Ricketts: Sign me up

Rohan Ricketts: Rising star

14 April 2012

Rohan Ricketts today appealed to Tottenham to sort out his future.

The midfielder, one of the successes in a so far turbulent season, scored his first senior goal last night in the 3-0 Carling Cup victory at Coventry.

The former Arsenal player revealed his contract runs out at the end of the season and he has had no approach about a renewal.

An ever present this season under axed boss Glenn Hoddle, he was relegated to the substitutes' bench by caretaker manager David Pleat but came on to score a spectacular late goal.

Ricketts said: "My contract is up at the end of this season. I could join a foreign club in January but I would like Spurs to talk to me. I want to be secure in my future and I want to stay at Spurs. They have to show me that they want me. The goal meant everything to me. Glenn Hoddle gave me a chance and I am grateful to him but now I have got to move on under a new manager. Hopefully I can prove to him that I can do a good job for the side. I was disappointed to find myself on the bench because I want to play in every game.

"I never want to be rested and so it was a bit of a shock to me. You have to make the most of the time you get on the pitch. Hopefully, in David Pleat's eyes, I did that.

"It was a shock to see Glenn go but we were not doing very well. I thought he might get a few more games. Our livelihoods are on the line and we are playing for our futures. David is a good man and knows a lot about football. He knows what he is talking about but I don't care who gets the job, as long as I am in his plans."

Following the morale-boosting first victory in five games, Spurs players accepted the blame for Hoddle's weekend sacking.

The victory was a massive boost for caretaker manager Pleat, who has now become the player's favourite to land the job on a fulltime basis.

Pleat rang the changes by appointing full back Steve Carr as skipper in the absence of Jamie Redknapp. He also included Belgian youngster Jonathan Blondel in the starting line-up for the first time in his White Hart Lane career.

Kanoute, who scored his fifth goal of the season, said: "I am sad for Glenn but we have to keep going. Everybody in the squad feels responsible for what happened because we were on the pitch, not the manager. If Glenn was happy with the result, then we are happy for him today."

Midfielder Darren Anderton added: "I was surprised Glenn went so early but we all know we haven't started well. We are not stupid, we know we haven't played well. The players feel bad that we are in the position we are. It is not good enough."

Robbie Keane, who struck up a fine understanding with Kanoute in their first start together, refused to celebrate his goal against one of his former clubs. Keane said: "It was up to us to prove we could play and that's what we did.

"I didn't really want to celebrate my goal out of respect for the Coventry fans, because I had a great time at the club.

"We owed something to Glenn

because we know we haven't played as well as we could have.

"I have a lot of respect for Glenn because he brought me to the club and we should have produced this kind of performance earlier."

Pleat returned Spurs to a more orthodox 4-4-2 system and Kanoute was the first to back Pleat's credentials for the job.

He said: "I like him. He has taken to the job very well so far. He spoke to us in training and gave us the confidence we needed.

"The decision of who becomes the new manager is not down to me, but I like David and the way he works."

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