11 Feb 2015

Redknapp raves: 'Top-quality' £20m-attacker is 'player of the year', not Sanchez/Costa. Agree?

Spurs may have lost last night's Premier League clash with Liverpool, but Harry Kane added yet another goal to his impressive tally, and according to ex-Red Jamie Redknapp, the prolific striker is a hot-favourite for this season's 'Player of the Year' award.

In his column for the Daily Mail this week, Redknapp dismissed the chances of Fabregas, Costa, and Sanchez, and claimed that £20m-rated Kane deserves the ultimate accolade. He enthused:

"For me, it would have to be Harry Kane [Player of the Year]. He is a top quality talent [and] it’s hard to spot a weakness in his game"

Yes, at the age of 21, Kane has no weaknesses to his game (!)

Rednkapp has a habit of making egregiously exaggerated claims about young players. A few months ago, he said exactly the same thing about Raheem Sterling:

"Sterling is England’s David Silva. He is such a weapon for England and Liverpool. He is now our best player, and I can’t see a weakness in his game"

If Sterling and Kane have no weaknesses, then where do they go from here? How do they improve? Where is the incentive to improve if everyone keeps saying they're outstanding, and already at the peak of their powers?

Baseless assertions like this are (IMO) damaging, irresponsible, and serve no practical purpose, and until there's a moratorium on pundits, managers etc making risible, ego-massaging claims (and grossly overstating ability), England's young players will never succeed on the world stage.

Obscene wealth and endless fawning praise is a toxic combination, and leads to dulled competitive edge. Why should Sterling et al bust a gut to improve when they're paid millions, and deified on an hourly basis?

In my view, pundits/ex managers/players etc in the public eye have a moral duty to be responsible with their comments, and to be fair, many of them are (Roy Evans, for example), but there are some - like Redknapp - who are simply part of the problem.

As for 'Player of the Year' - Kane will probably be up against Sterling for in the youth category, but if they continue to perform, there's a chance that they'll be nominated in both categories.

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51 comments:

  1. There is now a sense of expectation with sterling. But kane is a fresh prospect so in my opinion will win the youth award.

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  2. WOW - For once I actually beleve J R has a point - been terrific

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  3. Sterling very much so has weaknesses. His finishing is poor, his first touch is either class or way off, and he dribbles with the ball too far in front of him, as if he's repeatedly sprinting after the ball rather than having it under control like a finesse-based Coutinho or tank-like Can.


    Kane on the other hand, is much harder to spot. He has an excellent finish and shot, good first touch, good in the air, and has some good moves with the ball at his feet. However, the lack of a definitive "weakness" per se doesn't mean he can't improve. At least, in my point it doesn't (I don't think RedKnapp means it this way). Kane is an extremely well rounded forward. He is good in most areas, but he still needs to improve ... in all areas. There isn't one single attribute that he needs to focus on in my opinion. He just needs to become better overall.

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  4. It's hard to judge Kane at the moment as he is on a purple patch but you get the sense that he can be the spurs' version of Robbie Fowler which is fantastic for them. If I had to choose a player of the year it would have to be Costa because he is the difference why everybody is fight for 2nd place.

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  5. A weakness is wear you can't kick a ball with you left foot etc. Harry Kane doesn't seem to have any obvious weaknesses, but that doesn't mean he won't improve. If Harry Kane finishes the season in this form he will be a big contender for player of the year, not only due to his fantastic performances, but also the transformative affect he has had on the Spurs side. Lineker likened him to Shearer last week, and that seems like a good comparison to me, but it's still early days.

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  6. strikers and second season syndrome!!..... come on Jamie redders! make all predictions after (if) he bangs thirty in next season. Ive seen too many strikers fade badly after having a great first full season as striker i.e Heskey 22 goals in 56 games in 2001. He went on to grab 14 in 2002 and never scored above 12 goals in a season ever again.

    Then we have our very own Gerrard when he played alongside Torres. year 1 as a striker in 2008-2009 24 goals in 44 games, year 2 as a striker in 2009-2010 12 goals in 49 games.

    And to say Sterling has no weakness in his game would suggest that Jordan Ibe is the greatest player ever to pull on a Liverpool shirt because for me he already streets ahead of Sterling.

