It may have been good news for Spurs fans to see Togo eliminated from the African Cup of Nations at the weekend but is there any guarantee that Emmanuel Adebayor will be fit and ready to face Newcastle at the Lane on Saturday?

Ade’s return may have been a relief after the injury to Jermain Defoe at West Brom and we would have at least one senior striker back in the club. However, the player himself admits he is exhausted after Togo’s campaign.

“We were stopped in the quarter-finals, maybe next time we’ll be in the final and win it. So for me, it’s never finished while I have the chance to win something. With all the problems before coming to Afcon, and we’ve showed character, good face and showed we are a team that can play good football,” Ade said.

“I think I have done my best and physically I’m exhausted, but that’s football. It’s a tough one for all the players, for myself, for everyone, but life goes on.”

To be fair to the striker, he was making no excuses ahead of Saturday but is this the prelude to him being left on the bench?

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32 COMMENTS

  1. He’d better. He’s had to work hard and try to carry his national side but he’s not played that much more than he would have if he’d stayed with us.

    We need him and with so many of our players off on international duty, I doubt he will be any more tired than the rest of them on Saturday.

  4. considering the amount of games he has missed this season due to injury and when he did return against the scum he got another three game break due to his stupidity he has some cheek to say he is exhausted, maybe the effort carrying around his heavy wallet with £180,000 weekly wages must be the reason.

  5. Hi, I saw the last 2 Togo matches, where they sat back and defended only looking to attack occasionally on the break. Ade didn’t track back or make an effort to get the ball if it was anything more than 5 yards away from him. Infact you could say from what I saw his performance was a Berbatov “Masterclass” in playing football by walking around. I hope will a couple of days rest Ade will be ready to start on Saturday. Adam from Barnet

  7. He does not need to be that fit for the amount of running around he does. Play him right up top with Holtby in behind him squeezing balls through, whoa makes me feel all excited. HHXX

  8. exhausted ooooooooooooo how football has become a game for pussies now hold your head in shame ade not as though hes playing well to justify plying anyhow beating pubs teams in acon is way under premier league pull your finger out ade lets see the plyer of last season

  9. To be fair to Ade, He probably was speaking DIRECTLY after the match, and in emphasizing the fact he gave everything to the cause, used the words ‘physically exhausted’.

    Now that the anti-Gallas brigade has gone somewhat quite, It appears that it is now Adebayor’s turn to be made a scapegoat amongst the Tottenham ‘faithful’.

    Call me silly, but is anyone noticing a pattern here?

    Yes, thats it! Ex Arsenal players players being treated differently based upon the fact they once played for our nearest rivals.
    I mean, can anybody tell me when they last heard the famous ‘yido’ chant being sung ,in unison, in the direction of either Gallas or Adebayor, irrespective of their form or performances?

    Indeed, Lewis Holtby who has only donned the lily-white shirt TWICE, has already had the honour bestowed upon him, as he has been welcomed into the Spurs family with open arms.

    Now, people can say what they like about Ade this season, but last term he was outstanding in his contribution to the teams 4th place finish.
    Did he miss chances? Yes. Did his form dip at different times throughout the last campaign? Yes. But what COULDN’T be questioned was his commitment/desire to helping the team achieve its goals. I had never known the player to work so hard!

    What SOME Spurs fans have to understand is how their OWN actions contribute to the performances of both the team, and individual players.

    If Spurs fans/supporters want to see the best out of a player like Adebayor, they are going to HAVE to SUPPORT, ENCOURAGE and LEARN TO LOVE HIM just like they do with most of the other players in the team/squad.

    Sing a (complimentary) song for him, applaud his efforts, greet his moments of inspiration with the chant Yido, yido, yido, and I can ASSURE you that the Togolese hitman WILL pay you back with improved displays.

    Adebayor is a player that performs best, when he feels both loved and appreciated. ‘Arry’ knew this, and more importantly- knew how to do this, which meant that the Redknapp/Adebayor partneship was ALWAYS going to be a match made in heaven.

    ‘Arry’ was a master of the ‘love inn. Its one of his biggest strengths as a manager, and to be fair his had plenty of opportunity to harness/hone this skill, with Di Canio, Berkovic and Merson being just a few of the temperamental talents to have played under his tutelage.

