The Mirror

Former Tottenham defender Ledley King admits he should have earned more England caps but was stopped by his long-suffering injuries.

Spurs legend King, who prominently captained the club from 2005 up until his retirement in 2012 and spent his entire playing career in north London, was plagued by infamous chronic knee issues throughout his career - which many believe prevented him from achieving his true potential.

The defender often didn’t train to reserve his body for matches and hung up his boots at just 31 due to such problems that began affecting his day-to-day even as far back as when he was just a teenager. He played for England just 21 times.

Now, King has admitted that he feels he should have earned more caps for his country, but was prevented from doing so by both the physical and mental torment that such injuries caused him.

“I still feel like there should have been more [England caps], really,” King stated, opening up on the Seaman Says podcast brought to you by Betway.

“During that time, I kind of went through a period where I was really struggling with my knee, so for about three years, I kind of wrote off playing for England.

“They would often ask me to meet up in the camp, but I didn't feel confident enough in my body to go and do that until the 2010 World Cup, where I kind of come out retirement, although I never really retired from England. This was four years into not training.

“My knee would just blow up when I played a game, so during the week, I was in the gym, in the swimming pool, just trying to get the swelling down to a point where I could actually bend my knee again. By the time I could bend it again, it was a weekend; that was the next game.”

It wasn't just the physical side of such chronic injuries that affected King’s playing career, but also the mental anguish that came with often feeling as though he had let both his club and national team down by missing training sessions and matches.

“It was tough,” King added. “Any sports person will tell you injuries are the toughest part to deal with. So to have that over a five-year period of just constantly not training, not being with your teammates, it was tough.

“Now I look back at it, I think, mentally, I was probably a little bit depressed. Not being able to have that enjoyment, just being there. But at the time you just get on with it, don't you? You do what you can.

“I knew that I still had something to give once I was there. That was what kept me going. It was the crowd as well. I wasn't sure whether I was going to be playing or not from one week to the next, and when I heard my name called out, the reaction I got from that was something that motivated me just to be out there as much as possible.

“That was the motivation – just keep going, because I always said that once I felt like I wasn't making the team better then it was time to finish. I'm going through all this for a purpose of making a difference on the match day.”

James Maddison has been warned he needs to step up his game if he to keep his place in Tottenham's team.

The midfielder was taken off at half-time of Spurs' win over West Ham on Saturday. Maddison started the game, which was all square at 1-1 heading into the break following Dejan Kulusevki's equaliser after Mohammed Kudus' opener for the Hammers.

As the half-time whistle blew, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was spotted pointing to Pape Sarr to tell him he was coming on. Maddison was the man to make way, despite providing the assist for Kulusevski's strike.

It proved to be an inspired decision though, with Spurs going on to score three unanswered goals to claim a dominant 4-1 win. And former Chelsea star Tony Cascarino believes Maddison is now in danger of losing his starting spot.

"He [Postecoglou] has put the challenge of changing Tottenham ’s mentality and notoriously soft centre on his shoulders. I liked that he was prepared to make a big call and withdraw James Maddison at half-time," Cascarino told The Times.

"It would have sent a message to every player that their place is not assured after the Brighton debacle. Maddison was a big signing last year and I have no doubt he would have taken the timing of the substitution personally. Postecoglou can manage the situation.

"But Maddison may reflect on his delivery, especially from corners, and work rate. Maddison is no longer a promising young player. He turns 28 next month and needs to impose himself on matches. He finds himself out of the England squad and his starting place for Spurs is no longer guaranteed."

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who was man of the match in Tottenham's win over West Ham? Comment below.

Postecoglou was adamant he had made the right decision when speaking after the game. The Australian hailed the performance of Sarr, who he insisted played a key role in Spurs winning the midfield battle.

"We needed more running power in midfield and Pape [Sarr] has lots of that, bags of energy and running. He really helped us to get control of the midfield and that gave us a good platform to go forward," Postecoglou told Match of the Day.

"Our general play improved from there and we looked dangerous going forward. We knew there had been a bit of an arm wrestle and we always back ourselves to keep going at the intensity we always do and upping it and taking the game to West Ham.

"We knew that putting them under pressure here at home we would eventually get there. We had to fight hard in the first half. Going a goal down wasn't ideal but we clawed our way back into it, and it is not easy.

"Second half we were outstanding. We upped the tempo and played some quality football, defended when we needed to and got our finishing right. We want to be that sort of side that creates lots of chances."