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  7. It's all about the hair cut - Raheem will have to go to the same barber as Harry and Gareth ;-)

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  8. I was watching some of our play from last season with Sterling as a left-sided attacker, and he was incredible, really: his final ball and his direct and pacy running with the ball at his feet were as good as anything you'd see in world football at that time. He's been tested in different ways this season, but I don't see any reason to start talking him down.

    Kane is alright.

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  9. The PFA awards are very similar to those liverpool money men who are handling Raheem Sterlings contract negotiations right now.......... Kane won't get too much too soon. Young player of the year at best imo.

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  10. To be honest, I was referring to either award. But I think you're right.

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  11. Hope HK becomes better than next Wilshire or Wickham. These English pundits are so deluded - Sterling is England's Silva, Kane is England's Costa, Barkley is Englands' Pogba, Wilshire is England's Kross........... England is world football's............ England.


    In Germany, Spain, France, Holland, Argentina or Brazil, there are at least half a dozen U21 players who are technically & skill wise better than Kane. At 21, he is 6'2" and ramming around same age players. Once he goes to big league, he 'll be another Andy Carroll.

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  12. I dunno. He looks decent, but it's too soon to judge. You have to wait with young players really until after their second season, which usually means after their first injury lay-off, or a loss of form, perhaps a change of manager or a challenge to their newly-won place in the side in the form of a big-money transfer or a senior player returning to compete...

    If Kane can overcome these challenges, then he'll be a player. But if he doesn't, well, he won't be the first player to disappoint after a decent early career.

    Look at Sturridge: everytime questions have been asked he's come up with answers. But it hasn't been easy has it. That's what it takes to get where he is -- to be the main striker at a top-10 premier league side -- and stay there, even for someone of his exceptional gifts. Kane, who is nowhere near as naturally gifted as Sturridge, has got a long, long way to go before we can predict even a successful, let alone a starry, future for the lad.

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  13. As with all these things it will be decided by finishing position in the league. How many times is the goal scorer man of the match or manager of team who win the league manager of the season. If sterling or Kane score a vital goal on last game of the season that earns top 4, no doubt they will win the award

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  14. Most of the players on this one season wonders list were linked with moves to Liverpool.We dodged those bullets, but got hit with Andy 'half season wonder' Carroll.

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  15. His play suits a wide position much better than a central striker. I listed his weaknesses, but you point out many of his strengths. He is great cutting in and has a great final ball, both as a cross and through ball. And of course, his pace is deadly.


    My purpose wasn't to talk him down, it was to show that as good as he is, he's far from perfect.


    I guess my point is that Sterling's flaws are being emphasized by the fact that he's playing out of position. It would be like playing Kane as winger. He doesn't have the final ball nor the intelligence out wide to be effective. His pace is pretty solid for a CF of his style, but slow for a winger. And his aerial ability would go to waste, just as Sterling's is exposed centrally.

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  16. We might have close to 5 or 6 in England too! Pundits are often prone to exaggeration, but we have some really exciting, young attacking players coming through. It seems to me it's the positions we used to excel at such as goal keepers and centre backs, where England are now lacking.

    Anyway, Harry Kane still a very good all round player and an exciting prospect

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  17. Whilst Can goes to a stylist

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  18. Not going to disagree with you but read the article again I think they are JK's words not JR's

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  19. Not everyone is motivated/demotivated by money some just want to be the best.

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  20. "Why should Sterling et al bust a gut to improve when they're paid millions, and deified on an hourly basis?" Ehhh I don't know, maybe an inner desire to succeed? To help the team win trophies? They're not going to say "Well now Jamie Redknapp has given me his approval, I can put my feet up now!"

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  21. "Why should Sterling et al bust a gut to improve when they're paid millions, and deified on an hourly basis?"



    Isn't it obvious?... For the Girls!

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  22. No problems just solutions .... last night we scored more than they did .

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  23. Paul Lambert sacked ...... crazy could have waited till Summer !
    C'mon Burnley

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  24. Nicolas Chamberlain8:33 pm, February 11, 2015

    Burnley are playing pretty good... Ings is also showing that he is quite talented.
    Come one Burnley, come on West Ham and come on Stoke!

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  25. Nicolas Chamberlain8:34 pm, February 11, 2015

    FFS. I already jinxed it.

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  26. Nicolas Chamberlain8:37 pm, February 11, 2015

    Agree. I'll wait with jumping on that bandwagon...
    I've seen too many one season wonders.
    Kane has a great drive, but with two defenders around him every single game... Things are going to be a lot harder for him. Way too early to tell.