    AVB on the other hand, for all his good qualities, is still relatively new/inexperienced when it comes to management/ man-management, as was so apparent during his ill-fated stint as Chelsea manager. Getting the best out of a player that has had a history of being somewhat difficult to manage, is STILL a box Villas- Boas has yet to tick…..

    This is where WE can help, by filling in for the recently sacked Redknapp and giving Ade the kind of encouragement in which he thrives!!!

    It is no coincidence, after all, that upon returning to the national team, where he is not ONLY Captain, but adored by a nation, Ade lead his largely unheralded team to a quarter-final, with a string of impressive performances.

    LEARN TO LOVE ADE AND HE WILL LEARN TO LOVE YOU BACK!!!!

    And you guys will KNOW, YOU TEND TO GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR THE ONES YOU LOVE>>>

    • Erm… So,.. We have a lazy spoilt bloke who needs a sycophantical useless manager to kiss his arse?? – (Who got fired for being useless and running our 11 into the ground)….

      How about this for an idea……

      ‘Ade’,.. Decides in May 2012 that he wants to do the right thing and commit to THFC after they gave HIM a chance to re-build his bullshit reputation,..

      What does he need to do to receive the adoration of the masses????…….
      1) Stay fit… Fuck me, thats asking a lot isn’t it?!.. The bloke deserves all the crap he gets as all his bad performaces are down to NO pre-season and lack of match fitness which is very hard to catch up to at the top level of prof sport,. That’s why he looks like hes strolling about, or nursing little pulls here n there,..because he is!!! – It’s his own fault.. He is supposed to be a PROFESSIONAL sportsman,. Whatever happened contract-wise and Redcrap getting (rightfully) fired, this did not affect his ability to go for a fucking jog.

  10. not just ade underperforming and if you think its all due him being ex gooner then more fool you. hes got is contract now so 1 way other he dont need warrant is perfornces like last season . and got disagree aboyt the arry love inn as well .
    arrys just a better at man mangement look qpr got them plying now mayb not winning but mayb thats lack qality he has. our team look scared at times this season lack creativity pasing so slow its embaressing.

    • You clearly have failed read my post properly, or have simply misunderstood my point. ‘Arrys love inn’which extends to the players he fancies ( or rates) IS the way in which he man-manages. He builds players up, makes them believe they are capable of feats they are yet to accomplish/explore. Its part of the psychology behind football that is EASILY overlooked by the common fan!

      As far as the ex gunner label clouding/prohibiting the affections of the AVERAGE Spurs fan, than how do you explain the lack of warmth directed at Gallas and Ade, irrespective of their performances. Have you known either to receive the ‘yido’ chant, yet, despite all the games they have played for the club?

      I’m not sure how often you manage to watch Spurs but I watch at least 90% of their games, and it is CLEAR to see that both players AREN’T afforded the same encouragement, support or affection as the others. Coming on to sites like this, and gauging the comments/ feeling surrounding both players only strengthens my belief.

      • I don’t mind Gallas at all, and couldn’t give a stuff about his having played for Arsenal, or Chelsea, for that matter.

        It’s Adebayor I’m focused on, particularly his being exhausted crap. It’s a frigging joke. And if there were some implicit anti stuff cos of their Arsenal backgrounds, I’d expect management to cover that. Matter of fact, maybe Adebayor might like to do his talking on the pitch – might help shut up any Spurs idiots you reckon are picking on them because of their having played for Arsenal.

        • like I said before, Sir:

          “To be fair to Ade, He probably was speaking DIRECTLY after the match, and in emphasizing the fact he gave everything to the (Togo) cause, used the words ‘physically exhausted’.”

          I know Ade hasn’t been at his ‘unplayable’ best. Infact, he’s been far from it. All i’m trying to convey in my posts is, IF you want him to do well, afford him the SAME support you afford the others.

          IT IS EASY TO BACK/SUPPORT A PLAYER WHEN HE IS ON FORM/PLAYING WELL, HOWEVER IT IS A LOT MORE BENEFICIAL (FOR ALL PARTIES) TO SUPPORT A PLAYER WHO IS NOT!!!!

