Lies, Damed Lies & Quotes From Ex Players

Good morning ladies.

 As Spurs sit resplendent in sixth place this mornings blog is brought to you by the will of Allah and some damp sellotape.

 There is a sense of fragility about this season so far for most sides. Look at us. We get thumped and then do some thumping. That isn’t a status quo, it’s more like having Motley Crue move into your spare room.

 And you won’t get a better segue than that to then touch upon the curious case of Franco Begbie, also known as Hutton. I haven’t heard a more disingenuous pile of piffle from anyone since I last saw a child explain their innocence over something they 100% did.

 Begbie decided to tell ‘his story’ to The Mirror. Quite what motivated him to do so, I’m struggling to understand and in all his full and frank revelations he shares nothing to explain.

 ‘The last time I spoke to Redknapp, he told me, I don’t want you to train with us any more. I want you to train with the kids” Well, I guess something must have prompted Arry. I am guessing this wasn’t in response to you forgetting the two shugs in his tea.

 ‘I don’t think anybody should be treated like that. So many people there [at White Hart Lane] feel unwanted. I’ve never experienced anything like that anywhere I’ve been. Is that a good reputation? I don’t know.’

 Now we know that Arry has his favourites, but I would argue that Arry’s first loves are those who put a shift in on the training pitch and deliver in the Premiership. Perhaps the clucking Celt simply didn’t deliver.

 The feeling of being unwanted is curious one. This is supposedly a professional football club, not a drop in centre for bleeding hearts in need of a hug. Bentley, Jenas, Hutton & Co. were not good enough to consistently hold down a first team place. And what is that last sentence all about?

 “At one stage there were five right-backs there – me, Kyle Naughton, Kyle Walker, Pascal Chimbonda and Vedran Corluka. In what first-team squad do you ever get that? It’s usually two. I spent four months there doing nothing. It is a massive knock to your confidence.”

In fairness to what looks like 3 Stooges like clerical error, the underlying issue at that time was Charlie, Pascal and you were all bought as being ‘the answer’ but when it came to it were all a bit wet. And the other two were prospects then.

 “I played centre-half, left-back, right back, up front, ‘He [Redknapp] didn’t care any more. For me it was an unhappy place and I knew my time was up a while ago.”

Another curious statement. You played ‘up front’ did you? I guess I must have missed that game. Or did this happen in training? My limited knowledge of training sessions is that it is useful to mix it up now and again – but only for a few minutes. Are you deliberately trying to mislead us here Beggars?

 “I’d go and see him [Redknapp] and my questions weren’t being answered. In the end I didn’t care what was said – who is going to be happy not playing?”

What were you asking? If you weren’t playing well enough in the manager’s book to merit a first team place, isn’t it your job to change his opinion?

 “Who wants to come home angry and take it out on your wife? That’s not what you want to do. I’m more family-orientated than anything.”

 And here we enter shark infested waters in a paper boat. The nickname Begbie was given to Al by me after a report was made in a national newspaper detailed a drinking binge in London gone wrong when young Al battered his own father in broad daylight.

 Hutton needed his family more than ever after he played badly in the 4-0 defeat by Fulham last January, a performance which he believes cemented his lowly standing with Redknapp. ” I had a poor game,” he admitted. “And that was it.”

 Ah, hang on, I do believe some accountability has managed to filter into this interview?

The rest largely deteriorates into the possible temperature of the blood that will coarse through his veins should he be given the opportunity to face Arry again but this time in a Scotland shirt, as Arry manages England.

 This is the last nail in the reality coffin for me. Tottingham have yet to face Villa this season and surely the born again right back would have two cracking opportunities to demonstrate how shockingly overlooked he was under Arry, rather than wait for Arry to be appointed a national coach and then wait for the two nations to draw each other.

 More proof as if it were needed that many footballers need to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and pay closer attention to what they themselves are up to.