Source: Daily_Mail
LEO'S LONDON: All-American hero Robbie Keane has to leave Tottenham
Robbie Keane was named player of the tournament on Tottenham's recent pre-season trip to New York.[LNB]He also earned what looked like a reprieve from manager HarryRedknapp but it is surely time the striker and the club parted companyonce and for all.[LNB]Keane is someone who demands respect and wants and needs to play regularly to be at his best. Squad rotation is not his thing.[LNB] Goals pay the rent: But Robbie Keane's exploits in the US shouldn't mean he stays at Tottenham[LNB]Redknapp is a manager building a squad with a view to a run in theChampions League and must have options in attack, not all of whom canplay every week.[LNB]However good Keane is and however much the fans might like to havehim around, he no longer fits in at Spurs under the current,successful regime.[LNB]Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch are Redknapp favourites, RomanPavlyuchenko will deliver when called upon if he stays and at leastone new striker should be added to the squad before the end of thetransfer window.[LNB]Niko Kranjcar and Luka Modric cancel the need for a deep-lyingforward, the sort of link to the midfield which Keane often provides. [LNB] That was then: Robbie Keane when he signed on loan for Celtic[LNB][LNB]The Irishman's goal return during his last stint at White Hart Lanewas not bad - 11 goals in 34 Premier League appearances - but it couldhave been better and it is hard not to conclude his glory days atSpurs are gone.[LNB]He may be well rewarded at the club but settling somewhere and feeling happy should surely be the priority.[LNB]Keane could take his chances at Tottenham and see what happens butunless events take a thoroughly unpredictable turn, it would suitnobody.[LNB]Is Keane causing a problem by staying? The proceeds from histransfer would be helpful for Harry, while blocking off one of Spurs'25 Premier League squad places if he becomes unhappy again would not be.[LNB]That he isn't a certainty to do much good is a waste of his talent too.[LNB]The 30-year-old's relationship with the club has already been on andoff like a love affair in a soap opera over the last few years and ithas gone on too long.[LNB] *****[LNB]Millwall legend: Neil Harris has earned his testimonial[LNB]NEIL HARRIS will have a testimonial game at Millwall at The Den onSaturday against Hearts and there can be few players who deserve suchan occasion more.[LNB]Having battled back from testicular cancer, the striker is defined as much by his fighting spirit as his goals.[LNB]He is the club's all-time leading scorer, having eclipsed the recordof Teddy Sheringham, and even though his decade of service was brokenby periods elsewhere he has always seemed like a Lion.[LNB]There are negative associations with Millwall, but Harris personifies the positive aspects of the club's character.[LNB]He is a tough and determined competitor who never gives less than his all.[LNB]Testimonials are seen by some as an outdated concept, unnecessary in an era of rich rewards from the sport.[LNB]But the way this particular game can mark the achievements of Harrisat Millwall defeats the argument hands down. He has earned it.[LNB]*****[LNB]Expensive tastes: Mark Hughes might not be the man for Fulham[LNB]FULHAM have to decide what they want to become after being led a merry dance by Martin Jol in their search for a new manager.[LNB]The former Tottenham boss was a good choice on paper: talented andjust ambitious enough to keep them going forward after their EuropaLeague run last season.[LNB]The reality was something different, and Fulham could be forgiven for feeling a little burnt by the experience.[LNB]Jol didn't come out of the episode well, sending out mixed messagesand looking extremely disingenuous when he claimed he had neverthought about deserting Ajax.[LNB]But while English clubs might think twice about courting theDutchman after that, Fulham - whom he has been close to managing twice- still need to find a replacement for Roy Hodgson.[LNB]After the euphoria of last season, that should not be a tough task.However, Hodgson's success has lifted the bar for his successor.[LNB]Premier League survival has been the height of Fulham's ambition in recent years and that now has changed.[LNB]Getting Mohamed Fayed to throw yet more large sums of his money atit is no certainty and big names such as Sven Goran Eriksson and MarkHughes may have to compromise.[LNB]That David Jones appeared to be in the running proves that the club are undecided about which direction they want to take.[LNB]But they need to be clear and unified before appointing a new manager or there could be trouble ahead.[LNB] More from Leo Spall... Leo's London: Sol is hardly Arsenal's answer when Gallas could have stayed22/07/10 LEO'S LONDON: Tottenham will take Arsenal's glory away with attack threat14/07/10 LEO'S LONDON: Torres can kickstart Chelsea's new era under Ancelotti07/07/10 LEO'S LONDON: Roy Hodgson would do well to avoid fast-falling Liverpool and stay where he's loved at Fulham24/06/10 LEO'S LONDON: Cole needs a good manager to get the best out of him16/06/10 LEO'S LONDON: Tottenham must offer Redknapp a new long-term deal02/06/10 LEO'S LONDON: If Arsenal star Fabregas leaves for Barcelona Arsene Wenger will be without a genuine icon for the first time26/05/10 LEO'S LONDON: Cole is back to his arrogant best - and that's great news19/05/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE [LNB]
