Caulker scores on his England debut

[pablo73]

He was always a step up from Gardener imo, but yes the season in midfield did seem to teach him a lot about defending for some strange reason

Around the same time I think, but the time I remember Ledley really looking to look like a class defender was after playing alongside Naybet for a season - think he learned a lot from him about positional awareness etc.

 

[$hoguN]

Around the same time I think, but the time I remember Ledley really looking to look like a class defender was after playing alongside Naybet for a season - think he learned a lot from him about positional awareness etc.

Yeah without a shadow of a doubt he also learned a lot from Naybet. I think it was that 2-3 season period where he really became a great defender.

 

[Flashspur]

Certainly a highlight in an average season so far

 

[PlayerX]

Tottenham Hotspur ‏@SpursOfficial
Andre on Caulker: "Big achievement. We have high expectations for him, he's made a great break through, potential to be one of the best"

Tottenham Hotspur ‏@SpursOfficial
Andre "He has evolved. He's got tough competition, from some of the best in his position. He works hard and he's done extremely well"

 

[JimmyG2]

Even allowing for the inevitable rose coloured bi -focals I put on when talking up our own,
I thought the boy done exceptional.
Against one of the finest players in the world who scored one of the best goals I have ever seen,
after he went off I'm glad to say, he was sound.
Perfect? Of course not but confident and positive on his debut.
He went off after 74 minutes, within 3 minutes Ibrahimovic had scored again
and 15 minutes later had scored two more. Coincidence,? Maybe.
His goal was a bonus . His second in four days.
He releases the ball quickly and always looks to play positively.
Not bad for 20yr.old.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

IMO he looks better than Ledly did at the same age, certainly less error prone. Obviously Ledders developed into the beast he was and we all lived happily ever after, apart from his knees, so I have high hopes for Caulker.

Erm, I like the kid and think that if he irons out certain flaws he'll be very good, but make no mistake, this guy is no King and he never will be. King was a once in a lifetime players.

 

[JimmyG2]

Erm, I like the kid and think that if he irons out certain flaws he'll be very good, but make no mistake, this guy is no King and he never will be. King was a once in a lifetime players.

I'm not sure how you can make such an assertion at this stage.
There is every possibility that in five years time he could be the equal of Ledley.
To elevate Ledley to some sort of god like status on an unattainable level
is well over the top.
I'm not saying he will be but don't rule out that he might be.
He's the best young centre half I have seen for a very long time.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

I'm not sure how you can make such an assertion at this stage.
There is every possibility that in five years time he could be the equal of Ledley.
To elevate Ledley to some sort of god like status on an unattainable level
is well over the top.
I'm not saying he will be but don't rule out that he might be.
He's the best young centre half I have seen for a very long time.

Can you say with all confidence that Carroll (who looks very impressive) will never be a Hoddle? If you can say that, then you can say the same for Caulker with King. It's no insult to Caulker, but Ledley was blessed with more pace than almost any other centre back, all the power and strength of a heavyweight boxer but the guile and agility of a squirrel. Combine this with his Jedi like reading of the game and the fact that he had a better pass on him than any English midfielder of the past two decades and you've got the perfect defender. Caulker could become a top class centre back who could play for any side, but to say he could become as good as King is akin to saying the young choirboy at your local parish is on course to being the next Jesus.

 

[diegooners]

He's different to Ledley so there's no point comparing the two. Ledley had midfielders feet and a centre back's build, I have rarely seen such an elegant centre back, ever. Caulker doesn't have that but he already looks very commanding the air, to my mind the one weakness in King's game, and has good pace and strength. He can also play a bit too. He looks more like a young Ferdinand than a young King to me, in terms of build and gait. There's little point speculating how good he will become because at such a young age anything could happen. I doubt many of us thought Kyle Walker would have gone backwards as it stands this season.

Either way I thought he gave a good account of himself tonight, and I'm confident he's already a better player than Smalling and is in with a great shout of getting a lot of caps for England.

 

[Donki]

Erm, I like the kid and think that if he irons out certain flaws he'll be very good, but make no mistake, this guy is no King and he never will be. King was a once in a lifetime players.

