Gallery THFC

Jermain Defoe

2011-09-27T10:08:00.000+07:00

Popular striker reached a personal and club landmark in 2010-11, but admitted it was a 'frustrating' campaign.
Jermain became only the 16th player in the club's history to score 100 goals for Spurs when he hit a screamer against West Brom at the Lane in April, 2011.
But he scored only four goals in the Premier League in a total of nine from 30 appearances in all competitions having been sidelined for three months after sustaining an ankle injury on England duty in September, 2010.
Our top-scorer in 2009-10, Jermain made history during that season before joining an elite Spurs club by scoring for England at the World Cup Finals in June.
Jermain became only the third player in Premier League history to score five goals in a match when he achieved the feat in the 9-1 mauling of Wigan in November.
Indeed, he was only the second Spurs to bag five in a top-flight match after Alfie Stokes all the way back in 1957.
That was the highlight of a season where he scored 24 goals in all competitions, helping fire us to fourth place in the Premier League.
That form took him to the World Cup and his winner against Slovenia marked only the sixth time a Spurs player has achieved the feat on World Cup duty for England - following in the footsteps of Jimmy Greaves, Martin Peters, Alan Mullery, Gary Lineker and Darren Anderton.
JD scored three hat-tricks in the season and was on fire from the start, bagging a trio at Hull in August. Those were his first three goal of the season and his last helped us beat Chelsea in April.
The popular striker rejoined the Club in January 2009 following a successful year at Portsmouth.
The England international had made 177 appearances in our colours in all competitions during his first spell at the Club between January 2004 and January 2008, during which time he scored 64 goals following his switch from West Ham United.
After his spell on the South Coast reaped nine goals in 24 games, JD settled straight back in to life at The Lane with three goals in his first five games.
But a foot injury picked up in late January wrecked the rest of his 2008-09 season and forced him out until mid-April.
Jermain did, however, feature another five times before the season was out, scoring one more goal.
The former Charlton trainee began his professional career at West Ham before embarking on a season-long loan spell at Bournemouth, where he scored 19 goals in 31 appearances before returning to London and clocking up 105 games and 41 goals for West Ham.
Jermain is playing under manager Harry Redknapp for the third time in his career, having also played under his guidance at West Ham and Portsmouth.
He earned his first senior England call-up for a friendly against Sweden in March 2004 and has since gone on to establish himself as a regular international.

Giovani Dos Santos

2011-09-27T10:03:00.000+07:00

Chances were again limited for Giovani in 2010-11.
The Mexican international made five appearances, three as substitiute in the Premier League and starts in the League Cup and Champions League.
He joined La Liga side Racing Santander on loan in January for the remainder of the 2010-11 season.
There was a positive end to the campaign for Gio as he scored a wonderful goal in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final as Mexico defeat USA 4-2 in California.
Signed from Barcelona in June, 2008, 'Gio' made an impressive start to his Spurs career during pre-season before an ankle injury early on in the campaign proper halted his progress.
He returned to make a further three First Team appearances - scoring his first goal for the Club in a UEFA Cup tie with Shakhtar Donetsk in February 2009 - before being loaned out to Ipswich Town for the remainder of the 2008-09 campaign.
At Portman Road, Giovani was a hit with Tractor Boys fans as he scored four goals in eight appearances, including a winner against East Anglia rivals Norwich City.
He followed this up by playing a key role in Mexico's success at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup in USA, a tournament in which he was named MVP (Most Valuable Player).
Gio returned to the Club ready for the 2009-10 season, but an ankle injury picked up in a Carling Cup game at Preston early on in the campaign restricted him to just three Spurs appearances before he agreed to join Turkish club Galatasaray in January 2010, where he spent the remainder of the season before playing every game for Mexico in the World Cup.
Giovani first shot to prominence as the star of the 2005 FIFA U17 World Championships for Mexico, as well as the 2007 FIFA U20 World Championships.
The son of a former professional footballer, he progressed through the ranks at Barcelona and made 28 senior appearances for the Spanish giants in 2007-08, scoring three goals, before moving to England.

Emmanuel Adebayor

2011-09-27T10:00:00.000+07:00

The prolific Togo international striker is with us on loan from Manchester City for the 2011/2012 season.
Emmanuel moved to the Premier League in January, 2006 from Monaco and has scored 81 goals in 186 appearances in all competitions during spells with Arsenal and Manchester City.
Adebayor spent the second half of last season on loan at Real Madrid registering eight goals in 22 appearances.

Roman Pavlyuchenko

2011-09-27T09:54:00.000+07:00

Russian striker ended 2010-11 in style with a double against Birmingham City to secure fifth place in the Premier League and a Europa League play-off spot.
'Pav' scored 14 goals in the season including arguably one of the most important when he lashed home our second goal in the away leg of our Champions League play-off against Young Boys. That made it 3-2 on the night and we eventually cruised home at the Lane.
He featured 39 times in all competitions, starting 25 and scored four goals in the Champions League.
Roman arrived at the Lane in August, 2008 from Spartak Moscow.
It took him just three games to open his goalscoring account in English football with the opener in our Carling Cup third round win over Newcastle in September 2008.
He scored the first goal of Harry Redknapp's reign as manager against Bolton in October 2008, and a week later he scored a last minute winner as we became the first team to defeat Liverpool in 2008-09.
Overall, Roman scored 14 goals in 36 appearances during his first season in English football.
This included a run of scoring in every single round of our run to the 2009 Carling Cup Final, where we were defeated by Manchester United at Wembley on a penalty shoot-out.
He enjoyed a purple patch of eight goals in eight games in February and March of the 2009-10 season.
That spell was the highlight for the striker as a combination of injuries and the form of our other strikers restricted Pav to 26 appearances and only 12 starts in all competitions, scoring 10 goals.
A regular Russian international, Roman hit the headlines in October 2007 when he scored both goals for his country as they beat England 2-1 in European Championship qualifying.
He followed that up with three goals in five games at the 2008 European Championship Finals - including goals against Holland and eventual winners Spain - as Russia reached the semi-finals.
Born in Mostovskoy, Roman started with local club FC Dinamo Stavropol before moving to FC Rotor Volgograd in the top flight in 2000. He switched to Spartak Moscow in 2003 and topped the goalscoring charts in Russia's Premier League in 2006 and 2007.

