Defoe out six to eight weeks with ankle injury

Watching Jermain Defoe score a hat trick against Bulgaria in a Euro 2012 qualifier last week, I texted back and forth with Shimer raving about how he was playing the best soccer of his life.

Such is the cruelty of sport that it all came crashing down with the news that Defoe will miss the next six to eight weeks with the ankle injury he picked up vs. Switzerland earlier this week.

Defoe is now due to miss the first half of Spurs' maiden Champions League campaign and is also a major doubt for England's next Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley on October 12.

"Even if it's a bad sprain, you're still talking about six weeks or so, because it's a nasty one," Redknapp said.

Defoe, who scored a hat-trick in Friday's win over Bulgaria, had been expected to miss both internationals in the past week to undergo groin surgery but the operation was eventually shelved.

Defoe has been fitted with a protective boot and was on crutches at Spurs' training ground on Thursday.

The striker is likely to miss games against Werder Bremen, FC Twente and Inter Milan in the Champions League, the Carling Cup date with arch-rivals Arsenal and a clutch of Premier League games, including the trip to former club West Ham United.

The news contradicts comments from the player on Wednesday which suggested the ankle injury would not be a problem. He said: "I jarred my ankle or my knee but it feels alright. I've always said I'll do my best to make sure I'm out there. I've just got to rest it (the injury). I'll just keep icing it and I'm sure I'll be okay."


Injuries never happen at opportune times but Tottenham has to be especially upset since they're trying to do something in its Champions League matches while also maintaining a good start to their EPL campaign.

Defoe nearly ices it for Three Lions

The England-Slovenia match kicked off a couple minutes before the U.S.-Algeria game out of the halftime break and supposedly Defoe should have made it 2-0. He flicked it wide off a corner.

English midfielder Glen Johnson picked up a yellow card for a dive in the 48th minute which the commentators on the Soccernet gamecast said was a terrible call.

0-0 U.S.-Algeria in the 49th minute.

1-0 England in the 51st minute.

The hits keep on coming for England

Tottenham and English striker Jermain Defoe is out for the next couple weeks after pulling his hamstring, according to his club manager Harry Redknapp.

Injuries never come at opportune times but Defoe is having the best season of his young career. He leads Tottenham this season with 23 goals in all competitions and he joins an already lengthy injury list at White Hart Lane that includes Tom Huddlestone, David Bentley, Aaron Lennon, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.

Tottenham is having a wonderful season as they're currently in the coveted fourth spot right now in the EPL which would qualify them for the Champions League next season.

The Spurs travel to Stokke City this weekend for what is a very winnable game despite their shortage of strikers.

UPDATE: Defoe seals FA Cup win with hat trick

Defoe scored his hat trick outrunning the defense from his own end of the field as Leeds was pushing forward just seconds before the end in extra time as Tottenham won, 3-1. The Hotspurs will face Bolton in the next round of the FA Cup. Defoe now has reached 20 goals in all competitions for the team on top of his five goals for England.

Defoe on the mark

In the day's only FA Cup replay, Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe was yet again on the mark for for the Hotspurs late in the second half in the 73rd minute to put the team ahead of Leeds United, 2-1. So far Defoe has scored both of the Tottenham goals in the fourth round of the tournament to bring his season total to 19 in all competitions in what has been a career year.

Surely Defoe will partner Manchester United's Wayne Rooney - who has been in fine form himself - up front for England this summer at the World Cup.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=736027&sec=england&cc=5901

Although his striking partner at Tottenham Peter Crouch has recently outperformed Robbie Keane to the point that the White Hart Lane side sold Keane, and Crouch has more experience at the international level than Defoe - England simply does not perform at high enough level with crouch as one of the feature forwards as evidenced by a really lackluster 2006 World Cup.