Cool-headed Dejan Kulusevski knew there would only be one result from the moment he equalised.

West Ham ’s second-half surrender, a shameful 20-minute spell that must raise serious questions of Julen Lopetegui’s wider strategy, certainly helped.

But after the pain and embarrassment of Spurs’ collapse at Brighton a fortnight ago, the Swedish star felt a rampage was – if not inevitable – at least an expected reaction.

Tottenham ’s brilliance and West Ham’s complete loss of control may have contributed equally to this derby’s decisive spell. But Kulusevski’s succinct summary was: “At 1-1 I knew we were in good hands.”

The message was that their Brighton horror show can be cast off as an anomaly. This, on the other hand, was a more accurate display of Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs.

At times on Saturday their attacking was a joy to behold – even if their opponents’ ability to punish themselves became impossible to ignore.

With Heung-min Son returning from a three-week absence, showing no sign of rustiness, and Kulusevski thriving in his increasingly familiar central midfield role, Tottenham appeared destined for three points once the latter levelled after 36 minutes.

There were some difficult moments at the beginning and the decision to swap James Maddison for Pape Matar Sarr at the break paid off handsomely despite initially being met with arched eyebrows.

Yet Kulusevski suggested that when a team is defending as deep as West Ham from early on, Tottenham know that their task will become straightforward once their opponents’ concentration wanes.

“They spent a lot of energy [defending in the first half] and usually the second half is a lot easier. It was that today also,” said Kulusevski.

As for his own vibrant performance, in the thick of things rather than seeking to do damage from out wide, he added: “That's my position. I've taken huge steps.

“I feel free. And when I feel free I can do what I have been doing all my life – scoring goals and creating chances and helping my team-mates.”

Son, too, was devastatingly effective on his return from a hamstring injury. His shot led to Tottenham’s third, even though it went down as an Alphonse Areola own goal, while he scored the fourth and then struck the post moments later.

At the point of Spurs’ attack, meanwhile, stood Dominic Solanke. On paper it may look suboptimal for a centre forward not to find the net in a 4-1 win.

But the £65m man was not upset because, he insisted, the collective performance being so good mattered far more.

“I feel like I helped the team in different aspects,” said Solanke. “It’s important we contribute in different ways. I didn’t get a goal, which is frustrating for me, but it was a great game and if we keep playing like this we’ll be in a good place.”

Spurs face Crystal Palace on Sunday, following a Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar, but Kulusevski stressed that there remains room to grow. “We all have to improve,” he said. “Especially on the defensive side.”

Still, this was an important result for Postecoglou. Tottenham had not won against their three most important neighbours – Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham – under the Australian before this weekend. And a return of 18 points from 15 London derbies was far from ideal.

“We just have to win every game,” Kulusevski added. “For me it doesn't matter who the opponent is. It's all three points. But I'm happy we made the fans happier.”

Mohammed Kudus could be hit with an extended ban for his spectacular meltdown.

The West Ham winger, who had scored the opening goal, left three Tottenham players on the floor after losing his head in Saturday's defeat.

He first kicked Micky van de Ven in the back before shoving the defender in the face. Kudus followed that up by pushing Pape Matar Sarr in the head, while Richarlison was knocked over after running into the Ghana international during a subsequent melee.

Kudus was sent off for violent conduct relating to the initial Van de Ven incident. But the FA might decide to punish him further - similar to when QPR ’s Joey Barton was handed a nine-game ban for three incidents against Manchester City in 2012.

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui said he will speak to Kudus about the incident but claimed that he did not see the altercations.

“It's not good for him, it's not good for the club, for the team,” Lopetegui said. “But I can't say anything more because I don't see the action.”

Max Kilman said West Ham only had themselves to blame for their second-half horror show.

Lopetegui’s team delivered an exhibition in defensive disorganisation before Kudus was sent off for violent conduct.

But with Hammers fans growing increasingly agitated by their new head coach’s failure to provide consistency, summer signing Kilman conceded: “It wasn’t good enough. There was a spell in the second half when we let the game slip.

“It was a bad spell for us. We lost concentration as a team at important moments and let them get ahead of us. “Obviously it’s not good enough for the level we are and the quality we have. We need to be doing much better.

“We need to be much better than that and make sure we’re ready for the next one.”

West Ham, already trapped in a lower mid-table morass, host Manchester United next Sunday and Kilman added: "For sure we need to get our heads down and put in a good performance next week.

"We need to compete with the best teams in the league and we have the quality to do that. We need to keep going and hopefully things will change."

Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin will not push to leave the club in January - despite his lack of minutes.

The Romanian centre-back, who joined Spurs in a £26.7million deal from Genoa last winter amid strong interest from Bayern Munich, has made just one start in the Premier League so far this season.

Dragusin was also dealt another unwanted setback last month following a tough start to life in north London when he was sent off after just seven minutes in the 3-0 Europa League victory over Qarabag.

A number of Italian sides including Napoli are monitoring his situation closely, however, the 22-year-old remains committed to Tottenham and will not seek a mid-season exit, even if he remains out of the side.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven remain Ange Postecoglou's first-choice centre-back pairing but there is confidence Dragusin will still receive his fair share of minutes in both Europe and respective cup competitions this season.

Sources close to the player indicate the Romania international, who scored for his country in a 3-0 win over Cyprus last weekend, is solely focused on showcasing his best on the pitch as he looks to strengthen his case for a starting berth.

It comes after Dragusin's agent, Florin Manea, warned at the back end of last season that his client would not sit around on the bench forever as he ordered Postecoglou to consider a change of shape to a three-man defence.

Manea told Radio CRC in May: “The coach said many times he does not want to play with a three-man defence, evidently he knows best, but Tottenham concede a ton of goals. Playing with three gives more security.

“I also think Tottenham concede a lot of goals from set plays, so Dragusin would be very helpful due to his power in the air, he used to get all the headers at Genoa.”

Dragusin's decision to join Spurs was his own personal choice after he opted to snub an offer from German giants Bayern Munich.

Napoli, who were the reigning Serie A champions, were amongst his suitors during that time and their interest is yet to have waned despite a change of manager following the appointment of Antonio Conte.

Despite his Qarabag red card, the former Genoa ace was only hit with a one-match suspension which he has already served against Hungarian side Ferencvaros. It means he will be available for selection, fitness permitting, to face AZ Alkmaar in the competition next Thursday.

West Ham will be without Mohammed Kudus for over a MONTH after his red card against Spurs.

The Ghanaian forward went from hero to villain for the Hammers in North London on Saturday afternoon. He had opened the scoring for Julen Lopetegui’s men with a well-taken strike.

But his outing took a turn for the worst. West Ham eventually fell to a 4-1 defeat with Kudus getting sent off late on with the intervention of VAR.

He appeared to kick out at Micky van de Ven, while also clearly pushing both the Dutchman and his Spurs team-mate Pape Matar Sarr in the face. Referee Andy Madley initially brandished a yellow but changed his mind after reviewing the decision on the VAR screen.

A statement from the Premier League read: “The referee issued a yellow card to Kudus. The VAR deemed that his actions were violent conduct and recommended an on-field review. The referee then upgraded the yellow to a red card.”

And Kudus will now be missing for three matches due to the decision being violent conduct and will see him miss games against Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Everton. Despite that, his absence will be even longer.

The November international break will bring Premier League football to a pause, meaning that Kudus’ next earliest appearance will come against Newcastle on November 25. West Ham boss Lopetegui gave his verdict on the dismissal after the game.

Did Kudus deserve a red card against Spurs? Share your thoughts in the comments below

"I did not see the action back on TV but I think that if the referee reviewed it and decided that it was a red card then I cannot have a doubt," the Spaniard said. "Maybe it is another point to improve, when we suffer in the bad moments we keep calm and fight to the end as a team."

Meanwhile, pundit Ally McCoist claimed that Kudus should not have been sent off. Speaking on TNT Sport, he said: “I'll be honest, I'm probably old-school. Give him a booking and let's get on with the game.”

The defeat to Spurs leaves West Ham 14th in the Premier League with just two wins from eight games. Their stuttering start comes after a summer in which the Hammers spent hugely during Lopetegui’s first window at the helm.

The Londoners spent over £120m on new signings including lucrative moves for Max Kilman, Crysencio Sumerville and Niclas Fullkrug.

Son Heung-min returned to spearhead Tottenham's devastating second-half performance as they came from behind to thrash neighbours West Ham.

Mohammed Kudus had put the Hammers in front with a fine first-half effort but, after Dejan Kulusevski levelled, Julen Lopetegui's visitors fell apart after the break in diabolical fashion.

Yves Bissouma put Ange Postecoglou's side in front before a comical own goal, eventually given to Alphonse Areola after some pinball following a Son shot, made it 3-1. The South Korean superstar soon added a fourth before Kudus lost the plot by pushing two Spurs players in the face late on and was eventually sent off after VAR intervened.

