The Blackburn goalkeeper has pointed the finger at Spurs' former manager for sapping his confidence at a vital time, and said only Harry Redknapp's man-management skills have rescued the club.

Robinson has also expressed his sympathy for Heurelho Gomes, who has come under extreme pressure after a number of high-profile gaffes, and insisted he is pleased he left White Hart Lane in the summer.

Robinson said: "I had four years there, three and a half of which were probably the happiest times of my football career so far.

"It was difficult times towards the end, very difficult for me. I was not playing as well as I wanted to play, my confidence was a little bit low and that's the time you need the support and the strength of the people around you.

"You need the manager and the coaches to believe in you and I didn't get that.

"Confidence is the biggest part of the game for a goalkeeper. You stop coming for balls that you should come for, you start taking the safer option when you should be doing other things.

"Ramos' departure has worked out well for Tottenham, and me leaving at the time has worked out well for me. If I was still there at the beginning of this season with the run of results they had it could have been more detrimental for me.

"I'm really enjoying my football again now and my performances have been gradually improving. The manager here has been great for me and given me a lot of support and a lot of backing."

Robinson's form for Blackburn saw him earn a recall to the England squad, but his own improvement has not stopped him feeling sorry for Gomes, his replacement in the Tottenham side.

"He has not had a good time of it this season and to be honest I feel for him, because I know where he is and the situation he's going through," said Robinson.

"He's a very good goalkeeper and showed great strength in character that he keeps coming for balls and keeps putting himself out there and doing what he knows is right."

Robinson believes Tottenham's turnaround is due simply to Redknapp connecting with the players in a way that Ramos did not - and is just sorry Blackburn were not scheduled to meet Spurs earlier in the season.

He added: "I certainly would have like to have played them the first couple of weeks of the season but Harry has come in and turned it around.

"His man-management and the way he has treated players has turned it around. It's the same bunch of players and they have a smile on their face again."

Victory will mean everything for both sides; Spurs are back down to 19th after last weekend's loss to Fulham, while Rovers have slipped into the bottom three as well after a poor run.

Ryan Nelsen and Martin Olsson will return after recovering from illness and strikers Benni McCarthy and Roque Santa Cruz should also be available.

Brett Emerton (hamstring) and Vince Grella (calf) are still out along with long-term absentees David Dunn (Achilles) and Steven Reid (knee).