The Alli shuffle: Not every young talent ends up as a punchline

The Next Big Thing was on the pitch at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane goodbye yesterday. Wayne Rooney was once the next big thing. Will Dele Alli learn from his mistakes, asks The Secret Footballer.

If you subtracted all the wistfulness, sentimentality and nostalgia at White Hart Lane yesterday- the last ever afternoon at the lane was just a dead rubber end of season game. Spurs coasting to a finish at the end of a campaign that gave hope but no silver cups. Manchester United, oddly for a club of their history and hubris, having abdicated from the league and staked their entire prestige on winning the Europa Cup.

Yesterday was a time for both looking back and looking forward. During the week a You Tube video (https://youtu.be/5jYTLfukNUg) popped up bringing us back to the glory days at the Lane. One afternoon back in October 1965, Manchester United the league champions and a fine team came to White Hart Lane and got turned over 5-1. It’s worth watching for several reasons. The football doesn’t have today’s pace but technically it is excellent. All these years of academies haven’t produced better ballplayers. Then there is a goal for the ages from Jimmy Greaves and a little moment of tika-taka where Spurs’ one-touch passing sets a young George Best chasing after the ball like a game puppy being teased. Oh and there’s a pretty fine Bobby Charlton goal.