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ROBBIE'S REACTION TO WIN AGAINST BAGGIES

Robbie Keane admitted the the 3-1 margin against West Brom was a slightly flattering scoreline.
Despite going ahead through a Christian Ziege free-kick after only a minute and Robbie doubling the advantage on the half an hour mark, West Brom gave a very good account of themselves and dominated possession and created chances throughout. Their sole reward was a second half goal from Scott Dobie and even that was cancelled out by Gus Poyet's late strike. Robbie felt that fortune definitely favoured us on the day. "I think so," he reasoned. "At half-time the gaffer told us to get our fingers out, if you like, because we weren't playing well. It was tough, don't take anything away from West Brom - they worked very hard and got back into the game. We got a scrappy goal at the end and it probably did flatter us. For my goal it was a great ball from Teddy, Christian put me through and luckily enough it went in." Robbie is laying no claim to Gus's goal ten minutes from end - even though the ball came within an inch of him on its way into the net. "It was very close, but it was Gus' goal - definitely."

ROBBIE SCORES AGAINST WEST BROM

Tottenham moved up to seventh in the table with a win that will have West Brom wondering just how they endured another pointless Premiership afternoon.First-half strikes from Christian Zeiege and Robbie Keane and a late third from Gus Poyet put Glenn Hoddle's side back in the scramble for European football, but even the most ardent of supporters will find it hard to see just how they won so well.They got off to the best possible start, their guests contributing to their downfall for the first - but by no means the last - time, just three minutes in. With White Hart Lane still smirking after Arsenal's defeat at Manchester United, the mood improved further as Ziege went some way to silencing his critics with his first of the season. A free-kick 25 yards out had Jamie Redknapp and Teddy Sheringham lurking with intent, but it was the German who stepped up to curl a simple ball round the wall and inside Russell Hoult's right-hand post. Neil Clement had been guarding the upright, but came hurtling off the line at the last minute, let the ball pass and left his side facing another uphill struggle. The one-touch approach play from Darren Anderton, Sheringham and Ziege was impressive but only Lars Sigurdsson and Sean Gregan can explain why Keane was given the freedom of north London to latch onto the German's ball and lift a typical finish over the keeper.
Only a superb stop from Hoult prevented former Wolves man Keane adding to his tally as he broke clear again, while the keeper did well to smother a low cross from the Irishman at the start of the second half. Near the finish Spurs went down the other end and made it three through Gus Poyet. A mass scramble in the visitors' box saw the ball bobble, defenders fail to clear and the Uruguayan scuffed a stabbed shot that fairly trickled over the line. MAN OF THE MATCH: Robbie Keane (Spurs): On a day when quality in the box proved the difference, the new darling of White Hart Lane showed his class again.

ROBBIE LOOKING FORWARD TO FAMILIAR FACES

Robbie Keane will come up against a familiar face at both ends of the pitch at St Andrews on Saturday. His Irish international team-mates Kenny Cunningham and Clinton Morrison are key men for Birmingham City. Robbie will come face-to-face with defender Cunningham, now his Irish captain, while Morrison's pace will have to be watched at the other end. "It will be nice to see Kenny and Clinton, good lads who I know well from Ireland," said Robbie. "I know Kenny very well. It will be interesting to play against him and we'll have a laugh afterwards.
He knows me but it's all on the day. Leeds knew me as well, but you just change a few things. Always expect the unexpected! Clinton's a good player, a good goalscorer who plays right up on the shoulder. We'll have to be wary of him." Robbie knows exactly what to expect at St Andrews. "It will be a tough one," he said. "I've played there a few times when I was at Wolves and it's a hostile atmosphere. Hopefully last week's result against Leeds will give us the confidence to go there and win the three points. It would be a shame after last week's result having playing so well and getting the three points to then come away with nothing from Birmingham. It will be tough but there is a lot of confidence in the dressing room now."

HODDLE ON KEANE'S PERFORMANCE

Glenn reflected that it was human nature for Robbie Keane to be slightly charged up while playing against his former club. Robbie certainly had a zip about his play as he ran the Leeds rearguard ragged and sealed our win with a spectacular goal five minutes before the break. The boss compared Robbie's display with the one he put on at Blackburn in October, but admitted playing against old clubs does tend to bring the best out in players. "He was similar up at Blackburn," pointed out Glenn. "But when you play against your old team it's human nature, there is a spring in your step and you want to do well. I thought we did well from 1-11 but, if you pushed me on Man of the Match, I thought Keaney was a bit special today. The goal epitomised his performance."
Leeds boss Terry Venables felt it was inevitable Keane would score. It was mentioned in the week and it normally happens," lamented Venables. "He did play particularly well though, there is no doubt about that."

