FOOTBALL

JERMAIN DEFOE IS A TOTTENHAM SCORING HIT

Jermain Defoe celebrates with Huddlestone after scoring five goals against Wigan

Tuesday November 24,2009

By Frank Wiechula

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JERMAIN DEFOE’S five-goal haul in Tottenham’s 9-1 demolition of Wigan on Sunday really was fantasy football – he has never even hit those heights playing computer games.

Defoe, only the third striker in Premier League history after Andy Cole and Alan Shearer to achieve a nap hand, said: “I don’t think I’ve scored five even on the PlayStation – to do it is great. We know how good we are, we know we have a good team and a strong squad, but to score nine goals in a match is brilliant and doesn’t happen often in the modern game.

“I think I scored five in a youth team years ago at West Ham. And I definitely scored four there against Aston Villa in the youth team.”

It was the fourth club hat-trick of Defoe’s top-flight career and his second this term after firing a triple at Hull in the first week of the season.

Defoe, the league’s top scorer with 11 goals, looks, listens and learns in a finishing masterclass from some of the great English strikers over the last two decades. That list includes Shearer and Cole – one and two in the all-time Premier League goals charts – and fellow centurions Les Ferdinand and Ian Wright.

Defoe, now 10 short of his league ton, said: “I got the hat-trick quite quickly. It was crazy. But I told myself to keep going and not to settle for three. I’ve spoken to all the great strikers over the years, like Les Ferdinand and Ian Wright. Wrighty tells me that, no matter how many you score, always try to get another right until the final whistle. I’ve got that mentality now to try to get more.

“You mention names like Andy Cole and Alan Shearer and it’s great. I have their videos and I still go on YouTube and watch their goals.

“Every day for about 20 minutes a few of the boys stay behind with Les and Clive Allen [Spurs coaches] and I always do my finishing after training. That’s so, when I get in that situation on match day, I’m familiar with it and can take the chance. I know in this team I’ll get chances, always.

“I watched some of Clive’s goals the other day on YouTube and it’s important to do that to learn. Clive got 49 goals in one season for Spurs and that is unbelievable. He has still got it now. It was harder playing up there on your own like he did.”

Defoe also revealed that Allen’s words just before kick-off led to him changing his green boots for pink. “Clive was giving me banter about the boots and got in my head. The manager [Harry Redknapp] said to me the day before the game that green boots are bad luck. I was wearing them in training and they were a bit tight. I couldn’t wear them [in the game] because I have to be careful after breaking my foot last season.

“In the warm-up, Clive said he had a bad feeling and that I should change them. When I scored the third he looked over to me and gave a gesture to the boots.”

After his incredible salvo, Tottenham’s biggest win for 32 years and the second biggest in Premier League history, Defoe, 27, has another triple club-and-country target .

He said: “I’d like the Golden Boot – it would be my first. I’d like to finish fourth, it would be fantastic for the club. I always watch football and I always watch Champions League games. It’s a great competition and I’d be playing against the best defenders in the world.

“That is the pressure you want as a professional. All the best athletes and players over the years, they thrive on that pressure. You go into games and know you have to perform, there are no excuses. You have to prepare right and live right. When you are confident you can’t wait for the next game.

“It’s the World Cup year and that is at the back of your mind. But it’s important to focus on your club, keep your head down and give yourself the best opportunity to get on the plane [to South Africa]. That’s all I can do.”

Defoe’s heroics also provided some redemption for his straight red card against Portsmouth last month which ruled him out of losses to Stoke and Arsenal. He said: “When I got sent off I knew what I had done straight away and it was out of character – I can’t remember the last time I was booked.

“It was important to come back like this because I owed something to the team. It was stupid and I shouldn’t have got sent off.

“But I won’t forget this. To score five goals for a club like this is fantastic. I left the club but came back and the fans have been brilliant.

“Every game is massive for us now. We have set a standard and we need to continue and have that consistency.” ‘I haven’t scored five on the computer’

MICK DENNIS

25.11.09, 12:41am

From "both" Wigan Athletic fans for the past 40 years.

One day you'll come out of your office in London and realise that football exists outside the top six big-spending teams in England.

It's easy to insult Wigan's loyal fans after a horrible result. Would you dare to do the same for one of your bigger teams?

15,000 wiganers will still turn out on Saturday to watch their team, but you won't mention that.

I remember watching Wigan play a friendly at Queen of the South in the 80s. Four of us turned up!

If you want to have a go, please look at how far we have come, before making your silly comments.

Hopefully your 2 readers will have had a good laugh at the 500 fans who travelled to watch Wigan play on Sunday. (200 Fulham fans at Wigan the previous weekend).

I shouldn't really complain because I realise you obviously have never stood on a terrace, been in a real football pub, mixed with football fans, supported your local team.... need I go on?

Please read Oliver Holt for a more reasoned view on football.

My email address is pies2604@hotmail.com but I dout you will have the decency to reply.