Steven Pienaar

2011-09-27T09:50:00.000+07:00

The versatile South African midfielder joined from Everton in January, 2011.
Steven went straight into Harry Redknapp's starting line-up for our 1-1 draw with Newcastle at St James' Park just days after arriving and went on to make 10 appearances in all competitions.
He started the famous win over AC Milan in the San Siro but his favourite moment was playing in the victory over his old rivals Liverpool at Anfield in May.
Steven originally arrived in England with Everton from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2007, initially on a season-long loan, and went on to make 132 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 12 goals.
An experienced international with Bafana Bafana, he made his name at Ajax after joining them from their club partners Ajax Cape Town in January 2001.
Steven enjoyed great success during his time in Amsterdam, helping Ajax to the Eredivisie championship in 2002 and 2004 and, in turn, gaining great experience in the Champions League before making the move to the Bundesliga with Dortmund in 2006.

Andros Townsend

2011-09-27T09:46:00.000+07:00

The lightning winger is the latest Academy graduate to make an impressive transition to first team football at the Club.
Andros was given his senior debut in our FA Cup Third Round tie with Charlton at the Lane in January, 2011 - and he took his chance with both hands, scoring the opener in our 3-0 win and putting in a Man of the Match display.
A breakthrough had been on the cards for some time for the Chingford-born youngster, having earned rave reviews during loan spells in the Football League over the previous two years.
Having joined our Academy full-time in 2007, Andros quickly established himself in both our Under-18 and Reserve sides over the next two campaigns before heading out on loan to League One club Yeovil Town at the back end of the 2008-09 season, along with fellow scholar Jon Obika.
And the pair played a pivotal role in helping the Huish Park side avoid relegation that season, with Andros earning international honours at England U19 level that summer.
It was enough to convince Leyton Orient to take the local lad on loan at the start of the 2009-10 campaign, and he shone in a struggling side, scoring one of the contenders for Goal of the Season against his former club Yeovil with a fine solo effort.
But halfway through the season he joined MK Dons in their push for the Play-Off places, scoring twice in nine appearances before being recalled to the Lane to bolster our resources as we went for fourth place in the Premier League.
By the start of the 2010-11 season, Andros had signed a new contract until 2013 and it was clear that he was ready to make the step-up to Championship level, doing so with Ipswich Town.
However, he found it hard to hold down a regular place in a side managed by Roy Keane, making just 13 appearances and scoring one goal before returning to the Lane.
It was in January 2011 that Andros' big break came in the Charlton game before he headed to Watford at the turn of the year.
His spell at Vicarage Road was short-lived, but he found his feet at Millwall in March 2011, scoring twice in 11 appearances as the Lions made a late push for the Play-Offs.

Sandro

2011-09-27T09:41:00.000+07:00

Brazilian international midfielder made a real impact in his debut season in 2010-11.
He was in and out of the squad in the early part of the campaign following his summer switch from Internacional but his stunning performance alongside Wilson Palacios to help beat AC Milan in the San Siro in February, 2011, made everyone sit up and take notice.
He appeared to cover every blade of grass that night and his energy levels and ability to break play up were a feature for the rest of the season.
That wasn't all though. He showed he had an eye for goal with a strike to remember at Chelsea as we went ahead at Stamford Bridge in April, 2011.
In the end, Sandro racked up 26 appearances in all competitions, starting 17.
He also added to his full caps for Brazil - standing at six in June, 2011 - and was selected for the Copa America, taking place in July, 2011.
Sandro joined us from Internacional in March, 2010 and arrived in London in August, 2010, following the successful conclusion of his former club's Copa Libertadores campaign.
Inter lifted the South American equivalent of the Champions League, after a 5-3 aggregate Final victory over Chivas of Mexico.
And he was straight back into action with his new club, making his debut in our League Cup third round defeat against Arsenal at White Hart Lane the following month, putting in an impressive performance.
It wasn't long before Sandro then made his first Premier League start in a 2-1 win at Fulham the following month.
Sandro made nearly 100 appearances for Inter having come through the ranks at the Porto Alegre club, playing a key role in both the Copa Libertadores success and their second place finish in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A the season before.
He made his senior international debut for Brazil against Chile in a World Cup qualifier in September, 2009, aged 20.
He was also capped on eight occasions for the national team's Under-20 side and was their captain as they triumphed in the South American Youth Championship in Venezuela in February, 2009.

Jake Livermore

2011-09-27T09:37:00.000+07:00

The young midfielder made his full debut for the Club in 2010-11 having come through our Academy.

