Roman Pavlyuchenko: An Unconventional Success Story

Sitting there for months in his overtly comfortable chair, soaking in the glory of the Premier League and lapping up the wisdom of years of experience, life couldn't get much better right?

Wrong.

For Roman Pavlyuchenko, it wasn't.

Toted as being "World Class" after the 2008 European Championship, "Super Pav" was inevitably snatched up by an ambitious Juande Ramos, who was seeking to qualify for the Champions League. What happened next is the biggest mystery of all.

Regardless of "The Ramos Era," Pavlyuchenko set out to score a total of 14 goals in all English competitions. While not an astounding record, Pav was a regular over the course of a rocky season in which Ramos was sacked, and Redknapp managed to inspire the Coys to finishing eighth in the table.

After the acquisition of Crouch in the summer and the return of both Keane and Defoe the previous season, the striker space was filling up rather quickly, and with pretty nice options.

And so, young Roman took to the bench.

He sat as an unused substitute 15 times, 13 of those in the league he waited for his chance to prove himself. After a Christmas of only receiving coal, the new year promised to be good to him. It wasn't until January 23rd when he scored a go-ahead goal over Leeds, did his, how should I say, bitching stop.

Complaining that he was the butt of Redkapp's jokes, it looked as though he might be done with Tottenham Hotspur.

I knew he wasn't.

The goal sparked a resurgence in the once giant baby, and he hit the ground running against Wigan, hitting the mark for two out of three. Since the five games in 2010, Pav has put up five goals in the league keeping Tottenham in the hunt for fourth spot.

Pavlyuchenko, hopefully over his teen angst, believes the team is "almost like one family." At least he is now sitting at the adults table.

He is a top world striker in my eyes, but "world class," maybe not. If Tottenham is to succeed in potential Champions League matches, we need Roman Pavlyuchenko, that is because, well...

"I am a Russian and we never give up."