Tonight, Brussels, 7.45pm - Anderlecht v Spurs in the UEFA Cup. But allow me to briefly transport you back 23 years. Flared trousers at the ready...
[Cue wavy monitor effect for 'Time Travel' back to 1984]
After the 1-1 result from the first leg in Belgium over 46,000 supporters packed White Hart Lane for the second leg on a wet Wednesday night in May. May 23rd to be exact. Captain Graham Roberts scores for Spurs but the scoreline mimics the first leg and ends 1-1. Penalties. And we all know what happened there.
Personally I can remember sitting through the tense two-legged final. Glenn Hoddle constantly chipping the ball over the out-rushing Anderlecht defence - it was just a shame none of the forwards worked out how to stay on side.
Staying up for what seemed like an eternity during the extra-time. My Dad unable to watch the penalties as the tension got to him - at one stage he even turned the TV channel over, but was 'persuaded' to put the match back on.
Inexperienced Spurs keeper Tony Parks saves an Anderlecht penalty, Danny Thomas misses the potential winning penalty for Spurs. Then Tony Parks makes a name for himself, diving full stretch to his right to save the final Anderlecht penalty.
Spurs win the UEFA Cup and something goes wrong with the TV set as the picture starts to shake up and down whilst Tony Parks celebrates with a Rocky Balboa salute.
And my Dad goes to bed with a headache.
[Cue wavy monitor effect for 'Time Travel' back to 2007]
Tonight's game has no such prestige attached to it, but memories of '84 are bound to be plentiful. So what can we expect? Anderlecht's long ball game should suit a rocky Spurs back line, but after the two meetings of the '84 final ending up 1-1 it would be fitting to see the same scoreline tonight.
Showing posts with label Spurs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spurs. Show all posts
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
Deja Jol?
With all the usual media coverage focused on Spurs at the start of the season, I thought I’d point something out:
After six Premiership games LAST SEASON, Spurs had taken just four points – which will be the exact same total after the defeat to Arsenal on September 15th.
The similarities don’t end there. Below are the first six games from last season’s Premier League campaign:
Bolton 2-0 Tottenham
Tottenham 2-0 Sheff Utd
Tottenham 0-2 Everton
Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham
Tottenham 0-0 Fulham
Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham
So, Spurs had…
An opening day defeat.
A home win against a newly promoted side
A two goal defeat at home to Everton
A 1-0 defeat at Manchester United
A draw against Fulham
A defeat against a 'top four club' (to be confirmed)
Yet they still finished fifth and were UEFA and Carling Cup Semi-Finalists and FA Cup Quarter Finalists.
Dont panic just yet, don’t believe everything you read, and for f**k sake give Martin Jol a break.
After six Premiership games LAST SEASON, Spurs had taken just four points – which will be the exact same total after the defeat to Arsenal on September 15th.
The similarities don’t end there. Below are the first six games from last season’s Premier League campaign:
Bolton 2-0 Tottenham
Tottenham 2-0 Sheff Utd
Tottenham 0-2 Everton
Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham
Tottenham 0-0 Fulham
Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham
So, Spurs had…
An opening day defeat.
A home win against a newly promoted side
A two goal defeat at home to Everton
A 1-0 defeat at Manchester United
A draw against Fulham
A defeat against a 'top four club' (to be confirmed)
Yet they still finished fifth and were UEFA and Carling Cup Semi-Finalists and FA Cup Quarter Finalists.
Dont panic just yet, don’t believe everything you read, and for f**k sake give Martin Jol a break.
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Three wishes of... a Spurs fan
Written by Smart
To be honest, there were more than three things that I could wish for, such as a larger stadium, better public transport to the venue, giving me a seat on the board, etc., but unfortunately the genie said I could only have three wishes, so I opted for some short-term, more achievable options...
1. A decent left back
OK, I'm starting off with the most radical idea. The words 'Spurs' and 'defending' aren't often seen in the same sentence unless separated by words such as 'poor' and 'laughable'. At least, thats been the case since the 1970's.
Now I'm not asking for Spurs to 'shut up shop' at the back and bore me to death. I'm just asking for us to sign someone that is left-footed and can tackle and from the Premiership, I'd have to look no further than Leighton Baines of Wigan, and possibly Nick Shorey of Reading. Both are also quite handy with set pieces, score the odd goal and are English.
