Understand “ Darren’s “ comments but find it hard to believe Dele was a Two or Three season wonder.

comment by Marmalade123 (U22831)
posted 10 seconds ago
So slipping robb, how much do you know about what you are talking about. What has floored Dele? None of us know what caused the fall. You state lack of application. Evidence?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

https://youtu.be/hAyCwb-wM-U

Even just watching this shows a manager who saw the issue 3/4 years ago. But I’m sure if I went deeper I could find more examples. As I said above, I have zero negative feelings towards Delle Alli, I’m sure he’s a decent enough guy but he didn’t take advantage of the position he was in and is now a journeyman footballer when he could have been playing for someone like Liverpool or United (the good version of United)

My only explanation is that he lost that nasty aggressive edge he had. Once that went he was a different proposition.

Thank god he didn’t play for Liverpool or United!Wish him well.

But he basically was that, Marmalade. It’s all in the head. There’s obviously something wrong now beverage’s he’s obviously massively underperforming his level of ability. Seems like he’s gone from one extreme to the other.

*because

YeS Darren, understood. It’s a mental thing. There is help out there and he was one hell of a player in his day . I hope that the forces that be help him out nd he comes back strong.

I was furious when Spurs got him ahead of us having watched him for MK Dons and I believe he was a Liverpool fan. He obviously has the ability but something within himself has caused his decline.

comment by Slippin’ Robb (U22716)
posted 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
Sadly Jose was right about him (he was right about a lot of younger players who just don’t have the drive to be the best versions of themselves).


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stopped clock...Robb. Mourinho had a negative opinion about all young players. Imagine he was in charge of United when Ronaldo was coming through and doing the step overs for no gain etc. He'd likely have been sold, just like the likes of Salah, De Bruyne and Lukaku.

Yeah not another star to Liverpool, give the others a chance mate!

He benefitted massively from players like Dembele who ensured we generally had the ball and bossed the game. Other than goals, Dele didn’t have a huge amount to his game (admittedly being a goal scorer is an excellent asset), so when our midfield doesn’t dominate he looks ineffective.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

He'd have done well in the role Gallagher had at palace last season

Minimal role in buildup, lots of energy and pressing out of possession, arriving in the box in attack. He really faaacked himself by choosing Everton over Palace

Ace, thanks. Always profound and insightful. I finally understand!

Or, to quote Simon Sick Boy in Trainspotting “it’s certainly a phenomenon in all walks of life - at one point you’ve got it, then you lose it, then it’s gone forever”.
———
Yep basically it’s this.

Stephen Hendry alludes to it when he spoke about having the yips. He was the best ever and he just lost it and could never get it back.

comment by Marmalade123 (U22831)
posted 18 minutes ago
Ace, thanks. Always profound and insightful. I finally understand!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maf will certainly second that.

I have posted several times on Dele. His adoptive family live in the next village just north of Milton Keynes. A friend who is also very close to the Hickfords and he told me they were extremely worried about him. The main concerns centred around his attitude and the fact he thought had made it and didn’t need to try as hard anymore.
When you have fight and desire but little real ball skills, you have to work twice as hard to maintain your levels.
Dele was playing the “big time Charlie” role and consequently has paid the price.
Look at players like Son & Kane, push themselves really hard on the training ground, rarely seen out except on the golf course.

Success, dedication and a determination to achieve as much as you can are symbols of Kane & Son’s hard work. Dele’s inability to match their ambitions show every time he is photographed in Vegas or Ibiza or anywhere he can party.
The sad part is that he had reached a peak but didn’t have the will or understanding to stay there!🤯

Some players just fall out of love with the game and I think Dele is one of them. The same happened to Bentley who, upon retirement, said he just stopped liking football as it became too serious. He enjoyed playing with his mates and the dressing room banter but the professionalism and lack of fun did his head in. I reckon the same happened to Dele.

“big time Charlie” might be something in that. 🤓

comment by Ace (U22861)
posted 1 hour, 3 minutes ago
Number of things IMO. Firstly, too much too young. Came to Spurs at only 18 and absolutely smashed it in his first 3 seasons, especially the first two where he scored around 20 goals each season, played out of his skin, broke into the England team (scored on his debut I think), played CL football, got back to back YPOTS awards and massive pay increases, plus sponsorship deals.

You can’t believe that for a young lad a lot of that didn’t go to his head, make him think he’d made it and didn’t have to work so hard, and he started dropping off and losing motivation. He also had some issues in his personal life, with women, that made the press and probably affected him mentally.

There’s also the suggestion the game kind of moved on around this time and a Dele type player wasn’t as needed as teams moved from a 4231 to a 433 and his role of making late runs, getting second balls etc around the box became a bit obsolete. Under Poch he was at his best in the early years when we played high up the pitch, with good technical players around him like Eriksen and Dembele, and Dele’s movement and tricks in and around the box were effective. Conversely Spurs then moved to Jose, then Nuno, and now Conte, all coaches that play lower possession, counter attack football and this game absolutely does not suit Dele at all, he offers nothing in a counter attacking team which is why he hasn’t really had a chance of recovering any form at Spurs since Poch left.

