Triumph is just the start, says Keane

ROBBIE KEANE is determined to ensure Tottenham’s Carling Cup triumph against Chelsea heralds the dawn of a glorious era at White Hart Lane.

Keane was one of the star performers as Juande Ramos’s side won their first silverware for nine years yesterday. But the Republic of Ireland striker believes Sunday’s success at Wembley should only mark the first step towards further good times for the north London club and admitted the players have already set their sights on winning the UEFA Cup this season as well.

“To lift the cup was very special. It gives us a taste of what it’s like to win. A lot of players haven’t had that in this team” Keane said.

‘‘You saw the celebrations at the end. It’s amazing. We’ve just won a cup and we are in there talking about winning the UEFA Cup.

‘‘That shows how hungry these players are. They want to succeed, go on and win even more.’’

Keane believes Ramos deserves the lions share of the credit for ending Tottenham’s trophy drought just five months after arriving from Sevilla — and giving Keane one of the best moments of his career.

‘‘He’s had a massive effect. What he’s done in the last few months has been incredible. To do that in a short space of time takes some doing. He’s given the players a lot of belief.

‘‘It was a special moment. We’ve been here and had ups and downs. This is a massive up. Hopefully there are a lot more to come.’’

Keane will be able to celebrate the victory in style after Ramos revealed he has relaxed his dietary regime for one night only.

‘‘It’s not a particularly strict diet. Sometimes it allows them to eat and drink totally out of control. And yes, that includes champagne.

‘‘I’ve already had a drink with the players, even though you can’t tell!’’

Tottenham’s victory added more lustre to Ramos’s impressive record in cup competitions.

‘‘It’s always tremendous satisfaction to win a trophy, especially for the club itself,’’ Ramos said. ‘‘This one perhaps has a special flavour to it because it was against a team that was supposedly superior to us.

‘‘The truth is that this was a beautiful experience. The format is very different to finals I’ve been involved in with Spain before. It was a unique experience.’’

Chelsea manager Avram Grant was unhappy with Mark Halsey’s decision to award a penalty for handball against Wayne Bridge.

‘‘It touched the hand of Wayne Bridge, but it was a very rash decision,’’ he said.

‘‘They started the game very well, but in the second half we were better. They were a little bit more dangerous than us later in the game.

“We win as a team and lose as a team. There are personal mistakes in football, but we lost together. We will analyse it.”