For some reason, I'm suspecting Baines will be the cheaper option.
2. A left winger
What's that? You're spotting a trend here? Yes, you're right. Whilst I'm at it, why not cure the problem of Tottenham's left side? Aaron Lennon on the left isn't the solution, and nor is Malbranque. What I wouldn't give for a quality left-sided winger.
We have a young talent on loan from Lens called Adel Traaabt who has looked quite promising in the brief appearances he has made thus far. It would be nice to have someone a bit older, with a bit more experience, however.
To that end, I'd like to see Morten Gamst Pedersen in the new Spurs shirt. On his day, the Norwegian can be a match winner. A good crosser and great with set pieces, it's just a shame his hairstyle is a bit... how do they say it in Oslo.. 'camp'?
Still, beggars can't be choosers, as my dear old Nan used to say.
3. Another beanpole striker
We need another tall striker as Dr. Jol likes his 'Little and Large' combination upfront. Keane and Defoe fill the 'Little' part of the double act, but we need someone to take some pressure away from the Andy Garcia lookalike we lovingly call 'Berbatov'.
That role is currently occupied by Mido, a player I have never really got on with so we need to off load him and fast. We need to find a club that has a recent history of players with a bit of a 'bad boy' image and who love to waste good money on naff strikers. Has anyone got Manchester City's phone number?
As a replacement, well I'd chance my arm on Darren Bent. Tall, pacey and again hopefully quite cheap, he could fit in well at the Lane. He knows a few of the players too, from varying levels of the national squad.
Of course, keeping hold of 'The Talented Mr Berbatov' is a must, unless some Russian billionaire chucks £40 million+ onto the table of the Spurs board. After what Chelsea paid for Shevchenko I think that's still a bargain, however.
So there they are, my three Spurs wishes. Now where did I put that lamp..?
Attention, Attention! This Saturday we'll be looking at 'Three Wishes of... an FA Cup Final Spectator' and we want to offer you the chance to write the article.
If there's three things you'll be hoping to see as you sit down to watch the biggest game of the English football season, why not tell everyone what they are?
All you need to do is contact us at write4us[at]spaotp[dot]com to say that you're interested in taking part, and if no-one else beats you to it, we'll get you to write up your 'three wishes'!
(Oh and don't worry if you're not interested in the FA Cup Final - there'll be other chances to write for us as we look into other subjects in our 'Three Wishes' series later.)
That's all for now - we look forward to hearing from you soon...
To be honest, there were more than three things that I could wish for, such as a larger stadium, better public transport to the venue, giving me a seat on the board, etc., but unfortunately the genie said I could only have three wishes, so I opted for some short-term, more achievable options...
1. A decent left back
OK, I'm starting off with the most radical idea. The words 'Spurs' and 'defending' aren't often seen in the same sentence unless separated by words such as 'poor' and 'laughable'. At least, thats been the case since the 1970's.
Now I'm not asking for Spurs to 'shut up shop' at the back and bore me to death. I'm just asking for us to sign someone that is left-footed and can tackle and from the Premiership, I'd have to look no further than Leighton Baines of Wigan, and possibly Nick Shorey of Reading. Both are also quite handy with set pieces, score the odd goal and are English.
For some reason, I'm suspecting Baines will be the cheaper option.
2. A left winger
What's that? You're spotting a trend here? Yes, you're right. Whilst I'm at it, why not cure the problem of Tottenham's left side? Aaron Lennon on the left isn't the solution, and nor is Malbranque. What I wouldn't give for a quality left-sided winger.
We have a young talent on loan from Lens called Adel Traaabt who has looked quite promising in the brief appearances he has made thus far. It would be nice to have someone a bit older, with a bit more experience, however.
To that end, I'd like to see Morten Gamst Pedersen in the new Spurs shirt. On his day, the Norwegian can be a match winner. A good crosser and great with set pieces, it's just a shame his hairstyle is a bit... how do they say it in Oslo.. 'camp'?
Still, beggars can't be choosers, as my dear old Nan used to say.
3. Another beanpole striker
We need another tall striker as Dr. Jol likes his 'Little and Large' combination upfront. Keane and Defoe fill the 'Little' part of the double act, but we need someone to take some pressure away from the Andy Garcia lookalike we lovingly call 'Berbatov'.