Jake's big moment arrived in September 2010 in our League Cup third round tie against North London rivals Arsenal and he played the first 45 minutes.
The strong, combative midfielder had been around the first team squad for the past season before eventually making his debut as a substitute in our Premier League win at Stoke in March 2010.
He has also gained more valuable playing experience on loan in the Championship at Ipswich Town, where he made 12 appearances and Leeds United, where he played five times between March-May, 2011.
In 2009-10 he made 16 appearances for Derby County, scoring once, and then nine for Peterborough United, also bagging one goal.
A county champion at 1500m, Enfield-born Jake was cross-country champion of the South East in 2000 and joined our Academy full-time in 2006-07 having played 15 times for our Under-18s as a schoolboy in 2005-06.
Injury restricted him to just 10 appearances for our reserves and Under-18s in 2008-09 but he returned to fitness towards the end of the campaign, and on returning to pre-season in preparation for 2009-10, Jake trained and played for the first team before being rewarded a new contract, committing him to the Club until 2011.
On the same day, he scored an equaliser against European Champions Barcelona in a pre-season friendly at Wembley!
Jake has also enjoyed loan spells with both MK Dons and Crewe Alexandra during his time with us.

Danny Rose

2011-09-27T09:33:00.000+07:00

The young midfielder guaranteed his place in Spurs history with a stunning goal in the 2-1 win against Arsenal in April, 2010.
Danny literally exploded onto the scene that night.
Making his full league debut, the derby was only 10 minutes old when Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia punched out Luka Modric's corner.
The ball sailed to Danny who smashed it back with interest from fully 30 yards, his volley flying like a rocket into the net. No surprises that it was later voted Goal of the Season by fans on this website!
Danny had to bide his time for his next appearance but took full advantage of a switch to left-back following injuries to Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Gareth Bale at the end of the 2010-11 campaign.
He started our final four fixtures and particularly impressed in high-profile matches against City and Liverpool. His performances were described as 'outstanding' by manager Harry Redknapp who firmly believes he can made an impact in that full-back role.
His season was capped by being named in England's squad for the 2011 European Championship finals in Denmark, where he featured in all three group matches, starting two.
In-between his derby strike in April, 2010 and the end of the 2010-11 season, Danny spent time on loan at Bristol City in the Championship, although injury halted his spell at Ashton Gate after 17 appearances.
Danny made his breakthrough in 2009-10 with his first Spurs appearance as a substitute in the Carling Cup at home-town team Doncaster, his first start in the FA Cup against former club Leeds before that memorable first league start against the Gunners. In total, he made five appearances.
He joined our Academy from Leeds United at the start of the 2007-08 season.
A regular in our reserves in his first season, Danny suffered an injury-hit 2008-09 campaign, but his career gathered pace after return to action in March, 2009.
After playing four games for both our Reserve and Under-18 sides, Danny earned a loan move to Championship club Watford towards the end of 2008-09, where he made seven appearances.
Such were the standard of his performances in games with Bosnia, Slovakia and Scotland for the England Under-19s in the European Championship Elite Qualifying Round that summer, he caught the eye of Stuart Pearce who took him to Sweden with the Under-21s.
He made his Young Lions debut as a substitute in a 7-0 friendly victory over Azerbaijan Under-21 at Milton Keynes in June 2009.
Danny's first start at that level came in the tournament itself when the Young Lions faced Germany in the group stages on their way to a runners-up spot at the tournament.
On returning to pre-season in preparation for the 2009-10 campaign, Danny trained and played with the first team squad before being awarded a new contract, committing him to the Club until 2013.
Danny also played six matches on loan at Peterborough United between September and November, 2009.

Niko Kranjcar

2011-09-27T09:31:00.000+07:00

The Croatian international found chances limited in 2010-11 - mainly down to the outstanding form of Gareth Bale.
But there were still a couple of moments of magic from the wide man.
Niko came off the bench to hammer home a thunderbolt last-minute winner against Bolton in February, 2011 and made it back-to-back winners with another cracker at Sunderland the week after.
In the end though he made only five starts in his 21 appearances.
Niko's excellent first season in 2009-10 was unfortunately cut short by injury sustained in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley in April.
But he made quite an impact in his 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals including spectacular hits against Peterborough United and Stoke and showstopper against City at the Lane when he beat Emmanuel Adebayor all ends up before slotting home.
Niko joined us from Portsmouth on transfer deadline day in September 2009.
He made his Spurs debut as a second half substitute during a defeat against Manchester United at White Hart Lane later that month.
And although the midfielder had to work hard to win a regular place in Harry Redknapp's starting lineup, he soon established himself as a key attacking player in the side.
Taking up the position on the left of midfield made vacant by a serious early-season injury sustained by fellow countryman Luka Modric, Niko shone.
He opened his goalscoring account for the Club in a 2-2 draw at Bolton Wanderers in October 2009.
And his explosive and direct style of play, cominbed with the ability to find the net from long distance, helped galvanise our form in the first half of the campaign.
He went on to score six goals in 19 league starts before that injury at Wembley ended his season early.
Niko began his career with Dinamo Zagreb, where he made his debut at the age of 16 and captained the side to a league and Super Cup double in 2003.
Niko then joined rivals Hajduk Split in January 2005, earning another championship medal in his first season.
The midfielder moved to Fratton Park in the summer of 2006 and played a total of 100 games, scoring 12 times in all competitions.

