Player Watch - Djed Spence - Genoa

[djhotspur]

Did you see him play for Forest v Arsenal in the cup last year? There's some basis for people's opinions right there in case you missed it. He pocketed Martinelli for the whole match - the same Martinelli who ripped into us at the Emirates.

Yeah but did you watch him against Liverpool where he tried to take jota on constantly just outside his own box and lost it countless times leading to numerous chances.
His attacking stats are piss poor, he can’t really cross, his passing his very poor and he switches off constantly.

 

[Freddie]

Conte appears happy with the business we have done in the last 2 windows. He has consistently said he knows getting all he needs will take several windows.

Outside of fans building Spence up to
mythological levels, there’s really no basis for your opinion.

Conte hates losing and loves quality wing backs. I can’t imagine him playing a weakened side through stubbornness.

Nothing he's said suggests he's happy with the signing of Spence and has tried as much as possible to disassociate himself with it.

No one is saying Spence is Cafu but it's hard to understand how he can't be ready given Emerson's glaring inadequacies. Is HE ready? What are the constant boos/groans/scathing reviews from all corners doing for his mental state that apparently Conte doesn't want to expose Spence to?

Also, which quality wing backs does Conte love? Apart from Hakimi and eventually Perisic his whole career has been built on utilising or signing some very ordinary players in those roles. Lichsteiner, De Ceglie, Padoin, Biraghi, Moses, Alonso, Ashley Young. Most of those are hard workers. There's very little quality in that list.

 

[mil1lion]

He just sits in the same category as Sarr and Gil. They're young prospects for the future who ideally need to be loaned. We need to get a more senior right wing back, creative midfielder and attacker so we can loan them. At the moment they're distant squad options.

 

[chrisd2k]

People are massively overstating the booing. It doesnt start from kickoff and only follows a half of players turning around and passing backwards despite having options, and usually being behind.

I dont agree with it, but every fan base has boo boys, especially in a stadium as large as ours. Its certainly not at a level to not play players.

 

[Japhet]

I haven’t said anything that remotely resembles Spence being without quality.

But please share the basis for your view that Conte didn’t want Spence and now won’t play him out of spite.

We've had ITK that Spence was a 'club signing' that Conte didn't ask for. As for not playing him out of 'spite' (which I never said), we've all seen Emerson repeatedly and Doherty occasionally and draw our own conclusions. I'm assuming we'll lump a heap of cash at another RWB in January and Spence will be shipped out the back door under cover of darkness.

 

[Time for Heroes]

I haven’t said anything that remotely resembles Spence being without quality.

But please share the basis for your view that Conte didn’t want Spence and now won’t play him out of spite.

I share this view. What is the basis for your view of Conte not playing him out of spite? Have you seen Emerson play ffs

 

[dontcallme]

We've had ITK that Spence was a 'club signing' that Conte didn't ask for. As for not playing him out of 'spite' (which I never said), we've all seen Emerson repeatedly and Doherty occasionally and draw our own conclusions. I'm assuming we'll lump a heap of cash at another RWB in January and Spence will be shipped out the back door under cover of darkness.

We’ve also had itk saying Conte is working with him personally. Strange thing to do if he wants nothing to do with him.

 

[dontcallme]

I share this view. What is the basis for your view of Conte not playing him out of spite? Have you seen Emerson play ffs

The old “this other player isn’t very good” argument.

The dumbest argument, thank you for providing.

 

[WhiteStripe]

Yeah but did you watch him against Liverpool where he tried to take jota on constantly just outside his own box and lost it countless times leading to numerous chances.
His attacking stats are piss poor, he can’t really cross, his passing his very poor and he switches off constantly.

Then why in fucks name did we waste our limited funds on him?!

 

[dontcallme]

Then why in fucks name did we waste our limited funds on him?!

Maybe Conte is right that he is a player who needs developing.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Not playing him out of spite - just makes no sense to me.

Conte wants to win. He wants to win today, tomorrow, yesterday. He will play the players he thinks will help him win. He is not here to "develop" players - he is here to win now. If he thought Spence gave Spurs a better chance to win - Conte would play him.

