Bent: On song

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Tottenham striker Darren Bent admits that he struggled to communicate with former manager Juande Ramos.

Bent spent the majority of last season on the fringe of the White Hart Lane first-team as Ramos preferred a combination of Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov.

However, Keane and Berbatov moved on to pastures new this summer and Ramos paid the price for Spurs' poor start to the current campaign as he was replaced by Harry Redknapp in October.

And Bent - who flourished under Redknapp and has been included in the England squad to face Germany in a friendly on Wednesday - has now revealed a lack communication with ex-boss Ramos.

Bent said: "Harry has come in and installed belief into the players. A lot of good players were under-performing but he has told them they are fantastic players, put his arm around them and, as players, that is what you need.

Simple

"He has spoken to me more than Ramos did. Ramos said about four words to me in two years whereas Harry has come in, told me what he wants from me and how he wants me to play and I've managed to turn things around for myself and started to get goals.

"It is simple management. I think sometimes we try to over-complicate it and look for too many answers as to why we were losing, whereas Harry just came in and said, 'This is how we are going to play, get used to it.'

"That is the secret. He hasn't tried to over-complicate things and kept it simple and the players are responding.

"Harry said he had seen me for a number of years and said how he wanted me to play.

"He said 'Go out and express yourself' whereas Juande tried to complicate it and change certain bits and bobs.

"Harry has come in, restored belief and hopefully I am repaying him."