• Teenager looks to carry on against Blues on Saturday
• Rose could have joined Chelsea instead of Spurs in 2006
Rarely have left-footed English players been more vilified than in the week that Danny Rose was born. The winger who introduced himself to Tottenham fans with a ferocious volleyed goal on his Premeir League debut against Arsenal on Wednesday came into this world two days before Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle botched penalties in England’s 1990 World Cup semi-final defeat by West Germany.
Rose’s remarkable burst on to the scene has come too late for him to be given any chance of avenging those misses in South Africa this summer but tomorrow against Chelsea he may at least get an opportunity to prove again he is a player with both a bright future and an auspicious past.
Rose turned down the chance to join Chelsea in 2006. He was one of three players at Leeds United’s academy that Ken Bates claimed the London club attempted to “tap up”. The other two, Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo, eventually decided to move to Chelsea but Rose figured his career would not be advanced by a switch to Stamford Bridge. The experiences so far of the duo who did depart suggest he was right: Woods has yet to make a single senior appearance while Taiwo was sold in January to Carlisle United, having spent the previous six months there on loan.
Rose never featured in the Leeds first team. He was named as a substitute for a League Cup game against Barnet in 2006, after which the manager Kevin Blackwell was sacked. Under Dennis Wise he did not get a look-in, but his promise was recognised by plenty of other observers and when Leeds’ financial problems intensified in 2007 Tottenham prised him away for a reported £1m.
He spent the tail-end of last season on loan at Watford and, although he impressed there, his breakthrough at Tottenham still seemed a long way off as Harry Redknapp suspected he lacked focus. He was sent out on loan to Peterborough, only to return in November after a change of manager at London Road. Redknapp, however, discerned an improvement in the player – “His attitude has changed, he’s worked hard,” the manager said in January – and gave him his first start in the FA Cup match against his old team, Leeds United.
Then came another frustrating wait for first-team action. Even though he knew David Bentley was injured the 19-year-old Rose was taken by surprise when the manager chose to blood him against Arsenal. “I was confused really,” he says. “We played Portsmouth a few weeks ago and I would have liked to have thought I could have got a few minutes there and he has just thrown me in against Arsenal, third in the league, a north London derby. It doesn’t come much harder than that really. He just told me there was no pressure on me, to just do what I’d been doing in training and to try to press the left-back as much as I can.”
That left-back was Gaël Clichy. Another of Tottenham’s alumni from Leeds academy gave Rose a tip on how to trouble the Frenchman. “Since I have been down here Aaron [Lennon] has been like an older brother to me and looked after me massively. Even before the game he told me to relax. He’s played against Clichy a lot of times and he told me to take him on his inside because he doesn’t like it. He struggles defending there.”
Alhough he admits he was “very nervous” before the game Rose applied the advice he had been given. However no one suggested that he try shooting the ball into the net from 30 yards and, indeed, he has never done such a thing before. “When I was at Leeds aged about 12 I hit a nice 20-yarder but that one definitely tops it,” he says of his spectacular strike.
“I’d like to think it will be up there when it comes to goal of the season but I haven’t seen it yet. I hope my mum has taped it for me. I just didn’t know what to do [after the goal]. I ran one way, then another to look for my dad, Nigel, and all of a sudden they were kicking off. So I forgot about it straight away and I ended up defending.”
Rose had to hobble off with a slight knee injury following a tackle from Denílson but he still managed to swap shirts with Theo Walcott at full time – “for my little brother,” he hastens to add.
He is unsure whether he will retain his place for the visit of Chelsea. One man who certainly will is the Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, whose series of outstanding stops against Arsenal did as much as the goals to keep alive Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. The goalkeeper also hopes they will have helped earn him a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad. “I think Dunga watched the game and I hope to keep going like I am now and to try to do my best to make the World Cup squad,” he said.
Tottenham HotspurPremier LeaguePaul Doyleguardian.co.uk
