Ledley King - A Legend Retires

[DiscoD1882]

ledgely King. if anyone deserves a statue outside the new stadium. it is you. Hopefully he can remain a major part of the club and become a legend off the field as much as you were on it. I salute you Mr King. The best defender I have ever seen.

 

[have_it]

A sad sad day for all Spurs supporters! A true legend and I hope we give him a standing ovation on the 26th minute at our first home game.

Thank you for your loyal service and just hope our central defenders can reach 50% of the level you reached at your peak!

Singing we've got Ledley at the back...........

 

[Dangerous_Clive]

Devastated.

Storytime...
Years ago, my (Gooner) Cousin was part of Tottenham's Academy U-17's with their Home games taking place at Spurs Lodge. My (Gooner) Uncle would take me down there to watch. It was awesome, they would have the youngest Academy sides playing mid-morning & games would go on into the afternoon for the older sides, culminating in I think the Under-20's playing on the very top pitch.

One week we went over there and there was a bit of a buzz around the last game (a few more people than usual watching). Even Sir Bill was there assisted by a walking stick, having to be helped up the hill to the pitch. It turned out everyone was there to watch Ledley King. Can't remember the opposition but they had red & white stripes.

Ledley was younger, bigger, stronger, quicker & more intelligent than every single player. He put in the kind of commanding performance we became used to seeing throughout his career. He played Sweeper in a back five, and about mid-way through the 2nd half...

...Intercepted a through ball
...exchanged a one-two with the right wing-back
...burst forwards through midfield
...played the ball inside their left back to the forward who had peeled off
...carried on running into the box
...timed his run to get on the end of the cross
...hammered the ball left-footed on the half-volley high into the net

Everyone applauded. Sir Bill absolutely loved it. Ledley just casually jogged back to his position.

 

[yawa]

Very sad although i'm sure most people knew it was going to happen. Its probably for the best and im glad he went out on top form rather than getting progressively worse and although not tarnishing but perhaps putting a downer on everything hes done.

Certainly hope hes involved with the club in the future.

 

[Krafty]

Gotta love Ledley. He literally put his body on the line for us, although ironically if it weren't for the injury problems he would have moved to a bigger and better club.

The club should do their upmost to help him with whatever he decides to do from now on.

Long live the King.

 

[thfc1989]

if he is half as good as a community officer as he was as a defender then Tottenham will become a utopian society.

 

[The Lilywhites]

Retire #26 Daniel.

 

[talkshowhost86]

if he is half as good as a community officer as he was as a defender then Tottenham will become a utopian society.

"And yes the rioter is through, he's got the brick in hand, he's absolutely clean through on the window but no! Ledley King has slide tackled him into a police car! Magnificent stuff from the rookie community officer and that makes the score Justice 135 Yobbish Wankburgers 0. Join us for the second half."

 

[Kettle]

Gutted. Was my favourite player at Spurs ever since our last quality home grown CB left.

Hopefully Caulker can step up and take this mantle now...

Many memories of him through the years.

The Robben tackle.
Playing through the pain barrier to win the Carling Cup
Matching Henry at his best and receiving praise from him as being the best defender he played against in the prem.

To name but a few.

Legend.

 

[Danny1]

If it hadnt been for injuries then Ledley would have been the worlds best. Ledley you are a true legend and forever the King of the Lane!

 

[danielneeds]

Blanchflower, Mackay, Greaves, Perryman, King.....

Nothing else to say.

 

[Gardham90]

I honestly believe that in his peak he was not only the best defender in England, but in the world. Fantastic defender.



The only player's name I ever got on the back of my shirt.

LEGEND!

 

[EastLondonYid]

Ledley to have a testimonial......just confirmed by Levy.​

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

Let's all remember him for his wonderful talent and not the man with the chronic knee condition.

In all my 35 years supporting this club, King is by far the best and talent centre back we've ever had IMO.

 

[degoose]

just seen the news on the bbc site and even though i expected it it is still quite gutting that he has retired. As others have stated if he did not have as many injuries he would have been an even more amazing defender.

