Emmanuel Adebayor - Officially gone \o/

[Pirate55]

From the Guardian......may be nothing more than press mischief making but the story is by David Hytner who, if memory serves, usually has reasonably good info on Spurs:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/08/tottenham-emmanuel-adebayor-return-africa?

Tottenham frustrated by Emmanuel Adebayor's late return from Africa
• André Villas-Boas had expected striker back sooner
• Adebayor a doubt for home clash with Saudi Sportswashing Machine

David Hytner
The Guardian, Friday 8 February 2013 22.00 GMT


Emmanuel Adebayor's return from the Africa Cup of Nations took a farcical twist on Friday when he was unable to make it back in time for Tottenham Hotspur's training session at three o'clock, to leave him as a selection doubt for the Saturday lunchtime kick-off against Saudi Sportswashing Machine at White Hart Lane.

André Villas-Boas, the Tottenham manager, was left frustrated as Adebayor encountered problems with his flights from Africa, where he had remained since Togo's elimination from the mid-season tournament by Burkina Faso on Sunday. The striker had been granted three days off by Villas-Boas after the defeat in the hope that he could return for training at 3pm on Thursday. The schedule came to be readjusted but the player still could not make it.

He did touch down in London on Friday afternoon but not in time for the session at the club's base in Enfield, leaving Villas-Boas to decide whether to name him as a substitute for the visit of Saudi Sportswashing Machine. Villas-Boas has kept his options open by including Adebayor in the 19-man matchday squad.

Villas-Boas insisted on Thursday that he was "extremely calm over the situation", but that was because he believed there ought to be no problem for a multi-millionaire footballer making a long-distance flight in the 21st century to arrive at his destination on time. Villas-Boas made his comments at 9am on Thursday but more than 24 hours later, his mood had understandably changed.

The manager already knew that he would be without his other senior striker, Jermain Defoe, who has a worrying ankle ligament injury, and he had made it clear that he intended to rely on Adebayor, even though he accepted he would "not be 100%" after his exertions at the Africa Cup of Nations and the travel.

"The player is fit," Villas-Boas said. "If he is able to be ready physically, we will select him and he will be in contention for the team."

Clint Dempsey, who played for the United States in Honduras on Wednesday, is expected to lead the line against Saudi Sportswashing Machine, with Villas-Boas's selection for the role in behind him likely to come down to a choice between the in-form Gareth Bale and the new signing Lewis Holtby, who is in line for his home debut.

Adebayor has endured a difficult season at White Hart Lane, since his return on a permanent £5.5m transfer from Emirates Marketing Project last August. He scored 18 goals during his season's loan last time out but he has three in this campaign.

If this is to be believed - and it does sound quite reasonable - and if Ade doesnt have a cast iron excuse, then his is the king of ****s and has let THFC down badly.

Jurgen and Jimmy B will have been proven correct all this time. Those who said if he didnt turn up to the Friday training session they too would withdraw their hitherto uncritical support for him (and you know who you are) then what do you say now?

 

[jimmyb]

He's deliberately missed two deadlines for his return. We can't blame Adebayor for this though, because he is simply a c**t and is just acting like the c**t that he is.

He just didn't fancy playing so deliberately turned up late and jet lagged to make sure he wouldn't play.

We're basically f**ked. Defoe injured/out of form. Dempsey not really being an out and out striker. Our best hope was Adeybayor but he's turned into the nightmare we all deep down thought he would be.

He's a snake and a classless tramp.

One small mercy is that, unless he's been on a jaunt a long way west or a long way east of South Africa, he won't be jet lagged.

As to the rest, I don't believe that Ade is guilty of anything more than a lack of professionalism and respect for the club and fans to whom he owes a duty. I think he generally means well but he has misdirected his attention.

 

[stinkfoot]

I wonder how some of the legends who played for our club would be viewed if they were held up to the scrutiny and analysis that today's players are.

