Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
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| Full name | Tottenham
Hotspur Football Club |
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| Nickname(s) | Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1882 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | White Hart Lane, London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 36,240 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |
 Daniel
Levy |
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| Manager |
 Martin
Jol |
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| League | FA Premier League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004-05 | Premier League, 9th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is a London football club. The club is also known as Spurs, The Spurs and Tottenham, while their own fans also call them the Lilywhites because of their traditional white shirts. Tottenham's home ground is White Hart Lane in Tottenham. The club motto is Audere est Facere (lit: "To dare is to do").
Tottenham Hotspur has traditionally been one of the biggest and best supported clubs in England. In the 1960-61 season, Spurs became the first team in the 20th century to achieve the league and FA Cup double. They scored a record 115 league goals that season. Tottenham also set a topflight record of 11 straight victories from the start of a season. The double winning side of 1960-61 is widely regarded as one of the greatest teams to have graced a football pitch anywhere in the world and set new standards that every team has since tried to emulate.
Since the Football League was established in 1888, Tottenham are the only non-league team to have won the FA Cup (in 1901). Spurs were also the first British club to win a European trophy - the Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.
The club enjoys an intense, long-standing rivalry with near neighbours Arsenal. The teams play each other twice yearly in the North London derby. The White Hart Lane home crowd is famed for its unbiased appreciation of stylish football by whichever side and a notoriously laconic contempt for underachievement both off and on the field.
Daniel Levy became Chairman of the club in February 2001. Martin Jol was appointed Head Coach on November 8, 2004.
On January 19, 2006, Tottenham announced the result of a corporate identity review and unveiled the new club badge. A simplified version of the new badge with no text will appear on the team's shirts, along with new sponsors Puma, from the 2006-07 season.
History
Early years
In 1882 the Hotspur Football Club was formed by young men from a local grammar school and Hotspur cricket club. It is thought that the name Hotspur was associated with Sir Henry Percy (Sir Harry Hotspur) who lived locally in the 14th Century. The team later became Tottenham Hotspur to distinguish itself from another team called London Hotspur.
At first Hotspur played in navy blue shirts. The club colours then varied from light blue and white halved jerseys, to red shirts and blue shorts, through chocolate brown and old gold and then finally, in the 1899-1900 season, to white shirts and navy blue shorts as a tribute to Preston, the most successful team of the time.
In 1888 Tottenham moved their home fixtures from the Lee marshes to Northumberland Park where the club was able to charge for spectator admission. They turned professional just before Christmas 1895 and by 1896 had been admitted to the Southern League and were attracting crowds sometimes nearing 15,000. Charles Roberts became Chairman from 1898 to 1943.
In 1899 Spurs made their final ground move to a former market garden in nearby High Road, Tottenham. In time the ground adopted the name of a local thoroughfare, "White Hart Lane". The move proved successful as in 1900, Tottenham won the Southern League title and crowned this achievement the next year by winning the FA Cup - becoming the only non-League club to do so since the formation of the Football League. On April 20, 1901, a crowd of 114,815 saw the 2-2 draw against Sheffield United at Crystal Palace [1], but just 20,740 watched as Spurs won the replay 3-1 at Burnden Park, Bolton on April 27.
Joining the Football League
Despite the FA Cup success, Tottenham performed unexceptionally in the following seasons. The Southern League's fixture list offered too little potential to guarantee financial security. This was especially so as Tottenham had formed itself into a limited liability company back in 1898. Eventually, Spurs achieved election to the Second Division of the Football League for the 1908-09 season, immediately winning promotion as runners-up to the First Division. Their record between 1910 and the Great War was poor and when football was suspended at the end of the 1914-15 season, Tottenham were bottom of the league.
After the Great War
There were alleged shenanigans in 1919 when Arsenal - which finished only 6th in Division 2 the previous last season - were elected to the First Division in Spurs' place. It is this event that is said to have triggered the derision most Spurs fans feel for the "Gooners". But Tottenham were convincing Division Two Champions in 1919-20. They built on a team that had begun coalescing before 1914 and in the following year, on April 23, 1921, Spurs went all the way to their second FA Cup Final victory beating Wolves 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The Twenties and Thirties
After running-up to Liverpool in the league in 1922, Spurs experienced a steady decline, culminating in 1928's relegation. The FA Cup was no better; Spurs were unable to advance beyond the quarterfinals, getting that far three years running 1935- 1938. Despite enjoying the talents of Arthur Grimsdell, Fanny Walden, Tommy Clay and Taffy O'Callaghan, this era saw Spurs playing "second fiddle" in North London to Arsenal. However, 1930s football was a tremendously popular sport, and despite Spurs' relative mediocrity, 75,038 souls squeezed into White Hart Lane in March of 1938 to see them lose 0-1 to Sunderland in the FA Cup.