 

[Super Tottenham]

Only 8 yellow cards in his career, fantastic!

 

[Glasseye]

Have known it was coming, but it was a shock, feeling gutted right now....

A true Spurs Legend, and deserves all the plaudits that he gets

 

[Hoddle_Ledge]

More story time:

Ledley King just had an instinct that smacked of Bobby Moore

He was watching Ledley King play for Tottenham's youth team against Nottingham Forest when Pat Holland realised there was something special about the big central defender.

'The ball came towards him at head height and Ledley just dropped a yard and brought it down on his chest,' recalls Holland. 'I was stood on the touchline with the academy director, who said he should've headed it, but I thought, "No, that's Bobby Moore". Just like Bobby, Ledley had instinct.'

Holland had played with Moore at West Ham and had just returned to Spurs for his second spell as a coach. This time he would be responsible for the youth teams, along with Jimmy Neighbour, and they had inherited a decent side.
'We had this big lad at the back, a skinny lad up front and a right back who would run up and down the wing all day long,' says Holland.

The trio of starlets were King, Peter Crouch and Luke Young, who would all go on to play for England, but, when Tottenham's coaching staff gathered for a cup of tea and a chat, King was the one they agreed was the real star in the making.

David Pleat, then the club's director of football, said: 'The game came easily to him. Nobody ever knew which foot he kicked with because he was so comfortable with both and, because he made it look so easy, people always wanted more from him.
'We always saw him as a player who could play in midfield as a ballwinner because he had energy to burn and he was so good at playing the ball simply and quickly.

'The coaches in the youth team would tell us he didn't do so well in the air for his size but we worked on that and improved his heading. He doesn't foul and he's quick on the cover.'

King is a product of the prolific Senrab club from the East End of London. Born and raised in Bow, he was educated at the now closed and derelict Blessed John Roche RC School and played for Senrab and the Tower Hamlets district team.
He took the maiden name of his mother, Beverley, a council worker who brought up Ledley and younger brother Emerson on her own. Gary Northover, a former Senrab coach, said: 'Beverley has done an incredible job. Every Sunday, she would be there supporting the team and the club functions.

'In 1994, when we raised money to take the team to play in Florida, she came with us and loads of her relatives came down from New York. They were all huge. You could see where Ledley got his athletic build.'
King rarely sees his father, Herbie, but there were sporting genes to inherit from that side of the family, too, with his dad related to former champion boxer Rod Douglas.

Millwall rejected the chance to sign a 14-year-old King. Northover said: 'I took him down and he played in a trial game at Eltham. I thought he didn't do too badly but they had quite a good base of kids and they took this other kid from Barking who was well rated.'

King's crop at Senrab was remarkable. He played central defence in a team which included Bobby Zamora at centre forward, John Terry in midfield and Paul Konchesky and Jlloyd Samuel on the left. Club secretary Tony Carroll said: 'We didn't lose a game for about three-and-a-half years. The scouts were all over that team. Ledley was superb, even at a young age. He was deceptively quick, and he's got better with age.'

There were no early signs of the knee problems which have haunted King's career but Holland, whose own career was ended by knee trouble, remembers him injuring a hip in a collision with a team-mate during the warm-up. 'Ledley was never any trouble,' said Holland. 'I think the most I ever said to him was "Well done". He would smile and get on with it. He had skill. It was difficult to get past him. He read it well and used his body well. Above all, he was comfortable on the ball.'
Those asked to describe King select words like quiet and calm. 'He's not a talker,' admits Pleat but the big defender remains influential in the dressing room.

Newcastle manager Chris Hughton, who coached at Spurs for more than a decade, said: 'He was never vocal, not one to boss others around on the pitch, but he had an aura.

'His team-mates would look up to him. When you heard those conversations between players, they'd be saying what a good player Ledley was. They'd look around the dressing room, see him in the team and feel happier and more confident.'

 

[CrazyConrad]

A true legend!

 

[delpiero]

I don't have any more to say that you guys above have already said.

Love the guy, amazing player, hope we have another like him in the future. Gutted.