Hot Spur: William Gallas' recent performances have
begun to convince Tottenham fans he is worthy of the shirt
In the rush for the exits
following Tottenham’s return to winning ways against Blackburn, a
satisfied Spurs supporter shouted to his mate: ‘See you next
weekend, Gallas lover!’
Next weekend is certainly a significant one in the life of
Gallas, marking his return to Arsenal, having
crossed the great divide in the summer. And if he is to ensure that
the whole of Tottenham’s support become ‘Gallas lovers’, then there
is certainly no better place to win hearts and minds than the
Emirates.
Gareth Bale once again stole the show in the 4-2 win on
Saturday, his man-of-the match performance bringing two goals to
take his tally to eight for the season. But a solid display from
Gallas confirmed just how important a signing he has been,
especially in light of the injuries to Ledley King, Jonathan
Woodgate and Michael Dawson.
‘The crowd are beginning to take to him and so they should,’
said Joe Jordan, standing in for virus-afflicted Spurs manager
Harry Redknapp. ‘He’s a quality football player and you don’t need
to be a genius to see that, as the games have come and he’s got
them under his belt, he’s got better and better.’
Having moved from Leeds to Manchester United during his playing
career, Jordan is well qualified to discuss the subject of
rivalries.
Even so, he finds the debate about whether Gallas will ever be
fully accepted as a Spurs player by the fans bordering on the
ridiculous.
Crossing the divide: Gallas swapped title-chasing
Arsenal for Tottenham during the summer
‘I know about rivalries, but I can’t understand it,’
said Jordan. ‘There’s a guy who has come here and sweated to win
games in a Spurs jersey. The commitment is total. Even if a player
plays badly - and he certainly has not - if you’re making that
commitment, then the supporters should get right behind
you.
‘If the quality of play shows that we have a real player here,
the fans should be delighted.’