Here are the talking points from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Substitute shambles

Tottenham had not long made it 2-1 when three West Ham substitutes lined up near the halfway line ready to come on. By the time they entered the field of play it was 4-1.

Six minutes had passed with Edson Alvarez, Crysencio Summerville and Carlos Soler watching idly as the XI on the pitch fell apart with dismal consequences.

And it was difficult to understand what the hold-up was. Did Julen Lopetegui want to wait for the game to settle down? Was there a technical issue?

Either way it was a shambolic moment that summed up a shameful spell of football from the away team.

Sharp Son

After three weeks out with injury the Spurs skipper showed no signs of rustiness with a ruthlessly efficient performance.

Having come desperately close with a spectacular effort in the first half, he dragged Tottenham to a higher level during their decisive burst early in the second half.

His own goal did not arrive until the fourth but it was his shot that led to the third goal, awarded to Areola after three deflections, while he also hit the post and created two clear opportunities before being taken off with the points secure after 70 minutes - to a predictable standing ovation.

Brilliant Bowen

Jarrod Bowen looked heavy-legged in the opening weeks of the season, no doubt carrying lingering fatigue from England’s Euros heartbreak. But being dropped by interim national team head coach Lee Carsley appears to have invigorated the Hammers captain.

He looked outstanding against Ipswich before the break, possibly enjoyed the rest over the past fortnight and from the start of this game he caused Destiny Udogie all sorts of problems.

His cross for Kudus’ opener came from a third successful beating of the Tottenham full back.

It was hard to pin too much blame on him for West Ham’s horrific second-half collapse. Bowen, undoubtedly, has to be held as one of the best players outside of the big seven clubs.

Kudus nightmare

What was Kudus thinking? The kick up Micky van de Ven's backside as the Spurs defender lay on the floor was daft, the shove in his face even worse.

And for good measure the Ghana star then pushed Pape Sarr in the head.

The only issue was it took so long for referee Andy Madley to show the red card when it was the most obvious dismissal of the season.

Mixed Areola

Alphonse Areola appears to be alternating between wondrous saves and soft concessions.

This was the second game in a row when West Ham’s No1 was beaten too softly - allowing Dejan Kulusevski’s shot to scramble in at his near post for the equaliser before Son’s fourth also crept by.

Lopetegui’s team are coughing up far too many opportunities in every game and the Frenchman has made a host of spectacular stops already in this campaign.

But he then ruins that all by being beaten from far more routine efforts. His kicking, meanwhile, is a whole other issue - evidenced by a lame pass that led to Spurs’ third.

Ange Postecoglou says he will “explode” at his Tottenham players once they arrive back at the club following international duty.

Spurs face West Ham in Saturday’s early kick-off needing a result following a staggering collapse against Brighton before the break. Postecoglou’s side had a 2-0 lead at the Amex Stadium on October 6, only to lose 3-2 in a dramatic turnaround.

The Australian manager launched into a passionate post-match rant in which he slammed his complacent players for throwing away three points. He branded it the 'worst defeat' of his reign at Tottenham, insisting the second-half performance was 'unacceptable'.

However, Postecoglou isn’t done with venting yet, having been left to his own devices to stew on things while many of his players have been away with their national teams. "You never know if it (the international break) is good or bad. Maybe for the players it was good, but I don't like sitting on a loss," Postecoglou told Mark Schwarzer for Optus Sport.

"There can be a tendency to over-analyse things. It wasn't a good one. The first half was unbelievable, but I didn't like the second half and what we looked like. It wasn't the loss, it was the manner I wasn't comfortable with. I've been sitting on it for 10 days, I'm ready to explode once they get back in the building and that will be my therapy."

The defeat left Spurs ninth in the Premier League on 14 points from seven matches. They will face a West Ham side full of confidence following their 4-1 thrashing of Ipswich before the break, which was their first win at the London Stadium.

Postecoglou is under pressure, with Spurs having won just three matches in the league so far this season, but he says he won’t change his approach. "What everyone wants me to do is what everyone else does. I'm not going to do that," he said.

"The reason I'm here now is because I didn't do what everyone else does. I wouldn't do anything differently because I've always tried to make decisions that I believe are going to stay true to what we're trying to create. What I do know is that people forget the starting point. It becomes really blurred. I don't forget the starting point. That's how I measure progress."

