Palacios thanks Spurs for helping him cope with death of his brother

Tottenham midfielder Wilson Palacios has given a frank account of his traumatic year when he was persuaded out of retirement after his brother was killed by kidnappers.
Palacios still has fears for his family following the death of Edwin but has vowed to carry on playing and has thanked Spurs boss Harry Redknapp and other staff at White Hart Lane for their support during the ordeal.
Remarkably, when the 25-year-old heard about his brother's death in the middle of the night on the eve of the clash against Everton in May, he stayed in the hotel until the morning to ask Redknapp permission to return home.

Tough times: Wilson Palacios tussles with Liverpool's Andriy Voronin
Redknapp was stunned by his player's character in the face of tragedy.
'It was all about having respect, not just for my manager but also my team-mates,' Palacios said. "I had to wait for the right moment to ask my permission to leave the party and I just thought it was the right thing to do."
There were more decisions to follow for Palacios, namely whether to carry on in a career that took him from Honduras to the Barclays Premier League but also led to a family member being held captive and killed even after a ransom was paid.
"It's true, I did come close to retiring but the reason why I carried on, firstly it's always been my dream to be a footballer but mainly it was my family and friends giving me advice and saying 'keep going, keep going'.
"It has been an extremely tough year. But all you can do is keep focused and keep moving forward. You have to remember that you're playing for a club - Tottenham.
 "To tell you the truth everybody at the club has really helped me. My team-mates, the management, even through to the directors have been really helpful." Other things have kept Palacios going, including qualification for the World Cup this year, the first time Honduras have made the finals since 1982.
It led to the president of the country holding a banquet to celebrate and kept Palacios away from England longer than expected.
Redknapp was amazed that his midfielder went straight from the airport to Fratton Park in time to come off the bench in the victory over Portsmouth. Faith in God and speaking to his family have helped him off the pitch.
Now there is a real possibility of another brother, Johnny, making the move to England if he plays the required games for his country to earn a work permit. "
All four brothers are and were professional footballers," he said.
"It would be nice to see Johnny playing here. I'm not just saying that because he is my brother.
"I could talk all day about him and say how fantastic he is. He can play central defence or in the centre of midfield. He's very stylish and elegant on the ball. He's quick and is bright and intelligent."
Palacios and his brothers, naturally, dedicate their football to the memory of Edwin.
Full of praise: Harry Redknapp admires Palacios bravery
"Not just on the football field but everywhere, we know he is with us all the time," said the former Wigan midfielder.
"We left it in the hands of the law enforcement agency in Honduras and they did their job, and we left it in the hands of God, because we know that is where my brother is now, with God."
Unfortunately, Palacios' profile means he still worries about the safety of his family in South America.
He added: "It is a worry, I have to tell the truth, but we're hoping things are on the mend in my country.
"What we are aware of now is that maybe my family take a bit more care with the way they go about their lives. Certainly it's something which is on your mind.
"In particular it is a problem in Honduras. You will be aware of David Suazo who plays in Italy. Fortunately they found his brother, the same thing happened but they found him after three weeks."
As Redknapp would explain, it says plenty about Palacios' characterthat his form has never been affected and he has grown into one of themost fearsome central midfielders in the Premier League, clatteringinto challenges and starting attacks.
They were the qualities that caught the eye of Arsene Wenger duringa trial before Palacios was recommended to Steve Bruce at Birmingham.
That was just after Patrick Vieira left Arsenal, then Wenger saw Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva leave, so Palacios would have fitted perfectly into the Frenchman's current team.
"I've got to tell the truth, they treated me very well there, I've got to be honest despite the rivalry," he said. "But obviously I'm extremely happy where I am now at Tottenham." Keane will stay at Spurs - unless we receive huge offer, says RedknappDes Kelly: Chill wind of debt keeps clubs away from January salesCompetition: Win a pair of tickets for Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City on January 16 - courtesy of BarclaysTOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC