SQUAD NUMBERS (What the hell is going on?)

[mancman]

Recently Spurs issued the squad numbers for this season. Here is the list:-
1 H GOMES 2 A HUTTON 3 G BALE 4 D ZOKORA
5 D BENTLEY 6 T HUDDLESTONE 7 A LENNON 8 J JENAS
9 D BERBATOV 10 D BENT 11 GILBERTO 14 L MODRIC
16 C GUNTER 17 G dos SANTOS 20 M DAWSON 21 C SANCHEZ
24 J O'HARA 26 L KING 32 B ASSOU-EKOTTO 39 J WOODGATE

My understanding of SQUAD NUMBERS is that they are closely linked to commercial purposes and recognition. Shirt sales, programme details and player identification are just 3 reasons for squad numbers. Perhaps though the most important reason is the recognition by management that the player is likely to be in the first eleven or on the bench. So the converse of this is that the player without a squad number is
a) unlikely to figure in first team matches
b) has no immediate first team future at the club
c) or both in the case of very young professionals.

Now if I was one of the following
K-P BOATENG L YOUNG-PYO R ROCHA H GHALY P STALTIERI
perhaps(at a pinch) I could understand it but what about
A TAARABT D DERVITTE B ALNWICK T PEKHART T ARCHIBALD-HENVILLE L MULLS J MAGHOMA C DANIELS A BARCHAM D ROSE

What is the management saying to them? Considering only 20 players have got numbers and that their will be this season 7 subs on the bench why are TAARABT, DERVITTE, ROSE & PEKHART not to be given squad
numbers?If nothing else it would make the players feel wanted. If I was one of these players (say TAARABT) and a family member or friend looked at the SPurs programme and squad list and says "I see you don't play for Spurs" , I would be gutted.

If you look at most PREMIER clubs 30 + players are usually given squad numbers including aspiring young players on the periphery. Either we are going to sign 4 to 6 players in the next two weeks and selling the ones without numbers then for team morale the omission of squad numbers is ridiculous and hurtful to those young players mentioned (and all other pro's at Spurs).
Just looking at Arsenal they have issued 45 squad numbers(including lots of youth players). Other examples are Man City 50, Man Utd 37, WHU 31.

Surely if you have full professional status at a club a squad number is recognition of that status. What the hell is going on at Spurs?

As an aside what if ROCHA, STALTIERI , YOUNG-PYO etc do not find another club in the next two weeks are they just going to hang around the training ground? For gods sake what a way to treat players who have never let Spurs down. What harm does it do to give those players mentioned squad numbers especially the younger players.

Remember just 4 months ago ALNWICK(27), LEE YOUNG-PYO(3), STALTIERI(7), ROCHA(33), BOATENG(17), TAARABT(19), DERVITTE(35), MILLS(54), ARCH-HENVILLE(38), MAGHOMA (46), BARCHAM(34), ROSE(37)
had squad numbers.

In RAMOS we trust (I hope sp......)

MANCMAN

 

[nicdic]

If they are called upon to play they will get a number, but otherwise i'm not sure it's a big deal at all.

 

[MattyP]

No drama, I'm sure they are waiting for the transfer window to close before finalising the numbers.

After all, imagine being a big YP fan, he gets allocated number 12, you get the shirt, we sell him, you'd be miffed.

Not to mention all the big name signings wanting the coveted number 38 shirt :grin:

 

[Benspur]

Got to say though that Bentley 5 is rubbish! That's a number for a center back of defensive midfielder, not a winger/attacking midfielder! :shrug:

Surely 15, 18 or 19 are better. He could even have taken 23 and then he'd be the proper new DB 23! :rofl:

 

[Hoddle_Ledge]

Got to say though that Bentley 5 is rubbish! That's a number for a center back of defensive midfielder, not a winger/attacking midfielder! :shrug:

Surely 15, 18 or 19 are better. He could even have taken 23 and then he'd be the proper new DB 23! :rofl:

Zidane wore 5 for nearly 6 years, that's good enough for me...and Bentley.

 

[spurslenny]

Berba getting the no9 is most telling for me :grin:

 

[norflondon]

Harsh on Lee, Stalteri and KPB to have their numbers pinched. I know the first two had single digit numbers and Giovani wore 17 at Barca, but having your shirt allocated to someone else brutally exposes your place in the pecking order.

Expect all 3 to seek a move.

 

[nicdic]

I think those 3 knew well before now that they weren't in the first team plans, none of them went on the pre season trip to Spain, and only played in the Spurs XI games, possibly with the exclusion of Taraabt, think he was involved somewhere else.

 

[tRiKS]

the fact the no.10 shirt isn't vacant worries me. seriously there are some ego's out there that I wouldn't put it past to turn us down simply becasue "thier" number isn't available. I can't see Arshavin for example playing in any other shirt than no.10.

seems very odd that Keane would go and Bent would get the 10 straight away. Bit quick thier bent me old mucka and a bit quick by the board and management to take the 10 shirt off the market, when some of the better pleayers we've been courting wears the No.10.
As if there weren't enough flaming hoops we had to jump through to get a signature!!

 

[donny1013]

the fact the no.10 shirt isn't vacant worries me. seriously there are some ego's out there that I wouldn't put it past to turn us down simply becasue "thier" number isn't available. I can't see Arshavin for example playing in any other shirt than no.10.

seems very odd that Keane would go and Bent would get the 10 straight away. Bit quick thier bent me old mucka and a bit quick by the board and management to take the 10 shirt off the market, when some of the better pleayers we've been courting wears the No.10.
As if there weren't enough flaming hoops we had to jump through to get a signature!!

Thats a good point. I remember Sir Les was a little peeved at Newcastle when he had to give up his number 9 shirt to mr. personality Alan Shearer. Bent should have got the no.18 shirt. no.10 is a legendary number at Spurs

 

[eddiebailey]

It does send out a very clear message to Lee, Stalteri, Rocha, Ghaly and Boateng that they they are not wanted. We are however unlikely to unload all of them before the transfer deadline, so those that remain will presumably then be added to the list, and called upon if required.

More surprising are the omissions of Alnwick and Taarabt. We are sure to need a third choice keeper at some point in the season, while Taarabt was brought to the club on the promise of first team football, and has featured regularly. I wonder if we might see these two going before the deadline, if only on loan.

I suspect Daniels and Barcham have very little future at the club, and that McKenna and Maghoma are only hanging on because they are too injury prone to find another club.

As for the rest, at least they know that, with a tiny squad and seven subs, there are places on the bench to be fought for.

 

[Mr-T]

Berba getting the no9 is most telling for me :grin:

Means jack shit, just that he's still playing for us at the moment which isn't news to anyone.