Retire the 'retire the number 26'
Friday, July 20, 2012 at 11:12PM Evening. Some stuff. Below.
Retire the number 26. No.
Ledley King is a club legend. I'd argue that based on the fact he's not only one of the finest defenders of his and my generation but also because he's one of the finest based on playing football without having to train and with one fully functional knee. He could have quit the game years ago. Having to endure injections and swelling and pain, before during and post-match makes the bloke a little crazy to have persevered. But he did. He wanted to. He kept on playing. When he took the field he was a colossus. A freak of nature. I've already blogged all the plaudits. The point is, he gave everything to wearing the shirt. He loves football and loves Tottenham. Almost to the point of cripplingly himself in future life. That is more than enough for him to go down as one of our great players. Sure, he didn't win the silverware his talent deserved. Wasn't capped as often as he could been. But if you're struggling from one season to the next you're not going to have your dream path played out before you. This is what makes it all the better. He was the one reliable constant in his fourteen years in the first team and he led by example, with dominant performances. He was proud to wear Lilywhite.
But retiring a shirt number? Ledley King is more than just a shirt number. He's Ledley King. How about letting someone else fill it and do it justice. A testimonial and his name sang forever will do just fine.
Pre-season
Not fussed about these games aside from enjoying any goals scored by us and that Villas-Boas is content with the players fitness and preparations. The performances and results mean next to nothing (as long as players remain fit and no serious injuries are picked up). Allow me to remind you the season we stormed through pre-season, demolishing Roma on the way, and then ending up with two points from eight games. You remember that right? Got a few soundbites I could play you if you need your memory jogged. I'm actually far more hyped up for the players when they finally get to move from the Lodge to Enfield. Comprehensive set of photos leaked (since removed) of the new training centre looked knock-out. Stunning state of the art equipment and facilities, right down to details such as the walls displaying the likes of Blanchflower, Hoddle, Gascoigne and even King.
Transfers
It's gone a bit quiet. The speculation between the media and the supporters continues. No one is quite sure what is going on so people are guessing. Luka to Madrid, Adebayor to Spurs, the on-off saga concerning Lloris. US tour not that far off so expectancy is high. The collective suggestion is that it would be good to have all our deals done by then but that isn't likely and it's not a necessity. Your guess is as good as mine. Plenty of people looking to attach themselves to time-stamps of info shared as this will somehow give them credence. Particularly delicious are the people that slate others and their desperation to share information about 'certain done and dusted' signings and then share info themselves with similar authority. It's a dick waving competition in desperate need of a magnifying glass.
Reader Comments (16)
First!
No I don't agree I don't like phasing out numbers... Jennings no1,
Perryman no 5, Gazza no 8, hoddle no 10, Klinsmann no 18 you
Don't need to phase out numbers... It will be an honour for every player
In the future to wear king's shirt. King was and always will be a legend.
I'm up for a solid gold statue somewhere, though.
Agree agree...but am i too early in panicking about our strikers (ie:our lack of) and is it us whose bid has allowed liverpool to bid for allen?....i know i need to chill and enjoy grand prix and olympic things till mid august..
Ledley King will forever stay in the memory of all us spurs fans. Such a shame injuries cut such a promising career so relatively short. He would have been one of the great defenders the world had seen was it not for his well documented chronic knee problem. We wish him all the best in the future, and I really do hope the squad number 26 is retired in his honour. Long live the king of the lane.
The man, the legend has retired, not died......If we operated with a 'new player new number' approach, then greed, retire the shirt.......no.......the club has had many a legend throughout the generations..... Legends should be displayed where current and futures can gain inpiration..........how about a gallery in the tunnel.........
was thinking, why don't wee name one of the stands in hes name, such as the kings end would be nice.
See I'm on the fence with this one I think it should be retired until the next player that graduates through academy to 1st team and commits their football career to the club that's the only fitting person to pull that shirt On IMHO
I like the idea of naming a section but I would like to avoid any sexual puns, so I think we'd have to give the King's end a miss
If Ledley King is the first member of Tottenham Hotspur to have his number retired, someone has some splaining to do to Danny Blanchflower.
I agree with AlphaT......don't issue Ledley's number until someone has shown the same commitment and attitude as the great man. Let the shirt be a symbol of achievement for any defender. The likes of Walker, Caulker and possibly Vertongham could be awarded the shirt in a season or two as a reward for outstanding leadership qualities and mostly the love of Tottenham.
Whilst people are looking for superlatives (which is justified for Ledley) can I remind readers of the colossus who was Dave Mackay.
Jimmy Greaves described him as the best footballer he ever played with. He led Hearts to great seasons with best stats at the time Scottish and English footballer of the year (when the Scots version meant something). Broke leg, came back and broke it again in frst match. Google him as he was carried off; he was propped up on the stretcher looking as un-bovvered as if he was on a sun lounger. Star of that great picture sorting out Leeds hard man Billy Bremner ( google that image if you've never seen it) Sold early he won the league with newly promoted Derby then in first season as their manager. Ledley's great tribute is to be spoken of in the same sentence as " Big Dave Mackay" ( though "little Jimmy Greaves" reminds us the he, Greavesie, was taller!)
Did we retire the number 4 shirt when Blanchflower retired? Give the 26 to a player and tell them to live up to it's tradition. Off the top of my head Campbell, Carrick and Bent all wore 23, now there's a number that should be retired, it's cursed.
Everybody else retires numbers, so I don't think we should. Nobody is bigger than the club, not even Ledders. If I were a young defender coming into the squad, I think I'd kill to be able to wear number 26 and die every day to honor it!
How about instead of retiring number 26, singing songs for Ledley in the 26th minute of every game. Seems a better way to honor and remember him than making sure we never see 26 on a lilywhite jersey again
In american sports, retiring the number is the biggest honor that can bestowed upon a player - ok, sportsmen can pick their number & theres an easy argument for 1-11 to be retired, as some great players have played in them shirts before the introduction of squad numbers, but number 26 is ledley king & always should be ledley king. Not for it to go to some squad player because 2+6 = 8 & someone else is wearing 8. Ledley is the first player to where number 26 for our club, gascoigne wasnt our first no 8, as greaves wasnt our first no 9, etc. In this day & age player loyalty is rare, so why not do the done thing in this day & age & retire the shirt. Milan have done it for Baresi & the no 3 is only allowed to be worn by a maldini.
I'm sure that THFC can think of something far more positive to do to commemorate Ledley's career. A statue and some form of prestiguous annual award in his name would be in order and an area within the new stadium.