touch of vanity about him but equally anyone who's ever had anything to do with him has always championed his hard-work ethic and insisted he's never let the big time affect him in any way.
 
Spur of the moment said:
Surely a teenager combing his hair a lot translates into boringly normal?

Yes Bale has a touch of vanity about him but equally anyone who's ever had anything to do with him has always championed his hard-work ethic and insisted he's never let the big time affect him in any way.
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Compared to one of his current teammates, he's the poster boy of modesty!
 
[QITE="Spur of the moment, post: 670995, member: 119"]Surely a teenager combing his hair a lot translates into boringly normal?

Yes Bale has a touch of vanity about him but equally anyone who's ever had anything to do with him has always championed his hard-work ethic and insisted he's never let the big time affect him in any way.[/QUOTE]




Im pretty sure Harry's quote was along the line of " stop playing with your hair and work hard and you'll be one of the best around".
Bale also admitted it himself.

As for the playing with his hair (and generally toughening up) - it was there for all to see.
He isn't the first, nor last, to be like that - but what he did do was knuckle down and use and develop his talent
 
monkeybarry said:
[QITE="Spur of the moment, post: 670995, member: 119"]Surely a teenager combing his hair a lot translates into boringly normal?

Yes Bale has a touch of vanity about him but equally anyone who's ever had anything to do with him has always championed his hard-work ethic and insisted he's never let the big time affect him in any way.
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Im pretty sure Harry's quote was along the line of " stop playing with your hair and work hard and you'll be one of the best around".
Bale also admitted it himself.

As for the playing with his hair (and generally toughening up) - it was there for all to see.
He isn't the first, nor last, to be like that - but what he did do was knuckle down and use and develop his talent[/QUOTE]

Okay I'll concede he needed to toughen up but that line about stop playing with your hair was surely just a throwaway. Sort of thing that gets on your nerves. I disagree his lack of application was there for all to see. He's never been cut out for chasing and closing down, in fact for someone so fast he can oddly seem somewhat static when not in possession, especially when surrounded by quick passing when he can seem like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Still does that even now for RM, but in my book that's merely because it's not part of his skill-set, rather than because he's lazy.
 
I didn't say he was lazy - I said he is a good example of a player that ran the risk of not fulfilling his potential but with good management and good application he focused and kicked on to become the player he is now.

It could have easily gone the other way as he was nearly sold ( to Forest I think ).
 
Harry Kane is the best example right now to most youngsters in the game. His sheer will and determination to succeed seems to be infectious. Let's hope the likes of Alli follows his example.
 
haha just after we signed him !
there was another youth with a dislocated shoulder too...lets see what our new medical facilities and physio centre can do !
 
monkeybarry said:
I didn't say he was lazy - I said he is a good example of a player that ran the risk of not fulfilling his potential but with good management and good application he focused and kicked on to become the player he is now.

It could have easily gone the other way as he was nearly sold ( to Forest I think ).
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I don't think it was about working hard, it was more he has too soft and when he got tackled he stayed down too often and in fairness he really physically thoughened up and was a beast in his last season.

I think its great we are trying to improve from all angles now, promote from our own ranks, buy the best young players and obviously go for proven players too. Also with the huge investment in our training facilities, its almost like there is a proper strategy now.
 
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