Paratici and Levy would not sanction the funds to buy a RWB in January if either thought that Conte was simply not playing Spence out of spite.

Nothing suggests this is personal with Conte - just because he was a "club signing" does not mean Conte would not use him.

 

[Japhet]

Not playing him out of spite - just makes no sense to me.

Conte wants to win. He wants to win today, tomorrow, yesterday. He will play the players he thinks will help him win. He is not here to "develop" players - he is here to win now. If he thought Spence gave Spurs a better chance to win - Conte would play him.

Paratici and Levy would not sanction the funds to buy a RWB in January if either thought that Conte was simply not playing Spence out of spite.

Nothing suggests this is personal with Conte - just because he was a "club signing" does not mean Conte would not use him.

Nobody said 'spite'. The word was 'stubborn', and I think Conte is stubborn and likes to make a point. In fact,he has a reputation for it.

 

[smallsnc]

Article on football.london on Oct 17 talks about him being a "club signing", that he was learning a lot (especially tactically) in training and that he was tipped to start in the Carabao Cup. I guess we will find out if they were right about the last part in a few hours.

 

[WhiteStripe]

Maybe Conte is right that he is a player who needs developing.

Let’s hope so, I believe he’s a prospect and whilst raw around the edges could well be a future star. Let’s face it, there probably isn’t a better coach in the world to teach a wing back how to be a wing back. I just hope he has the natural ability there to mould into what we need.

 

[SPURSLIFE]

Not playing him out of spite - just makes no sense to me.

Conte wants to win. He wants to win today, tomorrow, yesterday. He will play the players he thinks will help him win. He is not here to "develop" players - he is here to win now. If he thought Spence gave Spurs a better chance to win - Conte would play him.

Paratici and Levy would not sanction the funds to buy a RWB in January if either thought that Conte was simply not playing Spence out of spite.

Nothing suggests this is personal with Conte - just because he was a "club signing" does not mean Conte would not use him.

But he's not using him even though he plays Emerson, who is probably the weakest player in the team, every week more or less. Tonight is an ideal opportunity to play Spence and a few other squad players like Gill. So I will be very interested to see the team he puts out.

 

[jurgen11]

we fast tracked Parrot in and that went well - I remember people cying out for him around the time Norwich knocked us out of the FA Cup and he came on a did bugger all....patience Grasshoppers

 

[Neon_Knight_]

And those that boo will say they saw it coming and that's why they were booing, yet on the other hand as you say it was just before the results started to decline. What if that negativity fed into the side and was partly the reason the results started to drop off?

It might not be coincidental that our team repeatedly plays better after 15 minutes away from the booing fans.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

But he's not using him even though he plays Emerson, who is probably the weakest player in the team, every week more or less. Tonight is an ideal opportunity to play Spence and a few other squad players like Gill. So I will be very interested to see the team he puts out.

If Spence / Doherty was currently outshining Emerson in training, do you really think Conte wouldn't use Emerson less?

I haven't seen much of Spence, but his crossing stats were very average in the Championship last season (so he's unlikely to be an upgrade on Emerson in that area) and he's very inexperienced in defending against PL standard attackers. Surely he needs to prove himself in training before he gets the chance to prove himself in matches - presumably he hasn't managed to do this yet, otherwise he'd be playing.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

But he's not using him even though he plays Emerson, who is probably the weakest player in the team, every week more or less. Tonight is an ideal opportunity to play Spence and a few other squad players like Gill. So I will be very interested to see the team he puts out.

He is not starting tonight.

Maybe he makes the bench.

Just because you think Emerson is the worst player in the starting XI does not make Spence a better option. Conte and the coaches are best positioned to make that determination.

But, just because he is not ready now - does not mean he is not making improvements, and won't be a factor in the future. It takes time, hard work, and patience by the fans.

 

[Enzo]

I've mentally convinced myself he's out 'on loan', unavailable and learning his trade.

Which he hopefully is, by training with top quality coaches and understanding the demands of the boss (not other coaches/tactics if actually on loan).

IF he was proving himself constantly in training etc., I have no doubt he could force his way into this team.

I'm also not a fan of Royal, but here we are.