Luka Modric

2011-09-27T09:28:00.000+07:00

The Croatian international midfielder capped a fine 2009-10 campaign by playing a starring role in central midfield in key wins against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City as we finished fourth in the Premier League.
Wilson Palacios' suspension saw Harry Redknapp turn to Luka to partner Tom Huddlestone centrally and he did so effortlessly, further underlining his manager's 'world-class' description.
It wasn't all a bed of roses for Luka in 2009-10.
Having started the season well, he suffered a fractured fibula against Birmingham City in August and didn't return until December. He went on to make 32 appearances in all competitions, starting 21 matches in the Premier League, scoring three goals.
Luka completed his move from Dinamo Zagreb in July 2008 and enjoyed an impressive first season in English football.
Luka arrived in N17 off the back of playing a starring role in his country's run to the quarter-finals of that summer's European Championships.
And although it took him a little while to adapt to the speed and intensity of the Premier League, his maiden campaign ended up as proof of his status as one of the best young midfielders in Europe.
Luka came into his own particularly towards the end of the 2008-09 season, when he took up a role on the left hand side of Harry Redknapp's midfield having previously been utilised in more central roles.
His switch to the flank conincided with a run that took the Club clear of relegation trouble and into the hunt for European places.
Having opened his account in a UEFA Cup tie with Spartak Moscow in December 2008, Luka went on to score five goals in 43 appearances during his first season at the Lane, including a memorable winner over Chelsea at The Lane in March 2009.
Earlier in his career, Luka joined Dinamo in 2002 at the age of 16 before being loaned out to Bosnian side Zrinjski Mostar, where he earned the honour of Bosnian Player of the Year in his one season there.
In 2004 he returned to Croatia, again on loan, with Inter Zapresic, whom Luka helped to second place in the league before returning to Dinamo.
Over the next three years he established himself as the team's playmaker and played a big part in the club's three successive league title triumphs and two Croatian Cup wins before deciding to join Spurs.

Rafael Van Der Vaart

2011-09-27T09:24:00.000+07:00

The Holland international midfielder joined us from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day, September, 2010.
He was thrust straight into Harry Redknapp's side to make his debut in our 1-1 draw at West Brom 10 days later.
In his third game for the Club he found the net for the first time, from the penalty spot in a 3-1 win over Wolves at the Lane.
Cue an incredible run of goalscoring form that would see Rafa, usually playing just off a main striker, score in each of his next five appearances at his new home, instantly installing him as a firm favourite amongst fans.
Rafa was instrumental in two landmark wins in the Premier League in 2010-11. Firstly, he set-up two goals and scored once as we came from 2-0 down to beat Arsenal 3-2 and clinch our first win at the Emirates. He later scored another two against the Gunners in the 3-3 draw at the Lane.
He then hit a lovely, dipping volley to send us on the way to a 2-1 win at Liverpool - our first league win at Anfield since 1993.
That was his 15th and final goal of a memorable campaign that left many pundits describing Rafa as the signing of the season.
He capped it all by being shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Season Award by his peers.
Rafael came through the ranks at Ajax and won two league titles and a Dutch Super Cup during 141 appearances with the Eredivisie side, scoring 60 goals before leaving for Hamburg in the summer of 2005.
An attack-minded midfielder, he was the Bundesliga side's leading scorer in his first season in Germany before the club lifted the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2005.
He made a total of 111 appeances for Hamburg and went on to captain the club before joining Real ahead of the 2008/09 campaign.
There he spent two seasons, winning the Spanish Super Cup shortly after arriving at the Bernabeu, and making 71 appearances in total.
Rafael has been capped over 80 times by his country since making his international debut against Andorra in 2001 at the age of 18.
He has represented the Netherlands at two European Championships and two World Cups, including the 2010 Finals in South Africa where he featured five times in the side's run to the Final.

Earlier in his career, Rafael represented Holland at Under-16 through to Under-21 level.

Scott Parker

2011-09-27T09:21:00.000+07:00

The hard-working England international midfielder arrived from West Ham on transfer deadline day, August 2011.
Scott's impressive displays for the Hammers during the previous season saw him named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, 2011.
He began his career with Charlton Athletic, making his debut in 1997 aged just 16, before joining Chelsea in January, 2004 and was crowned PFA Young Player of the Year at the end of the 2003/04 campaign.
Scott has represented England at every level from Under-16 through to senior, joined Newcastle United in June, 2005 and went on to captain the side during two seasons at St James' Park.

Aaron Lennon

2011-09-27T09:18:00.000+07:00

Lightning winger made 46 appearances in all competitions in 2010-11 and featured in 34 out of 38 matches in the Premier League, a total equalled only by Peter Crouch.
Aaron's highlights included a last-gasp winner against Liverpool in November and few will forget the role he played to set-up Crouchy's winner against AC Milan in the San Siro in Februray, 2011, sprinting fully 60 yards before providing the striker with the easiest of tap-ins.
'Azza' was in the form of his life before his 2009-10 campaign was cut short by injury.
He was flying in the first half of the season. He scored back-to-back winners against Birmingham and West Ham and bagged a number of assists as he started 18 of our first 20 matches.
However, a groin problem then got the better of him in late December and he didn't return to action until April 24 as a substitute at Old Trafford.
He started the final two matches of the season but his form over the campaign was enough for inclusion into Fabio Capello's World Cup squad - his second World Cup Finals at the age of 23.
Aaron joined us as an 18-year-old from hometown club Leeds United in July 2005 and burst onto the scene during his maiden campaign.
He scored two goals in 29 games before earning a shock call-up to the Sven-Goran Eriksson's England squad for the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany.
Aaron went on to bolster his Premier League experience in 2006-07 with 24 appearances in all competitions, netting five goals including a famous winner against Chelsea at the Lane in November, 2006.
He was part of the side that won the Carling Cup at Wembley in February 2008, and has now played nearly 200 games for the Club.
Aaron was named the supporters' Player of the Season for 2008-09 as he terrorised left-backs up and down the country during his 47 games in all competition, earning a new five-year contract at the Club in March 2009 as well as a recall to the England senior squad the same week.
Before joining Spurs, Aaron had already made history at White Hart Lane by becoming the youngest Premier League player ever after coming off the bench for Leeds against us in August 2003 for his senior debut aged 16 years and 129 days old.

