Changing Room Quotes

As a young kid, you never really understand what it takes to be a footballer: what it's like after you've won or what the changing room is like after a loss, or, as an individual, have you played a good game? Have you played a bad game?

What you've got to realise is that footballers, and me in particular, have seen everything in the changing room. Everything. I've seen the manager kicking off with the players, the players kicking off with him, players fighting each other, managers fighting, everything.

You have a personality inside the pitch and off the pitch and in the changing room, too. The most important thing is to be respected by your teammates, and that's the case at Tottenham.

When we speak about equality, you want to be playing on the best pitches with the best facilities. You want to be able to have a hot shower in the changing room. These are the things you need to get right if you want to be more professional on the pitch.

The most important opinions to me are those that belong to the guys in the changing room.

It's the warm-up in the changing room when I switch on. I don't even think about the fight until then. Some fighters are bouncing about the walls, but I switch off. Then it's like someone flicks a switch in me.

In some ways, I was a little bit surprised [by how dominant we were] but then I look at the players in our changing room and it doesn't surprise me because we've got quality in there. If we click and play well like we did in the first half, we can open up any team.

You don't expect to have a happy changing room when things are not going so well.

Within the changing room, everyone has always known I'm best when I pitch the ball up and get a little bit of movement.

I like to dance, I love music and sometimes in the changing room I am dancing.

I know it might be surprising to some, but anyone who knows me - especially those who shared a changing room with me in my playing days who first told me I could sing - will tell you what a big fan I am of big band music.

It is very important that you can express yourself, especially at half-time in a changing room, which is the crucial time for a manager.

The accommodation for the players to dress themselves, to change into their club shirts, are in most stadiums not so good.

I talk quite a lot in the changing room, try and joke around, keep the energy going, try to lift guys if they are struggling, even if I am struggling.

When it comes to the changing room, belief is a huge thing. It's one of the strongest attributes I have ever had and it has stayed with me from the very beginning.

I always talk about being a team player, I think I'm really good team player. I was a big voice in the changing room before games and nothing really changed for me.

Dressing rooms can be vicious places, in the best possible way, from a slagging point of view.