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Player Watch Player Watch: Oliver Skipp

markiespurs

SC Supporter
Jul 9, 2008
11,899
15,576
It's not necessarily about the numbers but the type of player. We need a deep lying play maker. If that player gets injured we cant replace him which will affect how we play.

Winks and skipper seem more like link players. Sissoko is, well, sissoko. So if new guy gets crocked what do we do?

I don’t entirely disagree

But, at this moment in time, I just think there are more important areas of the squad that need strengthening\refreshing.
 

spurs9

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
11,840
34,012
I'd be happy with one, as long as they are quality - two of Sissoko Winks NewGuy with Skipp as backup seems decent.
I think the fact that Poch played Rose in CM rather than Skipp when Sissoko was injured, tells us that Poch doesn't think he is ready yet.

With Winks injury history, I would rather we brought 2 x CMs in, which might not be ideal form Skipps progression POV, but he only played 403 minutes (in all first team comps) this season, which would could slightly approve upon even with 4 CMs ahead of him, without putting ourselves (or other CMs) under any undue pressure.

I think if we had 3 other CMs and one was injured, Poch would still give Skipp limited minutes, but would just play the other 2 into the ground, making them more likely to get injured.

I say all of this as a huge fan Skipp but we have to remember than Sissoko turns 30 shortly after the season starts, so Skipp's chance will come and whilst he has been phenomenal this season, it is just 1 season out of 3, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Winks gets injured and Sissoko reverts back to the old version and we would be proper fucked.
 

beats1

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2010
30,006
29,551
I would like Herrera to be potentially a guy I hope we try, thrived under Bielsa and does the things we are sort of missing
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
His brief cameo yesterday
showed that he is worth
a lot more minutes
than he has had.
Buzzed with energy and positivity.

If only our much vaunted 'youth policy'
was more than a just a wish.

Underuse of our youngsters
especially KWP and Skipp
is a big blot on Poch's. copybook
 

Luka Van der Bale

Well-Known Member
Jan 29, 2011
6,041
13,611
His brief cameo yesterday
showed that he is worth
a lot more minutes
than he has had.
Buzzed with energy and positivity.

If only our much vaunted 'youth policy'
was more than a just a wish.

Underuse of our youngsters
especially KWP and Skipp
is a big blot on Poch's. copybook
I really don’t think you can say we’ve underused Skipp. He’s well ahead of schedule at this point.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
I really don’t think you can say we’ve underused Skipp. He’s well ahead of schedule at this point.
What schedule? Whose schedule?
We've been struggling for fit midfielders.
If he's old enough he's good enough.
Where he's had 10 minutes
he's could have had 20.

KWP?
He hardly got a look in
after he made 3 assists
in one game.
We've even played Dele in midfield
to doubtful effect.

All IMHO of course.
 

Spurs 1961

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
6,665
8,739
Central midfield is our biggest weakness. We lack creativity and ball players. I think we need two quality players there who are more than just blockers or bulky, strong players but footballers. Sissoko is OK in the middle third of the pitch; Dier is good dropping back into defence to help; Winks is more of the type of player we need to pass forward but his injury record is worrying so we can't rely on his fitness any more than Lamela further forward.

Skipp I am not sure about but I doubt he would have made the squad if Luke Amos had not been injured and Winks been out for most of the season
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
Central midfield is our biggest weakness. We lack creativity and ball players. I think we need two quality players there who are more than just blockers or bulky, strong players but footballers. Sissoko is OK in the middle third of the pitch; Dier is good dropping back into defence to help; Winks is more of the type of player we need to pass forward but his injury record is worrying so we can't rely on his fitness any more than Lamela further forward.

Skipp I am not sure about but I doubt he would have made the squad if Luke Amos had not been injured and Winks been out for most of the season

Agree Winks has been a big miss.

But I am only talking about more minutes
though I am pretty sure
that Skipp could have stepped up/in
for Wanyama and Dier since Xmas

We have been very fortunate
with the re-incarnation of Sissoko.
But you know
Cometh the hour.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,389
His brief cameo yesterday
showed that he is worth
a lot more minutes
than he has had.
Buzzed with energy and positivity.

If only our much vaunted 'youth policy'
was more than a just a wish.

Underuse of our youngsters
especially KWP and Skipp
is a big blot on Poch's. copybook


I think they were underused because we were dropping so many points. It's an anomaly because they may well have helped steady the ship but Poch would have been on a hiding to nothing if it hadn't worked. If we'd pushed on and secured top 4 when we should have I suspect we'd have seen a bit more of them.
 

blackburn

Active Member
Aug 31, 2012
809
1,132
Central midfield is our biggest weakness. We lack creativity and ball players. I think we need two quality players there who are more than just blockers or bulky, strong players but footballers. Sissoko is OK in the middle third of the pitch; Dier is good dropping back into defence to help; Winks is more of the type of player we need to pass forward but his injury record is worrying so we can't rely on his fitness any more than Lamela further forward.