He’s is apparently a lazy trainer too, which means he didn’t have a prayer under Conte.

He moved to Everton who were already in a relegation battle when he joined, to play for Lampard who in managerial terms is a nobody. He was on a hiding to nothing there - anyone expecting him to find the form he had in a Spurs team that had Kane, Son and Eriksen and were finishing 3rd and 2nd, in that shower of sheite Everton side, was deluding themselves.

I think there are other PL teams he could’ve gone to where he’d have fared better, but at this point you have to question his motivation to work hard and succeed. He’s a 25 year old multi millionaire that has a douchebag hairstyle, wears clown clothes and drives a Rolls Royce. As Marvin Hagler once said, it’s not easy to get up at 5am and do road running when you’re sleeping in silk pyjamas.

Or, to quote Simon Sick Boy in Trainspotting “it’s certainly a phenomenon in all walks of life - at one point you’ve got it, then you lose it, then it’s gone forever”.

Dele Alli, had it, lost it, never got it back.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Think this is the best analysis of a career I've read in some time.

I’ve said for years he should just reposition/retrain himself as a striker. It suits the way he plays and almost the way his ‘football mind’ works, for want of a better phrase.

comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 5 hours, 9 minutes ago
comment by Ace (U22861)
posted 1 hour, 3 minutes ago
Number of things IMO. Firstly, too much too young. Came to Spurs at only 18 and absolutely smashed it in his first 3 seasons, especially the first two where he scored around 20 goals each season, played out of his skin, broke into the England team (scored on his debut I think), played CL football, got back to back YPOTS awards and massive pay increases, plus sponsorship deals.

You can’t believe that for a young lad a lot of that didn’t go to his head, make him think he’d made it and didn’t have to work so hard, and he started dropping off and losing motivation. He also had some issues in his personal life, with women, that made the press and probably affected him mentally.

There’s also the suggestion the game kind of moved on around this time and a Dele type player wasn’t as needed as teams moved from a 4231 to a 433 and his role of making late runs, getting second balls etc around the box became a bit obsolete. Under Poch he was at his best in the early years when we played high up the pitch, with good technical players around him like Eriksen and Dembele, and Dele’s movement and tricks in and around the box were effective. Conversely Spurs then moved to Jose, then Nuno, and now Conte, all coaches that play lower possession, counter attack football and this game absolutely does not suit Dele at all, he offers nothing in a counter attacking team which is why he hasn’t really had a chance of recovering any form at Spurs since Poch left.

He’s is apparently a lazy trainer too, which means he didn’t have a prayer under Conte.

He moved to Everton who were already in a relegation battle when he joined, to play for Lampard who in managerial terms is a nobody. He was on a hiding to nothing there - anyone expecting him to find the form he had in a Spurs team that had Kane, Son and Eriksen and were finishing 3rd and 2nd, in that shower of sheite Everton side, was deluding themselves.

I think there are other PL teams he could’ve gone to where he’d have fared better, but at this point you have to question his motivation to work hard and succeed. He’s a 25 year old multi millionaire that has a douchebag hairstyle, wears clown clothes and drives a Rolls Royce. As Marvin Hagler once said, it’s not easy to get up at 5am and do road running when you’re sleeping in silk pyjamas.

Or, to quote Simon Sick Boy in Trainspotting “it’s certainly a phenomenon in all walks of life - at one point you’ve got it, then you lose it, then it’s gone forever”.

Dele Alli, had it, lost it, never got it back.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Think this is the best analysis of a career I've read in some time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It's a decent read. I would take issue with some of the generalisations that come up, though, that read like excuses for Dele. Sure the pressure of fame and coping with that lifestyle shift from poor lad to superstar must be difficult. But that happens to the vast majority of players at the top level.. it's valid but it's not an excuse.

Similar with the game changing. That happens all the time and players like him adapt, they become free kick specialists or commit to a change of position, whatever they do they work fecking hard and make themselves relevant or at least useful. Cos it's their dream to play football at that level, they're driven to succeed and be the best they can.

Like you say, end of the day it's down to motivation. He seemingly doesn't have the motivation to improve or even maintain what he had beyond staying physically fit.

We can all be nostalgic or whatever about it, but I'm sorry, the lad doesn't deserve gushing eulogies, chin scratching, or hand-wringing about what could've been. He was grate. He packed it in. End of.

Dele lost his aggression which is a sign he couldn’t be bothered anymore, he used be dirty and go in on players and square up to them, Poch loved it and praise it.

Funny enough Winks went downhill at the same time, no one to knock them long passes in to and make himself look good.

The decline in Dele's career started after he was rewarded with a 6 year contract. Check the timelines.

Yep Jose was right about him, as he was with Luke Shaw, look at him now.

We got Alli, Dele Alli,
I just don't think you understand
He only cost 5 mill
He's better than Ozil


And now he has gone Turkey as well 🤦🏻‍♂️

So many excuses for a footballer. Good luck to him.