          • Fair enough, Ramos 43, and I do accept that players do need to feel their team’s supporters are generally behind them. I well remember the hapless Jenkins receiving huge negativity from the Spurs crowd one time against Coventry.

            But Adebayor does have something to prove, I believe, and the ball is solely in his court. Jenkins was not only a very poor player, inept, in fact, he was the innocent victim of Spurs off-loading the talented but over-randy Robertson to Arsenal. Adebayor, on the other hand, has a massive ego, but, so far, little performance to justify it, at least
            in a Spurs shirt.

  11. Was it never pointed out to him that he is first and foremost under contract to TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR so for him to come back exhausted is unacceptable. What a difference in young Holtby’s attitude. But there you are we were warned by the Gooners.

    • To be fair to Ade, He probably was speaking DIRECTLY after the match, and in emphasizing the fact he gave everything to the cause, used the words ‘physically exhausted’.

      The guy hasn’t even ruled himself out of the game on the weekend and already you are on his case…. Typical!!!

      If your a Spurs ‘supporter’, how about you do what you claim to be and act supportive!

  13. Players get the support and the appreciation of fans when they are seen to be “putting in” and doing 110% to win for the team and its supporters. Thats why Holtby has been taken to heart – its obvious for all to see that he is giving his all and is already passionate about winning with Spurs. Parker, Vertongen, Dawson, Sandro and Bale also seem to have a higher “will to win” attitude than the rest of the squad. Ade has not deserved praise nor appreciation with his efforts this year. Support and respect is earnt.Its Adebayors well paid job to perform at a high level, not a “choice” if he doesnt feel “loved.”

    • Football players, behind the nice cars and big house, are just like the rest of us. They want/like to feel appreciated.

      It is NOT beyond the realms of possibility that, despite your salary, one can become demotivated if they feel their efforts are NOT being recognised.

      I am not sure about you (or maybe I am) but I have worked in jobs that have paid well, and yet have found myself disillusioned when my work SEEMLY goes unnoticed, while others around me get the praise, responsibility and promotion opportunities I’ve felt I’ve also deserved.

      All I am saying is in the case of Ade is, he MAY feel, that no matter what he does on the pitch, he will NEVER be made to feel as much a part of the supporters affections ,as some players, due to his previous employment history/reputation. So what’s the point in giving your last breath to an institution that has FAILED to give you anything/MUCH in return (in terms of encourage of support).

      SOME THINGS GO BEYOND MONEY, MY FRIENDS!!!!

  14. We just need to get off his back a bit for all our sakes. He’s the only top rate striker we’ve got for a while and if I know ankle ligament damage then JD could be out for more than 3 weeks. Just remember last season and now’s his chance to be the lone striker the way he likes it best. This could actually turn out to be in our favour – especially with the promising Holtby playing just behind him.
    It’ll be interesting though to see if avb can man manage ade the way HR did.
    Keeping everything crossed that he rises to the occasion, when he said he was tired i think he just refered to after that particular match – he’s got a week to recover.

  15. Geez Ramos you feel quite strongly about this don’t you? I’d have to agree with most of what you’ve said, although the real truth behind this is that we literally have one forward now and we need him to perform. Hence your sentiment of support. If we had a plethora of other forwards and he was spare I wonder would you be as supportive. I agree that in theory Ade could and should be our best forward and if supported properly from all within then he may become the player we had last year. I also agree that the press have not done Ade any favours over the last few months and with a dip in form at club level it’s been only too easy to jump On his back and say how uninterested and shite he suddenly is.
    I believe all these doubts will be gone in two weeks time when he has got his form back and showed max effort on the pitch. He is the missing link in our team right now. Playing with Defoe as we all know does not and will not work again. Ade despises selfish players. In our team, we have room for one. G bale. Ade will enjoy playing with Holtby so he’d better be bleedin up for the rest of the season and get us some goals.

    • Glad to see we still have SOME level-minded supporters at the club!

      Your right I do feel very strongly about this topic (and many others when it concerns the well-being of my beloved Tottenham Hotspur).

      I just think that it is counter-productive to start (or engage in) a witch-hunt against ANYONE who wears who wears a Spurs shirt, and can potentially help us ALL realise our dreams/ambitions for the club.

