Lilywhite Magazine

LILYWHITELILYWHITEBill Nich was years ahead of his time

THE SEASON IN NUMBERS TOP TWEETERS ULTIMATE THFC QUIZ

CLIVE ALLEN SPURS WAS MY DESTINY

SIMON RICEWILL SPURSCASH IN ONBALE?

BILL NICH WAS YEARS AHEAD OF HIS TIME

KICK IT OUT?DO WE NEED TO DROP THE Y WORD?

I NEVER THOUGHT ABO

UT LEAVINGDAWSON

EXCLUSIVEINTERVIEW

May 2013 3.00

YOURBEST

11SPURSEVER

DEBUT ISSUE

LES ALLEN

p24

In a world full of Uniteds, Citys and Rovers; there is only one Hotspur.What a quote, eh? Now, if youre a Tottenham fan those words really will ring true. Everyone likes to think of their club as unique but I think ours truly is. We do things with character and a sense of style. I hope too that this magazine reflects that. Theres something for everyone inside; the glitz and glam of todays players or the nostalgia of triumphs long-gone but not forgotten.

Enjoy, but most of all...

Come on you Lilywhites!

Welcome to Lilywhite.I hope you enjoy.

Ross GaleEditor

WELCOME

MY FAVOURITE STORIES THIS ISSUE...

EDITORIALTEl 0208 345 1968 Fax 02083456757Email [email protected]

EDITOR Ross GaleComissioning Editor Adam NorrisFeatures Editor Sam BrownArt Editor Ryan WalkerDesigner Luke Norrington Picture Desk Lloyd RenvoizeStaff Writer/subeditor Liam WallisPerformance Writer Joe Thwaite

Thanks to Paul Carey, Nick Hill, Jamie Baker, Ryan Doneathey, Jamie Hopps

Brand Director Will BartleyPublishing Director Tom WiltshereGroup publishing manager Joe SteeleLicensing director Adam Young Licensing account manager Ra JanLicensing executive Tom Rogers Direct marketing manager Baris DogaCirculation manager Henry GregoryProduction Manager Lawrence CahillProduction Controller Billy Greening

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ADVERTISING Tel 0208 345 6757 Email [email protected] director Luke AustinAdvertising director Sam WoodhamsPrint sales manager Rose ConnorPerformance manager Pat Sealey Classifield sales executive Toni OsbaGlobal sales manager Will Ross

Editorial director Daniel StewartCreative director Ian SargeantManaging director Charlie Kirby Strategy director Mike Abley Chief Executive Elliot Hollobon

SUBSCRIPTIONSSave money by subscribing to Lilywhite

0208 345 7856

Poacher turned coacherClive Allen answers ques-tions on Spurs, Bale and the next generation.

Bale to set sail?National journalist Simon Rice discusses Gareth Bales future in N17.

Would they ever lose?Youve voted for your definitive best ever 11.

LILYWHITE May 2013 7

You can follow me @RossJGale@RossJGale

LILYWHITELILYWHITE

Dawson speaks outClub captain Michael Dawson speaks exclusively to Lilywhite and reveals all about his relationship with AVB.Full contents over the page

MAY 2013

TELLS ALLDAWSShoes off if you love Tottenham

PAGE

p56

60

Ive been here eight years now.

Its not always been easy and there

have been lots of

come and go.good defenders

Your best ever Tottenham XI p24

Clive Allen Th ex-player and coach talks totally Tottenham

Season InfographicOur season in a stat packed visual feast

Press Corner Journalist Simon Rice on Bales future

Sing for the shirt! Meet the group of Spurs fans who wont shut up

Exclusive with Michael DawsonThe club captain talks AVB, Champions League and team-mates

Premier League momentsStunning picture special

Can we really sing it any-more?The y-word discussed

Les Allen The double winner talks about 61 and Bill Nicholson

20

21

22

24

37

40

48

52

56

60

66

72

78

COVER STORY

Where is he now?A forgotten left-back rememberedThis Month In...Take a walk down memory lane

All time Best Spurs XIAs voted for by youBale In NumbersDelve into his figures

FEATURES

EASY READS

THFC Top TweetersOur essential guide on who to follow

8 May 2013 LILYWHITE

DEUCE DRAW DRAMAClint Dempsey wheels away in celebration after his last-gasp equaliser against Manchester United in January. The Americans goals against the table toppers helped us take four points off of them, our best return in many years.