I agree Leddly is a one off, but a young Leddly didnt look like much to be honest, but to be fair to him he was in the shadow of Judas. There is no knowing how good a player will or wont be, maturity both physical and mental cannot be projected exactly. Defensive skills such as concentration and positioning take time to be learned and Caulker at his young age certainly doesnt look out of place playing at this level.

 

[mattyspurs]

Can you say with all confidence that Carroll (who looks very impressive) will never be a Hoddle? If you can say that, then you can say the same for Caulker with King. It's no insult to Caulker, but Ledley was blessed with more pace than almost any other centre back, all the power and strength of a heavyweight boxer but the guile and agility of a squirrel. Combine this with his Jedi like reading of the game and the fact that he had a better pass on him than any English midfielder of the past two decades and you've got the perfect defender. Caulker could become a top class centre back who could play for any side, but to say he could become as good as King is akin to saying the young choirboy at your local parish is on course to being the next Jesus.

So where do you stand on this El? I'm not quite sure what you are getting at

 

[Donki]

Can you say with all confidence that Carroll (who looks very impressive) will never be a Hoddle? If you can say that, then you can say the same for Caulker with King. It's no insult to Caulker, but Ledley was blessed with more pace than almost any other centre back, all the power and strength of a heavyweight boxer but the guile and agility of a squirrel. Combine this with his Jedi like reading of the game and the fact that he had a better pass on him than any English midfielder of the past two decades and you've got the perfect defender. Caulker could become a top class centre back who could play for any side, but to say he could become as good as King is akin to saying the young choirboy at your local parish is on course to being the next Jesus.

Do you rememeber Ledley at 20 thou, honestly? Did you think he would turn out how he did? I certainly didn't, thats the point I am trying to make. He wasn't near the build he was in his mid 20's he was a bit of a gangly looking kid. Ledley made his debut at 19 I think, he didnt become a regular till he was about 22 I think, Caulker is 20 and already played most of a PL season and alot of this current one. The kid needs credit for how far he has come.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Do you rememeber Ledley at 20 thou, honestly? Did you think he would turn out how he did? I certainly didn't, thats the point I am trying to make. He wasn't near the build he was in his mid 20's he was a bit of a gangly looking kid. Ledley made his debut at 19 I think, he didnt become a regular till he was about 22 I think, Caulker is 20 and already played most of a PL season and alot of this current one. The kid needs credit for how far he has come.

I give Caulker a lot of credit, and I was raving about him years and years ago before he'd even gone to Yeovil when Callum Butcher was the young centre back that everyone had high expectations of. I just don't think it's healthy to compare him to an absolute prodigy. The thing is, Kings failings at that age where in elements of his game that can always be honed and improved to a top class level, but Kings positives were god given abilities which are almost impossible to find in most footballers. Caulker has everything he needs to develop into a top centre back, one of the best, but he doesn't have the element of genius which King obviously had even at the beginning.

 

[JimmyG2]

Can you say with all confidence that Carroll (who looks very impressive) will never be a Hoddle? If you can say that, then you can say the same for Caulker with King. It's no insult to Caulker, but Ledley was blessed with more pace than almost any other centre back, all the power and strength of a heavyweight boxer but the guile and agility of a squirrel. Combine this with his Jedi like reading of the game and the fact that he had a better pass on him than any English midfielder of the past two decades and you've got the perfect defender. Caulker could become a top class centre back who could play for any side, but to say he could become as good as King is akin to saying the young choirboy at your local parish is on course to being the next Jesus.

Carroll/Hoddle. Yes certainly . I would even put my own money on it.
Carroll is a clumsy player who gets up well to head a ball
and Hoddle was one of the most creative midfielders of all time.
Caulker and King are both central defenders so I'm not sure of your point.

Except in the existential sense that nothing is certain until it happens.
But hey this is a Spurs fansite and you clearly have as much time on your hands as I do.
I'm retired, what's your excuse?

I think we'd better leave choirboys out of it given the ongoing troubles in the Catholic Church.

