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A year is a long time in the life of a footballer. Christian Eriksen smiles when he thinks back to this time last season. He lived in Amsterdam, where his team Ajax had allowed him to blossom and become one of the genuine young stars in the game. He had joined their famous youth academy in 2008, aged 16, and two years later he was in their first team. That year he was one of 736 players that went to the World Cup in South Africa and he was the youngest of them all. He returned to win three straight Dutch Eredivisie titles with Ajax, during which he had developed into one of the finest young playmakers in Europe. He had become a star in Holland and performed very well on the grandest stage of them all, the Champions League. Still only 21, with one year left on his contract, the Danish creator knew his time with Ajax had come to an end. As the new season started he admits he had multiple offers to choose from. In the end he selected White Hart Lane as the place to continue his growth as a footballer. Now he is a Premier League star. However, the move was not a formality for him. He added: "For me as a person I didnt say yes straight away. I loved it at Ajax and wanted to see what the other possibilities were around me before committing. I decided Tottenham were the best option." Despite his cautiousness, Eriksen acknowledged that the allure of the Premier League is a large one for many players playing in Europe and the pull of London was also a large factor. "Living in London is a pretty big part of it but I am there for the football but, of course, if you are enjoying a good life then it makes it easier for you on the pitch as well." Geography has helped Tottenham in such situations time and time again. They remain a big club, but nowhere near as big for people now in their thirties than those in their sixties, for example. That comes down to the clubs success in the 1960s where for a time they were the standard of English football. Since winning a then record eighth FA Cup in 1991, Tottenham have won just two league cups in the past 23 years, the same as Aston Villa and Leicester City. However, their roots and their location has helped them continuously attract special players to North London, the likes of Ossie Ardiles, Paul Gascoigne, Jurgen Klinsmann, David Ginola; players who have not only been talented but also been pure entertainers as well, who regularly get fans out of their seats. Eriksen looks like he could be the newest member of that class. When the former Ajax playmaker was brought to White Hart Lane at the end of August he was only Tottenhams fourth-most expensive signing of the window; behind Erik Lamela, Roberto Soldado and Paulinho. The day he signed, Tottenham also revealed the capture of Argentine Lamela, for almost three times the amount of Eriksen. If Tottenham wanted to keep the Dane under the radar, captured at a discount because his contract was close to expiring, they were certainly doing a good job at it. The moment he stepped on the field he wasnt under the radar anymore. Eriksen made his debut in Tottenhams fourth game of the season, at home to Norwich, and the team had yet to score a goal from open play. The playmaker took 28 minutes to do what Tottenham couldnt do in 270, putting a perfectly weighted pass in to Gylfi Sigurdsson who opened the scoring. In the second half, Eriksen found himself in his office - the central space outside the penalty box - when he switched the play brilliantly to Paulinho on the right side. It was the kind of pass that most players wouldnt have even seen but seconds later Tottenham extended their lead when Sigurdsson tapped home the Brazilians cross at the back post. When he was taken off after 71 minutes, Eriksen got a standing ovation from his new fans. Its a game Eriksen will never forget. "Of all my experiences from the first season, my debut is very high on that list." Afterwards, his manager Andre Villas-Boas called his new star a pure number ten but less than four months later he had been sacked and replaced by Tim Sherwood. Eriksen nods his head when told about how tough it must have been to play under two very different managers with different philosophies. "It was a bit weird. It was even harder for me because I came a bit late and when I got in everybody was used to Villas-Boas and knew him but for me it was new, I learned a lot and then he was gone and I had to learn again with the change but thats football, you know? Of course you play off the coach but as a player you play for the club and if they make a decision then you have to agree with it." It didnt get in the way of Eriksens form as he went on to become the clubs player of the year, putting in many outstanding performances while also showcasing his versatility as a deep-lying playmaker in a match at Old Trafford where Tottenham countered for both goals, with Eriksen scoring one and creating the other. Eriksen, just like anyone at the club, will not use the manager change as an excuse for Tottenhams inability to crack the top four once again but its clear what he wants when asked how his team needs to improve this season. He said: "The biggest thing we need to improve is to find stabilization and avoid those big losses. We