On September 3, 1939, as Neville Chamberlain declared war, Spurs were seventh in the Second Division. League Football was abandoned for the "duration".
Post-war Push-and-Run
By 1949 Arthur Rowe was manager, and had devised and developed a “push-and-run” tactical style of play. This involved quickly laying the ball off to a teammate and running past the marking tackler to collect the return pass. It proved an effective way to move the ball at pace with players' positions and responsibility being totally fluid. For the first time Spurs won admirers because of their élan and panache; they played not just to win, but to entertain too. To many, "Push and Run" was a precursor to Total Football.
In Rowe’s first season, Spurs’ speed and precision dazzled opponents and delighted supporters. Rising to the top of Division Two, Tottenham ran away with their first ever league title. In 1951 they found it harder, but still won the Division One Championship and became the first side to win Second and First Divisions in successive seasons.
Playing heroes included Alf Ramsey, Ronnie Burgess, Ted Ditchburn, Len Duquemin, Sonny Walters and Bill Nicholson.
Almost inevitably, opponents learned to negate the novel Spurs tactics, and in the years up to 1956 they dropped steadily down the table. But for the rest of the 1950s new players came in and started making a difference. Arguably the most significant step was the appointment of Bill Nicholson as manager on October 11, 1958 when Spurs thumped a hapless Everton 10-4. It was a portent of things to come.
Bill Nicholson's Glory, Glory era
Bill Nicholson joined Tottenham Hotspur as an apprentice in 1936. The following 68 years saw him serve the club in every capacity from boot room to president. He guided Tottenham to major trophy success three seasons in a row in the early 1960s: the League Championship/FA Cup double in 1961, the FA Cup and European Cup Semi-final in 1962, and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.
Key players in the first Nicholson Tottenham side included:
- Danny Blanchflower - The captain and together with Nicholson nurtured and developed Tottenham's articulate and exciting playing style and glory, glory ambitions.
- John White - In his short time with Spurs became known as the "Ghost", but was tragically killed by lightning while playing golf.
- David Mackay - The archetypal hard man, who was immortalised in a photograph squaring up to Billy Bremner.
- Jimmy Greaves - Remains the club's record league goal scorer with 37 in the 1962-63 season and 220 in his Spurs career.
After 1964, the Double side began to disintegrate due of age, injuries and transfers. Nicholson rebuilt a second successful team with canny imports like Alan Gilzean, Mike England, Alan Mullery, Terry Venables, Joe Kinnear and Cyril Knowles. They won the 1967 FA Cup and finished third in the league.
Nicholson added the League Cup (1971 and 1973) and the UEFA Cup (1972) to Tottenham's illustrious history before he resigned at the start of the 1974-75 season after a poor start, and having lost the 1974 UEFA Cup final. The Glory Glory Days were over.
Keith Burkinshaw: the Quiet Man
Tottenham slipped out of the First Division at the end of the 1976-77 season, and the club installed Keith Burkinshaw as manager in a bid to revitalise their fortunes. They won promotion to the top flight and lifted the FA Cup in 1981 beating Manchester City in a replay, with Ricardo Villa scoring a memorable solo goal. Spurs retained the trophy the following year, beating QPR. Key players in this successful Tottenham side included Steve Archibald, Garth Crooks, Glenn Hoddle, Osvaldo Ardiles, and Steve Perryman who, in seventeen seasons, played 655 league games for Spurs. These players inspired Tottenham to UEFA Cup glory in 1984, but Burkinshaw walked out on the club within days to be succeeded by Peter Shreeve.
In 1982 the club was bought by Monte Carlo-based property tycoon Irving Scholar. His arrival was seen by most as a breath of fresh air in a boardroom which had seen just one or two directors since 1943. The challenge for Scholar was to reinstate financial stability after the construction of a massive new West Stand had almost bankrupted the club and its holding company.
Shreeve and Pleat: the Nearly Men
Peter Shreeve was in charge for two seasons, achieving a third place finish in his first but losing his job after a slump in 1985-86. Luton Town manager David Pleat was appointed the new manager, and for much of 1986-87 it looked as though it would be a very successful season. They were in the hunt for the title until almost the end of the season, finishing third, and reached the FA Cup final where they took on Coventry City. Spurs had never before lost a major cup final while their opponents, Coventry, had never even reached a Cup Final before. Spurs were the favourites but suffered a shocking 3-2 defeat at the hands of John Sillett's team. Pleat quit the following October.
Hitting the headlines with El Tel
Spurs veteran Terry Venables was named Pleat's successor and began an eventful six-year reign during which Tottenham were rarely out of the headlines. After two disappointing league seasons, Venables guided the club to third place in 1989-90 and the following year they again won the FA Cup. The impressive new-look Tottenham team included two players who starred in England's run to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup – Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker.