You mean like that time Ginola refused to play because Justin Edinburgh hid his chest wax? :lol:

 

[raboner]

id rather we kept pavlyuchenko. at least he pretended to love the club.

 

[Lily White]

I think that people are being very quick to jump to conclusions here. Some of the vitriol being aimed at Adebayor here, I think, is a little premature. I think that it would make more sense to see how this pans out and find out the facts before coming to conclusions.

Before the internet, message boards and twitter, most fans would never know about something like this. I wonder how some of the legends who played for our club would be viewed if they were held up to the scrutiny and analysis that today's players are.

i agree, people should wait to hear the proper story before jumping to conclusions and getting their knickers in a twist. I'm not going to judge one way or another until I know the facts. I think some peoples pre-concieved ideas on Ade's personality are making them jump the gun.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

He only plays well for a manager who puts their arm round him and avb is not that sort of manager sadly so i think we will not see what we saw from him last year.

 

[Pirate55]

One small mercy is that, unless he's been on a jaunt a long way west or a long way east of South Africa, he won't be jet lagged.

As to the rest, I don't believe that Ade is guilty of anything more than a lack of professionalism and respect for the club and fans to whom he owes a duty. I think he generally means well but he has misdirected his attention.

Talk about a vault farce. What evidence do you have of this so far this season?

He jerked us around before signing, left it so late he (unprofessionally) didnt keep himself fit and missed the whole preseason, had a series of mysterious injuries for games he may not have fancied, got recklesslessly sent off against the scum and cost us the game, went to the ANC after declaring he wasnt going, incorrectly blamed AVB by saying he was putting pressure on him not to go, went to the ANC anyway, and now the current shenanigans. Add to that, he has played really, really poorly this season.

I see no evidence at all that he generally means well. The guy has all the ability in the world and on his day can be devastating. The fact is that he doesnt deliver nearly often enough.

 

[milo]

i agree, people should wait to hear the proper story before jumping to conclusions and getting their knickers in a twist. I'm not going to judge one way or another until I know the facts. I think some peoples pre-concieved ideas on Ade's personality are making them jump the gun.

Agree 100%

 

[milo]

Talk about a vault farce. What evidence do you have of this so far this season?

He jerked us around before signing, left it so late he (unprofessionally) didnt keep himself fit and missed the whole preseason, had a series of mysterious injuries for games he may not have fancied, got recklesslessly sent off against the scum and cost us the game, went to the ANC after declaring he wasnt going, incorrectly blamed AVB by saying he was putting pressure on him not to go, went to the ANC anyway, and now the current shenanigans. Add to that, he has played really, really poorly this season.

I see no evidence at all that he generally means well. The guy has all the ability in the world and on his day can be devastating. The fact is that he doesnt deliver nearly often enough.

What do you mean by this? How did he jerk us around?

 

[Jimmy-g]

The longer we don't get an acceptable reason, the more obvious it is there isn't one. Ade has fudged the club over, it'll take a lot to persuade me otherwise now.

This bloke is a wrong un, pamper him until the end of the season then feck him off out, quite simply he has caused problems wherever he has played (or not played).

 

[jimmyb]

Talk about a vault farce. What evidence do you have of this so far this season?

He jerked us around before signing, left it so late he (unprofessionally) didnt keep himself fit and missed the whole preseason, had a series of mysterious injuries for games he may not have fancied, got recklesslessly sent off against the scum and cost us the game, went to the ANC after declaring he wasnt going, incorrectly blamed AVB by saying he was putting pressure on him not to go, went to the ANC anyway, and now the current shenanigans. Add to that, he has played really, really poorly this season.

I see no evidence at all that he generally means well. The guy has all the ability in the world and on his day can be devastating. The fact is that he doesnt deliver nearly often enough.

:lol:

Sorry, mate! Couldn't prevent a small chuckle. It's actually "volte-face".

