Spurs News: Big Fish Small Pond

By Deep Blue
August 5 2005

The saga is over, the deal is signed, he has been holding the shirt up for the cameras and talking about the season ahead, I can finally sleep!!! Davids will be at the Lane next year.

The saga is over, the deal is signed, he has been holding the shirt up for the cameras and talking about the season ahead, I can finally sleep!!! Davids will be at the Lane next year. How he performs next year is obviously up for debate but one thing is for sure, this is a player who in stature is world class, a brand in himself, known around the globe, a class above from the rest of our squad at the moment. He is undoubtedly a big fish in a small pond.

Now please don’t get your knickers in a twist about that statement! Yes we are a great club with long traditions, but as we stand now (out of European competition, mid table for a decade..) this is a step down for the much talked about dreadlocked one. There are only a few clubs in Europe to which Davids would not be seen as a “Big Fish” and he has played for a lot of them, in England it would only be Liverpool, Man U, Arsenal and now Chelsea. Even though he would be a star in those clubs he wouldn’t be alone and the spot light wouldn’t be just on him.

So why do you get big players at clubs below them so to speak? Well in the case of Davids he needs to play, regularly to make it in to the Word Cup Dutch squad. The hard line that manager Van Basten is that, if you don’t play regularly for your club team, you don’t get in the national squad. True to his word, Davids was dropped from the Dutch team after not getting regular football at Inter. He has come to Spurs to play and play regularly. Teams of a higher tier could not offer him this, which was why we were able to secure our big fish.

The phenomenon of big fish small ponds most commonly occurs when a player “outgrows” the club he is at (Rooney and SWP are examples of this). A young player may develop into a higher calibre than his talents, at a younger age may have suggested, which was why he wasn’t snapped up at a younger age by a bigger club. Or perhaps the regular starting role at a smaller club or a lower league allows his game to develop at a faster rate than it normally would, the larger clubs will follow the development of these players (leaving him at the “lower club” safe in the knowledge they can be picked up whenever they want), keeping close tabs until they feel the player is good enough to move up a level (players such as Ashton, A.Reid). They don’t always leave though (modern football does make it the likely outcome however), some can stay. Enjoying their cult status with the fans, or just happy to play for the club the support. When talking of such players you immediately think of le god of Southampton fame, Le Tisier and credit for the man for doing so. Shearer has played at a club of a status below his talents for the same reason and although its sad to see a player like him win nothing due to this choice, when if he went to bigger club (Man U) he would surely have something for the mantle. It is always good to see it happen.

It isn’t always home grown players that can develop into these “big fish”, canny managers and DOF can spot talented gems, pick the up on the cheap under the noses of the big clubs and polish them into something special (which is why we had Arneson..) the greatest exponent of this (sadly for spurs fans..) is Mr Wenger, starved of large transfer fees and, to begin with at least, a top tier club to attract top players used this method to great effect. He used his knowledge of U21 French football to pick up underrated Viera and Henry, among others and polish them to produce world class players. He has done this so proficiently however, that they are starting to look like a much larger pond nowadays.

A common way to pick up your big fish is money, it can talk and players, especially when older can be tempted to take the money and play for a club they would not normally play for without the monetary incentives (clubs such as Villa, Boro and Newcastle are common users of this tactics). Paying above the odds for a top class player is not always a bad thing, but they do have a tendency to back fire.

So why would you players want to be big fishes anyway? I suppose its best to mention the obvious first, if you are the best player at the club, you can demand the highest wages, wages you may not get at a club where you are less of a “star”. Less cynically is the adoration of the fans, to be the cult player, the one who’s name on every young kids replica shirt must be a buzz in itself. Also some players thrive off being the key player, the one everyone looks to in the dressing room, the fulcrum of the tactics, moving on to club where the tactics are to “give the ball to him” may actually be bad for their career (players such as Saha and Parker can testify to this), which is why they look, after a while to return to a smaller pond again. On the other hand some players fail to perform when they move down a level from an also ran to a “big fish”. The added focus and pressure put on them, can lead to player who function well in a good team, pay poorly at a smaller one without the support of the “big boys” around them (Butt is a good example of this).

There are dangers in these players though, being the biggest player at the club can be bad for some players, egos soar and arrogance can rub fellow squad members the wrong way. A good manager should work hard to keep this in check or get rid if they get too big for their boots (e.g. Sir Alex and Old Golden balls). The wage demands from such a player may be a burden and if the club become too desperate to appease the wage demands other squad member may demand wage increases.

If a club becomes too reliant on one player it may stifle creativity and the team may become predictable and on dimensional and what to you do if you talisman gets injured or suspended? Worse still, a player firing on all cylinders may attract clubs looking to poach him away from you and although the money is good to receive, how do you go about replacing such a player? (E.g. Duff at Blackburn).

A player could always become lazy as he doesn’t feel he has to try as hard or only raise his game for the "big matches" (Di Canio?), how can you drop a player like that, is it worth the risk of upsetting the fans or the player himself, is he more important than the manager and a force to be reckoned with? (Shearer) it is always a tough thing for a manager to handle, is it worth the risks?

Despite the risks, clubs want to have players of statures higher than their club, at their club. Firstly this keeps the fans happy and is good for merchandising (shirt sales etc). They can also be used as bait to motivate other big name players to sign on the dotted line. On the pitch their talents should ensure greater performances of the team, as they “carry” their team mates through games.

Another reason (and in my opinion an important one in the case of Davids), is the effect on his team mates. Already it is clear, from interviews with King and Defoe that the presence of such a player increases their confidence and convinces them of the ambition of the club. Psychologically it will take a lot of weight off the shoulders of the previously big stars at the clubs (eg Defoe and King). The pressure from the fans to perform and media attention will be aimed less at them and more to the new “star player” and key man, younger players esp. will benefit from this rest bite and allow them to concentrate on their game and as such will be happier and less stressed as a result and develop faster. Of course the younger players will stand to learn a lot from such great talent and as a bonus in the case of Davids, will also get to tap into his vast experience in winning things at all levels and playing and training in different leagues.

Tactically, aside from having the added ability of the player in the team, he will act as a focal point for the player to look to when things get tough, to set the tempo and response to what is happening on the pitch (Gerrard and Keane are masters of this). The apposing team will be aware too of the talent they are up against and may adapt tactics to combat such a player. This may work and the big player may have a quiet game, however this attention to on man allows the rest of the team more space and less attention and they will flourish (I think this is what we will find with Spurs this year), only big players of real talent can take such burden and some crack under such pressure.

It is a tough choice, play at a club that befits your talent, or slum it and become a hero at a club, adored by thousands of fans each week. I for one know which I would choose and Davids it appears has made that very choice.

Now where did I put my Rasta wig and glasses….