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Home Clubs Fixtures/Results Bwin Liga Portuguese Cup Champions League UEFA Cup National Team Portuguese Abroad Portsmouth Player Profiles Sitemap Your Say/Opinion Links About/Contact Advertise with us	10 October 2006, by Sean Gillen Mendes broadside for Tottenham’s Jol Midfielder believes poor Spurs spell cost World Cup place Portuguese midfielder Pedro Mendes has reflected on his roller coaster last 12 months in the Premiership, and revealed that he believes that his poor spell at Tottenham cost him his place in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s World Cup squad. After winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004, Mendes left Portugal for a new challenge in England with Spurs in 2004. A solid first season was followed by struggles with injury and strong competition for places in the midfield. Mendes has since revealed that he does not feel he was given enough opportunities by Martin Jol, and has now admitted that the period may have cost him dear when it came to his international career. “I am totally convinced my absence in Germany with Portugal was down to my stay at Spurs. I understand why Phil Scolari decided to go with other players who played more often for their clubs,” said Mendes. “But my circumstances at Tottenham were still very sad - I did have injuries but the coach did not have total confidence in me. I wanted to play for Spurs and it was very sad for me. To be on the bench or sitting watching in the crowd was total frustration.” “And I was left out by the coach without explanations. It’s really incomprehensible.” Crucial double strike Things improved greatly for Mendes when he made the move to relegation favourites Portsmouth in January, and his two goals against Manchester City in a 2-1 win in March are often credited as the vital moment in the club’s turnaround in fortunes. “We won six games in a row after that,” Mendes remembers. “We won 4-2 at West Ham, and then we went to Fulham and won 3-1, then Middlesbrough. Great games we won that made us believe is was possible.” Pompey eventually secured their Premiership safety against Wigan, with one match to spare, and Mendes remembers the time fondly: “When we had that Wigan game, of course we had to wait for other results, but we knew at the time that we could do it in that game. It was a fantastic feeling at the end of the game.” “I’m really proud, really, really proud of what we did last season.” continued: Redknapp the key behind Pompey success >> Home . Clubs . Liga . Portuguese Cup . Champions League UEFA Cup . National Team . Portuguese Abroad . Player Profiles © Copyright of PortuGoal.net 2003-2007. Design addSymbol	Mendes falls down Pompey pecking order Your Say: Should Mendes be a starter Mendes fires screamer before falling to injury Europe return the target for Mendes Mendes strikes as Pompey go fourth Mendes: Redknapp the key behind success Spectacular debut goal for Fernandes Mendes: "The worst moment of my career"

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10 October 2006, by Sean Gillen

Mendes broadside for Tottenham’s Jol

Midfielder believes poor Spurs spell cost World Cup place

Portuguese midfielder Pedro Mendes has reflected on his roller coaster last 12 months in the Premiership, and revealed that he believes that his poor spell at Tottenham cost him his place in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s World Cup squad.

After winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004, Mendes left Portugal for a new challenge in England with Spurs in 2004. A solid first season was followed by struggles with injury and strong competition for places in the midfield.

Mendes has since revealed that he does not feel he was given enough opportunities by Martin Jol, and has now admitted that the period may have cost him dear when it came to his international career.

“I am totally convinced my absence in Germany with Portugal was down to my stay at Spurs. I understand why Phil Scolari decided to go with other players who played more often for their clubs,” said Mendes.

“But my circumstances at Tottenham were still very sad - I did have injuries but the coach did not have total confidence in me. I wanted to play for Spurs and it was very sad for me. To be on the bench or sitting watching in the crowd was total frustration.”

“And I was left out by the coach without explanations. It’s really incomprehensible.”

Crucial double strike

Things improved greatly for Mendes when he made the move to relegation favourites Portsmouth in January, and his two goals against Manchester City in a 2-1 win in March are often credited as the vital moment in the club’s turnaround in fortunes.

“We won six games in a row after that,” Mendes remembers. “We won 4-2 at West Ham, and then we went to Fulham and won 3-1, then Middlesbrough. Great games we won that made us believe is was possible.”

Pompey eventually secured their Premiership safety against Wigan, with one match to spare, and Mendes remembers the time fondly: “When we had that Wigan game, of course we had to wait for other results, but we knew at the time that we could do it in that game. It was a fantastic feeling at the end of the game.”

“I’m really proud, really, really proud of what we did last season.”

continued: Redknapp the key behind Pompey success >>