"Vault farce" is bloody good, though!

When I say that he "generally means well", I'm talking about the sense of duty that he feels towards the people of Togo and the good works that he does there. We can't take that away from him.

But sometimes, he needs to remember and prioritise the other people to whom he owes a duty - the ones who pay his barely imaginable wages - when they are also in dire need.

 

[Pirate55]

What do you mean by this? How did he jerk us around?

How long did it take us to sign him? He was here all last season. City were desperate to get rid of him. We wanted to sign him (we only had Defoe and Kane at that point in time)

I now speculate based on media reports. He hoped Mourinho would come and get him. He (apparently) wanted the same wages as at City. He didnt keep himself fit. He missed a complete pre-season of training and matchplay.

i call that frigging us around.

 

[milo]

How long did it take us to sign him? He was here all last season. City were desperate to get rid of him. We wanted to sign him (we only had Defoe and Kane at that point in time)

I now speculate based on media reports. He hoped Mourinho would come and get him. He (apparently) wanted the same wages as at City. He didnt keep himself fit. He missed a complete pre-season of training and matchplay.

i call that frigging us around.

How do we know that was down to him rather than us trying to squeeze every penny out of the deal or that we might have had other targets that we were pursuing and only turned to Adebayor when they fell through?

 

[Pirate55]

:lol:

Sorry, mate! Couldn't prevent a small chuckle. It's actually "volte-face".

"Vault farce" is bloody good, though!

When I say that he "generally means well", I'm talking about the sense of duty that he feels towards the people of Togo and the good works that he does there. We can't take that away from him.

But sometimes, he needs to remember and prioritise the other people to whom he owes a duty - the ones who pay his barely imaginable wages - when they are also in dire need.

I am sure we all generally "mean well", help our neighbour, give to charity etc., but if we neglected our employer to do it then I am sure most of us would be out on our ear.

 

[stinkfoot]

I seem to remember it was City he was jerking around?

 

[Pirate55]

How do we know that was down to him rather than us trying to squeeze every penny out of the deal or that we might have had other targets that we were pursuing and only turned to Adebayor when they fell through?

We dont know anything for certain. But I would say it was a good bet that Ade was one of our principal targets after last seasons performances. City were desperate to get rid. Sure Levy wanted to do a good deal, but I suspect this was at the very least hampered by Ade's intransigence/greed/demands etc etc.

 

[Jordinho]

There was us not wanting to pay over the odds and there was City refusing to pay off Ade. He was probably on close to twice as much as he is now in wages. You don't solve something like that over night.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

How do we know that was down to him rather than us trying to squeeze every penny out of the deal or that we might have had other targets that we were pursuing and only turned to Adebayor when they fell through?

Knowing levy's track record i imagine it was more this then adebayors fault.

 

[milo]

We dont know anything for certain. But I would say it was a good bet that Ade was one of our principal targets after last seasons performances. City were desperate to get rid. Sure Levy wanted to do a good deal, but I suspect this was at the very least hampered by Ade's intransigence/greed/demands etc etc.

I've heard that he wasn't AVB's first choice and that we were pursuing other options before we turned our attention back to Ade. That could be BS though.

 

[Huddy]

Ade has not looked happy or that hungry since he got here in the summer permanently. He's only got himself to blame for not commanding a starting place since he arrived, lack of fitness and preseason being the major contributor which resulted in injuries as well as the protracted transfer negotiation between him and City that went on for weeks after the clubs had agreed the transfer.

AVB rightly stuck with Defoe as he'd been scoring frequently especially in the first third of the season, Ade has shown me nothing this season that suggests he should be in front of Defoe, on paper yes he has the ability to be far more effective than Defoe in the lone Striker role but he's failed to deliver more than average performances to date.

Time will tell over the coming weeks and I really hope for the clubs sake he sorts himself out and starts delivering, but he may have already burned too many bridges with the management and the club will ship him out over the summer.