Steven Caulker - The Liberty Rock
Peter Thomas is a Swansea fan who writes an excellent blog here - http://pierre91.blogspot.co.uk/. Peter can also be followed on Twitter (@peterthomas91). I've been following Peter, and he has reciprocated by following me on Twitter since around the time we met Swansea for the first time in the Premier League on New Year's Eve, 2011. (Swansea 1 Spurs 1 - 31.12.11)
As you all know, Spurs' 20 year old centre-half, Steven Caulker has been on a season-long loan at Premier League Swansea, and he has won the hearts and minds of those Swansea fans with 26 solid Premier League performances, playing his part in keeping 9 clean sheets including those against title winners Manchester City and Carling Cup winners Liverpool. Steven ousted club captain Garry Monk from the starting line-up whenever he was available.
Caulker is in the news today, as (according to Wales Online) Spurs are ready to extend the under-21 England International's loan at Swansea next season. That would no doubt please Swansea fans, but this Spurs fan looks forward to seeing Caulker play a regular part in Spurs' first team.
Peter Thomas was kind enough to send me these comments about Caulker's season at Swansea:-
I've not previously been a great supporter of the loan system in Football, but this year has changed my perception, in a pleasant way, and it can't be argued that in the football pantheon, this year's pair of loanees have played a huge part in keeping Swansea City where we are.
Hey, it's where many of us Swans think we deserve to be.
The signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson in the January window undoubtedly made our team better, and one hopes that the Club can conclude some long term deal since he's expressed a preference to come back to the Premier League.
Our other loanee, the statuesque Steven Caulker from Tottenham Hotspur has been no less important in our quest for survival, and it can be argued that his has been the more important contribution which led us to an unprecedented 14 clean sheets throughout the season.
When my good friend Paul Smith of the inestimable Spurs Odyssey website got in touch to ask for an approbation of Steven Caulker's progress that he could pass on to his many and myriad Spurs supporters, I was genuinely enthused so to do. So this is it.
Prior to his arrival in SA1, I had, like many, done a little research on young Caulker, and had concluded that here was a young player getting better and better by the year.
He had spent the previous 2 seasons on loan at firstly Yeovil and secondly at Bristol City, and whilst there (at Bristol) I particularly remember being impressed by the youngster at the back who dominated all in the air and had mobility too, specifically when they played against us.
It's worth commenting here that whilst on loan to Yeovil he won 4 from 5 of the Club's end of season awards. That's the first point that needs to be remembered.
His subsequent season, along with his England U19 appearances, saw him loaned a Division upward, to Bristol City, where in his 30 game season (only cut short by injury) he again won the Club's Young Player of the Year award, with a nomination for the Senior Trophy also.
So, when he came to us, he came with a reputation for being an upwardly mobile youngster within the harsh world of the professional game.
I am delighted to say, that after a season long performance in the Barclays Premier League he has both survived, and thrived, adding both to our development as a Club, and his personal development as a player. So much so that on any sentient appreciation, this is a player we would be delighted to retain - on any basis.
His first games for us saw him tested both aerially and tactically/technically, and he showed up front that he was equal to both.
Our early season games saw him make the team immediately as our Club Captain, Garry Monk, was struggling with a foot injury. Caulker was more than equal to the task, coming out, as we did, with home draws against Wigan and Sunderland (clean sheets both), and defeats to the Champions Man Citeh, and Arsenal at the Emirates.
He was an integral part of the side that was making its way into a decent attempt against Clubs of a higher profile, and his injury v Arsenal away was a direct result of his goal saving block where he subsequently crashed into the post. He bravely completed the game, but would then be out for a period.
After a break of some weeks, he returned to the side for a resume of his partnership with Ash Williams, and continued to perform such that his advancement and progression over the Club Captain Garry Monk was no longer debated by us fans. We'd learnt that Caulker's performances were justified in keeping him ahead in the pecking order.
A word here for his style:-
As I've said, his aerial prowess was indisputable, he was genuinely excellent in the air.
What got better by the week was his progression on his ground-based game. In addition to his ability as an out and out defender, where he was obviously more than competent, what has been particularly pleasing has been his ever growing confidence in the constructive side of the game.
You Spurs fans will appreciate that, since, like us, you have a real attacking outlook on any game, and look for your superior footballing prowess being good enough to subdue any opponent. Tottenham, as a club, have always had that progressive outlook, from your historic past to the illustrious present, and you discerning Spurs fans would accept no less, I know.
The early season saw Caulker confirm that he was a truly dominant aerial competitor - something we lacked - but as the weeks rolled on it became more noticeable that his ground-based game, as said above, was advancing too. He had obviously been a capable footballer in all aspects, but what now became noticeable was that he was clearly capable of playing in the Swansea way.
What I mean about this is that whereas early in his days with the club he may well have sent a ball forward and long when pressurised, he gained the confidence to turn back inside, retain possession, and build from there.
On the field, he continued to progress, and his excellent form mirrored the side's advance in continuing to pick up precious Premier League points.
