Ramos 'nothing' to do' with cup win, says Kaboul
Wednesday 30 April 2008
Latest in Premier League
On Facebook
Sport blogs
Hertha Berlin and the Skibbe saga – a depressing tale
Perhaps, in a few decades time, some German writer will transform Michael Skibbe's excruciatingly br...
Top 14: Day of reckoning looms for Racing Metro
By the middle of Wednesday afternoon we should have the first indication of what lies ahead for Raci...
iBet: Barcelona are struggling away from home
My betting instinct in any first leg of a two-legged tie is to go low on goals, and that applies eve...
The Tottenham Hotspur defender Younes Kaboul has launched an astonishing attack on his manager, Juande Ramos, claiming their Carling Cup triumph in February was "nothing to do with him" and that they would still have won the trophy under Spurs' former manager Martin Jol.
Kaboul also claimed that Ramos does not communicate with the players and that the Spanish coach had not given him a chance since he replaced Jol in October.
Ramos has been widely praised for his work with Spurs after their disappointing start to the season while Kaboul has not featured in the first team since the 4-1 defeat at Birmingham City on 1 March.
"Tactically it has changed a bit, perhaps," Kaboul said. "But then, in terms of personality, Martin was a character. For us, he was a father figure, whereas Ramos, it is just tactics and nothing else.
"In training, we do a lot of stuff on the blackboard to work on our progress with the ball. Ramos has brought us that, but nothing else. What has saved us this season is the Carling Cup. People say we won the Carling Cup because Ramos arrived at the club, but that has nothing to do with him. We would have won it with Martin Jol."
Kaboul, signed from Auxerre last summer, has not featured regularly since Ramos replaced Jol. "I played the entire first half of the season, but since the change of manager I have not played," Kaboul added. "I have had no explanation from him. He doesn't talk, with anyone. Communication doesn't exist with him. He isn't playing me? That is his choice – I respect it, I am a professional.
"I am young and it is the first time this has happened to me in my career. But I am not surprised because, when you are a footballer, you must be prepared for that, for good and bad times.
"Ramos has not really given me a chance. When a player doesn't have the confidence of his coach, he can't do much on the pitch. But when a coach has confidence in you, you take the handbrake off and you race away."
Another unhappy player is the Birmingham winger Daniel de Ridder who admits he may have to consider his future at the club after becoming "frustrated" at his lack of first-team opportunities.
The Netherlands Under-21 international, signed on a free transfer from Celta Vigo last summer, has not featured for Alex McLeish's side since the FA Cup defeat to Huddersfield at the start of January. The emergence of Sebastian Larsson as a key player for Birmingham has contributed to De Ridder being marginalised. But he has hit out at the perception that he is injury-prone and is baffled at his lack of involvement with the first team.
"When Alex McLeish came in, I played in his first game at Tottenham and we won and I thought I did well," he said. "I have watched the tape back and I was described as one of Birmingham's most dangerous players.
"But everything has altered for me 180 degrees and I am frustrated I am not involved in the squad.
"It is frustrating because I like the club, the city and the fans and I hope we can stay in the Premier League. But I also have to think about my own career if I am not playing."
- 1 Liverpool apology came after sponsor's concerned call to club
- 2 Wolves: The contenders to replace Mick McCarthy
- 3 Tevez risks doghouse return with Mancini dig
- 4 Villas-Boas under growing pressure after training row
- 5 Sports caption competition winners
- 6 James Lawton: Patience may not be a virtue this time, Roman – Andre Villas-Boas looks all at sea
- 7 Rangers 10 days from financial meltdown
- 1 Kate Allen: It's time for America to put an end to this shameful scandal
- 2 Spotify: 1 million plays, £108 return
- 3 Chemotherapy is 'safe during pregnancy'
- 4 Rhodri Marsden: What we like and what we don't like are often closer than you'd think
- 5 BBC to issue global apology for documentaries that broke rules
- 6 Lightning kills an entire football team
- 7 I was born to be a killer. Every night I see the Devil in my dreams
- 8 Henry does it his way, ending on a high note
- 9 Modern lovers: The 'sexual body warriors' and pioneers transforming 21st-century relationships
- 10 Redknapp hints at same old faces for England
Free trial of new Independent iPad app
Get your daily dose of the best of British journalism, sponsored by American Airlines
Win a three-week coastal jaunt
Spend three weeks exploring every nook and cranny of gorgeous Atlantic Canada.
Amazing restaurant offers
Three glasses of free champagne and a special menu at 46 top London restaurants.
Latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Day In a Page
Apple admits it has a human rights problem
James Lawton: AVB looks all at sea
Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy
Silent revolution at the Baftas
The diva who had – and lost – it all



Comments