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Super Pav becomes Surplus Pav
Roman Pavlyuchenko. From his comments to the press, to his performances on the pitch, even to the spelling of his surname, nobody appears certain about the Russian front man.
Signed in the summer of 2008, the former Spartak Moscow striker has failed to convince successive managers at Tottenham. The fans have supported the Russian throughout his Spurs career but a record of 20 league goals in 75 appearances shows why he has never sealed a starting place at White Hart Lane.
Advocates will point to a lack of opportunities, indeed thirty of his seventy-five league games have come from the subs bench, but the bottom line is Roman is an inferior player to Rafa Van der Vaart, Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermaine Defoe. The Russian does not score enough to get in the team as an out-and-out goalscorer, and does not offer anything like the quality in and around the box to compliment Tottenham’s fluid attacking play.
Pavlyuchenko has been resigned to cup football but has hardly set pulses racing with his performances in the Europa League and Carling Cup. His stunning free kick against Rubin Kazan, the only goal of the game, demonstrates his quality, but it is the exception rather than the rule. As his manager Harry Redknapp pointed out, “There has never been any question about Roman’s technical skill”.
His performances are inconsistent and Pavlyuchenko is often anonymous on the pitch. He turns 30 in December – it’s unlikely he will improve his ability or mentality from where he is now.
The overriding feeling is that the Russian has never settled at Tottenham. His comments in the media have ranged from complaints about a lack of game time, difficulty with his family settling in, and looking for a move back to Russia, to lauding the London lifestyle over that found in his motherland, his willingness to fight for his spot, and finally feeling part of the team. Perhaps those last comments were made before the loan signing of Adebayor as the words coming from the Russian now are about a lack of faith in him from Redknapp, and the chance to move in Janaury, maybe to megabucks Anzhi, or back to Spartak Moscow.
Pavlyuchenko is firmly fourth choice at Spurs, and that does not look like changing at all. He still retains some value and his goal against Rubin Kazan will maintain his profile in Russia. Even if Adebayor’s loan is not turned into a permanent deal Pavlyuchenko is simply not good enough for Tottenham. The transfer has simply not worked, and even his ‘Super Pav’ chant has passed on to Scott Parker.
Posted by Tottenham fan Alan Frost
Follow Alan Frost on Twitter: @AlanFrost_HT
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