Jonathan Woodgate: Still Injured

Cherish these memories, Spuds fans

For our Spurs faithful, some news on your crocked central defender.

After literally hours of hemming and hawing by Harry Redknapp as to the status of the CB, it’s emerging today that Jonathan Woodgate likely won’t play until the New Year, if at all this season.

Redknapp had inferred that Wooders wouldn’t make the 25-man squad he has to name by the end of August, meaning that even if he was healthy, he couldn’t be in the first team set-up.

Sadly, it looks much worse for the ex-Real Madrid man: “Woodgate last appeared for Spurs in the 9-1 Premier League win over Wigan Athletic on 22 November and he has since endured operations and injections to the troublesome area. The 30-year-old has visited clinics in Australia and the United States, the latter to see the medic whom he favoured during his time at Real Madrid, which was wrecked by a lower back problem.

Redknapp said in January that it was “difficult to know” whether the US-based specialist had got to the root of the problem. “Woody’s got a weakness around that pelvic area and he just can’t get it right,” he said. The passing of the months has merely deepened the frustration. “Woody’s nowhere near at the moment, nowhere near,” Redknapp said. “It must be really hard for him at the moment because he’s nowhere near kicking a ball. He’s been out for nearly a year, been in America and Australia but he’s still nowhere near.”

All joking aside, he is a wonderful defender when fit, but you have to wonder whether he’ll be calling time on his career following these recent setbacks. Meanwhile, Harry Kewell is still suiting up for a team somewhere on Planet Earth (I haven’t the heart to look at exactly where).

Life, she can be a cruel mistress.