‘It was mad’… Jermaine Jenas says something truly bizarre happened under Juande Ramos at Tottenham

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Jermaine Jenas has shared a ‘mad’ story about former Tottenham Hotspur manager Juande Ramos.

Ange Postecoglou will be bidding to end Tottenham’s long wait for silverware during his spell in north London.

Spurs fans will need no reminding that it has been 16 years since they witnessed their side lift a major honour.

The man who ultimately delivered that success for Tottenham back in 2008 was Juande Ramos.

Tottenham beat Chelsea in the League Cup final at Wembley that year, just a few months after Ramos took over from Martin Jol. But the Spaniard’s tenure proved to be short-lived as he was dismissed in October following a poor start to the 2008-09 season.

Much has been made of Ramos’ methods during his time at Spurs, particularly his strict regime when it came to his players’ diets.

And Jermaine Jenas has offered some more insight into exactly what was expected of Tottenham’s players at the time.

Jenas shares ‘mad’ story about Ramos at Tottenham

Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Jenas discussed Ramos’ strict expectations during his time at Spurs.

“This guy took everything! If it was pasta no sauces allowed. He even got rid of Lucozades at half-time. There was either water or this special mix,” said Jenas.

“Honestly, this actually happened. This special mix was potatoes, rice, water and pasta, just blended with ice. He handed it out and it was like wallpaper paste so we have said it tastes vile and he’s saying it’s natural, it’s all good. Drink it.

“So he said next week I’ll do something for you and he put bourbon biscuits in to make it a chocolatey version of the same thing. It was disgusting.

“The fitness coach was doing it under the guidance of Juande. It was mad. Every single week there was this weird guy flown in from Spain. And you’d go into this room and stand on his scales and he’d grab all the bits of fat on you and he’d go okay leave.”

While players are expected to lead a healthy lifestyle and look after themselves, this seems a bit over the top.

It’s no wonder that Ramos quickly lost support in the Tottenham dressing room when results began to go against them.

The Spanish boss was ultimately sacked after picking up just two points from his opening eight games during the 2008-09 season.

Of course, Harry Redknapp was the man who replaced Ramos and the rest is history.