The hugely popular Martin Cloake and Adam Powley book, ‘The Boys From White Hart Lane’ has just been republished in paperback form. It’s a fascinating chapter by chapter account of the Tottenham players of the Burkinshaw era.
These were the sides I grew up with. My first game was Bill Nick’s testimonial at home to West Ham. I thought I was obsessed by Spurs until I went to that game. It was my initiation ceremony. I’d thought I’d never care about anything like I cared about this from that day on. Spurs were my first love.
‘The Boys From White Hart Lane is the only book you’ll need to recapture the unique mood of the time. ‘
Harry Hotspur – 2010.
‘There is a time in a football fan’s life when one team comes to symbolise all that is best about his or her club. For a large number of Tottenham supporters now comfortably settled into middle age, that side was the one managed to cup winning glory by Keith Burkinshaw.
Burkinshaw’s Spurs were appreciated by a wider audience too. While football fans, more than fans of any other sport, tend to follow teams rather than the sport itself, a side occasionally comes along that commands respect or admiration across the partisan lines of the football tribes.
Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest were one such team, their rise from second tier also rans to double European Champions in in four consecutive seasons is still fondly remembered because it kept alive the very essence of sport – that everyone has a chance of winning.
“If every team played like Spurs, football’s only problem would be pacifying the herds of supporters being able to get into packed grounds. They bring beauty to the game and people like that.”
Patrick Barclay – 1982.
The games themselves naturally stands out. 1984’s epic UEFA Cup Final and the vocal support for Danny Thomas following his missed penalty. The first half demolition of Feyenoord in tha same campaign; the fans’ takeover of Highbury for the 1981 semi final replay. Ricky Villa’s FA Cup final goal in 1981 became our ‘JFK moment’ : we all remember where we were when it happened.’
Well I live on the other side of the world in Australia. I started supporting Spurs when I was maybe 11 or 12 years old. I remember Gazza, Lineker, Waddle, I think maybe I just loved the name to be fair. You tend to remember both good and bad, and I distinctly remember my first real disappointment when Gazza broke his leg in the cup. Whilst horrible, I think learning so early of the reality and unique joy of being a Spurs fan helped prepare me for, well life.
My first and only game at WHL was Spurs v Leeds in Aug 2003. We won 2-1, Kanoute scored a cracker to win it. That’s the only match I’ve seen, but I still watch every game live by whatever means, staying up on a combo of anticipation, tea, spliffage and either an inevitable doom or incredible joy. I just love this club, I can’t wait to return and I’m so disappointed I haven’t seen a CL match this year and felt that place rockin to it’s roots.
COYS
below even. :pinch:
I have a pretty high bellow average at JJ.
I Bellow at him all the time.
£12 ‘Spurs Autonomy Shirts.
http://www.very.co.uk/puma-official-tottenham-2010-home-mens-shirt/735498665.prd?aff=email&affsrc=VECF0804&cm_mmc=Email-_-110408+C+F+Trigger-_-HTML-_-Prod+1&prdToken=/p/prod7491220-sku11885515&browseToken=/q/jv392
Did those fall off the back of a truck somewhere?
Wow, why are they so cheap?
I can remember the first matches i went to as well as the scores like they were yesterday.
All in the Paxton with my dad and brother:
man utd 1-1 ’73
Southampton 3-1 ’74
chelsea 2-0 ’75
After the man utd game it kicked off outside we ended up scaling a wall and hiding in some old couples garden!
Chelsea was infamous, horses, the lot on the pitch. Bay city rollers were number 1 in the charts, “Bye Bye Chelsea” sung at the end after we put them down, Butch ‘my word’ Wilkins bawling his eyes out on the pitch at the end.
Great memories