What a waist of talent - Does everyone have to have a six-pack now?
Martin Jol hailed Tom Huddlestone as his "Beckenbauer" and the finest midfield talent of his age in Europe. Then Juande Ramos arrived at Spurs and told him to get fitter.
Is Ramos about to run the craft and culture out of Huddlestone's passing game or is the new Tottenham manager the man to turn the 20-year-old midfielder into a world-beater?
Berbatov's brother insists: Dimi is depressed, has outgrown Spurs and will go to a bigger club
Berbatov hits back: I love Spurs and am only unhappy because I am not playing well
Fans boycott Spurs clash as home side prepare for weekend derby instead
Spurs midfielder warned: You're not fit to wear the shirt
Spurs boss paves way for Berbatov to leave
Ramos vows to take a chance at Spurs
Spurs must be wary of Hapoel
Relegation struggles may save their best from Spurs
Here lies a dilemma, not just for Spurs but for football in the 21st century, an age obsessed with body fat percentages, nutrition and ProZone diagrams.
We are a long way from the day in 1953 when Hungary's pot-bellied captain Ferenc Puskas humiliated England in a 6-3 trouncing at Wembley.
As Puskas warmed up, an England player is said to have commented: "Look at that little fat chap, we'll murder this lot."
Puskas, along with Argentina's Diego Maradona and Ronaldo of Brazil, went on to earn his place among world football's heavyweights and even today fans love a player built for comfort.
Did Neville Southall (above left) have too many toffees at Everton? Was Jan Molby (centre) too keen on the Danish pastries? Micky Quinn (above right) has owned up to eating all the pies
Former Newcastle striker Micky Quinn, now a racehorse trainer, entitled his autobiography Who Ate All the Pies? and was happy to engage the crowd in the matter of his waistline.
He revelled in his "Sumo" nickname and claimed to be "the Premier League's fastest player over a yard" but he insisted he always trained hard and always scored goals.
Jan Molby remains one of the most gifted passers of a ball to have graced English football. He did not run box to box for 90 minutes but then neither did Glenn Hoddle and no one questioned his fitness.
Chelsea's Frank Lampard will never shake his "Fat Frank" tag despite becoming one of England's fittest players.
Mars bars helped Gazza (below left) pile it on. As for Neil Ruddock, he just inherited the ‘Razor’ tag from a boxer of the same name and ‘Grazer’ might have been nearer the mark
Bristol City manager Gary Johnson took a £1million punt to sign Lee Trundle in the summer, aware that other clubs had ignored the striker because of his size.
Johnson said: "There were probably times when Lee let himself go but the fat boy thing is a bit of a myth. If players are lazy or their fat content is so high they cannot affect the game, then they won't be in the team.
"Nobody has room for a luxury player now. You can't afford to carry the player who might chip one in from the halfway line once in a while.
"You need commitment and workrate from your skilful players. You want them involved and be able to affect the game."
Neil Ruddock, who battled against weight as a player, claims Paul Gascoigne played better when he was heavier.
They could tuck their shirts in if they wanted to, all right! It’s a style thing for Andy Reid (left), Ivan Campo (centre) and John Hartson and nothing to do with hiding the love handles
"When Gazza lost a couple of stone, he lost some of his power, he couldn't shrug defenders off in the same way," said Ruddock, who now combines his passions for eating, drinking and football on the after-dinner circuit with Soccer Speaker.
The former Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham defender relates tales from his playing days, such as how he couldn't fit into his shorts at Swindon, near the end of his career.
Ruddock said: "The problem was there were numbers on the shorts and the previous No 16 had a waist like Kylie Minogue.
"I started my career playing at just under 14st and by the end I was always trying to get under 15st.
"If I was ever half a pound over I'd feel heavy and sluggish. If I was half a pound under I'd feel like a million dollars.
"I've never seen anyone eat as much as Rio Ferdinand at West Ham. He was non-stop but he never put a pound on. I'd eat half as much and pile weight on.
"You can be one-paced in central midfield and get away with it. You can't if you're a defender, turning round to chase strikers, because you'll look stupid.
"In midfield, it's about speed of thought and the speed of your pass. Claude Makelele doesn't play like Steven Gerrard.
"Gerrard's game is all about pace and fitness but Huddlestone is more like Hoddle. He sits and conducts play, slows the game down, speeds it up. But he has to be able to do it for 90 minutes."
