The Spinal Countdown

This post was originally going to be about the lack of Tottenham players in the England squad and then Spurs went and sacked their manager.

Yes Tim Sherwood only ever was an interim and his lack of media training and lack of a plan B ultimately worked against him. In a way those two stories do work together as Sherwood did do more in getting the youth team up to standard than any other manager in recent history. The addition of Bentaleb was a good move but ultimately it wasn't clear when the player's form had gone and how much this affected his confidence.

Also other youth team players saw their chances come in the last 8 months and wherever their playing careers lay, at least they got an opportunity.

This ties into the England idea as most of these players are English and could present good opportunities for England at future tournaments. However it was with a heavy heart that I looked at the England squad for the 2014 World Cup and saw not one Tottenham player.

Our four most viable options were Kyle Walker (injured), Andros Townsend (also injured), Jermain Defoe (sold to Toronto FC) and Aaron Lennon (a huge lack of form this season). Sadly only Lennon was a Spurs contender and to pick him would see the absence of a worthy player like Sterling or Milner (the only Englishman to score for the English Premier League Champions this season). 

There were days when the Spurs spine was that of the English team, and last night I attended Ledley King's testimonial at White Hart Lane, where notable players of King's Spurs career played including Englishmen Sheringham, Anderton, Robinson and Crouch. Sadly those days are gone, for this summer at least.

There will be plenty of speculation about who comes into Spurs to replace Sherwood; the smart money is on Frank De Boer from Ajax, Southampton's Pocchetino, but Napoli's Rafa Benitez or (shudder) David Moyes, but whoever takes the hotseat, youth has to be a priority. 

Last summer the club spent over £100 million on some players who came good, some who we will wait and hope on and some who may go, but I would love to see the 2014/2015 squad be one made up of experience, 1 or 2 marquee signings and the cream of our youth team. Only this way will Spurs dominate the England setup once again.