Skipp I am not sure about but I doubt he would have made the squad if Luke Amos had not been injured and Winks been out for most of the season

Yes let's not forget Amos was ahead of Skipp in the pecking order.

Too early to judge but I don't see any real star quality in either of them, perhaps they'll improve with experience. Its a tough time for our youth players as the bar has been raised considerably.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
S
Yes let's not forget Amos was ahead of Skipp in the pecking order.

Too early to judge but I don't see any real star quality in either of them, perhaps they'll improve with experience. Its a tough time for our youth players as the bar has been raised considerably.

Real Star quality?
I'd settle for reliable, dependable, honest, hardworking, competent, fit.
bugger real star quality.

Our recent form and results has been awful.
For all sorts of understandable reasons
but we achieved our goals
through the incompetence of others.

Foyth and Sanchez are young
and have been excused their faults
and I support this.
but others have not.

Young Tielemans Maddison Sessegnon and Brookes
and others similar are no brainers
with or without real star quality.

Unless we join them
in buying expensive ready-mades
who may or may not settle
or fit the squad
or come up to scratch (Sanchez, anyone)
 

JamieSpursCommunityUser

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
1,870
9,860
I think the fact that Poch played Rose in CM rather than Skipp when Sissoko was injured, tells us that Poch doesn't think he is ready yet.

With Winks injury history, I would rather we brought 2 x CMs in, which might not be ideal form Skipps progression POV, but he only played 403 minutes (in all first team comps) this season, which would could slightly approve upon even with 4 CMs ahead of him, without putting ourselves (or other CMs) under any undue pressure.

I think if we had 3 other CMs and one was injured, Poch would still give Skipp limited minutes, but would just play the other 2 into the ground, making them more likely to get injured.

I say all of this as a huge fan Skipp but we have to remember than Sissoko turns 30 shortly after the season starts, so Skipp's chance will come and whilst he has been phenomenal this season, it is just 1 season out of 3, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Winks gets injured and Sissoko reverts back to the old version and we would be proper fucked.

I believe 4 specialist senior CMs is overkill, and the 4th won't play, develop, or help foster squad unity.

It may be necessary when you've got senior pros like Wanyama and Lamela, who can't sadly stay fit - but the solution isn't to bulk the squad out to cover them, it's to replace them with better, healthier, and ideally more verstille players.

I'm totally on board with buying 1 senior CM, and 1 versatile creative player to cover CM and AM.

Any more than that will mean lowering our sights on quality to get more bodies in, which is exactly what we should be moving away from. We have an academy for precisely this reason, to focus our resources on fewer and thereby high level players.

Skipp is only 1 year out of school, but already starting to look physically mature. Another summer on the Kane / Winks regime and he'll be physically ready for the 4th/5th CM role, with Dier, Alli, and Eriksen (or his replacement), and potentially Lamela's replacement (Grealish or similar) - able to step into a 3CM system for bigger games if needed.
 
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CrouchPotato

Well-Known Member
Jan 4, 2013
529
3,358
Is it just me or did he genuinely look bigger yesterday? Really like the look of him. Keep phasing him in slowly, starting all the cups again next year and I think we’ve got a fantastic talent on our hands (y)
 

coys200

Well-Known Member
May 22, 2017
8,436
17,403
Grealish would be perfect squad player for us. Can play in a 3 behind Kane or in CM if needed. Winks Sissoko Ndombele Dier Grealish Skipp we’d have lots of options still with Dele eriksen in an emergency.
 

Wheeler Dealer

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2011
6,863
12,282
He appears to be tidy enough, but from what I've seen, appears to be lacking pace, positioning and that air of arrogance that we have seen with some top young players such as Fabregas, Foden and Rashford at a similar age. I'm not sure he's the short term answer, but he's still young enough to develop..
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,389
Wouldn't mind a loan to a promoted club, especially if it helped get a deal for Grealish over the line if Villa make it.
 

LeParisien

Wrong about everything
Mar 5, 2018
3,212
8,169
He appears to be tidy enough, but from what I've seen, appears to be lacking pace, positioning and that air of arrogance that we have seen with some top young players such as Fabregas, Foden and Rashford at a similar age. I'm not sure he's the short term answer, but he's still young enough to develop..
God forbid he ends up as good as those !!
 

Primativ

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2017
3,229
12,486
Don't really see it with this kid, he looks ok but meh, he's neat and tidy but that is all you can really say. I hope we don't turn into 2019 United, putting our faith in a load of academy kids who clearly aren't good enough.
 
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