Source: Daily_Mail
LEO'S LONDON: Tottenham misfit Pavlyuchenko points the way to what is wrong with football
A strange thing happened at White Hart Lane this week. As Roman Pavlyuchenko came off the substitutes' bench for Tottenham he was given a rousing reception.[LNB]It was as if a returning hero was being introduced in the FA Cup tie against Leeds. Pavlyuchenko scored a goal fitting of the part too, but he is no Spurs star.[LNB]The Russia forward and his time at Tottenham represent far too much of what is wrong in the game for that.[LNB] Rare foray: Roman Pavlyuchenko scored for Spurs against Leeds[LNB] More from Leo Spall... 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Aaron Lennon is the right choice for England09/12/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE If Tottenham had not engaged in a game of brinkmanship with Manchester United over Dimitar Berbatov, they may not have bought Pavlyuchenko.[LNB]He was signed in a rush at the end of the summer transfer window in 2008 on the back of an impressive performance in the European Championships - never the most intelligent way to invest £13.8million - and, not surprisingly, he has never fitted in at Spurs.[LNB]Players from Russia and Ukraine don't always take to life in England and if the club did any homework on Pavlyuchenko's character and his likely adaptability, they didn't do it very well.[LNB]Damien Comolli, Spurs' former director of football, can probably take the blame for that and must have cringed when Pavlyuchenko's arrival coincided with stories from Russia about his apparent lack of intelligence.[LNB]Languages certainly don't seem to be the player's strong point and his struggle with English dramatically reduced the chances of him feeling at home.[LNB]The fact that he is hankering after a move back to Russia too, rather than to a club in a top league, suggests that he probably never really wanted to leave in the first place.[LNB]After an inauspicious start, Pavlyuchenko has scored goals. Foreign players need a certain amount of time to adapt and he scored 14 goals in his first season.[LNB] Star billing: Pavlyuchenko celebrates with Russia at Euro 2008[LNB]Yet he was a superstar in Russia and quickly became one in a crowd here after Juande Ramos was sacked. The Spaniard's replacement, Harry Redknapp, who didn't buy Pavlyuchenko and has brought in the strikers he rates, hasn't been prepared to indulge the forward's ego.[LNB]It is in his interest that Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch succeed too, so the Russian has had to bide his time - and he hasn't done it very well.[LNB]The way he has taken on his manager in a war of words and agitated for a move after a year at the club speaks volumes about his attitude, and Redknapp says he is lazy and doesn't take instruction well either. [LNB]So, a decent player has failed in the Premier League, Spurs' 2008 system of buying players has been shown up as fatally flawed and self-interest ruled the day. There is no cause for celebration in that.[LNB] Ron Noades is calling for whoever takes Crystal Palace out of administration to ensure they buy Selhurst Park, too. The two things need to go together to give the club a real opportunity to start again, he says.[LNB]Obviously, that is not an apology or an admission of regret. But as the wily businessman and former chairman was the one who separated the two in the first place, it sounds like the fan in Noades is finally getting the better of him.[LNB] If Fulham get the £7million Manchester United and Arsenal are prepared to pay for defender Chris Smalling, the money needs to be quickly recycled by manager Roy Hodgson.[LNB]After some fantastic results this season, his team have taken just one point from the last five Premier League games. Injury problems have hit hard and, with Europa League and FA Cup matches, Fulham have nine games to play before the end of February and need reinforcements.[LNB] Barry Hearn says he fears for Leyton Orient's future if West Ham are allowed to move to the Olympic Stadium. What frightens him is the notion that the Premier League club will flood the local fan market with cheap tickets, but he need not worry.[LNB] Big plans: West Ham owners David Sullivan (left) and David Gold[LNB]The stadium at Stratford will have 80,000 seats but no corporate facilities in 2012 and any restructuring of it will drastically reduce the capacity. The cost of adding executive boxes and such like, considered the only way to make a ground properly profitable, will also be high and will not be funded by the government.[LNB]So David Sullivan's idea of bringing the top-flight game back to the people via reasonable pricing at the Olympic Stadium is laudable but totally unrealistic.[LNB]
