Parks backed to lift Gomes
21 Nov 2008 - 17:05:40
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will make Tony Parks his new goalkeeping coach and has backed him to lift Heurelho Gomes out of his recent poor form.
Parks will be brought to White Hart Lane as a replacement for Hans Leitert, once his release is agreed from his Football Association coaching role.
Brazilian keeper Gomes has made numerous high-profile errors this season following his summer switch from PSV Eindhoven, the latest coming in last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Fulham.
However, Redknapp is set to keep faith with Gomes for the game against Blackburn Rovers, saying: "You need people around here you know. The coach from Austria was a top coach but I felt I needed someone who knew the English game really well.
"Tony Parks is a terrific personality, he played for Tottenham and saved the penalty in the UEFA Cup final (in 1984).
"He has worked for the FA for the last seven years. I spoke to (FA football development director) Sir Trevor Brooking about him and he's a fantastic goalkeeper coach. Everyone I spoke to said he was world-class. It was a change I felt I needed to make.
"Tony will be a big help. He's s a talker - enthusiastic and lively. He's just trying to get him confident.
"Guus Hiddink (former PSV Eindhoven coach) talks about Gomes as a world-class goalkeeper, and he (Hiddink) took them to a European Cup final. There's not a goalkeeper in the world who doesn't make mistakes.
"I'm sure he'll come back stronger than ever."