That role is currently occupied by Mido, a player I have never really got on with so we need to off load him and fast. We need to find a club that has a recent history of players with a bit of a 'bad boy' image and who love to waste good money on naff strikers. Has anyone got Manchester City's phone number?
As a replacement, well I'd chance my arm on Darren Bent. Tall, pacey and again hopefully quite cheap, he could fit in well at the Lane. He knows a few of the players too, from varying levels of the national squad.
Of course, keeping hold of 'The Talented Mr Berbatov' is a must, unless some Russian billionaire chucks £40 million+ onto the table of the Spurs board. After what Chelsea paid for Shevchenko I think that's still a bargain, however.
So there they are, my three Spurs wishes. Now where did I put that lamp..?
Attention, Attention! This Saturday we'll be looking at 'Three Wishes of... an FA Cup Final Spectator' and we want to offer you the chance to write the article.
If there's three things you'll be hoping to see as you sit down to watch the biggest game of the English football season, why not tell everyone what they are?
All you need to do is contact us at write4us[at]spaotp[dot]com to say that you're interested in taking part, and if no-one else beats you to it, we'll get you to write up your 'three wishes'!
(Oh and don't worry if you're not interested in the FA Cup Final - there'll be other chances to write for us as we look into other subjects in our 'Three Wishes' series later.)
That's all for now - we look forward to hearing from you soon...
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
Yes Sir, No Sir...
Great Britain is a funny old place. We have a head of state, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who, when her mood takes her, gives a knighthood to a small selection of people born within her Commonwealth.
In modern-day terms, being made a Knight is a sign that you have achieved something extra-special - that you have done something few other people have done to elevate the stature of the Queen's realm.
If you're a male and you've been given a knighthood, you're allowed to put the word 'Sir' in front of your name, like 'Sir Paul McCartney', 'Sir Elton John' or 'Sir Robbie Williams'. (OK, so that last one was made up...) It's therefore a title that demands great respect among those people that know you or know of you, but you don't have to be alive to qualify for one. If you're unfortunate enough to have died at any given time in the past, those that survive you can apply for a posthumous title to be decreed as a belated way of showing how important you were to Queen and Country.
And it's exactly that process which is capturing the imagination of a few large pockets of football fans in Britain as we speak. It all started a few years ago when a bunch of Tottenham Hotspur supporters began a campaign to get an honorary knighthood awarded to Bill Nicholson, Tottenham's manager between 1958 and 1974.
Nicholson's achievements at the North London club are many. He helped them win the FA Cup three times, the League Championship once, the European Cup Winners' Cup once and the UEFA Cup once and also re-wrote the record books as Spurs became the first team of the modern era to win the English 'double' of FA Cup and League in one season in 1961.
It was arguably the greatest period in Spurs' history, and yet despite a long campaign to make him 'Sir Bill Nicholson' posthumously, its objective is yet to be reached. Knighthoods, it seems, are not so easy to come by.
Despite such a frustrating trend being set by this exercise, two more campaigns have begun recently to give other iconic British football managers from the past their rightful place in British history.
Bob Paisley led Liverpool football club for nine years from 1974 and in that time steered them to six League titles, three League Cups, one UEFA Cup, one European Super Cup and most significantly of all, three European Cups. Many British MPs have signed a House of Commons motion to gain Paisley a knighthood eleven years after his death, and a government e-petition has seen almost 45,000 members of the public support them in a similar vein.
North of the border, Jock Stein, the man who helped Celtic become the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967, is also being recommended for the same honour by two Labour MPs. As well as the European Cup, Jock Stein's Celtic side also won ten Scottish league titles, nine Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups, but are his achievements likely to be overlooked just as Bill Nicholson's have been thus far? Will fans of Bob Paisley become the latest in a long line of disappointed football fans who just want to repay the happiness their idol gave them so many years ago?
And as another government e-petition is launched to gain Brian Clough, European Cup-winning manager of Nottingham Forest, a posthumous knighthood, are campaigns like this being cheapened by their sheer proliferation?
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was awarded a knighthood thanks to the abundance of silverware he brought to the club, including one European Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup, eight FA Premiership titles and five FA Cups. Maybe it takes this much to earn a football manager in Britain a knighthood, but why not treat each club and their successes in proportion accordingly?
The answer: there'd be a tidal wave of petitions flying around from supporters everywhere asking for their hero to be given the royal seal of approval, and that's simply counter-productive whichever way you look at it.
