Written a few weeks ago for those downunder - since written we have picked more wins and respect which strengthens the hope that Poch is creating a new era.
Watching the games over the chrissy break got me reflecting about our history or perhaps that was the influence of 150 lashes, both actually. We have played Hull, Burnley, Southampton and Watford, all winnable but as Spurs supporters we all reckoned their was a draw or two in there BUT that was prior our trust in Poch – and that what got me reflecting. Stay with me… what we have seen with Spurs since Poch (sure it is only his third season) is a hardness and flair not seen consistently since Nicholson (60’s) and Burkinshaw (1st half 80’s why we let go is beyond me). And now into January we outclassed Stolen Roubles (Chelsea) and smashed West Brom.
It is bright to be a Lilywhite at the moment.
So the BIG question is – Have the Super Spurs returned?
Perhaps I am wrong (tell me if i’m misstating) but references to the Super Spurs first appeared in newspaper coverage of our early 60’s team when they were lighting up unbeaten runs, scoring stylish goals from Greaves, Smith, Jones, Dyson and others including the ghost Johnny White. The Super Spurs term coined by a newspaper journalist after another dominate performance struck a chord with the public with that squad going on to eventually evolve into what we now know as the Glory Years.
Some things to ponder while considering history as a predictor of the future.
1. Over the last year, sure we tailed off to third last year but prior that our unbeaten games and statistics were matching the 60/61/62/63years. This year again our unbeaten run (albeit too many draws) compares favourably with the glory years.
2. We know our DNA – here is a quote from our early 60’s captain Danny Blanchflower “The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It is nothing of the kind. The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.” Now here is the thing – if we think that playing with flair “The Tottenham Way” only started in the 60’s then we are mistaken.
Our club formed by youthful cricketer’s (I like that) looking to keep busy in winter chose a name of flair “Hotspur” after Harry Hotspur a man of military flair. That DNA formed under that High Road lamp in 1882 has become tied to “a daring do” and has been continually referenced throughout the 1901 FA Cup final, the title winning push and run influence of the 50’s and then a Glory Years decade of the 60’s. The 70’s had us swinging high and low, the late 70’s to mid 80’s Burkinshaw had us believing again winning trophies, Hoddle, bringing World Cup winning Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa to England an action that all clubs now follow. Our 90’s had Lineker, Gascoigne, Sheringham, Klinsmann, Ginola all flair and goal chasing players. The flair players continued into the 2000’s Berbatov, Keane, Defoe, Bale it was all about goals its just that we generally conceded too much hence the Spursy moniker.
3. Now pick out the times when it all clicked 60’s and 80’s – they had flair, style, goals but they also had resolve, a hardness. The 60’s managed by Bill Nick a defensive player, captain from our 50’s team managed by another legendary Spurs man Arthur Rowe developed the push and run style for the first time in
English football players needed to be able to play multiple positions. Bill Nick got it, from Yorkshire he provided a hardness in the fifties. Come his appointment as manager of a young developing side late 50’s he knew he had a quality goalie Brown, but he needed a stronger defence, we already had Blanchflower and Norman but he needed another something with edge, grunt came in Dave Mackay 1959, two broken legs, ten years with club to become a club legend. Mix in goals coming from two strikers Greaves an incredible 220 goals from 321 appearances and Bobby Smith 176 goals from 271 games. To back up the strikers we had goals and trickery from midfield Jones, Dyson, Medwin, White even Mackay scoring important goals. The rest is history. First club to get the Double – League and FA Cup Champions (just missed the treble – semi finalists in the Euro Cup), first English side to win a Euro Cup and toss in multiple 60’s FA Cup’s we were flying.
Fast forward to the Burkinshaw era – style, goals and flair from Ghodd, Ossie, Villa, Archibald, Falco, Galvin, Crooks and later Waddle. To stop the goals we had world class Ray Clemence in goals in front of him defence and midfield strength of Miller, Mabbutt, Perryman with the 60’s hardman Mackay comparative being club legend Graham Roberts we had a rival to the Glory Years. Multiple FA Cup’s, Euro Cups, Micky Hazard as an 80’s Modric, Chas n Dave to entertain and later on even some Diamond Lights.
4. Now the Pochettino era – Mauricio, an Argentinian defender schooled by Marcelo Bielsa noted for being highly organised, coaches and promotes youth internally and lover of the press. Before I start on this era we need to acknowledge Daniel Levy. No doubt he has laid down the foundation for this era – pragmatism, discipline, vision of training ground and stadium upgrades, growing worldwide exposure and finally identifying Pochettino as the person to operate “The Tottenham Way” as well as doing it low cost.
We have the worldclass Goalie Lloris, we have ONE top class goalscorer Harry Kane, we have midfield flair and goals from Dele, Eriksen, Son and Lamela AND then that something we have not had for a while – steel from Alderweireld, Dier, Vertonghen throw in this year’s addition Wanyama have we now got something resembling the Super Spurs.
For me are close – not there yet. some of the gaps are covered with a Poch model including the power and pace from Dembele, Rose and Walker. Obviously Harry Kane is no longer a “one year” wonder but we need another quality striker – Sissoko provides more power but lacks goals, N’Koudou is young and inexperienced Janssen the same. Two players short for me – a Bobby Smith, Les Allen, Garth Crooks, Tony Galvin, Johnny White need to surface because Pochettino gets it – he is Spurs he understands our DNA with a dash of today’s pragmatism for flair and defence.
These are exciting times for us, edgy times though with the five other teams in the mix all with deeper pockets. Enjoy the ride everyone, NINETEEN games to go here’s hoping the purity of Tottenham prevails. What scenes on the High Road if Spurs capture the League on the SECOND last HOME game of the season. If that is too much to hope for then at least the LAST HOME game at WHITE HART LANE.
