The return of Adebay-adored

The smiling Togolese front man seems to have gone from villain to hero in the eyes of Spurs fans more times than Charlie Adams has ‘mistimed’ a tackle. Throughout Adebayor’s colourful career he has certainly spent a lot of time in the limelight for various reasons. Recently he has been hitting the headlines again, but thankfully for all the right reasons.

I’ve always found myself cautious to get carried away with good performances from Ade, as we can’t be sure how long they will continue. So what’s different now for Tottenham’s number 10? Is it time for us Spurs fans to get carried away? Or will we end up with egg on our faces?

Hitting an all time low with us just a few months ago, the forgotten outcast had been subjected to training with the youths, as well as to a torrent of abuse from fans after a questionable gesture (later cleared up as a genuine, albeit coincidental, misunderstanding) made with his loyal side kick (‘LOL’) after our 5-0 humiliation at the hands of Liverpool.

[linequote]is this no more than a temporary good run of form fuelled by the desire to prove a point, such as we have seen in the past?[/linequote]

Two months later and he has hit an all time high while in a Spurs shirt, continuing his fine form with another two goals and a MOTM performance against Newcastle on Wednesday night. Consequently being described by the gaffer as ‘a joy to work with’, and ‘an example to all young players’.

So is Adebayor the Messiah we desperately crave to bring glory back to our club, or is this no more than a temporary good run of form fuelled by the desire to prove a point, such as we have seen in the past. I don’t feel it necessary to analyze the strikers ability. Its hard to find another striker as gifted: he simply has it all. His current form and value to the team is reminiscent of a certain Welsh Wizard during the same period of last year.

Unfortunately, we are all well aware he has struggled with is his attitude and motivation throughout his career. His first year at Spurs was extremely positive, notching 17 Premier League goals and 11 assists, more than warranting his permanent switch to the Lane.

However, under AVB, the good times didn’t last. His second season wearing lilywhite saw him hit the back of the net just five times, numerous frustrating performances, and that red card at Woolwich. His demise continued this season under Andre Villas-Boas to the extent that he was completely ignored for team selection, apparently stemming from an argument for refusing to take off a beanie hat.

A recent interview with Geoff Shreeves showed us a different side to the 6 foot 3 striker. We finally got to enjoy a first hand account from the man that so many people love to hate. He described the death of his brother as the worst period of his life, and opened up about the horrific gun attack on the Togo national team bus in 2010.

[linequote] His current form and value to the team is reminiscent of a certain Welsh Wizard during the same period of last year[/linequote]

It was heart warming to hear him talk about Emmanuel Adebayor Junior, and of his love for his country. It made a lot of us take a step back and realise we too often judge a player’s whole character based on what we see on the pitch and hear in the media. At the end of the day he is a mere mortal, with football merely being his job.

Personally, I was most impressed by his refusal to talk about AVB in any other manner except that of the highest regard and admiration, much to the disappointment of a prying Shreeves. Maybe he isn’t such a bad guy after all?

Undoubtedly he has unfairly carried ‘money grabbing’ personification portrayed by the media, which has acted as a smoke screen to his ongoing charity work and loyalty to his African roots.

There has been a lot of negativity surrounding us this season both on and off the field. Yet, we find ourselves in a great position in the league, largely credited to Adebayor who is giving 110% every week and flourishing under the guidance of Tim, scoring 9 in his last 12 appearances.

He has been through a lot and the man’s life could be made into a Hollywood movie. Based on his interview with Geoff I hold a strong belief that he is mentally in the strongest place he has ever been. This coupled with the continuance of his classy performances leads me to believe we have left the difficult times in the past and as he said, ‘lets look forward and not backwards’.

Ade will turn 30 in almost two weeks, and he seems to finally have a certain maturity about him which we have never seen before. I fail to see why his story can’t be capped with a Hollywood ending, and as to why this can’t be achieved here at Tottenham.