There is, however, another way - another method that can be used to ensure the managerial greats from your team's history are locked in the hearts and the minds of its fans forever.
We're not talking about entry into a football Hall of Fame. We're not talking about a bronze statue outside your team's stadium.
All you need to do is to tell your children about the Paisleys, the Steins, the Nicholsons and the Cloughs that your team played under, and if you have no children, tell somebody else's children. Tell them about the joy they gave you and the way your team played when they were in charge. Tell them how much of a difference they made to your team and the transformation they brought about while they were there.
Those children will grow up with a great respect for the icons you enthused about, and they'll go on to tell their children and their children's children. Legends don't have to be knighted, just remembered, so forget signing petitions - just keep their memory alive when you support your team.
In modern-day terms, being made a Knight is a sign that you have achieved something extra-special - that you have done something few other people have done to elevate the stature of the Queen's realm.
If you're a male and you've been given a knighthood, you're allowed to put the word 'Sir' in front of your name, like 'Sir Paul McCartney', 'Sir Elton John' or 'Sir Robbie Williams'. (OK, so that last one was made up...) It's therefore a title that demands great respect among those people that know you or know of you, but you don't have to be alive to qualify for one. If you're unfortunate enough to have died at any given time in the past, those that survive you can apply for a posthumous title to be decreed as a belated way of showing how important you were to Queen and Country.
And it's exactly that process which is capturing the imagination of a few large pockets of football fans in Britain as we speak. It all started a few years ago when a bunch of Tottenham Hotspur supporters began a campaign to get an honorary knighthood awarded to Bill Nicholson, Tottenham's manager between 1958 and 1974.
Nicholson's achievements at the North London club are many. He helped them win the FA Cup three times, the League Championship once, the European Cup Winners' Cup once and the UEFA Cup once and also re-wrote the record books as Spurs became the first team of the modern era to win the English 'double' of FA Cup and League in one season in 1961.
It was arguably the greatest period in Spurs' history, and yet despite a long campaign to make him 'Sir Bill Nicholson' posthumously, its objective is yet to be reached. Knighthoods, it seems, are not so easy to come by.
Despite such a frustrating trend being set by this exercise, two more campaigns have begun recently to give other iconic British football managers from the past their rightful place in British history.
Bob Paisley led Liverpool football club for nine years from 1974 and in that time steered them to six League titles, three League Cups, one UEFA Cup, one European Super Cup and most significantly of all, three European Cups. Many British MPs have signed a House of Commons motion to gain Paisley a knighthood eleven years after his death, and a government e-petition has seen almost 45,000 members of the public support them in a similar vein.
North of the border, Jock Stein, the man who helped Celtic become the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967, is also being recommended for the same honour by two Labour MPs. As well as the European Cup, Jock Stein's Celtic side also won ten Scottish league titles, nine Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups, but are his achievements likely to be overlooked just as Bill Nicholson's have been thus far? Will fans of Bob Paisley become the latest in a long line of disappointed football fans who just want to repay the happiness their idol gave them so many years ago?
And as another government e-petition is launched to gain Brian Clough, European Cup-winning manager of Nottingham Forest, a posthumous knighthood, are campaigns like this being cheapened by their sheer proliferation?
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was awarded a knighthood thanks to the abundance of silverware he brought to the club, including one European Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup, eight FA Premiership titles and five FA Cups. Maybe it takes this much to earn a football manager in Britain a knighthood, but why not treat each club and their successes in proportion accordingly?
The answer: there'd be a tidal wave of petitions flying around from supporters everywhere asking for their hero to be given the royal seal of approval, and that's simply counter-productive whichever way you look at it.
There is, however, another way - another method that can be used to ensure the managerial greats from your team's history are locked in the hearts and the minds of its fans forever.
We're not talking about entry into a football Hall of Fame. We're not talking about a bronze statue outside your team's stadium.
All you need to do is to tell your children about the Paisleys, the Steins, the Nicholsons and the Cloughs that your team played under, and if you have no children, tell somebody else's children. Tell them about the joy they gave you and the way your team played when they were in charge. Tell them how much of a difference they made to your team and the transformation they brought about while they were there.
Those children will grow up with a great respect for the icons you enthused about, and they'll go on to tell their children and their children's children. Legends don't have to be knighted, just remembered, so forget signing petitions - just keep their memory alive when you support your team.
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