50 Years ago I signed for Tottenham Hotspur from AC Milan
It was 50 years ago last week that I signed for Tottenham Hotspur from AC Milan. Most Spurs fans will be able to tell you how many titles the club have won since Danny Blanchflower’s heroes in April 1961 – and pretty much every Arsenal fan has the answer too. A big fat zero. In half a century. Nowhere near good enough.
Not for the first time, people have recently started whispering that Tottenham could finally be genuine title challengers again this term. The jury is very much out for me, especially with Manchester City – who won 5-1 at White Hart Lane in August – having set such a blistering pace.
I certainly fancy Spurs for a Champions League spot. Who would bet against a top-four finish for a midfield that consists of the two reigning Footballers of the Year, Scott Parker and Gareth Bale, as well as Tottenham’s own in-house player of the year, Luka Modric and a wonderful talent in Rafa van der Vaart?
But it is not so much the individual ability that has got people talking so glowingly about this side – it is the fact Tottenham are blessed with an outstanding professionalism, a desire to do the simple stuff right as well as the brilliant things. In the 50 years since I signed for Spurs, six months after they completed the Double, the club have had many great players – but never 11 players with the right attitude.
After that Double-winning team broke up, we still had a side with enough talent to win further titles. But while we had seven or eight players with extremely professional attitudes, there were also two or three poseurs – great when things were flying but who went missing when the chips were down. And the great teams, the title-winning teams, never carry poseurs.
Danny’s Double-winning side, for instance, did not just possess immense talent, it contained phenomenal character as well.Blanchflower was a great intellect and a towering figure, bigger than the chairman, bigger even than the manager Bill Nicholson or the magnificent Dave Mackay. Characters like Blanchflower turn talented teams into title-winners.
When Harry Redknapp signed Parker and Brad Friedel, it was not rocket science. These were two proven year-in, year-out Premier League performers who were never going to let the manager down. It’s funny to recall that Spurs have made some weird and wonderful managerial appointments down the years – the likes of Christian Gross, Jacques Santini and Juande Ramos – when all the while they had the perfect candidate pretty much on their doorstep in Harry.
For me, the wonderful thing about Redknapp is that he doesn’t have an ego, at least not in the destructive way in which many managers insist it has always got to be about them. He’s happy to take on a Van der Vaart or an Emmanuel Adebayor and let them take the limelight.
Adebayor seemed like a gamble too far. I didn’t like Harry’s decision to sign him to replace Peter Crouch, but so far I’ve been proved wrong. Adebayor’s work-rate has been exemplary and that’s a credit to Harry because while his talent has never been in doubt, his attitude has been questioned.
It remains to be seen whether Spurs possess enough ruthless professionalism over the course of a season – but the signs are good. They are punching above their weight in a stadium and with a wage bill far smaller than most of their major rivals. But if they want to put the history boys of 1960-61 to bed, winning a cup and making the Champions League won’t be enough. Only the title will do.
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Thank you Jimmy for your insight. I am just to young to appreciate what it was like for Spurs to win the double but you words help me to understand.
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Hey Jimmy
do ya fancy pulling on a shirt
you would’t waste the chances these boys are being given!
Great to hear from you
take care
you were my idol growing up
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JG
It’s great to see how your passion for the club has not wained in 50 years (is it really that long ago)?
It’s also great to see that Spurs are now playing with the style and passion that old players like yourself and stalwart supporters like me enjoy.
COYS
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Hey Jimmy
Great to hear from you. You’re the reason why I support Tottenham – has it really been 50 years? You are still the greatest goalscorer the world has ever seen. live long and prosper mate!
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Well said Jimmy…
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jimmy, i your a legend.
My claim to fame is that as a 15 year old around 1962 i sold you a shirt in South St Romford, where i was working, you were my idol then and still today. God Bless You.
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Hi jimmy… as you can imagine from my pen name, i have been a spurs supporter since fa cup 62 thanks to your goalscoring genius… tks for your above insight Jim, and for all the goals you made look so easy…
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Not bothered if you guys finish in the CL, as long as Arsenal are above you
Realistically though if you ask me I think it will finish how it almost is right now. It’ll be City, United, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool by the end of the season. I’d like to say we’ll finish above you guys but I think this stupid amount of injuries to our defenders will restrict us from doing as well as we could. It’s insane to think that against Leeds, we were left to playing our 6th choice right back, our 4th choice leftback and friggin squillaci… Pitiful. Makes me think that some Voodoo spuds fan has put some kind of curse on our fullbacks :S
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