Martin Jol hailed Tom Huddlestone as his "Beckenbauer" and the finest midfield talent of his age in Europe. Then Juande Ramos arrived at Spurs and told him to get fitter.
Is Ramos about to run the craft and culture out of Huddlestone's passing game or is the new Tottenham manager the man to turn the 20-year-old midfielder into a world-beater?
Berbatov's brother insists: Dimi is depressed, has outgrown Spurs and will go to a bigger club
Berbatov hits back: I love Spurs and am only unhappy because I am not playing well
Fans boycott Spurs clash as home side prepare for weekend derby instead
Spurs midfielder warned: You're not fit to wear the shirt
Spurs boss paves way for Berbatov to leave
Ramos vows to take a chance at Spurs
Spurs must be wary of Hapoel
Relegation struggles may save their best from Spurs
Here lies a dilemma, not just for Spurs but for football in the 21st century, an age obsessed with body fat percentages, nutrition and ProZone diagrams.
We are a long way from the day in 1953 when Hungary's pot-bellied captain Ferenc Puskas humiliated England in a 6-3 trouncing at Wembley.
As Puskas warmed up, an England player is said to have commented: "Look at that little fat chap, we'll murder this lot."
Puskas, along with Argentina's Diego Maradona and Ronaldo of Brazil, went on to earn his place among world football's heavyweights and even today fans love a player built for comfort.
Did Neville Southall (above left) have too many toffees at Everton? Was Jan Molby (centre) too keen on the Danish pastries? Micky Quinn (above right) has owned up to eating all the pies
Former Newcastle striker Micky Quinn, now a racehorse trainer, entitled his autobiography Who Ate All the Pies? and was happy to engage the crowd in the matter of his waistline.
He revelled in his "Sumo" nickname and claimed to be "the Premier League's fastest player over a yard" but he insisted he always trained hard and always scored goals.
Jan Molby remains one of the most gifted passers of a ball to have graced English football. He did not run box to box for 90 minutes but then neither did Glenn Hoddle and no one questioned his fitness.
Chelsea's Frank Lampard will never shake his "Fat Frank" tag despite becoming one of England's fittest players.
Mars bars helped Gazza (below left) pile it on. As for Neil Ruddock, he just inherited the ‘Razor’ tag from a boxer of the same name and ‘Grazer’ might have been nearer the mark
Bristol City manager Gary Johnson took a £1million punt to sign Lee Trundle in the summer, aware that other clubs had ignored the striker because of his size.
Johnson said: "There were probably times when Lee let himself go but the fat boy thing is a bit of a myth. If players are lazy or their fat content is so high they cannot affect the game, then they won't be in the team.
"Nobody has room for a luxury player now. You can't afford to carry the player who might chip one in from the halfway line once in a while.
"You need commitment and workrate from your skilful players. You want them involved and be able to affect the game."
Neil Ruddock, who battled against weight as a player, claims Paul Gascoigne played better when he was heavier.
They could tuck their shirts in if they wanted to, all right! It’s a style thing for Andy Reid (left), Ivan Campo (centre) and John Hartson and nothing to do with hiding the love handles
"When Gazza lost a couple of stone, he lost some of his power, he couldn't shrug defenders off in the same way," said Ruddock, who now combines his passions for eating, drinking and football on the after-dinner circuit with Soccer Speaker.
The former Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham defender relates tales from his playing days, such as how he couldn't fit into his shorts at Swindon, near the end of his career.
Ruddock said: "The problem was there were numbers on the shorts and the previous No 16 had a waist like Kylie Minogue.
"I started my career playing at just under 14st and by the end I was always trying to get under 15st.
"If I was ever half a pound over I'd feel heavy and sluggish. If I was half a pound under I'd feel like a million dollars.
"I've never seen anyone eat as much as Rio Ferdinand at West Ham. He was non-stop but he never put a pound on. I'd eat half as much and pile weight on.
"You can be one-paced in central midfield and get away with it. You can't if you're a defender, turning round to chase strikers, because you'll look stupid.
"In midfield, it's about speed of thought and the speed of your pass. Claude Makelele doesn't play like Steven Gerrard.
"Gerrard's game is all about pace and fitness but Huddlestone is more like Hoddle. He sits and conducts play, slows the game down, speeds it up. But he has to be able to do it for 90 minutes."
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