Watching the games over the chrissy break got me reflecting about our history or perhaps that was the influence of 150 lashes, both actually. We have played Hull, Burnley, Southampton and Watford, all winnable but as Spurs supporters we all reckoned their was a draw or two in there BUT that was prior our trust in Poch – and that what got me reflecting. Stay with me… what we have seen with Spurs since Poch (sure it is only his third season) is a hardness and flair not seen consistently since Nicholson (60’s) and Burkinshaw (1st half 80’s why we let go is beyond me). And now into January we outclassed Stolen Roubles (Chelsea) and smashed West Brom.
It is bright to be a Lilywhite at the moment.
So the BIG question is – Have the Super Spurs returned?
Perhaps I am wrong (tell me if i’m misstating) but references to the Super Spurs first appeared in newspaper coverage of our early 60’s team when they were lighting up unbeaten runs, scoring stylish goals from Greaves, Smith, Jones, Dyson and others including the ghost Johnny White. The Super Spurs term coined by a newspaper journalist after another dominate performance struck a chord with the public with that squad going on to eventually evolve into what we now know as the Glory Years.
Some things to ponder while considering history as a predictor of the future.
1. Over the last year, sure we tailed off to third last year but prior that our unbeaten games and statistics were matching the 60/61/62/63years. This year again our unbeaten run (albeit too many draws) compares favourably with the glory years.
2. We know our DNA – here is a quote from our early 60’s captain Danny Blanchflower “The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It is nothing of the kind. The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.” Now here is the thing – if we think that playing with flair “The Tottenham Way” only started in the 60’s then we are mistaken.
Our club formed by youthful cricketer’s (I like that) looking to keep busy in winter chose a name of flair “Hotspur” after Harry Hotspur a man of military flair. That DNA formed under that High Road lamp in 1882 has become tied to “a daring do” and has been continually referenced throughout the 1901 FA Cup final, the title winning push and run influence of the 50’s and then a Glory Years decade of the 60’s. The 70’s had us swinging high and low, the late 70’s to mid 80’s Burkinshaw had us believing again winning trophies, Hoddle, bringing World Cup winning Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa to England an action that all clubs now follow. Our 90’s had Lineker, Gascoigne, Sheringham, Klinsmann, Ginola all flair and goal chasing players. The flair players continued into the 2000’s Berbatov, Keane, Defoe, Bale it was all about goals its just that we generally conceded too much hence the Spursy moniker.
3. Now pick out the times when it all clicked 60’s and 80’s – they had flair, style, goals but they also had resolve, a hardness. The 60’s managed by Bill Nick a defensive player, captain from our 50’s team managed by another legendary Spurs man Arthur Rowe developed the push and run style for the first time in
English football players needed to be able to play multiple positions. Bill Nick got it, from Yorkshire he provided a hardness in the fifties. Come his appointment as manager of a young developing side late 50’s he knew he had a quality goalie Brown, but he needed a stronger defence, we already had Blanchflower and Norman but he needed another something with edge, grunt came in Dave Mackay 1959, two broken legs, ten years with club to become a club legend. Mix in goals coming from two strikers Greaves an incredible 220 goals from 321 appearances and Bobby Smith 176 goals from 271 games. To back up the strikers we had goals and trickery from midfield Jones, Dyson, Medwin, White even Mackay scoring important goals. The rest is history. First club to get the Double – League and FA Cup Champions (just missed the treble – semi finalists in the Euro Cup), first English side to win a Euro Cup and toss in multiple 60’s FA Cup’s we were flying.
Fast forward to the Burkinshaw era – style, goals and flair from Ghodd, Ossie, Villa, Archibald, Falco, Galvin, Crooks and later Waddle. To stop the goals we had world class Ray Clemence in goals in front of him defence and midfield strength of Miller, Mabbutt, Perryman with the 60’s hardman Mackay comparative being club legend Graham Roberts we had a rival to the Glory Years. Multiple FA Cup’s, Euro Cups, Micky Hazard as an 80’s Modric, Chas n Dave to entertain and later on even some Diamond Lights.
4. Now the Pochettino era – Mauricio, an Argentinian defender schooled by Marcelo Bielsa noted for being highly organised, coaches and promotes youth internally and lover of the press. Before I start on this era we need to acknowledge Daniel Levy. No doubt he has laid down the foundation for this era – pragmatism, discipline, vision of training ground and stadium upgrades, growing worldwide exposure and finally identifying Pochettino as the person to operate “The Tottenham Way” as well as doing it low cost.
We have the worldclass Goalie Lloris, we have ONE top class goalscorer Harry Kane, we have midfield flair and goals from Dele, Eriksen, Son and Lamela AND then that something we have not had for a while – steel from Alderweireld, Dier, Vertonghen throw in this year’s addition Wanyama have we now got something resembling the Super Spurs.
For me are close – not there yet. some of the gaps are covered with a Poch model including the power and pace from Dembele, Rose and Walker. Obviously Harry Kane is no longer a “one year” wonder but we need another quality striker – Sissoko provides more power but lacks goals, N’Koudou is young and inexperienced Janssen the same. Two players short for me – a Bobby Smith, Les Allen, Garth Crooks, Tony Galvin, Johnny White need to surface because Pochettino gets it – he is Spurs he understands our DNA with a dash of today’s pragmatism for flair and defence.
These are exciting times for us, edgy times though with the five other teams in the mix all with deeper pockets. Enjoy the ride everyone, NINETEEN games to go here’s hoping the purity of Tottenham prevails. What scenes on the High Road if Spurs capture the League on the SECOND last HOME game of the season. If that is too much to hope for then at least the LAST HOME game at WHITE HART LANE.