ROBBIE'S REACTION TO LEEDS GAME

Robbie Keane turned on the style against his former club Leeds and is now hoping for a few repeat performances in the weeks to come. Robbie was at his industrious and skilful best on Sunday, but was quick to point out that it was an excellent display by the whole team - despite his goal stealing the show. He now hopes that the team produce more of the same in the coming weeks and put a good run of results together. "Of course you do," he said. "It was great performance by the team. I'm not going to say that performance will come along every week, but it will hopefully set us up nicely to go on a good run. I enjoyed it. It was a good game to play in and I seemed to get a lot of space and was on the ball a hell of a lot. When you are on the ball a lot it gives you confidence and I was full of confidence on Sunday. The reason for that is that the team played well. When the team does well it gives everyone an edge." Robbie relished playing in a three-pronged attack for the first time since joining the club, featuring just in front of Teddy Sheringham and Gus Poyet. "It was good. We seemed to get a lot of space around their centre-halves and I enjoyed it. You get more of the ball and you feel more confident when you're involved in the game. "Teddy was able to drop off, that's his game. I played on the shoulder but I was able to come out at times and play on the wings. There was a good balance to our game."

ROBBIE SCORES AGAINST LEEDS

Teddy Sheringham and Robbie Keane increased the pressure on their former mentor Terry Venables with the first-half goals which saw Tottenham home at White Hart Lane. The former pounced on a loose ball on the right edge of the Leeds box and steered a low curling drive inside the far post after 12 minutes. Keane was sold by Venables for £7 million two months ago and the Republic of Ireland striker showed what Leeds were missing with an equally sweet strike with the outside of his right foot from the edge of the penalty area four minutes before the break. The hosts had looked the hungrier from the first whistle, and when Stephen Carr's quick throw found Sheringham, he released Keane in a race with Teddy Lucic. The ball broke loose on the right edge of the box and it was Sheringham who followed up to steer a low curling drive inside Robinson's far post for his fifth goal of the season. Keane, relishing the chance to impress against his former colleagues, did just that when he swapped passes with Sheringham on the right edge of the box and hit a firm drive, but Robinson was well placed at his near post to block. The home fans were willing Keane to get on the scoresheet and he almost obliged with a low 20-yard drive which flew just wide. Gustavo Poyet, on his 50th appearance for Spurs, chipped the ball towards the right edge of the box which Keane hit first time with the outside of his boot, and the ball flew into the far top corner for his fourth goal in 12 games.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH Robbie Keane (Tottenham) - Full of pace, commitment and verve - in fact, everything that was lacking in his former employers' display.

ROBBIE LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING LEEDS

Robbie Keane is looking forward to facing his former club Leeds United this afternoon as the boys seek a win to restore confidence after recent results. The Irish international joined Spurs just ahead of the transfer deadline at the end of August after starting the season with Leeds under new manager Terry Venables. It has been something of a stop-start season for the Elland Road outfit so far, the joy of home wins against both Manchester clubs has been dulled by five home defeats - the last of which a 4-2 loss to Bolton a week ago. We are also chasing a positive result to put our season back on track after taking one Premiership point from a possible 12 after an excellent start to the season and Robbie acknowledges the significance of the game for both teams. "I'm looking to forward to it," said Robbie on Friday. "It should be a good game and I'm looking forward to seeing the lads again and the staff. It's a big game for the two of us. Leeds haven't been doing as well as maybe they should do and we've lost a few games as well. It is important for us to win and get the confidence back in the side and hopefully go on a little run. We've just hit a little dark spot at the moment, but I'm sure with the players we've got we can bounce back." While Venables has come under fire from a section of Leeds supporters, Robbie has little doubt that the former Spurs boss will come good. The results might not show it at the moment, but as a manager and a person he is spot on. When I was there he was as good as gold to me and the players have got a lot of respect for him. Leeds are only three points behind us and with a couple of wins they'll be right back in it. It's amazing how quickly things can change."

ROBBIE SET FOR FIRST ARSENAL DERBY

Derby debutant Robbie Keane full expects Saturday's clash at Highbury to be right up there with the rivalries he's experienced so far. A trainee at Wolves, the Irish striker was brought up on the lively Midlands derby against West Brom, missed out on the Milan derby in his time at Inter but then played in the heated battle of the Uniteds, Leeds and Manchester, in his time at Elland Road.
Now it's the turn of the North London derby and Robbie is eager to taste the atmosphere. He explained: "I just missed out on the Milan derby but I played in Wolves against West Brom, which is fairly tasty and Leeds v Manchester United is obviously big but there is always a lot of talk about Tottenham against Arsenal and I can imagine it's one of the biggest around. I'm looking forward to it because these occasions don't come around that often." So how did he expect it to go? "It will be a tough game, they are doing well, but anything can happen in a derby game," he added. Derby games are always hyped up and often don't turn out how people expect. I'm sure there will be a lot of battles out there, a few tackles flying in and it should be a good game. We're all looking forward to it. We want a result in every game but we know how important this one is for the fans. It would be nice to get something out of it."