Tom Huddlestone

2011-09-27T09:15:00.000+07:00

The stylish midfielder has earned the reputation as one of the country's best young players since joining us as an 18-year-old from Derby County in July 2005.
In November 2009, Tom won his first senior England cap when he represented the Three Lions in a friendly with Brazil held in Doha, Qatar.
The call-up came on the back of an impressive start to the 2009-10 campaign, in which Tom started every single Premier League game, mainly in the heart of midfield but also at centre-half when needed, right up until Boxing Day!
In the end, he started more Premier League games than anyone else (33/38) and made more starts (41/50) in all competitions than anyone apart from goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who made 42.
Tom also played a key role as we finished fourth in the Premier League, partnering Luka Modric in central midfield in those huge wins against Arsenal, Chelsea, Bolton and Manchester City - not forgetting his wonderful strike to beat Bolton 1-0 at the Lane on May 1.
His form earned a call into Fabio Capello's provisional 30-man World Cup squad, but he was unfortunately cut from the final 23.
Having played only 31 games in all competitions during the previous season, the statistics go to show the effort the big man has made to become one of Harry Redknapp's most important players.
During the 2010-11 campaign, Tom was given the captain's armband on a number of occasions, most notably in both games against Inter Milan in the group stages of the Champions League.
He played a key role in our fine start to the season but an ankle injury eventually got the better of him and he was ruled out between November-April.
On his return, he scored one of the goals of the season in the 3-3 draw against Arsenal before being ruled out for another month, returning for the season's finale against Birmingham City. He made 20 appearance in total in 2010-11, scoring three goals.
A product of Derby County's youth academy, Tom made his senior debut aged just 16 in August 2003, and went on to make 95 appearances for the Rams before arriving in N17.
During the early part of his Spurs career, Tom was loaned out to Wolverhampton Wanderers for further Championship experience, where he made 13 appearances and scored one goal - ironically against Derby at Pride Park, for whom he never found the net in two seasons!
Tom returned from Molineux to make his Spurs first team debut in a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Fulham in January 2006.
During the following campaign, the England Under-21 international established himself in the first team at The Lane, scoring three goals in 35 games.
Still only 20 years of age at the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign, Tom still had to work hard to prove himself as a first-choice central midfielder at the highest level.
But as the season progressed, Tom made the most of every opportunity given to him, and ended the campaign with his best return of both goals and games for the Club to date - four in 43.
He was a member of the side that won the Carling Cup at Wembley in February 2008, and it soon led to England Head Coach Fabio Capello first showing an interest in Tom.
In May 2008, he was called up to the senior England squad for the first time for end-of-season friendlies with USA and Trinidad & Tobago.
Although Tom did not get on the pitch over the two games, he would eventually get his chance to perform on the biggest stage.
The arrival of Redknapp as Spurs manager in October 2008 saw Tom's career kick on another level, and he was even given the captain's armband for the first time in a UEFA Cup Round of 32 tie with Shakhtar Donetsk in February 2009.
Before gaining his first senior honours, Tom had been a regular England youth international, representing his country at Under-15 level through to Under-21s, where he won over 30 caps.

David Bentley

2011-09-27T09:07:00.000+07:00

Currently on loan at West Ham, the England international midfielder joined from Blackburn Rovers in July 2008 in what the local lad described as a dream move.
And David had soon written himself into Spurs folklore with one of the best goals ever seen in a North London derby - a 40-yard volley in the memorable 4-4 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates in October 2008.
'Bents' played 35 games during his first season at Spurs, scoring twice, while also netting two goals in two Reserve games.
The form of Aaron Lennon on the right-hand side of Harry Redknapp's midfield continued to restrict David's first-team opportunities into the 2009-10 campaign but injury to 'Azza' in December opened the door and David started 10 of 16 games in the winger's absence.
On his return to action ahead of the 2010-11 campaign, David picked up an unfortunate ankle injury in our first pre-season friendly at Bournemouth.
It meant he missed the start of the campaign, and after just three appearances he was loaned out to Birmingham for the remainder of the season in January, 2011. He made 15 appearance for the Blues, scoring one goal.
In August 2011, David joined West Ham on loan for the 2011-12 campaign.
David played 133 times for previous club Blackburn - scoring 21 goals - after initially joining on loan from Arsenal in August 2005, the move being made permanent in January 2006.
David is a product of the academy at Arsenal and made nine first-team appearances for the Gunners, spending a season on-loan at Norwich City during his time there.
The 23-year-old has now won six senior England caps after previously representing his country at B, Under-21 and Under-20 level.

Jermain Jenas

2011-09-27T09:03:00.000+07:00

Currently on loan at Aston Villa, the hard-working England international midfielder arrived at White Hart Lane from Newcastle United in August 2005.
Since then, Jermaine's consistent performances has become an integral part of the Spurs engine room.
In his maiden campaign, 'JJ' was a key member of the side that earned a top five Premier League finish, scoring seven goals along the way.
Another eight goals during 2006-07 proved that Jermaine was one of our main goalscoring threats from midfield.
But arguably his best season to date was the 2007-08 campaign, when his six goals in 45 appearances played a key role in our run to the Carling Cup Final at Wembley in February 2008, where we defeated Chelsea to claim our first trophy in nine years.
Two of those goals came in each leg of the memorable semi-final against North London rivals Arsenal, during which Jermaine was the outstanding player.
In July 2008, he signed a new five-year contract at the Club, and continued to impress with four goals in 39 appearances during the 2008-09 season.
Jermaine made his name at hometown club Nottingham Forest, whom he captained at 17, before a high-profile switch to Premier League Newcastle in February 2002, aged just 18. He made 149 appearances for the Toon, scoring 12 goals.
He was first capped at senior level by England as a 19-year-old in a friendly defeat against Australia at Upton Park. Despite only coming on as a half-time substitute, he was still awarded the Man of the Match award.
Jermaine has since gone on to win over 20 caps for his country, without ever really being a regular at international level - much due to the staunch competition he faces from messrs Gerrard and Lampard in his position.
He did, however, score the first goal of Fabio Capello's reign as Head Coach in a friendly win over Switzerland at Wembley in February 2008 and regained his place in the Three Lions fold after a year out of the frame, playing 90 minutes in a friendly defeat against Brazil in November 2009.
A combination of injuries and the form of Tom Huddlestone, Wilson Palacios and later Luka Modric in central midfield restricted JJ to 23 appearances including 13 starts in all competitions in 2009-10.
He made 28 appearances in all competitions in 2010-11 including eight appearances in our maiden Champions League campaign.

