Jermain Defoe learns the Wright way to find the target for Spurs

Simon Johnson
21 Aug 2009

Tottenham fans hate everything and everyone associated with Arsenal. So it may cause them some distress to discover that one of the factors behind Jermain Defoe's stunning start to the season is due to advice from one of their north London rival's greatest players.

Defoe has starred for club and country over the past week, scoring twice in England's draw with Holland and then netting his first hat-trick for five years in Spurs' 5-1 drubbing of Hull.

Obviously the coaches at White Hart Lane, not to mention manager Harry Redknapp, have played a significant role, but so too has Arsenal legend Ian Wright.

The duo are close friends and Defoe reveals he seeks Wright's counsel on a regular basis over how to improve as a forward.

The Spurs striker said: "I speak to Wrighty a lot on the phone. I spoke to him the other day and he said to me: 'You're playing in a good team, you know you are going to get chances. Just hit the target'.

"He said: 'During a game, if you hit the target four times, you are going to score two goals'. And I think its true, its just important to hit the target really.

"I've always said that when you are playing games and you look like you are going to score, you will score but if you don't have that confidence that's when you have to start looking at yourself."

It is understandable why Defoe should want to seek Wright's advice - he netted 185 goals for Arsenal between 1991-98.

For a brief period Wright held the club record for most goals scored in an Arsenal shirt, before Thierry Henry usurped him.

Henry is another former Gunner Defoe confesses to looking up to and hopes to follow the Frenchman's example by making sure he fully capitalises on his good opening to the campaign.

He added: "If you watch someone like Thierry Henry where he had his great seasons in the Premier League scoring 25 goals, he always got off to a good start.

"It helps you as a forward to do that, to get your goals early. It sets you on your way confidence-wise.

"There's no such thing as peaking too early. At the end of the day you've got to perform. I don't want to be relaxed and say, well it's a long season I just want to take it easy. You want to get the goals and at the end of the day everyone is flying. I am getting my chances and I am taking them."

West Ham fans will surely take their chance to jeer Defoe again and try to put him off his stride when Spurs visit Upton Park on Sunday. Just like Chelsea's Frank Lampard, Defoe has still not been forgiven for the way he left West Ham and the fact he joined one of their London rivals.

But Defoe is unperturbed and believes their boos will come back to haunt them.

He said: "If you speak to any player who goes back to their old team, especially when they get stick, it makes you want to do well even more.

"It does make you play better when you get booed. It's not a problem. You blank it out anyway and just get on with it, so I look forward to it. At the end of the day I loved my time at West Ham. I had a fantastic time there and I am looking forward to going back there. Hopefully we can win."

Keeper Heurelho Gomes is set to miss the game with a thigh injury, while Ledley King is in a race against time to return from his knee problem.