Youngsters may not get chances

He said: “It’s definitely limiting the chances of English players.

"When I joined Spurs as a 15-year-old I was vying with top players from the British Isles but now a young player has to compete against players from all over so it’s harder to break in and stay in.

“Will a home-grown player stay at Tottenham for 19 years again? It’s hard to see it. Will a foreigner stay at any club for 19 years? I can’t see that either.

“In a way I’m happy to see my record won’t be matched but I feel sorry for the young players having to do more to prove themselves.�

Perryman cites one of his former team-mates as a perfect example of why clubs need to give their youngsters a chance.

He said: “Chris Hughton, from the way he developed as a player, wasn’t going to get a chance in the first team but then we had injuries and Chris was thrown in.

“From the moment he played in the first team he was never going to be out, which didn’t quite match up with how he shaped up before.

“In future, if you never get your chance because there are so many players, especially foreigners, maybe you don’t have a career, and that would be a shame.

“Also with more foreign players you lose the link with supporters.

"You maybe gain some foreign supporters, there’s probably a lot of Argentinians who look at Spurs because of Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa, but you lose the core of support you really should be looking after.

"And if we have got a smaller pool of English players to pick from it will damage the England side.�

Perryman, 57, was at Waterstone’s in Cabot Place last Friday promoting a new book about life at Tottenham during the ’80s.

The Boys From White Hart Lane, Spurs In The ’80s gives an alternative view of what it was like at one of the country’s top clubs in the words of the players.

Perryman, who made a club record 866 appearances for Spurs during a 19-year career at White Hart Lane, was pleased to be able to look back.

He said: “It was good for me to read about what they are doing now and how they viewed things at that time because you were so busy playing games and just getting through it.

“There wasn’t the rotation system and the big squads there are now.

“In 1982 we were trying for four trophies. We actually played 10 games in 23 days, our last 10 league games. You put that in context of today they would be crying blue murder. What did Ronaldo call them?
“Slaves. If they were slaves, what were we? At least they get paid decent money.�

But Perryman is not bitter. He said: “The money would be lovely, but I was happy to play for Tottenham when I did and if I wasn’t happy with my lot I would have asked to go.

“I did play for Oxford for a year at the end of my career and I managed Brentford for three, but I’ve got no standing at those clubs because I wasn’t there long enough.

"I’ve got standing at Tottenham because of those 19 years and it means you are treated with a certain amount of respect, which is really nice.�

Perryman thinks new Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is the right man for the job after the club’s dalliances with overseas managers,including Spaniard Juande Ramos.

Perryman said: “Harry’s doing great. He’s down to earth and I think there’s a greater closeness between him and the supporters.

“I think that gap had got far too big, especially with having foreign managers.

“If the communication is not quite the right they feel very much detached.

“I think there’s much more of a role for the manager to bridge that gap and Harry does that.

“Of course if he didn’t win football matches that wouldn’t matter either, but he’s doing both. I really think he’s a great appointment.

“He’s using other people’s players, and very effectively, but when he brings his own players in they can go on to even better things.

“They are still in the League Cup and the UEFA Cup. They are going to have a disappointing league year because that was set out early days but he’s recovering the season for them.