Off the field there was one slip-up - but the way both he and the club handled it is testament to the sense and sensibility of both parties.
At the end of the day we, as fans, are sometimes loath to remember that these are young, impressionable men who are earning large amounts of money so to see them sometimes step off the "righteous" path shouldn't be quite such a surprise.
In one of Swansea's more celubrious night-spots, Wind St, young Steven, out celebrating with team mates, made a mistake that many young males have done before and since - namely to assume that he could cut corners when searching for a toilet. He was caught, by the local law enforcers, in flagrante delicato as some would say. And didn't he just take some stick!
Local tabloids feasted, as they will, on the "SWANS STAR CAUGHT SHORT" type headlines, but, fortunately, Brendan Rodgers and Swansea management made sure it remained just a small and understandable aberration.
Steven was fined internally by the Club, with a sensible directive from Brendan Rodgers to not be so foolish in future, and that was the end of that.
His performances continued to advance, much to our delight, and I can say truthfully that we were a lesser side when he was not available for one reason or another.
I'd point to the games where he didn't play as classic examples.
The nasty injury when he crashed against the post at the Emirates whilst saving a goal concession kept him out for 10 games, and whilst Garry Monk performed manfully for us, he nowadays lacks Steven Caulker's athleticism and aggressive dominance.
What you have in young Caulker is someone who will go toe to toe with the Andy Carrolls of the Premier League, whilst retaining the capability to compete with the Sergio Aguero types on a technical basis. That's how good this young man has got.
After his return to the side , against Fulham in a 2-0 win in December, Steven Caulker played every game to season's end, excluding the fixture at White Hart Lane, since, as your player he was not allowed to play.
He also demonstrated to us Swans that we'd got a realistic, dominant, Premier League Centre Back, who will undoubtedly go on to have an excellent career at both this level and higher.
My estimation is that this is a player who can progress from his already awarded U-21 Cap status to the Senior England Team. Of that I have no doubt.
I'd like to give those of you who haven't seen him play a hint of what he's like in terms of style, but that's difficult. I'll try, none the less.
If you imagine a player with Michael Dawson's passion, and aggressive commitment, with a touch more of a Ledley King type footballing brain, I would think you know you've got a genuine good 'un. This is a big centre-back who is both capable of mixing it and standing off to de-construct and defend. Moreover, he has proved able to set his team onto an attacking path.
At set pieces he has been the first to commit in a defensive situation, and the first to attack aerially when we are testing the opposition from incoming high free kicks. He has been unlucky only in that he has hit both bar and post from our set pieces, otherwise he'd have a Premier League goal or two to his tally.
In Swansea's highlights of the season, Caulker figures in several key moments, including a chipped pass to Gylfi Sigurdsson that set up our first goal in the 2-0 win away to Wigan.
The talk within the dressing room is that Caulker is a popular and contributing team-mate.
I have talked to several of our staff and players, and all say that his off field and collegiate temperament is first class. Similarly, on field, he has represented our club with both passion and good grace, style as well, rarely being drawn into any "wound up" controversy but always capable of giving as good as he gets.
As the season has progressed, it's been both a privilege and pleasure to see his confidence on field grow - even as far as playing as the right sided member of a back 3 of a 3-4-3 against Wolves when Brendan Rodgers experimented in a crazy 4-4 draw.
He got an almighty chasing from Matt Jarvis, the excellent Wolves winger, but was exposed by our Midfielder in the 4 not giving him any protection whatsoever by doubling up.
No matter, he fought on, and followed it up by subduing the supposedly rampant Andy Carroll in our next Home game (and win) 1-0 against the now departed King Kenny. He didn't give Carroll a sniff, and if Roy Hodgson chose Carroll for England at the Euros, he did it from performances against John Terry and Chelsea, because Caulker showed how to handle him - technical superiority, greater aggression, with advances with the ball toward the opposition that helped us win.
Most fans will recognise that we Swans have had a decent season. Indeed, our Home game against you Spurs was amongst the better examples of two decent teams going for a win, and I remain convinced that had Steven Caulker been available to us at the Lane when you won comfortably, Adebayor would have had a much much harder day.
That's how important Steven has been for us.
Swansea City, as a Club, are currently in negotiation with Hoffenheim to sign permanently the excellent Gylfi Sigurdsson. With regard to Steven, all we fans know that if there were a possibility to sign him either again on a loan, or (and I know it's not possible) permanently, we would do so in a heartbeat.
What you have is a top class premier league centre-back, right here, right now.
I honestly believe he will be among your 4 centre-backs's in next year's Premier League squad. If he's not, I'll be astounded.
He made 26 appearances for us in the League, was booked only twice despite being in the front line as he is as a centre-back, and has been a major part in the retention of our Premier League status. We Swans will genuinely miss him.
It only remains to say thank you.
Thank you Steven for your wholehearted and classy effort. Thank you Tottenham for allowing us to use a top class player, and best wishes and regards to both Swansea City FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC in the coming season.
See you next year
Onward Tottenham Hotspur, Onward Swansea City.
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