Ledley King

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Just finished a Q&A session with Ledley, again organised by the Yorkshire Supporters' Club.
People dialed in from all over - Romford (!), Amsterdam, Cleveland, Boston and somewhere else in the USA, and Malta. The lady in Amsterdam is Les Bennett's great-niece (he played in the '51 side). Also, the owners (Charlie and his son) of the Cyprus flag that we see at The Lane participated.
We were advised only to ask questions on his career, so I asked him who his favourite partner at the back was - I loved that he said Daws, Ledley said that he really cared about the Club and he gave his all in every game.
He thought his best manager was Glen Hoddle in terms of tactics and ideas, but most enjoyed playing in Harry's side. His best game was the Chelsea final. Most embarrassing game was the Man City cup game, which we lost at home after being 3-0 up. Best player he played with at Spurs - Gareth Bale. Best player with England - Gerrard.
Someone mentioned that there is a statue of Ledley in Mile End Park, something that I will have to go and find when lockdown over.
Someone else who dialed in was a young boy called George Hearson. He was a mascot when we played Newcastle in 2012, and he mentioned that he had just signed up with Bradford academy, the club that Ledley scored the fastest goal against. He's a left back/wing back, wouldn't it be funny if he ended up playing for us - it's his ambition. Ledley said that although he didn't really care about the record whilst he was playing, he enjoyed the attention once he retired, and was gutted when he lost it.
He mentioned that he was at home with a three and a five year old, who were running him ragged.
Great way to stay in touch with the Club during lockdown. I hope they do more.
 
Just finished a Q&A session with Ledley, again organised by the Yorkshire Supporters' Club.
People dialed in from all over - Romford (!), Amsterdam, Cleveland, Boston and somewhere else in the USA, and Malta. The lady in Amsterdam is Les Bennett's great-niece (he played in the '51 side). Also, the owners (Charlie and his son) of the Cyprus flag that we see at The Lane participated.
We were advised only to ask questions on his career, so I asked him who his favourite partner at the back was - I loved that he said Daws, Ledley said that he really cared about the Club and he gave his all in every game.
He thought his best manager was Glen Hoddle in terms of tactics and ideas, but most enjoyed playing in Harry's side. His best game was the Chelsea final. Most embarrassing game was the Man City cup game, which we lost at home after being 3-0 up. Best player he played with at Spurs - Gareth Bale. Best player with England - Gerrard.
Someone mentioned that there is a statue of Ledley in Mile End Park, something that I will have to go and find when lockdown over.
Someone else who dialed in was a young boy called George Hearson. He was a mascot when we played Newcastle in 2012, and he mentioned that he had just signed up with Bradford academy, the club that Ledley scored the fastest goal against. He's a left back/wing back, wouldn't it be funny if he ended up playing for us - it's his ambition. Ledley said that although he didn't really care about the record whilst he was playing, he enjoyed the attention once he retired, and was gutted when he lost it.
He mentioned that he was at home with a three and a five year old, who were running him ragged.
Great way to stay in touch with the Club during lockdown. I hope they do more.

Love this too... Sterling work Mrs. P.

Love Daws.... Absolute Yido! :tobyarm:
 

Inside Ledley King's injury hell at Tottenham - where he played games despite not training​

Former Tottenham defender Ledley King has opened up on his injury-laden career, admitting that he was selected for games despite not training as performing midweek would only serve him a fresh injury blow

Ledley King has opened up about his torrid time at Tottenham.

The former Spurs and England defender claimed that he used to play matches without even training during the week. New managers were shocked to find out about the situation but King said it was the best system that they could come up with at the time.

King, speaking to Reece Mennie on his podcast, said: “When [Juande] Ramos came in as the manager, he couldn't believe that I didn't train and he said; ‘No, no, no. That’s not going to work’. Then he saw the results without me playing and then he changed his tune and I was back playing!

“So I was lucky he managed me and let me to do that. With Harry Redknapp, it was a tough one, and I had to prove it to him. I start training and then he saw that my knee would just swell up and that I was then unable to play, which was costing the team as it’s a results business at the end of the day. If I’m helping the team, that’s the most important thing and Harry recognised that.”

King also admitted that he could not go a few games without his muscle injury coming back. Instead of training with his team-mates he would be in the physio room trying to get back to match fitness.

“If we played on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, I’d be with the physios in the gym trying to keep my muscles strong because I couldn't replicate running throughout the week, I couldn’t replicate jumping or playing football.

“I’d start playing and then after a few games, I’d break down with a muscle injury, just because I couldn't replicate playing football. If I was lucky I would go out a day before a game and try and join in training, but sometimes I couldn't even do that. If we play on the Sunday again, then same thing happened next week and that was it for five years really!”

The 41-year-old racked up 323 appearances for Spurs, featuring for the club from 1998 to his retirement in 2012. He only played every game of a full Premier League season on one occasion - in 2004–05 - and his injury backlog has become something of folklore in the Premier League.