Benoit Assou Ekotto

2011-09-27T08:58:00.000+07:00

Super-consistent left-back is now regarded as one of the best in his position in the Premier League - that's certainly the opinion of his manager.
Forming a fantastic partnership with Gareth Bale down that left flank, Benoit played in 45 of our 53 matches last term.
Indeed, he started 45 of our first 48 games before a late hamstring injury ruled him out for the last three weeks of the season and he was our only player to start all 12 matcheds in the Champions League.
The Cameroon international left back signed from French club RC Lens in the summer of 2006.
After an injury-hit start to his White Hart Lane career, Benoit's game has progressed unmeasurably since the arrival of Harry Redknapp as manager.
His performances led to him being offered a new contract at the start of the 2009-10 season, seeing him at White Hart Lane until 2013.
He celebrated with his first goal in a Spurs shirt and one to remember - the opening goal of the 2009-10 season, an absolute cracker into the top corner as we toppled Liverpool at the Lane.
That laid down a marker for the season for Benoit, who made 34 appearances in all competitions including 29 starts in the league before joining the Cameroon squad in the World Cup.
Benoit made a promising start to his Spurs career with 24 appearances before suffering a knee injury in February 2007 that ultimately ruled him out for the rest of that season.
Benoit returned to action in September 2007 but, after two appearances, the same knee problem resurfaced and ended his campaign early - as well as threatening to end his career altogether.
However, after a summer of rehabilitation, pre-season saw him return to the first team fold in preparation for the 2008-09 season.
Over the course of the campaign, he made 36 appearances in all competitions and earned rave reviews from the manager and fans alike, who voted him the Club's Most Improved Player of the season.
The following season could not have begun any better for Benoit!
Not only did the tough full-back put pen to paper on his new deal, he also scored our first goal of the 2009-10 campaign - an absolute scorcher in our opening day victory over Liverpool. What a way to score your first ever career goal!
In February 2009, Benoit earned his first international honours for Cameroon, the country over his father's birth.
By November of the same year, he had become a key member of the Indomitable Lions side that earned qualification for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.
However, that hip injury suffered at the end of 2009 meant Benoit missed out on the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola
Born in Arras, France, Benoit played 73 games in total for first club Lens before making the move to N17 as one of the continent's most highly-rated young full-backs.

Kyle Walker

2011-09-27T08:54:00.000+07:00

Young, flying full-back impressed in a loan spell in the Premier League at Villa in the second half of 2010-11.
His performances secured a place in Stuart Pearce's squad for the European Under-21 Championships in Denmark in June, 2011 and he was a shining light despite England's early exit, starting all three group matches.
Kyle kicked-off the 2010-11 season on loan at Championship QPR, playing 20 games for Neil Warnock's eventual champions.
He joined us alongside Kyle Naughton from Sheffield United in July, 2009.
Kyle was subsequently loaned back to The Blades to gain further first team experience for the 2009/2010 campaign.
He made 28 appearances for the Bramall Lane side during the first half of the season before being recalled from his loan on February 2, 2010.
He then made his Spurs first team debut in our 2-0 Premier League victory over Portsmouth in March 2010 and soon won his first cap for England at Under-21 level having previously represented his country at Under-19 level.
After impressing for our first team during pre-season and establishing himself in the Young Lions setup, Kyle joined Championship side QPR on a one-month loan in September 2010, which was subsequently extended until January 2011.
He performed regularly at right-back during his 20 appearances for Neil Warnock's table-topping side before it was decided Kyle needed further Premier League experience for the remainder of the 2010-11 campaign.
Aston Villa were the team to capture his services on another loan deal, and it looked to be the right decision from the off as Kyle scored on his debut for them in an FA Cup Third Round win at former club Sheffield United. He went on to make 18 appearances, scoring twice.
Earlier on in his career, Kyle progressed through the ranks at Sheffield United before making his debut in an FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient in January 2009.
He made seven appearances for Kevin Blackwell's side all in all during 2008-09, becoming the youngest player ever to represent Sheffield United at Wembley in their play-off final defeat against Burnley in May 2009.
Prior to this, Kyle also featured nine times during a loan spell at League One Northampton Town at the end of 2008.

