Charlie Adam will always be disliked by Spurs fans after injuring Gareth Bale during a 2011 Premier League clash with Blackpool.
Charlie Adam will never be a popular figure in some corners of North London.
After all these years, Tottenham Hotspur fans have never forgotten Adam’s rather crude treatment of their former wing wizard Gareth Bale.
Bale, then at the peak of his powers, was ruled out for three months after a late Adam lunge back in 2011 during a Premier League clash between Tottenham and Blackpool. And that was not the first time the feisty Scottish midfielder had lunged into Spurs’ influential number 11, who branded Adam a ‘coward’ in quotes reported by the BBC.
But, speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT (6 November, 10.30am), the 32-year-old has now opened up about his apparent long-running feud with Bale, claiming that infamous challenge seven years ago was made to look worse than it was.
“I never tried to hurt (Bale), the opportunity was there to get the ball,” said Adam, who is now out of favour at Stoke City.
“If you look at it (former Blackpool midfielder) Keith Southern, he actually moves the ball away and unfortunately for me I stood on (Bale’s) Achilles and he was out for a long time. Slowed down it looks horrendous.”
Adam has admitted that he often resorted to a more physical approach when coming up against technically gifted midfielders a la Cesc Fabregas and David Silva, but believes he never strayed across the lines of acceptability.
“As a British player when you’re coming up against your Fabregas’, the Silvas’, you have to try and get an edge and be a dominant force, to let them know they’re in a game. I respect you as a player but I’m here to do a job on you.”
Adam’s comments come after Jurgen Klopp hit out at Burnley’s players for a perceived overly-physical approach in Wednesday’s Premier League clash against Liverpool, with Joe Gomez having been stretchered off with a serious ankle injury.
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