King had a persistent knee problem that kept him out of action for 260 days, while a separate groin strain once kept him out for 180 days. Despite his inability to consistently play, King is considered a cult hero at Spurs and goes down as one of the greatness English talents they have ever produced.
 



The TelegraphThe Telegraph

Ledley King: Fans still mention that tackle on Robben – but my Spurs career became one of guilt​



Mike McGrath
Sun, 5 November 2023 at 10:00 am CET·5-min read

When Ledley King gets stopped in the streets, it often gets brought up. Strikers get reminded of goals but the former Tottenham captain gets asked about his tackle on Arjen Robben. It still lives in the archives as the tackle, perhaps one of the best tackles in the Premier League, and a moment that captured the sheer class of King.

To put it in context, Tottenham had not taken three points off Chelsea for 16 years when they headed into that 2006 fixture, with the inevitable expected to happen when Robben, 22 at the time, ran through on goal with King some 15 yards behind him. As King glided across the White Hart Lane grass, he gained ground with logic-defying speed.

But there was still the composure, to read the movement of his opponent and time his tackle. It was no wonder Spurs players celebrated like King had scored a goal, then went on to seal their long-awaited win against their bitter rivals.

Ledley King's famous tackle on Chelsea's Arjen Robben

Ledley King's famous tackle on Chelsea's Arjen Robben during the 2006-07 Premier League season

“A lot of times you see defenders give up or jog back and almost think the ball is going to end up in the net,” says King. “But if there is a chance, you’ve got to put yourself in a position to do something.

“As a defender I was always told to run back as hard as possible. My thinking was that maybe Robben could take a bad touch. Maybe Paul Robinson might pull off a save from the first shot and then I’m in with a chance to react. Luckily for me it took just too long to get his shot off and I was there.

“I’ve seen it lots of times since I retired. I saw it earlier today! Even when I bump into people on the streets they remind me of that tackle.”

Those seven seconds of action summed up just how good King was when he was playing. Or, more accurately, when his knee allowed him to play during his 13 years, all at Spurs. The younger generation of supporters will have heard the stories passed down on how King would read the game and often dictate it from centre-back. But neatly packaged clips do not do him justice, particularly as his knee meant he did not train between matches.

More than a decade on from his retirement and there are still small reminders of his career. “There is a restriction to my knee. Long journeys, if my leg is bent for too long then I’m definitely reminded of it. When it comes to playing football and twisting and turning, the stress you put it under, then it is a whole different problem,” he said.

His knee problems accelerated around the time of Spurs winning the League Cup in 2008. King admits it was a lonely place, heading to the swimming pool when his team-mates headed out to train. The emotions of that time are complex. On the one hand lifting silverware and helping qualify for the Champions League for the first time. On the other, what he describes as the guilt of not being able to work.

‘I want to go through the struggle with my team’​

“Back in the day you probably don’t want to show any weakness. It was not something players spoke about if they were down, or anything like that,” he said. “I had good family and good people around and we had Nathan Gardiner [Tottenham’s former fitness coach]. He was someone who could see when I wasn’t feeling it and we’d stop. Little things went a long way. He helped me get through that period. He called me today actually.

“You are on your own and the other side of that is that you feel guilty because you are not able to share the work with them.

“Effectively being out for five years, not being able to go out with your team-mates and sharing the laughs and the hard work… I am someone that doesn’t just want to be there for the good times, I want to go through the struggle as well with my team. Those winter days when team-mates might laugh ‘you’re not coming out to train in the snow?’ was actually the opposite for me. I wanted to be there through those times.”

‘I lacked confidence to play for England’​

King, now 43, says his goal at the time was just to make Spurs better whenever he was on the pitch. With no cartilage in his left knee and the joint swelling up, he could only rest between matches. When he retired in 2012, he admits there was an element of relief at not putting his body through any more.

“During the five years of not training there were numerous times when England would call me up but I never felt confident in my body to add another game because of the fact that I was always breaking down,” he said.

When he was picked for England at the 2010 World Cup, the cycling shorts that he wore on matchdays were not waiting for him in the dressing room ahead of facing USA, and injury struck again. “For whatever reason the right ones weren’t there on the day,” he said. “Maybe it was a psychological thing and whether it would have made a difference or not I don’t know. But I always had them for games or for when I could train before games.”

These days King is an ambassador for Spurs and has a keen eye on the current centre-backs in the Premier League. He admired Virgil van Dijk when he led Liverpool to the title. Cristian Romero is now impressing him. “He’s adapted his game this season and has a stable partner in [Micky] Van de Ven who has been exceptional. They are up there as a partnership.”

Unlike 2006, Spurs are expected to win when they face Chelsea on Monday, but will need that partnership - or special moments like King’s tackle - to keep their current run going.

Ledley King visits Suffolks Primary School for Black History Month

King visits Suffolks Primary School for Black History Month
Ledley King was speaking at Suffolks Primary School, Enfield, where he presented prizes to students who have taken part in the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s Black History Month artwork competition.
 
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