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  27. Anybody know why Brendan left so quickly for Italy yesterday eve when owners were over as well !

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  28. To watch the Parma - Chievo Verone game, according to The Guardian.

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  29. Nicolas Chamberlain8:41 pm, February 11, 2015

    Well, I will put my money on Costa or Fabregas for the PFA award.

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  30. hmmmm what's the attraction and urgency there ?

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  31. Yeah I don't recall us being linked with any of those teams' players. Maybe Brendan has another Emre Can up his sleeve, who knows :-)

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  32. Prob GF wanted to do some shopping ....

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  33. Perhaps... Must have been some special offer on some shoe, only today...

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  34. Collecting special hair products for Emre

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  35. Exactly and they all get treated the same, it's not like this is just a Liverpool thing to grossly over-praise players. The thing is, the slightest drop in form and they're demonised so surely sound advice would be not to pay too much attention to it whatever way it's going

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  36. Villa sack Lambert I'm hearing

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  37. Benni McCarthy on that list, bit harsh

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  38. Costa's a good shout I think. Who would you go for to win the Young Player award?

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  39. Uh whatever you say. There are half a dozen U21 better than K,ane in those respects in England too.

    Aside from Sterling and Ibe of Liverpool, for example, there are others in the U21 set up... you can look for yourself.

    But what Kane is really good at, better than most U21 players in Europe, as he's shown repeatedly in the U21 games he's played, is scoring goals.

    Don't let your anglophobia get the better of you.

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  40. Can goes to the Zohan.

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  41. Can no go to stylist. Stylist come to Can.

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  42. Nicolas Chamberlain12:56 am, February 12, 2015

    Berahino, Kane or maybe Sterling.

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  43. Every player has a weakness, even Messi has a weakness. If JR can't see a weakness in players, it's good that he stays as a pundit and not be a coach.

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  44. I think you need to find some kind of evidence of this "dulled competitive edge". It's an interesting idea, and you know well why I believe you have such a view, but beyond a conversation piece I don't see much substance to it. I understand the theory behind it, but at some point I think the discussion needs to move beyond theory and into reality. If it's genuinely having an effect then there should be some evidence, something we can point to, at least one objective example.

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  45. Surely that can be left to the team hair specialist. Brendan just needs to give him a few general notes with regards shape, body, lustre and colour. Let him do his job ffs.

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  46. Sorry Jaime, but the reason we watch football is for the entertainment and love for the game. The hype, glamour etc is what attracts the majority of us. Its also what attracts new fans to football and grows the game.
    If a pundit says a young player has no weakness in his game its obvious to take it with a pinch of salt (because we all know the truth and can make our own judgement).
    You are mentioning things that have been in the game for such a long time and writing articles to justify something that, imo, will never change. Pundits have no real sense of loyalty to players, as you know, one day a player could be described as world class and then as soon as he makes a mistake all the areas of his game that need improving are unearthed. Its just how it is.
    You write amazing articles, ones that are gripping and that I encourage a lot of LFC and non LFC fans to read, but you seem to have a hunch on this idea that pundits, ex-managers and managers are killing the game for youngsters. Quite a few of your recent articles base this as a key part of the subject.
    Thanks
    Mike

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  47. Kane is very very good; fast enough, clever enough and very game savvy. I love it when a guy works through the system , pays his dues and then finally shows the world. He is by far better than Sterling right now as an overall skilled player. Sterling has great pace and is growing before our very eyes. Kane however if far more complete as a player right now.....

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  48. It's a psychological fact that over-incentivised human beings lose their edge. There's plenty of research out there that confirms this. It's not just football, it's all walks of life. For now, here is a Brendan Rodgers quote from last August:

    "When you reward young players too quickly you give them too much too early and that will be their downfall.

    “English players get rewarded too quickly here – that’s what ends up killing them. We must keep the kids in this country incentivised.

    “It’s a big problem because they lose their hunger. Young players get carried away and then wonder why their careers fall away.”


    This is from a guy with 20+ years experience in the game, and I know how highly you rate him. If anyone will know that too much money too early = dulled competitive edge, it's Rodgers; and he even suggests it explicitly: "they lose their hunger".

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  49. I support Liverpool....but Kane scores goals, many goals...and goals win games...so for now I would vote for Kane.

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  50. Updating his Berlusconi party activities more like

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