Ledley King

2011-09-27T08:49:00.000+07:00

Injuries again took their toll on our Club Captain and longest-serving player in 2010-11.
But Ledley's infamous knee wasn't the problem - this time, a groin injury restricted the classy central defender to nine starts out of 53.
However, he did have the honour of leading us out for our first-ever Champions League match at the Lane - the second leg of the play-off against Young Boys in August - and ticked past the 300-appearance mark for the Club when he returned from a seven-month absence with an amazing performance in the 2-0 win at Liverpool in May.
That meant just that little more to Ledley after he made his debut at Liverpool back in May, 1999 - it was his first win at Anfield.
Having come through the Club's Academy ranks, Ledley made his senior debut as an 18-year-old, coming on as a substitute during a 3-2 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield in May 1999.
It took another season before the London-born youngster properly established himself in the First Team, but once he did so during the 2000-01 campaign, there was no looking back.
Over the next few seasons, Ledley earned recognition as one of the best young defenders in the country, also often operating as a defensive midfielder.
He gained full international honours for England during this time, and was part of Sven-Goran Eriksson's Euro 2004 squad, starting the first game of the tournament against holders France.
But the pivotal season of his career was the 2004-05 campaign. Ledley was an ever-present in our Premier League campaign, in which we conceded just 41 goals and kept 13 clean sheets. During that season, he was also named Club captain.
The following season, he led the Club to a top five Premier League finish, but missed the final games of that campaign due to a broken foot that kept him out of that summer's World Cup Finals in Germany.
Since then, injury problems, particularly knee trouble, have blighted Ledley's career.
This forced him to feature in less than half of our 59 competitive games in 2006-07.
The following season did not kick off for Ledley until Boxing Day, but although he only managed to play 10 games in 2007-08, the defining moment of his career so far came during this campaign.
He lived a boyhood dream of captaining Spurs to their first major trophy in nine years after a heroic performance in a 2-1 extra-time win over Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley in February 2008.
Ledley called time on the season soon after, and following a summer of rehabilitation, 2008-09 saw a marked improvement in his fitness levels as he played 29 games in all competitions.
He established a strong defensive partnership with Jonathan Woodgate as the foundation of a back-line that conceded just 10 goals at home in the league all season.
Ledley's performances at the end of the 2009-10 campaign earned a place in England's World Cup squad.
Injuries again took their toll during the season but it wasn't his now famous knee problems but muscle injuries that cost Ledley time out of the team.
As always though, when Ledley played, he underlined his class and that was enough for Fabio Capell to take him to South Africa.
Ledley actually started 19 games in the Premier League - half of the season - skippering the side to a fourth-place finish and, 11 years after making his first-team debut, securing a place in the Champions League.
At present, Ledley still holds the record for the fastest ever goal in Premier League history, scored after 10 seconds against Bradford City at Valley Parade in December 2000. This was also his first ever goal for the Club!

Verdan Corluka

2011-09-27T08:45:00.000+07:00

Croatian international full-back Vedran started the campaign in the right-back role but a combination of injury plus the form of Alan Hutton and Younes Kaboul restricted him to 24 appearances in all competitions in 2010-11.
'Charlie', as he's affectionately known, started six of the first seven matches including our Champions League play-off against Young Boys, but a back injury ruled him out of the Wolves game - and Hutton took advantage, scoring in that game and starting the next 15.
He eventually returned towards the end of the season - just in time to play in the big matches against AC Milan and Real Madrid, but another injury in April ended his season early.
Vedran joined us from Manchester City in August, 2008 and enjoyed an impressive first season at the Lane, making 41 appearances and operating right across the back-line.
Having established himself as first-choice right-back, Vedran started 29 of our first 30 games in the Premier League in 2009-2010 until injury ended his campaign early. He also opened his goalscoring account for us in a 2-2 Premier League draw at Bolton Wanderers in October 2009.
A regular for Croatia, he played in every match of his country's campaign at Euro 2008 where, along with Spurs team-mates Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar, Slaven Bilic's side reached the quarter-final stage.
Back home in Croatia, Vedran came through the ranks at Dynamo Zagreb and after a season on loan at NK Inter Zapresic, winning successive titles with Dynamo in 2006 and 2007.
He left for the English Premier League and Manchester City in August 2007, making 41 appearances in all competitions before joining Spurs.

Michael Dawson

2011-09-27T08:38:00.001+07:00

Popular, super-consistent central defender 'Daws' admitted 2010-11 was a season of incredible highs - and one, painful low.
Michael was set to lead us into a memorable campaign of Champions League football in 2010-11 before disaster struck just five games into that season.
He suffered knee and ankle injuries making only his second senior England appearance in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria at Wembley.
It forced him to sit out three months of our season as we battled at the top of the Premier League and qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in our history.
Of course, he returned better than ever in November and went on to make 32 appearances in all competitions, and proudly led the team out at the San Siro - the memorable win against AC Milan - and the Bernabeu.
Michael capped an outstanding 2009-10 campaign with an initial call into England's provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup and then, following the heartbreak of missing out, being called back into the 23 following injury to Rio Ferdinand.
Many pundits believed 'Daws' should have been in the 23 anyway after playing a key role as we finished fourth in the Premier League.
Despite not featuring at the tournament in South Africa, Michael finally won his first senior international cap in a friendly with Hungary at Wembley in August, 2010.
Ever-reliable, Michael become one of the most important players in Harry Redknapp's side and captained the side for much of the 2009/10 campaign.
Laid low by an Achilles problem at the start of the season, Michael returned for the 9-1 hammering of Wigan in November and missed just one of our next 35 games.
His form earned a number of awards including One Hotspur Player of the Season, Boxholders Player of the Season and Supporters' Clubs Player of the Year.
Michael arrived from Nottingham Forest as a 21-year-old in January, 2005.
The affable Yorkshireman made his name at Nottingham Forest, where he progressed through the ranks to make his debut in 2002 and 91 appearances in total before heading to N17.
After recovering from an initial injury, Michael made his Spurs debut in a 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool at Anfield in April 2005.
For the following two seasons, he was rarely out of the side, establishing an impressive partnership with Ledley King as we finished in the Premier League's top five for two consecutive seasons.
In 2006-07, Michael played in 58 of our 59 competitive games that season, and was awarded the captain's armband for the first time in an FA Cup quarter-final tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in March 2007.
Injuries to Ledley meant Daws often found himself playing alongside of various partners for much of the 2007-08 campaign, arguably leading to a dip in form.
This was compounded by the heartbreak of missing out on our famous Carling Cup Final success of February 2008 through an ankle injury.
But following the arrival of Redknapp as manager in October 2008, he quickly re-gained his most consistent form and battled hard to earn the right to be considered as first-choice centre-half alongside evergreen pair King and Jonathan Woodgate
Michael made 28 appearances in 2008-09, scoring twice, picking up the supporters' Team Player of the Year award thanks to his outstanding contribution.
Michael signed a new contract at the Club in January 2010, which will keep him at The Lane until 2015.

