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The language barrier is still holding back Roman Pavlyuchenko
Tom Collomosse3 Apr 2009
Roman Pavlyuchenko is confident Harry Redknapp will give him the chance to extend his Tottenham career - but he admitted he is still struggling to understand his team-mates.
The Russia striker has been left out of the starting line-up for the last three matches, and few would be surprised were the £14million signing to be allowed to leave White Hart Lane in the summer.
Yet with Darren Bent struggling with a knee problem sustained while on England duty - the 25-year-old did not train with his team-mates yesterday and is a serious doubt for tomorrow's trip to Blackburn - Pavlyuchenko could be restored to the side at Ewood Park.
The Russian, who has scored 13 times this season, still needs an interpreter to understand the instructions of manager Harry Redknapp, and the 28-year-old concedes that the language barrier is an issue.
Pavlyuchenko said: "Language is still a big problem. To start learning English from scratch and be able to speak fluently after seven months turned out to be unrealistic. For me it only means that I need to keep working on it.
'My problem is that in London I live in a recurring circle day after day - hotel, training ground, stadium, restaurant. So I'm not learning new words. When this was interrupted by an injury, I easily memorised a number of medical terms.
"I still think in Russian - and that is an obstacle on the pitch. I have to do a translation inside my head wasting, precious seconds."
Redknapp is likely to have make changes for the trip to Ewood Park. Luka Modric, Wilson Palacios, skipper Robbie Keane and defender Vedran Corluka have only just returned from international duty, and Redknapp will have to assess their fitness before selecting his team.
Reader views (9)
FOR SOME REASON RUSSIAN PLAYERS HAVE NOT BEEN A BIG HIT IN THE PREMIERSHIP.
- J Windsor, LONDON ENGLAND, 04/04/2009 00:24
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SUPER SUPER PAV, SUPER SUPER PAV, SUPER SUPER PAV,
SUPER PAVLYUCHENKO!!!!!
GIVE THE BOY A CHANCE......................
I CAN SEE A LOT OF SUPER TEDDY SHERINGHAM IN HIM
- Alfie Conn, London, England, 03/04/2009 21:29
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Weird, how these guys have scored goals, him and Bent, but you can see he will take awhile to adjust,family and football, another Teddy in the making...All our previous players who have done well, have taken a settling in period. I hope Harry sticks with Him, good player, these players need time, don't forget some of them just joined the club.
- Adrian, london, 03/04/2009 17:38
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Hopefully, Harry will give him time. I am concerned because both Pavlyuchenko & Bent have been severley criticized & yet have scored nearly 30 goals, this season, between them! When Pavlyuchenko masters English & Bent is given confidence, can you imagine how many more goals they will score!
- Rob Hotspurs, South London, 03/04/2009 15:49
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I hope we hang on to him because I think he's a fantastic player and will do great things next season.
- Mark, St Albans, 03/04/2009 13:57
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It's fairly simple Roman - here's a beginner's guide to Arry speak.
"People said I was mad to sign him" - when a player does well, Arry takes absolutely all the credit.
"I'm down to the bare bones here" - pre-match excuse for losing.
"My missus could have (insert anything here)" - confidence boosting, the Redknapp way.
"The fans are gonna love him" - about to sign a troublemaker.
"Of course I'd love (insert player) in my team, but I can't talk about him as he's at another club" - a sentence that totally vexes The F.A, who continually fail to spot the glaring mistake and admission of naughtiness in it.
"For sure" - used like a normal person uses a full stop.
- Stu, Beckton, 03/04/2009 13:56
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No strikers required tomorrow at Blackburn - a point will suffice - so keep it ugly, lay off the fancy-dan stuff and bring home the crispy bacon.
- Ted, London, 03/04/2009 13:23
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I don't think Mr Pavlyuchenko will need an interpreter when Chelsea negotiate a contract for him and put it in front of him.
- Kevin, North London, 03/04/2009 10:43
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I sometimes struggle to understand what Harry's saying ..........
- Paul, London, 03/04/2009 10:09
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