ROBBIE ON NIALL QUINN

Robbie Keane is full of admiration for Sunderland's Irish giant Niall Quinn. Striker Quinn, now 36, is a legend at the Stadium of Light and for the Republic where he scored a record 21 goals in 91 international appearances. He has been a huge influence on the career on Robbie, still just 22, who is well on the way to Quinn's Irish record with 14 goals to his name already. They are unlikely to face each other on Sunday though as Quinn looks set to miss out with a recurring back injury
"Niall is someone I respect very highly," said Robbie. "When I first went into the international scene Niall was always there, always had time for me and gave me a helping hand in every possible way he could. He's a great lad as well, not just on the pitch, but off it as well. He's a tremendous bloke and a friend, even now I could pick up the phone at any time and talk to him. Niall's a great player to play with, a big lad and I always liked playing around him. He's always done well for me in my international career and been tremendous for Ireland. I'll always have total and utter respect for him." Meanwhile, Robbie said it was vital we hit back straight away after Wednesday's Worthington Cup defeat at Burnley. We need to bounce back," he insisted. "And we've got the squad and players to do it. It was nice to see a few players return at Burnley, obviously a shame about the result, but that's gone now and hopefully we can change it around at Sunderland. They'll be strong. They work hard for each other as all of Howard Wilkinson's sides do. It will be tough and they are looking for points to get out of the bottom half. But we should be looking forward to it as well to get back on track again."

ROBBIE HAS ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS

Robbie Keane refuses to dwell on 'one of those nights' at Burnley - insisting he'll do his utmost to hit back at Sunderland on Sunday. The Irish star hardly needs reminding that he had three one-on-one opportunities at Turf Moor as we crashed out of the Worthington Cup on Wednesday.
On the night, Marlon Beresford saved two of the efforts and Robbie poked the other just wide. He almost salvaged the evening with a spectacular volley that rattled the woodwork in injury time - it just wasn't to be. "I know myself I should have scored," reflected an honest Robbie at Spurs Lodge. "As we all know, football can be like that. I think I should have scored two of them but that's the way it goes. There is no point in worrying about it too much, that is when it starts to affect you. You can't change anything. You have to concentrate on things you can change. That's the way I look at it. I've been through these games before and know doubt I will again. Every striker has a game like that. I'm just looking forward to Sunderland now and hopefully bouncing back with a win."

ROBBIE ON SHERINGHAM

Tottenham's £7million striker Robbie Keane wants veteran Teddy Sheringham alongside him in attack for at least another season.Former England star Sheringham insists he has no thoughts of retirement and has made it known he would love Spurs to offer him another contract even though he will be 37 when his current deal expires at the end of the season. But Tottenham have yet to make him an offer and, in fact, have only until the end of February to do so before he can begin talks with other clubs. Glenn Hoddle is keeping his counsel on the impasse, insisting that it is a "private matter between the club and the player", but Republic of Ireland star Keane leaves no doubts as to where his affinities lie. The 22-year-old capture from Leeds insists: "Teddy can go on at the top for a lot longer. He has great experience and keeps himself in really good condition. I can't tell the club what to do but as a player I want him alongside me as long as possible. "Sheringham, who began his career at Millwall in 1984, returned to Tottenham on a free transfer from Manchester United at the start of last season - his second spell at White Hart Lane following his initial move there from Nottingham Forest in August 1992. He scored his sixth goal of the season in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Birmingham, keeping him as Spurs' top scorer with two more than Keane who added: "He's a great pro and we are beginning to link up very well, which is certainly enjoyable for me."

ROBBIE SCORES FIRST GOAL IN FRONT OF HOME FANS

A delighted Robbie Keane declared that his first goals in front of Spurs fans at the Lane were 'something special'. Having opened his account in our previous Premiership encounter at Blackburn Rovers, the Irish star bagged a brace in Sunday's impressive 3-1 win against Bolton to take us up to third. A livewire from first minute to last, Robbie took the game to Bolton and thoroughly deserved his reward. He said afterwards: "It was great to score at Blackburn but to score in front of the home crowd for the first time was something special. First and foremost the most important thing was getting the win and it's good to see the lads coming back from injury as well. The first goal we had the ball for quite a while, passing and movement, a great move and lucky enough I was on the end of it. You've seen how well we can play out there. At times, like I said with the first goal, we passed the ball around for ages. And we all believe there is more to come. It's important we don't get carried away but to believe we are good enough to be there, because we are. With the players we'll get back from injury as well we can only go from strength to strength." And he added that his confidence simply comes from playing. "I'm confident and I feel good," he said. "As I said before, I'm happiest when I'm playing football. As a footballer, you don't want to be on the bench or in the stand. Most footballers are happiest when they are playing. That's all I want to do and I'm relishing the chance here."