Then again Jesus father was a carpenter so who knows.
What's the lad's Mothers name?

 

[Donki]

I give Caulker a lot of credit, and I was raving about him years and years ago before he'd even gone to Yeovil when Callum Butcher was the young centre back that everyone had high expectations of. I just don't think it's healthy to compare him to an absolute prodigy. The thing is, Kings failings at that age where in elements of his game that can always be honed and improved to a top class level, but Kings positives were god given abilities which are almost impossible to find in most footballers. Caulker has everything he needs to develop into a top centre back, one of the best, but he doesn't have the element of genius which King obviously had even at the beginning.

There will only be one Ledley, don't get me wrong, his ability when he matured was emmense and if free from injury would have surely been the best CB in the country and up there with the best in the world. What I am saying is I think at 20 Caulker looks like he could be a great player for us, so I think we are on the same page...... I still think if comparing the 2 at 20yo Caulker is looking good.

 

[Donki]

Carroll/Hoddle. Yes certainly . I would even put my own money on it.
Carroll is a clumsy player who gets up well to head a ball
and Hoddle was one of the most creative midfielders of all time.
Caulker and King are both central defenders so I'm not sure of your point.

Except in the existential sense that nothing is certain until it happens.
But hey this is a Spurs fansite and you clearly have as much time on your hands as I do.
I'm retired, what's your excuse?

I think we'd better leave choirboys out of it given the ongoing troubles in the Catholic Church.

Then again Jesus father was a carpenter so who knows.
What's the lad's Mothers name?

I think BBLG was meaning Tom Carroll not Andy Opppps

 

[BringBack_leGin]

There will only be one Ledley, don't get me wrong, his ability when he matured was emmense and if free from injury would have surely been the best CB in the country and up there with the best in the world. What I am saying is I think at 20 Caulker looks like he could be a great player for us, so I think we are on the same page...... I still think if comparing the 2 at 20yo Caulker is looking good.

I agree with you, and I personally think that it is even a compliment to say Caulker is half the player Ledley is. Maybe I rate Ledley too highly, I don't know, but what I see in Caulker is 'much better than other centre backs his age', whereas Ledley was a genius.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Carroll/Hoddle. Yes certainly . I would even put my own money on it.
Carroll is a clumsy player who gets up well to head a ball
and Hoddle was one of the most creative midfielders of all time.
Caulker and King are both central defenders so I'm not sure of your point.

Except in the existential sense that nothing is certain until it happens.
But hey this is a Spurs fansite and you clearly have as much time on your hands as I do.
I'm retired, what's your excuse?

I think we'd better leave choirboys out of it given the ongoing troubles in the Catholic Church.

Then again Jesus father was a carpenter so who knows.
What's the lad's Mothers name?

My excuse is that for at least 2 more working days (including today) I'm an unemployed bum!

Like I replied to Donki, I just think that Caulker looks to have everything a centre back needs to be great (and will be great once a few deficiencies are ironed out) but King, even if he was a little further back in his development at the same age, still displayed technical abilities which Caulker already doesn't seem like he has naturally, and that can't really be coached. 99% of top footballers, never mind centre backs, don't possess those abilities naturally though,

 

[Mackay6]

Yay.

Big England future for the lad?

Well done to Stephen, he is a fantastic prospect and already a very good player, so proud he came through our Academy.

BTW, Hoddle is definitely our greatest homegrown player, but for injuries King might have come close, but Hod was a footballing genius a creator and an artist.

Ledley, for all his qualities, even if he was mainly injury-free couldn't match Hodd.

The greatest players are always the attackers, the creators the artists, Pele Puskas Cruyff Maradona Messi, etc.

 

[theShiznit]

He does not have the mobility or flexibility that Ledley had, which was one of the major reasons (coupled with great technique) that Ledley looked so comfortable on the ball.

I remember that season where he played CM Sherwood joking to the press that he's told Ledley he needs to relax more when in possession. (at that point Ledley was looking our most accomplished Midfielder) he could receive the ball under any amount of pressure and just deal with it.