Leaving Tottenham – or any club for that matter – having just won a trophy is arguably the best way to bow out.
Heung-min Son did exactly that during the summer, departing for LAFC after helping Spurs win the UEFA Europa League, a romantic end to his decade at Tottenham.
However, Paul Robinson has now revealed that he actually regrets leaving Tottenham for Blackburn shortly after winning the League Cup in February 2008.
Paul Robinson admits he should have tried to outlast Juande Ramos instead of leave Tottenham
Speaking on the An Echo Of Glory podcast, the man who made 175 appearances for Spurs revealed that he was too hasty when leaving Tottenham for Blackburn in July 2008.
Robinson said: “That’s why I left. Me and him (Juande Ramos) didn’t see eye to eye at all. With hindsight, I should have stayed and outlasted him, but sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees. You know, we just won the Carling Cup, as it was the League Cup at the time.
“But I knew (even) playing that final that I was leaving at the end of the season because he didn’t want me around and I wasn’t going to play. At that point, he’d taken me in and out of the team.
“The man management and the way he handled that situation, I wanted to get out. I wanted a fresh start and I needed to play. But Juande Ramos left, obviously, and like I say, hindsight, you look back, could have probably seen that coming. And then Harry (Redknapp) came in, a manager that I’d have probably loved to have played for, but I couldn’t see past the end of the next week and I wanted to play every week. And with Juande Ramos, I wasn’t going to be there. He was never the right fit for Tottenham.”
It turned out to be the final trophy Robinson lifted in his career, but he did scoop the 2010/11 Player of the Year award at Blackburn after an outstanding campaign with eight clean sheets in 36 Premier League appearances.
Tottenham made £4m from the sale, ensuring a small profit on the £1.5m they handed Leeds for the goalkeeper back in May 2004.
Paul Robinson exit was a lose-lose
Not only does Robinson – who Daniel Levy annoyed – regret leaving Tottenham, but the north Londoners also failed miserably when it came to replacing the Yorkshireman.
£8m was spent to sign Heurelho Gomes from PSV Eindhoven, but the Brazilian ended up becoming a laughing stock in N17 due to a string of notable mistakes, including an error in a UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid of all stages.
Therefore, perhaps Tottenham also regret the manner in which Robinson departed.