Anyone see his interview on Sky Sports News tonight ? Have to say he comes out of this with enormous credit ( not that he was looking for it ) He goes into detail about his brothers death and the Togo bus shootings and how it affected him and his family . He also gives praise to AVB as a man and a manager and does not slate him even when the questions try to lead him that way .In the end he just talks of his love of the game and just wanting to play . Its easy to forget the person behind the player when we as supporters like to slag them for not trying ,not being good enough ,being greedy b**tards etc Hope he gets a hat-trick Sunday !!!
I suppose this means the fans of Ekotto will stop saying Avb was a bad man manager as Benny's best mate is saying otherwise? I'll take the cynical view and say Adebayor is just moving on and saying whats right but if he can perform this year and next then he can show he's not someone who only performs when he has a point to prove. But a hat trick against Swansea will be nice!
Adebayor interviews surprisingly well, considering his reputation and most modern footballers' lack of tact and common sense. He did a very good one for the BBC when he'd fallen out at Man City. Didn't take the bait and go after the manager then, either. This one sounds rather familiar, from the description. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/13363694 Given his apparent benevolence to his homeland, driven nature and diplomatic ability, perhaps a future in politics awaits him? President Adebayor?
I will also take the cynical view and suggest Adebayor is angling for a spanking new wealthy contract somewhere. Say the right things in public, play the charity contributions tactic and people will say "maybe he's not so bad after all". The worst thing Harry Redknapp did was bring this odious man to our club. I continue to take the same stance I have always had on this man, he is a mercenary and only interested in himself.
I don't doubt for a second that Adebayor has his own best interests at heart, but I think that his charitable contributions are a genuine thing. Spending his youth in Togo before living in Monaco, London and Madrid must be quite a stark contrast and other members of his own family haven't fared well. His interactions with the normal, non-footballing staff at the Etihad, which you can see on various tunnel-cam clips, suggest to me that he's either somewhat decent or he's very good at presenting a believable facsimile of someone that is. He doesn't get on with various managers, moves far more often than is healthy for any professional player (barring Paul Stewart) and clearly loves money and the trappings of fame, but I don't think he's all bad. Not one of my favourite players that we've ever signed, by any means, but not someone that particularly puts my back up.
Here's the interview, for anyone that's interested: [video=youtube;0hUZ_7sH0P4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hUZ_7sH0P4[/video]
The interviewer is practically edging off his seat to kiss Adebayors backside. It's hardly a challenging interview, more one which I expect had been arranged to paint Adebayor in a certain light for the reasons SC mentions. He does mention he's grown up as a man, if that's the case we will be rewarded with consistent performances to match his consistently high wage. Eto is another African footballer who gets called a mercenary and repulsive character but with Eto he's spent his career fighting like a warrior and performing for the teams which pay him. Adebayor hasn't, that's why he will never be universally respected in the way he clearly feels he should be.
Blah, blah, blah. Ultimately, and whatever Adebayor has to say for himself, all I, as a fan, care about is what he does on the pitch. So far, in his Spurs career, he hasn't done enough to convince me he's worth my praise. Having said that - and credit where it's due - he has acquitted himself fairly well under Sherwood's stewardship. But I'll want to see this attitude continue to the end of the season, and Adebayor score a lot more goals for us before I'll be prepared to change my opinion of him.
I don't think he comes across well to be honest, he's clearly a very self-centred individual, telling people to name their children after him "Maybe tomorrow I'll be leaving Tottenham" - Hardly the best way to win over the fans.
It may be a very old adage, but Actions speak louder than words. His actions intimate to me that his words are full of ****!...
I think you're all being a little harsh. In Togo he is a powerful man. He literally has the power to build schools and hospitals, and he knows it. He spoke about his responsibility to everyone because of this power and that sounded humble to me. He spoke about how life is more important than football. He spoke about how life is more important than a few possessions. Just for a minute, **** football, it's only a game. He didn't badmouth AVB. He said AVB had made a mistake and admitted he'd made mistakes too. That was an adult response. I'm pleased the interviewer wasn't grilling him for a cringe-worthy exclusive.
Not what a fan (which is short for "fanatic," by the way) wants to hear, though, is it? That attitude pisses me off as much as Benny's "it's only a job to me" attitude. If charity/political work is more important to him than football, I suggest he gives up conning us fans, let's the high-paid football job go, and take up a job that is so obviously going to be more fulfilling to him. Will he do that? Of course, he won't, because it won't pay him as much money; ergo, he's only in it for the money. He can **** right off, as far as I am concerned - unless he starts scoring some goals real quick!
It's easy to act like an adult and act mature in a room with an interviewer. It's in real day to day life where people act as themselves and you will be hard pushed to find many people in football who view Adebayor as mature or someone who acts like an adult. Right now he's found a new lease of life and everything seems perfect for Ade, he's smiling, scoring goals, performing for the team and Sherwood rates him How long are we expecting this to last? Adebayor has to have two back to back seasons of performing before he shows he's actually changed.
Of course the fans don't want to hear it, they want to believe it's still 50+ years ago when players grew up locally and supported the team they played for and stayed there most of their career. 99% of players today are mercenaries and will go wherever they can get the most money. Ade and Benny are just telling the truth. Or do you prefer the hypocrisy of players who will kiss the badge and then piss off elsewhere as soon as they get a better offer? How many of our players do you think would say no if Real Madrid or ManC or another bigger club came in and offered them twice the wages they're getting here? Anyway, life IS more important than football, or any other job. Doesn't matter how big a fanatic you are, anyone who thinks their club or their job is more important than their family has a serious problem with their priorities, in my opinion. In the end all I care is that when they're on the pitch for us they give 100% and earn their money. That is the only beef I have with Adebayor, as he often hasn't done this. Benny I have no problem with.