      Like I said, supporters have a BIGGER role than they might think, in the results/performances of the team or any particular individual, and that is a role that I TAKE very seriously.

      It doesn’t take a genius to know that having 36,000-odd people backing you (when things aren’t going so well), as opposed to getting on your back, is more LIKELY to deliver the results we all desire.

      I agree that Ade is better suited to playing upfront on his own, and this might be the first REAL opportunity we get to see him do so, this season.

      On his day he is a World-Class player, and although he may not be the ‘World STRIKER’ we all crave, he is more than capable of doing IMMENSE damage to the oppositions defence (as he has shown so many times to our detriment).

      I believe Ade to be a player/person that responds to emotion, which is WHY he appears to perform better in hostile environments (i.e WHL with Arsenal, the Etihad and the Emirates).

      That is why I believe that giving Ade the feeling of warmth/belonging, WILL result in better performances AND greater consistency!

      The media has NEVER done Ade any favours, and Ade has been largely responsible for that. But I believe Ade is fundamentally a good lad, with a complex character, who has matured a lot in recent years.

      ALL HE NEEDS, NOW, IS LOVE!!!!

      *reaches for sick bucket*

  16. Fitness,… Gentlemen,.. The key is fitness,.. How many of you sit at home with ur champ man bullshit clicking buttons until the players have ‘smiley faces’??? lol – This sounds like ramos 43 to me!!… – Only joking Ramos, bu, trust me, the problemn with Ade is fitness!!! – It may take at least a month to get him approaching the right levels to be able to play a full match at %100. – So,.. In essence you’e right,. not for all of ur cereal box psycology attempts at explaining how well redcrap is tellin people they’re triffic,… But by saying that the way we can help is to cheer the un-fit bloke on!! ;() COYS.

    • *Laughs* You’ve got me bang to rights there mate. Got the champ man saving ,as we speak!

      Can see you point about fitness, but in truth I think the guy responds to emotion, much in the same way Berbertov did when he was here and Cantona did when at Man Utd.

      Both of those players careers only really began when they found a place where they were adored and admired, despite there many flaws.

      It is no coincidence, for me anyway, that Dimitar has found life difficult (in terms of personal performance) since leaving the lane. You may take the opportunity now to point out that Berbatov finished top -scorer in the EPL whilst at Old Trafford, but I would argue that in terms of the wizardry, he so often displayed whilst in a Spurs shirt, he has never quite been the same player.

      Irrespective of systems and tactics, I believe Berba is a similar type to Ade, in that they both respond ,effectively, to high emotions, adulation and compassion.

      You don’t need a masters in psychology to know that having 36,000-odd people backing you (when things aren’t going so well), as opposed to getting on your back, is more LIKELY to deliver the results we all desire.

      Tell the truth Borris, I’m good, right?!

      ps. the comment about the cereal box was classic. Had me in stitches.

      • Well Ramos
        You certainly do sound pretty passionate about Ade and also pretty defensive but, for the life of me, I cannot understand why. Everywhere he has ever gone has enticed the same response from him – put the effort in to secure a good contract or move and then retire into a mood of virtual lethargy. Apart from being unfit all season his goals to games ratio has been pitiful. I would love him to be winning games , scoring goals for fun etc but it just hasnt happened and I can’t see it happening either. Defoe – for all his faults and , at times selfish play, does put the ball in the net but , more importantly, he always looks like he is trying.

        • Lets then make WHL the place where it all changes for the lad! He was outstanding last season, of not in terms of goals than certainly in terms of effort.

          And for all your (and others) criticism of the lad. I don’t think he has been THAT bad this season.

          In saying that, his lack of form has probably effected him, which is why I think it is our job (if we WANT him to succeed) to support him as much as we do the other players. Simply giving him a (complimentary) song or bestowing him withe chant of ‘yido’ could work wonders (for us ALL)!!!

  17. With Ade its all about the money money money. Contract is signed and plod along. His wages are a joke and he feels he is a better player than he actually is. His first touch is warped and seems to read the game as if he were a Dyslexic Blonde. I’m a big fan…Come on Ade!!

  18. So he wouldn’t have played in the Semi Final had Togo progressed?? Waste of time article with nothing else to write about. Plus EA has barely broke sweat this season, impossible for him to be remotely knackered!!!!

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