Reading between the line, the current and previous manager said so didn't they?
Warnock picks him every week. I think he really likes him. Maybe he thinks calling him out in public will help him to focus. But for me Warnock doesn't seem the type to consistently select players who have a bad attitude. And Warnock will know who the scouts are coming to watch.
Spence came back from the disappointment of being released by Fulham to move from London to Teesside. It is a long way from home for a young lad. He clearly has some talent and worked hard to get his chance. He took his chance last season. Now he is in his second year, first full year as a senior, his form is a bit hot and cold. I personally think that what we are seeing from him now is his season-long loan spell, where he is sent out to gain experience and make his mistakes. He would presumably make his mistakes in League One or Two and then come back a bit wiser and with a lot more experience. But our thin squad and the impact he made meant he never went on loan, he was thrust into our senior team and expected to maintain his form. It is a big ask. How many young lads come through and slot in seamlessly whilst maintaining a high level of form? Any at all?
This time last year Fry was being hammered. Just like Spence is now. Now Fry has really matured into a very good defender who should probably go on at some point to play in the Premier League. The point is that Fry came through, looked excellent, dropped off, looked good again under Pulis, then dropped off again and is now where he should be, where they thought he would be when he was playing with us at 17, 18. Right at the heart of our defence. But he's had, what, 100/120 starts for Boro as a senior? It has taken time for him to establish himself properly. Tav is similar. Burst through, dropped off a bit, hit and miss for a bit, now he looks absolute class and we can't get the ball to him quick enough.
I think people forget it can take time for young lads to get established. Spence has talent. This is only his second season as a footballer, his first as a senior. I personally think he has had a good season and done really well for Boro since he joined the club. He makes mistakes but so does everyone else, including the senior players. There is a reason, or reasons, why we're sitting in the middle of the second tier and Djed Spence isn't it.