Superstitions are good......

Founding Father Joined : 06 Jun 2007 Posts : 1704

so says General Ramos. Read on.....

Superstitious Ramos puts best foot forward
Premier League Tottenham Hotspur
by Phil McNulty - BBC Sport 26 February 2008

Juande Ramos has brought success to Spurs with a sprinkling of superstition and a large dose of attention to detail.

He is reputed to avoid using the telephone on the day of a game, puts his right foot first on to the turf before each match and would have avoided touching or looking at the Carling Cup until it was won or lost at Wembley on Sunday.

Football's history is littered with tales of the superstitious, such as Gary Lineker's lucky boots, but Ramos has proved there is so much more to his make-up than a reliance on Lady Luck.

Ramos has taken just five months to transform a talented but rudderless squad under Martin Jol into a collection of streamlined, driven winners.

A manager can claim a cup via the luck of the draw and twists and turns of a single games, but Ramos's speciality is also the result of meticulous planning.

He has also done it with an ability to spot the plainly obvious - namely that Spurs should have spent money on a commanding central defender in the summer rather than wasting £16m on Darren Bent then having to wait for Jonathan Woodgate.

So we've got superstition and an eye for the simple things in the game. What else has Juande Ramos brought to Spurs that has made the game sit up and notice?

While Ramos provides the tactical acumen, fitness coach Marcos Alvarez and dietician Antonia Escribano have got the players into shape - and how.

Jermaine Jenas was still pounding his Wembley beat with vigour at the end of 120 minutes and Spurs never looked like they would be outlasted by Chelsea.

Escribano is already gaining almost mythical status with his "Dr Baby Food" tag and his penchant for liquidised cocktails, including garlic and cointreau.

He also provides a dossier for hotels where Spurs players will be staying, ensuring every dietary requirement is met to the letter.

Alvarez recently revealed how he calculated that the Spurs squad was, in total, 100 kg overweight and 50 of those have already disappeared, with more to come.

But Ramos is the real mastermind behind the transformation that has brought a Carling Cup - and already showing signs that this can develop into so much more.

It did not take the trained eye to spot that Spurs were splendid at scoring goals but hopeless at defending them, but someone had to actually do something about it.

Ramos has paid special attention to defence in the double training sessions he introduced having originally been stunned by the eating habits and training regime at Spurs HQ.

He also has a better command of the language of his adopted country than he likes to display in public, taking his sessions in English and apparently communicating perfectly with his team.

It is fair to say that the Spurs defence of early season would have collapsed under the weight of pressure they came under, albeit very sporadically, at Wembley.

Instead, they were well-drilled, superbly organised by Woodgate and captain Ledley King, highly-motivated and barely breached throughout the game.

Ramos believes basic fitness allied to technique equals success, and one look at his achievements at Sevilla proves the point.

He may have sorted out the Spurs rearguard, but Ramos's philosophy is essentially one of attack, as he proved with a positive game plan that put Chelsea counterpart Avram Grant to shame at Wembley.

Steed Malbranque and Aaron Lennon are both progressive wide players, while Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov provide the spearheads.

Ramos could even put Spurs in contention for his third successive Uefa Cup before turning his attention to next season.

It seems almost certain that goalkeeper Paul Robinson, despite crucial saves to set alongside a serious mistake for Chelsea's goal at Wembley, will be shipped out in the summer.

Portsmouth's David James has been linked with Spurs, but surely Ramos will be looking for a more long-term solution, perhaps back in Spain.

He will also seek a powerful central midfield figure and a specialist left-flank player, so do not rule out a renewed move for Juventus' former Chelsea star Tiago, who almost signed in January.

Ramos may want central defensive re-inforcements in the light of King's continuing injury concerns, although the defender is at pains to dispel rumours of any threat to his career.

If Ramos and his fitness team can work their magic on King, what an asset Spurs have.

The thorniest issue may be the future of Berbatov, but why should the Bulgarian simply up and leave a club that fits his desire for a "big" stage and is going firmly in the right direction under Ramos?

If he keeps Berbatov, and I see no footballing reason why the Bulgarian should go, that will rank as one of his best summer moves.

Ramos has been linked with a move for Valencia's David Villa, for so long one of Europe's most coveted attacking talents, but his plan will surely be to use him with Berbatov rather than instead of him.

The next test of Ramos will be his working of the transfer market, but his attention to detail and vast knowledge suggests he will not be found wanting.

If the early signs are anything to go by, Ramos will be going through all his superstitions on many more big occasions in the future.