need to improve against the top four – thats probably the main thing. Against the lower teams, where we usually get the points, I think we can continue what we are doing but against the higher ones we should perform better." There is no doubt about that. Last season Tottenham lost 6-0 and 5-1 to Man City and 5-0 and 4-0 to Liverpool. Just how much better they perform will be important, not only for Tottenhams place in the league but their reputation amongst players, notably Eriksen himself. With Denmark not qualifying for Brazil 2014, the 22-year-old was able to enjoy holidays in the Maldives and Dubai with his girlfriend Sabrina, where he didnt have to concern himself with another move. He said he enjoyed returning to a full pre-season with this club for the first time and has been impressed with new boss Mauricio Pochettino. Nevertheless, it is clear that should his career trajectory continue it might be difficult for Tottenham to continue to keep hold of him next summer if they are unable to get into the Champions League. Unusually, Eriksen is a player who has already experienced the emotions of the club games greatest competition before stepping back into the Europa League with Spurs. "The Champions League is great. Things are always much bigger, the ceremony, the press, the fans, its a stage where everyone wants to play and hopefully we will be there next season." One would imagine another standout season for Eriksen would put him next seasons Champions League with or without Tottenham. Ron Francis Jersey . Ryan Getzlaf certainly got them started in the second. Getzlaf scored the first two goals in the second, and Teemu Selanne scored the go-ahead goal late in the period as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 Thursday night. Patric Hornqvist Penguins Jersey . Unlike last year when nobody got in, there have been estimates of as many as five getting voted in this time around and as few as one, Greg Maddux. http://www.penguinsauthenticofficial.com/chad-ruhwedel-jersey/ .com) - Real Madrid claimed its 16th consecutive victory across all competitions on Saturday after earning a 2-1 win over Malaga at the Estadio La Rosaleda. Mario Lemieux Penguins Jersey . -- Fresh off their surprising run in the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed head coach Terry Stotts to a multi-year contract extension. Larry Murphy Penguins Jersey . 17.A string of English Premier League teams, most in the lower end of the standings, has been linked to the 32-year-old forward but most have seemingly balked at the cost given his wages and transfer fee.BOSTON - The Boston Bruins went to the TD Garden for Game 7 of their playoff series against Montreal knowing that someones season would end. They just never considered it might be theirs. "Oh, its tough to swallow," defenceman Johnny Boychuk said after a 3-1 loss to the Canadiens eliminated the Bruins. "We have such a good team. It shouldnt be." With two trips to the Stanley Cup finals in three years and the NHLs best record this regular season, the Bruins have established themselves among the leagues elite. Defenceman Zdeno Chara, forward Patrice Bergeron and goalie Tuukka Rask are all up for NHL honours. But in a seven-game series against their Original Six rivals, the Bruins couldnt find the form that helped them amass 117 points in the regular season. Chara was uncharacteristically indecisive on Montreal breakaway. David Krejci and Brad Marchand — key scorers in the two runs to the Cup finals — did not score a goal in these playoffs. "Maybe it was a lack of focus or I didnt bear down enough, but I didnt come up big when the team needed me and (its) very frustrating," Marchand said. "Its really tough. I think we expected to go all the way this year. Its very tough; its very disappointing. Its hard to really put into words. We expected a lot more." Coach Claude Julien said the team struggled to overcome injuries on defence to defenceman Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid.dddddddddddd That left them relying on a lot of young players, including Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug, who played well in the series, and Kevan Miller and Matt Bartkowski, who didnt. "You could see tonight that there was a lot of nervousness," Julien said. "This time of year, youve got to play your best hockey of the year. And I dont think we got to that point. I dont think we played badly but we certainly werent playing as well as we could to be a team that would move ahead." Despite the injuries, the Bruins coasted through the regular season to 54 wins, then eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in five games. After dropping the opener at home to Montreal, the Bruins came back to take a 3-2 lead in the series. But Montreals Olympic gold medal-winning goalie Carey Price shut the Bruins out 4-0 in Game 6 to force the series back to Boston for a decisive seventh game. And then he held them to a single goal in the finale. "When you know that you have a team that was so good and consistent throughout the whole season, and you have a good enough team to win more than one series," it takes a while to sink in, Chara said. "Its something that youre going to be thinking about. Ill be thinking about it for sure quite a bit." ' ' '