Postecoglou previously worked for Celtic, Australia and Yokohama Marinos and was asked whether Spurs was the most difficult job he’s had. "This club has its own unique challenges for sure. Are they more difficult than others? I don't know,” he said. "When I was at Celtic I was expected to win. If you lose one game it's a major problem and not many can cope with that.

"It's just a different challenge for sure. I get why people would say it's the level and the scrutiny is the reason why you're not having success – I don't believe that. I believe we will have success and there's nothing here that makes me think that is insurmountable."

Tottenham medical staff are due to assess Lucas Bergvall in the coming days after the 18-year-old midfielder sustained a calf problem while away on international duty.

The Swedish FA confirmed on Monday that the teenager would miss their Nations League clash with Estonia which later ended in a routine 3-0 victory for Jon Dahl Tomasson's side.

The message being relayed, however, is that the issue is not thought to be serious, though Spurs want to run the rule over the problem ahead of this weekend's Premier League clash with West Ham on Saturday afternoon.

Bergvall complained about discomfort in the back of his calf during a training session and therefore, Sweden decided it would be best if the player returned to north London following consolation with Spurs' medical staff.

The Scandinavian prodigy has been battling a separate fitness concern in recent weeks after also suffering from groin pain following Tottenham's 2-1 Europa League win over Ferencvaros TC in Hungary. Swedish sources indicate the decision to release Bergvall from the national team squad was precautionary.

The young maestro has played just 46 minutes of Premier League action so far this season since signing from Djurgardens but has started each of Spurs' two Europa League matches, plus the 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Coventry City in September.

Even if he is able to prove his fitness before the weekend, it's unlikely he will start the match against the Hammers when the Premier League returns following a two-week break.

Bergvall has had to show patience since sealing his dream £8.5million transfer as he continues to learn his trade from the likes of Son Heung-min and James Maddison but he is highly-rated at Hotspur Way and there is optimism that it won't be long before he breaks into Ange Postecoglou's starting XI.

He was recently subbed after just 12 minutes in the 3-0 European win over Qarabag following Radu Dragusin's seventh-minute red card. Bergvall has since said of his withdrawal: “Of course I was disappointed, but you should be. I completely understood the decision. It was just a matter of letting go and moving on.”

Postecoglou's side are looking to bounce back from the gut-wrenching 3-2 defeat at Brighton in which they had led 2-0. The sickening second-half collapse at the Amex ended a run of five straight victories in all competitions and also left Tottenham languishing in ninth place in the Premier League following an inconsistent start to the campaign.

Tottenham are on the verge of losing assistant boss Ryan Mason as he considers a move to Anderlecht.

The former Spurs midfielder has been part of Ange Postecoglou ’s coaching staff at his former club since the summer of 2022. He has officially held a backroom role in North London since 2018.

It appears that his long association with Spurs could come to an end sooner rather than later though. Belgian side Anderlecht are considering him for their head coach role.

They are currently looking for a new manager following the exit of Danish tactician Brian Riemer. According to a number of reports, Mason is already engaged in talks.

Should things go according to plan, he would become the latest name known to Premier League fans to take control of the Brussels outfit. Former Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany was appointed as the club’s player-manager in July 2019 before claiming the full-time role a year later.

Mason, now 33, started his career with Tottenham and made 70 appearances before a permanent move to Hull. But a serious head injury forced him to retire in February 2018.

Mason has since moved into coaching with the North London side. He returned to Spurs in April 2018 and went on to oversee seven games as interim boss following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

The former midfielder was retained under Antonio Conte and had another interim spell in charge following the Italian’s exit. Speaking at the time, he said: “It's a privilege to manage this great football club. I'm ready for this challenge and know what it means to represent this club.

Where will Spurs finish in the Premier League? Share your thoughts in the comments below

“I've never taken for granted the connection I have with our incredible fans and will work relentlessly with our players and staff to ensure that, as a collective, we fight for the badge at all times.”

He has remained important under Postecoglou - the Australian confirming his role when it comes to set pieces. Speaking in January this year, the current Spurs boss said: “Ryan Mason is in charge of attacking set-pieces.

“He’s done an outstanding job all year. Mile [Jedinak as well] in charge of defensive set-pieces I thought we were brilliant. We’ve been really good in that space all year and it’s a credit to both.

“All the coaches put in a real big shift this week. We knew we were going to have players in there playing their first game for a while or first time ever and all of them to a man did an outstanding job to prepare the team.”

Mason’s potential future employers sit fourth in the Belgian Pro League after winning four out of their opening ten league games. They have however enjoyed a perfect start to their Europa League campaign.