"before introducing a player built like Frank Bruno into the back four who the stadium announced said was "Teddy"

Samba?

No sign of coulilaby I take it spurcat?

I've only ever seen the 'reserves' a couple times, an my impression is that obika won't ever make the step up, but it seems Kane could manage it?

Philspurs - I gather there's been some sort of issue about him getting a visa. Obika is nowhere near good enough. Too early to say with Kane, he's not 18 until next week.

Ah that does ring a bell now. I remember something about him getting an Italian passport or something??? Or did I just make that up?!

Fingers crossed Kane continues to develop. Maybe a run out in the cups is on the cards? But then, I'd have expected him to be involved with pre-season.

Yeah, I would have liked to see him taken to SA, even if only for part of his learning curve. I looked at Andros Townsend today and thought he is far too talented to be messing about in pre-season games with Barnet, he should have been out in SA as well.

Yeah it's a bit disappointing that a couple more of the youth players weren't involved.

Townsend has impressed when I've seen him, I'd like to see him with some opportunities with the first team this season.

Evening Spurcat. Read another report on the game that mentioned in the first half we had no width: 2 DMs and 2CMs neither of which ran the wings. Plus we lost possession way too often. Kane sounded like he's progressing well although if we're looking for a striker to lead the line he's not it.

Also do you know who played (and lost 3-0) to Sunderland yesterday? I've seen a Sunderland report but no names were mentioned.

Evening ddd - I think some of the players have had a busy week and this was their 3rd game and at times it showed. Barnet were certainly sharper in the first half but very 1 dimensional. The thing is, that when you get a high ball pumped into your penalty area and down a slope, and which is relying on the knockdowns, you tend to tuck your FB's in to combat this. Townsend kept his width and was always trying to use it and get forward, but on the other side, Nathan Byrne was woefully lacking.

I am not sure about Kane. In the first half he did nowhere near enough for me, and it wasn't until the 2nd half when he showed signs of progress.

Did most of these today play the 2 games in Portugal? I can't work out who would have played Sunderland yesterday (at "home" apparently).

What did you make of Button? Some decent saves and not much he could do about the goals reportedly.

I have no idea who played in the Sunderland game yesterday, but I will say there were easily 22 players there today.

The most notable absentees were Bostock, Adam Smith and Dean Parrett. Smith and Parrett are away for the under 20 WC and goodness knows where Bostock is this pre-season.


Button is a decent keeper. I would like to see todays first goal again because I would question any keeper getting beat from a set-piece. But, he's got no chance of making it at Spurs and I would expect to see him move on pretty soon.

Is Button any worse than Alnwick though?

I'd forgotten about the u20WC. Just checked the squad and theres a Jak Alnwick, keeper at Newcastle. Any relation I wonder - although Alnwick is a placename in the NE so maybe common? England group games are next Friday, Monday and Thursday.

Jak Alnwick is Ben's brother.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/sport/localsport/9157196.Barnet_defeat_Tottenham_Hotspur_XI/

Teddi is named in the subs. Must be a trialist?

The first report I was talking about

http://www.thfc1882.com/2011/07/23/coulibaly-and-ceballos-absent-as-spurs-xi-lose-to-barnet/

Good find

Yeah, must be a triallist. As I said earlier, he looked more like a heavyweight boxer than a footballer. He went into the back four and was always looking to get forward, but defesively he wasn't really on long enough to pass a judgement.

We can expect some "Know what I mean, 'Arry"s then

Thanks for that link to thfc1882 report. That's not a site I have seen before.

Pleased to see the author of the report agrees with me on the progress and potential of Tom Carroll, and whilst I would agree with his assessment of Kane, I would say Kane did disappoint me in the 1st half and imo, he didn't shine until the 2nd.

The guy with the greek sounding name, played alongside Livermore in CD and was bloody awful. I do agree with him over Livermore as well. No way in the world is he a CB.

Kantsousis? Not sure he's been bought yet. Another trialist?

I didn't know who he was until I read the report in the link you posted. He had a poor game.

Spurcat - If you google "windys blog" that often has youth updates and matches. No report on the Barnet game there I can see yet but quick profiles of some of those involved

ddd - thanks for that link, another site which I didn't know about. The guy who is best informed on players outside the first team is Ray Lo from Spursodyssey and is mentioned by 'windy' in that link. Ray has access to Harry, Sherwood and Clive Allen, and doesn't make a habit of making public what he has been told 'in confidence'. He also goes to youth team away games, bless him.

Spurcat. I'll look out for stuff from him

By the way there's a report on the Sunderland game on the Spurs site now. We won 3-0 not lost A few played Friday and Saturday. Maybe why they had a slow start v Barnet?

Just seen that and it occurrs to me that several players were playing their 3rd game in 5 days. If I had realised that, I might not have been so critical of the first half.