Sebastian Bassong

2011-09-27T08:33:00.000+07:00

Strong central defender joined us from Newcastle United in August, 2009.
And he could not have made a better start to his Spurs career - scoring the winning goal against Liverpool on his debut in our opening game of the 2009-10 season.
A Cameroon international, Sebastien was a regular fixture and reliable figure at the heart of our defence his maiden campaign.
With fellow centre-halves Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate injured for the majority of the season, Sebastien's regular partnership with Michael Dawson at the back was a solid foundation on which the team was built.
He eventually made 38 appearances for us in 2009-10 including 25 starts out of 38 in the Premier League as we achieved a top four finish. His form earned a call into Cameroon's World Cup squad.
At the start of the following campaign, Seb earned the distinction of becoming the first Spurs player to ever score a Champions League goal - and a vital one at that as his header got us back into our Play-Off with Young Boys at 3-0 down in the first leg, a tie we would go on to win to qualify for the group stages of the competition for the first time in the Club's history.
But Seb's chances were restricted due to the form of William Gallas, Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul and he went on to make 19 appearances in 2010-11.
Sebastien moved to England, and previous club Newcastle, in July 2008 from Metz where he made 79 appearances in three seasons.
He played 34 times for the Magpies during his debut campaign in the Premier League, but could not help the North East side avoid relegation from the Championship, before arriving in N17.

William Gallas

2011-09-27T08:30:00.001+07:00

The experienced French defender joined us on a one-year contract in August, 2010 and was widely-regarded by pundits as one of the transfers of the season.
William arrived in N17 with nearly a decade of Premier League and Champions League experience under his belt having previously plied his trade for Chelsea and Arsenal.
He crossed the North London divide having left the Emirates on the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2009-10 season.
After regaining his fitness, William made his Spurs debut in our 1-1 draw at West Brom in September 2010.
And although initial injury problems held him back, by November, 2010, he was captaining a side performing well both at home and in the Champions League.
Most notably, his first game wearing the armband came at the Emirates against former club Arsenal in a North London derby that saw us pick up a first away victory over the Gunners in 17 years.
In March 2011, William signed a two-year extension on his contract, keeping him at the Club until 2013.
He ended the 2010-11 campaign with 36 appearances in all competitions.
William made 142 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 17 goals, following his arrival from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2006.
It was at Chelsea where the now 33-year-old experienced greatest success, winning back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup in his five seasons with the Blues.
William originally arrived on these shores in the summer of 2001 having spent four campaigns with Olympique Marseille in his homeland.
He started his professional career at SM Caen, making his debut in the 1995-96 season and subsequently helping the club to the French Second Division Championship by the end of that year.
To date, William has won 84 senior international caps for France, representing Les Bleus at two World Cups and two European Championships, and was also part of the side that won the Confederations Cup in 2003.
He previously earned international honours at Under-21, Under-20 and Under-18 level, and was part of the French side that won the UEFA Under-18 Championships in 1996.

Younes Kaboul

2011-09-27T08:26:00.000+07:00

The athletic defender rejoined the Club from Portsmouth in January, 2010.
Younes had left White Hart Lane for Fratton Park 18 months earlier having originally arrived from French club Auxerre in July, 2007.
He made his second debut for the Club in a Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers in February, 2010.
Younes played his part in one of the most important goals of our recent history - his break down the right and cross led to Peter Crouch heading home the winner at City on May 5 that guaranteed fourth place in the Premier League and a place in the Champions League.
And he fully re-announced himself as a Spurs player in 2010-11 with a goal that will live long in the memory - the unforgettable headed goal in November, 2010, that gave us our first away win against North London rivals Arsenal in 17 years as we came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at the Emirates.
A former French Under-21 international, Younes' form earned him a maiden call-up to the senior national squad for a friendly against England at Wembley in the same month.
He went on to make 24 appearances in all competitions including a spell at centre-half during Michael Dawson's injury absence.
His season was completed with his first starts for France and he capped his debut with a goal against Ukraine in June, 2011.
During his previous spell in N17, Younes made 29 appearances, scoring four goals, including a memorable late equaliser in a 4-4 Premier League draw with Aston Villa which marked the Club's 125th anniversary.
He was also part of the Spurs side that lifted the Carling Cup at Wembley in 2008 after beating Chelsea in the Final.
But after struggling to hold down a regular place in Juande Ramos' side towards the end of the campaign, Harry Redknapp took Younes to the South Coast.
He progressed as a player at Portsmouth, gaining further Premier League experience and making 50 appearances for them in all competitions, scoring five goals, before being reunited with Redknapp at Spurs.
Younes made his name at Auxerre, where made 52 appearances, scoring two goals, winning the Coupe de France in 2005.

He was also a member of the French Under-19 side that won the European Championships, staged in Northern Ireland, in 2005.