Venables joined forces with businessman Alan Sugar to take over Tottenham Hotspur PLC (the corporate holding company) and pay off its £20 million debts, part of which involved the lucrative sale of Gascoigne. Venables became chief executive, with Peter Shreeve again taking charge of first-team duties. His second spell as team manager lasted just one season, before he was dismissed in favour of joint coaches Ray Clemence and Doug Livermore. The likes of Gascoigne and Lineker had gone and the club's league form was dogged by bad feeling between Sugar and Venables. Tottenham's first Premier League season ended with a mid-table finish and Venables was soon removed from the club's board after an acrimonious legal dispute with Sugar.
Ossie Ardiles fails to deliver
Having just won the Division Two playoffs as manager of WBA, former star Ossie Ardiles became the club's next manager in 1993. He was renowned for pronouncing Tottenham as Tottingham as well as helping them win two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup as a player. Spurs finished in a disappointing fifteenth place. Even worse, the club was linked with financial irregularities which involved illegal payments being made to players during the 1980s.
Ardiles went on a spending spree and captured three expensive players - German striker Jürgen Klinsmann and Romanian midfield duo Gheorghe Popescu and Ilie Dumitrescu. With stunning flamboyance and tactical ineptitude, Ardilles employed the Famous Five: Teddy Sheringham and Klinsmann up front, Nick Barmby just behind, Darren Anderton on the right and Dumitrescu on the left.
While the Romanians never completely adapted to the English game, Klinsmann was a sensation, scoring freely and becoming a fan favourite. Ultimately these expensive signings made little difference to Tottenham's form and Ardiles was sacked in September 1994.
During the 1994 close season, Tottenham was found guilty of making illegal payments to players and given one of the most severe punishments in English football history: 12 points deducted for the 1994-95 season, a one year ban from the FA Cup, and a £600,000 fine. Sugar protested against these penalties on the grounds that the people involved were no longer at the club. The FA Cup ban and points deduction were both eventually quashed.
Much Promise but Little Success
Ardiles was replaced by former QPR manager Gerry Francis. He turned around the club's fortunes dramatically. Spurs took advantage of their reinstatement to the FA Cup and reached the semi-finals, a mere 4-1 defeat against eventual winners Everton preventing them from reaching the final. Tottenham climbed to seventh place in the league. During this time key players were sold: Barmby (to Middlesbrough), Klinsmann (to Bayern Munich) and Popescu (to Barcelona).
1996-97 saw Tottenham finish in a disappointing 10th place. A frustrated Sheringham requested a move and was sold to Manchester United. In November 1997, with Spurs second from bottom and in real danger of relegation, Francis was sacked. Christian Gross, coach of Swiss champions Grasshoppers, was appointed. He re-signed legendary striker Jürgen Klinsmann, whose second spell proved a key factor in securing Premiership survival. But Gross was uninspiring, the team had no direction and he was sacked. The heroic Klinsmann retired.
George Graham was involved to lead the club before the 1998-99 season. He did comparatively well in his first season as Spurs manager as the club secured a mid-table finish and won the League Cup by defeating Leicester City at Wembley. However, yet another mediocre league performance followed in 1999-2000.
By the start of 2001, Sir Alan Sugar's patience broke. The last straw for him were threats and insults from dissatisfied fans towards his family. He eventually sold his controlling interest in Tottenham to ENIC Sports PLC, run by Daniel Levy who has backing from Bahamas-based billionaire financier, Joseph Lewis.
Another dream fails: Hoddle and Pleat (again)
Many rate Glenn Hoddle as the best player ever to have worn a Tottenham shirt, but his time as manager was turbulent and ultimately disappointing. He took over the club in April 2001 with the team lying thirteenth in the table. His first match in charge was an FA Cup semi-final defeat to rivals Arsenal. Another humiliation followed when club captain Sol Campbell defected to Arsenal on a Bosman free transfer. Thus with limited funds to improve the squad, Hoddle turned towards more experienced players in the shape of Teddy Sheringham, Gus Poyet and Christian Ziege for inspiration.
Season 2001-02 saw a promising improvement, as the Spurs finished in ninth place. However, a League Cup Final defeat to Blackburn Rovers left Hoddle under pressure for the following campaign. Once again, only limited funds were available, the only significant outlay being £7 million for Robbie Keane, who joined from Leeds United. 2002-03 started well, with Tottenham remaining in the top six as late as early February. But with just seven points in the final ten games, the club was left in a disappointing tenth place. Players publicly criticised Hoddle's management style and communication skills. Hoddle later claimed lack of support from Director of Football David Pleat. Six games into the 2003-04 season, Hoddle was sacked and Pleat took control. Levy was said to be "scouring" Europe for the perfect manager.
