Mon 13 January 2020, 14:30
Tottenham HotspurLedley King lived every second of Robbie Keane and Jonathan Woodgate’s time at Spurs - now his friends and former team-mates are plotting our downfall in the FA Cup!
‘Woody’ and ‘Keano’ are manager and assistant respectively at Middlesbrough and they return to Spurs tomorrow evening - Tuesday, 14 January (8.05pm) - for our third round replay having pushed us all the way in a 1-1 draw in the initial tie on 5 January.
One of the great strikers of the modern era and the Republic of Ireland’s record cap (146) and goalscorer (68), Keano scored 122 goals in 306 appearances in two spells at Spurs between 2002-2011.
Central defender Woody famously partnered Ledley at the back in the League Cup Final win over Chelsea in 2008. That was the first time they’d played together! Woody scored the winner that day in only his fifth appearance for us. He went on to play 64 times between 2008-2011.
Of course, one-club man Ledley was there all the way. A product of our Academy, the classy centre-half made 323 appearances between 1999-2012, before being forced to retire through injury.
“I could always see Robbie going into coaching and management, definitely,” said Ledley. “He’s probably the most passionate player in terms of pure love for the game. We all think we love football, but Robbie really loved getting up every morning and coming in to training, quite often first in, last out and it’s no surprise he played to such a comparatively late age (38) because of his dedication and love for the game.
“It’s also no surprise he’s gone straight into coaching. Knowing Robbie, he will want to test himself every day in the same way he did as a player.
“Robbie is always full of energy and had that hunger and desire to improve everyone around him, to get everyone to work as hard as he did. Also, when the time was right, he’s a great laugh, great to be around. But when it was time to work, it was work. He played at the Club for many, many years, loved Spurs, loved playing for the Club and I can safely say every one of his team-mates loved having him around."
He played at the Club for many years, loved Spurs, loved playing for the Club and I can safely say every one of his team-mates loved having him around
“Woody, a great player. Unfortunately, similar to me in that injuries let us down throughout our careers. He was quicker than many gave him credit for, great in the air and just had that understanding of the game. Top players make the game look easy, and Woody was like that.
“He was never over-stretched, never panicked, always calm, understood the game. As everyone knows, the first time we played alongside each other was in the 2008 League Cup Final. It just clicked. We were of a similar age, understood our bodies, understood the position.
“It was such a shame we couldn’t play more together because when we did, we felt confident the team could beat anyone. He had that aura about him and as a defender, people recognised him as one of the best. It was a pleasure to play alongside him.”
Top players make the game look easy, and Woody was like that. He had that aura about him
Born in Nunthorpe, just outside Middlesbrough, Woody retired in May, 2016 after his third spell 'home' at the Riverside. He spent time scouting for Liverpool before returning to Boro again, this time as assistant manager, in March, 2017. He also spent time in Boro's Academy before taking over the manager's position in June, 2019, appointing Robbie as his assistant.
Robbie had a very brief spell in charge of ATK in India before joining Mick McCarthy's Republic of Ireland coaching team just after retiring from playing.
Now they face their former team again in the FA Cup...
