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Former Spur Ossie Ardiles inspires Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino

Ossie Ardiles could soon inspire Tottenham to yet more glory, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino saying his countryman is a "very important" sounding board for him.

The diminutive midfielder is one of the greatest players to have ever donned the lilywhite shirt, helping the club win the UEFA Cup in 1984 and two FA Cups.

The first of those came in 1981, when Ardiles fulfilled his ambition to "win the cup for Tottingham", an immortal line from the song 'Ossie's Dream', released in the build-up to that final.

It is a song current head coach Pochettino knows all about, but is not something he will be repeating should they progress through Saturday's fourth-round tie against Leicester and onto the final.

If they do succeed in the FA Cup, one of three cup competitions Spurs are still involved in, then Pochettino revealed fellow former Argentina international Ardiles will have played a key role.

"I speak to him a lot," he said. "He always comes to my head coach's room before the game and we will have a chat.

"And he sees me here (at the training ground) once a week and has lunch with us and spends time with us. We have a great relationship.

"He is a legend. If we get success in the future, he will have played an important part. He has spent time with us and given us advice - he is a very important person for me.

"He explained to me how important it is for the supporters and the club to get to finals.

"That is what we are fighting for, to get the victory against Sheffield United on Wednesday and to get past Leicester."

Saturday's captain against the Foxes may well be at the opposite end of the popularity stakes to Ardiles.

The Capital One Cup semifinal first leg against Sheffield United saw Emmanuel Adebayor booed for the second successive match.

That reception appears to be a fallout from his comments in November suggesting Spurs would rather play away due to the pressure being put on them, compounding a perceived lack of interest from the highly paid striker.

However, Pochettino says the booing has to stop if Tottenham are to enjoy a successful campaign.

Asked if he was concerned the fans' boos could drive Adebayor out, he said: "Yes, but we need to change that.

"We need to give our supporters good performances and good victories to create a better atmosphere. This is our way.

"We need to try to create this with good performances and victories. We have the opportunity to offer our supporters another victory and change their feelings about us."

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