ARCHIE GRAY’S painful gaffe at Nottingham Forest could actually accelerate his progress.
Durham-born Gray, 19, cost Tottenham the opening goal when he lost possession on the edge of his box, sparking a 3-0 defeat which heaped pressure back on boss Thomas Frank.
Yet former Spurs midfielder Micky Hazard, who also hails from the North East, feels the mistake could speed up the teenager’s football education.
Hazard, 65, told SunSport: “People look at the negative side of him giving the goal away.
“Actually, it’s a positive for him, because for a young boy of 19 to be playing in the Premier League with experienced pros, and showing the confidence and belief in his own ability, going to the edge of his own box, I think that shows a confidence way beyond his years.
“I’m not sure when I was 19, I would show for the ball in areas where I wasn’t at risk to a goal.
“Yes, he lost the ball, and he learned from that. And the next time he gets in that situation, he’ll play the pass first time, because he’s a clever footballer.
“That’s part of a learning process. And sometimes the learning process is quite punishing.
“It can quite hurt you when you’re learning. And it takes a big mistake like that to maybe make the learning so much quicker.
“I like him. He’s going to be a very, very good player. One day he could be one of our leaders.”
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Sunderland-born Hazard won the FA Cup in 1982 and the Uefa Cup in 1984 during his first spell at Spurs, before returning to the club to finish off his playing career in the mid 90s.
He remains a follower of Spurs and urged other fans growing frustrated with Frank just six months into the Dane’s tenure to show some patience.
Hazard added: “You can’t expect the manager to come in and change things to perfection overnight.
“Unless the process is given time, then it won’t work.
“He’s not just coming in to implement his own style. He’s coming in to play to our traditions, our philosophies, our style, while also adding his things to what needs to change.
“And when the two eventually settle in together and combine, that’s when we’ll see the success.”
Tottenham face Liverpool on Saturday in a big game for boss Frank after recent results.
But before the evening kick-off, the club have an important campaign which puts football into perspective.
They have teamed up with Samaritans and the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative to help break the stigma around mental health and asking for help.
Spurs have released a powerful film where a young fan who is struggling with his mental health keeps seeing white phone box which symbolises the call to the Samaritans he’s avoiding.
Fans will be invited to share the message ‘To Talk is To Do’ – in reference to the club’s motto ‘To Dare is To Do’ – ahead of the Liverpool match, with a white telephone box placed outside the ground available for photos.
It comes at a time where one in four people experience suicidal thoughts and someone in the the UK takes their own life every 90 minutes.
The campaign has a particular resonance for Hazard, whose nephew Jason Lee Mead took his own life aged just 23.
Ex-Chelsea star Hazard said: “Jason was such a happy-go-lucky lad, but having done a course on suicide prevention and mental health and got qualified, I learnt within that course that they are the masters of disguise.
“They can disguise their innermost feelings better than anyone, and you’ll never know that they’re suffering.
“We have to keep talking about it, bringing awareness to the problem, and the more people are aware, the more we’re able to spot the signs.
“First and foremost, it’s just a simple, ‘Hello, how are you?’
“Those words start a conversation that potentially could save many lives.
“A simple, ‘Hello, how are you?’ can actually be the difference between someone being here and someone not.”