There were very few reasons for Tottenham Hotspur fans to be happy after their brutal 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace, fueled by yet another disastrous performance by Micky van de Ven - a man who has done a lot to destroy his reputation with the arm band around him. But young center midfielder Archie Gray was the one thing resembling a silver lining in defeat.
Though he is just 19 years old, Gray showed a mentality far beyond that of his teammates, who have frustrated the fan base with their egos and thin skin this season. Gray was the one guy running hard and fighting to keep Tottenham afloat, and though he did get an assist in back to back losses, once again, his contributions were not enough for Spurs to turn the tide.
Even so, Tottenham fans appreciate Gray's resolve greatly. Many of his teammates could stand to learn from him, and juxtaposed to what Van de Ven did against Crystal Palace, Gray certainly looked more like captain's material than either the Dutchman or even the (too harshly) criticized real captain, Cristian Romero.
Archie Gray was doubted by Tottenham fans
So often this season, Gray has been disrespected by the managers, even played out of position in these two games against Fulham and Crystal Palace. But Gray never complains or lets his head down. Instead, he grinds harder than anyone else in the team and focuses on what he can do to help Spurs win and make his teammates look good, even as they routinely fail him in return.
What makes all this even more remarkable is that many of his own fans at Tottenham have slagged him off this season, criticizing him and openly wondering why clubs as big as Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid are all lining up with transfer interest in the 19 year old.
Well, if by now those same Spurs supporters do not value Gray, then there is no hope for them, because Gray has proven them to be quite foolish for their critiques. There are indeed a lot of overrated players at Tottenham and characters who do not deserve to hold the weight of this jersey, but Gray is absolutely not one of those expendable parts.
Gray has the mentality of a future superstar, and if the elite clubs in European football and even his new teammates like Xavi Simons can see it, then those fans who did not were always going to be proven horribly wrong.