Tottenham assistant boss Kevin Bond: Experience of new signings Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen vital

Spurs' number two believes the former Manchester United striker and Blackburn defender will boost title hopes with their knowledge of the pressures of big games

2 Feb 2012 18:18:00

By Simon Sinclair

More On :  Tottenham, Ryan Nelsen, Louis Saha, Liverpool vs Tottenham
Louis Saha of Everton(Getty Images)

Tottenham assistant boss Kevin Bond believes the experience of new signings Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen will give the club a boost as the Premier League title race heats up.

Don't Miss

Former Manchester United striker Saha won the title in 2007 and 2008 with the Red Devils whilst Nelsen played in the 2010 World Cup for New Zealand.

Bond told the London Evening Standard: "That experience, that know-how, of having been there before [they are] the right type of characters, in the dressing room, on the training ground, and will be really really important for us.

"They've come in to be part of our team and part of our squad and the type of people that they are I think they can make an important difference to us."

Spurs have received a blow ahead of their crucial clash with Liverpool on Monday night as both Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe are rated as "extremely doubtful" with hamstring injuries.

And Bond believes the availability of key players will have a big say in the title race, claiming whoever can keep their best players fit will win the league.  

He added: "I think players being available or not being available can play a big part in the run-in.

"At the top of the table or the bottom of the table you need your best players. That may end up being an important part of who wins the title and who goes into the Champions League."

Follow Goal.com on Twitter

Follow Goal.com on Facebook
 
play pause open close
Live!
England 1-0 Belgium, Netherlands 4-0 Northern Ireland - follow all the international action LIVE! ahead of Euro 2012
With countries across the continent gearing up for their final warm-up games ahead of Euro 2012, join us for all the action from Saturday's friendlies. Get in touch with us via Twitter with your reaction.

Hosted by Joe Doyle
20:06 BST
So, that game gave a few players a chance to impress for England. Who did/didn't? Will Welbeck start against France? Or Carroll? Or Defoe?!

19:59 BST
Unfortunately for Northern Ireland, they are trailing the Netherlands 4-0 at half-time. Looks like that one's all sewn up then.
19:54 BST
We're still getting plenty of Hazard chat on Twitter. A few are now saying that he's not worth the hype, others saying he was brilliant(!?) and others (which I agree with), saying he created much of his own hype. What do you think? Get involved!
19:46 BST
Joe Hart has also been giving his thoughts after the Belgium game: "It was a really tough game, a good run out. I thought we played well, [but] we were a little bit bitty at times.

"But, we came through. Obviously there were a lot of changes so it's good to get the result.

"Belgium are a very, very strong side who are going to be really good in the future. Vincent [Kompany] told me about them and said that they were coming good and I totally agree with him."
19:38 BST
Here's Roy Hodgson's reaction to the result and some injury chat: "I'm very pleased, it's been a hard week and we've used a lot of players. There was a lot of disruption in the second-half with substitutions – some forced upon us, some we wanted to do. But it's still a very good end to the week playing against a good Belgian team here. Arguably even stronger than the Norwegian team we played last week and I've got to be more than happy that we've come out with another victory."

"[Gary] Cahill I suppose is slightly more of a concern for me because it is a jaw injury. We're desperately hoping the CT scan doesn't show any fracture and it's just going to be a bruising situation, which will be bad enough, but won't stop him taking part in the tournament. As far as John's [Terry] concerned he felt his hamstring a little bit. Again it wasn't a major thing when he came off but we still need to scan it just to be 100 per cent sure."

Suffice to say, if Cahill has broken his jaw, he won't play any part in the tournament.
Inside Goal.Com
  1. Welbeck convinces Hodgson he is the man to lead the line Welbeck convinces Hodgson he is the man to lead the line

    England beat Norway 1-0 at Wembley, with the Manchester United man hitting an impressive winner to stake his claim for a starting spot at Euro 2012

  2. The five players Rodgers could sign to kick-start revolution The five players Rodgers could sign to kick-start revolution

    The new Reds boss was unveiled to the press on Friday and must immediately begin work on revitalising a thin squad with some additions in the transfer market

  3. Managerial merry-go-round keeps spinning as Lambert takes Villa job Managerial merry-go-round keeps spinning as Lambert takes Villa job

    The Scot officially left Norwich City on Saturday to become the second new boss in June, following the appointment of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool on Friday

  4. Rodgers ushers in new Anfield era on his own terms Rodgers ushers in new Anfield era on his own terms

    The Northern Irishman inevitably expressed his delight at landing the Reds job but evidenced plenty of the steely resolve which could see him become a success at Anfield

  5. The definitive timeline of FSG's hunt for new manager The definitive timeline of FSG's hunt for new manager

    Kenny Dalglish's sacking at the end of the season sparked a massive hunt for the next Anfield boss, and the former Swansea man has been chosen after several turned the job down