Going Continental: Jol
In May 2004, after months of speculation, Tottenham surprised everyone with a massive revamp signing Frank Arnesen as Sporting Director, and French national manager Jacques Santini as head coach. This nominated "dream team" was strengthened when Martin Jol was named Santini's assistant.
Despite success with France, Santini soon appeared very uncomfortable in English football. The team played very defensively with little spirit. Early doubters were proved correct in November when without warning Santini walked out on the club after less than five months in charge. This extraordinary departure saw Jol take over. Tottenham climbed the table and Jol was named Premiership Manager of the Month for December 2004. Their away form disappointed and, despite early optimism, only achieved ninth place.
At the end of the 2004-05 season, Arnesen was tapped up by Chelsea who later paid compensation in the region of £5 million. Jol achieved a coup by signing Edgar Davids on a free transfer from Inter Milan, while Damien Comolli became the new Sporting Director in September, 2005.
As of February 2006, Tottenham stand fourth in the table and are looking well placed for European qualification, which could ironically be achieved at the expense of Arsenal - In 2004, Spurs had finished 14th in the Premiership after a season of battling relegation - while Arsenal had been crowned champions without losing a single league game!
Honours
- Football League First Division /
Premier League
2
- 1950-51, 1960-61
- Football League Second Division
2
- 1919-20, 1949-50
- FA Cup
8
- 1900-01, 1920-21, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1966-67, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1990-91
- League Cup
3
- 1970-1, 1972-3, 1998-99
- FA Community Shield
7
- 1920-21, 1951-52, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1967-68, 1981-82, 1991-92
- Southern League
1
- 1899-1900
- Western League
1
- 1903-04
- Football League South
2
- 1943-44, 1944-45
- UEFA Cup
2
- 1971-72, 1983-84
- UEFA
Cup Winners' Cup
1
- 1962-63
- Anglo-Italian League Cup
1
- 1971-72
- FA Youth Cup
3
- 1970, 1974, 1990
- Peace Cup
1
- 2005
Premiership Record
Tottenham have been members of the Premier League since its creation in 1992-93, but have never made much of an impact. Spurs are the only team never to have finished in either the top or bottom six of the table. Their best finish came in 1995 when they finished seventh.
Despite this, some of the Premiership's finest players have played for them in the last decade or so. They include Jürgen Klinsmann, Les Ferdinand, David Ginola, Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton and Sol Campbell.
Martin Jol is looking to get Spurs back into Europe after so many years of under-achievement. The squad looks the strongest in decades with internationals Robinson, King, Carrick, Jenas and Defoe providing the backbone to the lineup, Keane, Mido, Davids, Tainio, and Lee in support along with U21 stars Dawson, Lennon and Huddlestone.
Trimming of the squad began in the January 2006 transfer window when Sean Davis, Pedro Mendes and Noe Pamarot were sold to Portsmouth, and Michael Brown to Fulham. On the last day of the transfer window Tottenham signed Danny Murphy and Hossam Ghaly.
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Pos = Position; P = Played; W = Won; D = Drawn; L = Lost; F = Goals For; A = Goals Against; Pts = Points
Current Squad
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Out on loan
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Club officials
Board of directors
- Executive Chairman: Daniel Levy
- Executive Directors: Matthew Collecott, Paul Kemsley, Paul Barber
- Non-Executive Directors: David Buchler, Mervyn Davies CBE
- Associate Directors: Ray Fine, Darren Rockman
Staff
- Sporting Director: Damien Comolli
- Head Coach: Martin Jol
- First Assistant to Head Coach: Chris Hughton
- Development Coach: Clive Allen
- Goalkeeping Coach: Hans Segers
Backroom staff
- Goalkeeping Consultant: Pat Jennings
- Kit Manager: Roy Reyland
- Chief Scout: Eddie Presland
- UK Chief Scout: Mel Johnson
Medical staff
- Head of Medical Services: Dr Charlotte Cowie
- First Team Physiotherapist: Geoff Scott
- Reserve Team Physiotherapist: Grant Plumbley
- First Team Fitness Coach: Alex Court
- Head of Massage Therapy: Amanda Lee
- Academy Physiotherapists: Rory Brown, Henna Horth
- Academy Fitness Coach: Sam Erith
Academy officials
- Academy Manager: John McDermott
- Head of Recruitment: Richard Allen
- Under-18 Coach: Pat Holland
- Academy Goalkeeping Coach: Perry Suckling
- Head of Player Development: Chris Ramsey
- Education and Welfare Officer: Gwyn Walters
- Academy Recruitment: Ken Brooks
Managers
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Past players of note
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