Tale of Two Juandes

Jermaine Defoe returned to White Hart Lane last week, denying mercenary accusations and discussing new life as a Spurs player under the familiar reins of Harry Redknapp.

"I've seen the boys dipping into tomato ketchup," he said. "I hadn't seen that for a while when Mr. Ramos was here." More insightfully, he harps on the struggle to communicate due to the language barrier with Ramos, stating "I can't remember ever having a conversation with him even when I was here. It was difficult for him, and to be honest, it made me feel a bit uncomfortable."

Juande Ramos, painted the strict, stonewall disciplinarian, in the vein of the grizzled Roy Keane. His former Spanish counterpart in the Premiership’s managerial ranks, Rafa Benitez, has too been labeled an unrelenting stickler, said to have rued missed opportunities in his post match dressing room speech following Liverpool’s epic comeback in the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul. Though with Rafa’s success, he has proved more Madridian Phil Jackson, replacing Hollywood Pseudo-Zen with Cartesian trifling.

Interestingly enough, first-choice goalkeeper for Sevilla FC Andres Palop, who served under Ramos, had very different views on Juande’s demeanor. In an interview shortly after the Ramos departure, Palop describes a pre-game ritual in which the players gathered in the dressing room for a fierce, primal war cry. The practice predated Ramos, and whether or not the meticulous manager approved, he allowed it to continue.

"He came in and he respected [the ritual], but he also made sure he did his thing, which is to talk to the players. He talks a lot in the dressing room. He talks both before the players go out to warm up and before the game.

"He talks with each individual player about what they need to be doing on the pitch," Palop added. "He tries to let each individual know exactly what they are going to come up against during the match. And he knows what they are likely to come up against because he has studied every single team."

Palop segues from songbird to soothsayer, ensuring Ramos would find success in the English top flight due to his love and study of the English game and its idiosyncrasies.

His predictions proved specious.

What could life in the Tottenham dressing room been like under Ramos? Was all communication between Ramos and his players dictated through Gus Poyet, with Ramos eagerly standing nearby? Or were sharp, pre-game strategies given to an audience of Giovanni Dos Santos? Still scoreless at the club, he probably could have used more intensive tutelage.

A starry-eyed scenario, Juande was finally at a club with relatively big money and lofty (if not grandiose) expectations, in a league where his fascination, prudent tactics, and penchant for attacking football could burgeon. But after some questionable transfer dealings as well as the inability to communicate with players and personnel, Ramos could be likened more to the tragic Henry Bemmis and his books. If only Juande had time enough at last.

As Spurs pray for harmony and pardon from impetuosity through the remainder of this January transfer window, Juande Ramos seems to be nestling himself in quite nicely at the Bernabeu. Four wins in five under Ramos should, strangely enough, ensure him some security under newly appointed club president Vicente Boluda. To all this Ramos would most happily abide, coming just a few months clear of his highly publicized sacking by THFC.

The purchase of Jermaine Defoe, though an imprudent if not half-baked ordeal, provides much needed potency at the front. Transfer geniuses Daniel Levy and Damien Comolli seem to have found a proverbial nut in Wilson Palacios, and a transfer deal extracting him from Wigan for an estimated 14 million pounds should be completed in the next few days. Palacios has been likened to Paul Ince, a strapping central midfielder who is strong in the tackle and powers forward in attack. Such a presence has been requisite at Spurs since the departure of Michael Carrick. Memory points to a certain Martin Jol, who pleaded for that paucity to be seen to during the summer transfer window of 2007.

Currently, Spurs sit 16^th after their Sunday draw with Pompey. Much hope must sit on the shifty shoulders of Ol’ Uncle ‘Arry, and that like every good rich uncle, he can give a smile, pat your back, and maybe work a little magic, writing Spurs a pivotal bailout check. (Apologies to Frank Lampard)

Spurs digest and pick up the pieces, while Juande, the man made patsy for the summer and early season debacle, toasts to Champions League football this spring with the Galacticos. Cheers.