THE POWER OF YOUTHThe fresh-faced Andre Villas-Boas presides over his equally youthful new team. The average age of the first team that hes selected has been as low as 25 in some games this season.

THE KING BOWS OUTLedley King says an emotional goodbye to the Tottenham support and to his playing career. Fans continue to sing his name on the 26-minute mark of every game. Long live the King.

DEAD-EYE GARETHGareth Bale gets his incredible free-kick scoring season underway with this bamboozler against Liverpool at the Lane. His newly-developed knuckleball technique meant Pepe Reina never stood a chance.

FULL STEAM AHEADThe land adjacent to White Hart Lane being readied for the new stadium. The new ground will have a capacity of over 56,000 and is part of a project aimed at regenerating this part of North London.

As a change strip should be, for me. A reverse of your home colours, simple in de-sign but with carefully thought-out detailing. Im a sucker for a smart collar. Id love to see Spurs play in their navy change kit more often.

The picture speaks for itself. Puma did a pretty good job with our kits for five years, but this was just awful. I cant see the chocolate brown ever taking off. Also what a terrible neckline. Back to the drawing board for sure.

really mattered was how many Cryuff turns you could perform in your own penalty area. Or how many nutmegs you could achieve in a single half of Pre-mier League football. Atouba had a penchant for a trick. He wasnt necessarily bad at the tricks, but was certainly bad for the heart rates of those of us who had turned up and paid to watch him do this with, at best, mixed results.At first it was a bit of a laugh, pretty entertaining in fact. It very soon became downright scary then eventually almost tedious. His apparent inability to just pass the ball down the line upon receiving it became infuriating.However he will also be re-membered for one other mo-ment. We were playing away at St James Park against Newcastle. Atouba lined up in his usual spot at left-back. In front of him was ex-Tottenham full-back Steven Carr, who had left the club rather uncer-emoniously not long before.

The story goes that Carr was instructed just let him come inside you if needs be, he hasnt got a right foot. This turned out not to be the case as Atouba ran in-side Carr and slammed a right-footed shot smack bang into the top corner. Atouba left the club after just one season, to the relief of most. He moved to Germany and to Hamburg. He, unsurprising-ly, didnt experience much success there but interestingly was reunited with Martin Jol towards his later years there. Jol then, for some unbeknown reason, took Atouba with him when he moved to Ajax. Sadly this was the begininning of the end for Timothe. Some might argue it never got going. He was last seen playing for Las Palmas in Spain.Hes become a distant mem-ory now, yet one that will for-ever bring a smile to your face for one reason or another.

One of Jacques Santinis first signings in summer 2004, Atouba joined from FC Basel. He immediately caught the attention of the Spurs faithful and not in a good sense. Unfortunately for us our boy Timothe was more of a freestyler than a footballer. It would appear on the face of it that scoring or conceding goals was completely irrel-evant, at least to him. What

WHERE IS HE NOW?The most entertaining defender Spurs have probably ever had; just for all the wrong reasons. I give you the quite unforgettable Timothe Atouba...

IN THIS MONTH MAY 2010

Peter Crouch stooped his 6ft 7in frame to meet Younes Kabouls fizzing cross and headed into the Manchester City net and in turn sent Tottenham heading for the Champions League. The away end exploded in unbridled joy. Af-ter 36 games it had come down to a straight shootout between them and us. One of the most highly anticipated games of the season and Spurs had accomplished

what many would have scoffed at just 18 months before when Harry Redknapp took over. The match had the feeling of a cup final. It certainly had a final-worthy prize at stake. Crouchs goal proved the differ-ence and boy did the fans and players celebrate it. How could anyone forget David Bentley (Wait who? Oh yeah, the plonker with the terrible haircut) chucking a

bucket full of water over Red-knapp as he did his TV interviews. Or the look that Redknapp shot back at him that said: That is the last you play for me, boy. This was the second step on the ladder of the clubs progression in recent times, after the League Cup victory two years before. Wed signalled our intent and achieved a real piece of tangible success.

Crouch and Co head for Europe

STYLE RATING STYLE RATING

THE KIT ROOMEditor Ross Gale prefers navy to chocolate brown

AWAY KIT 2001/02 THIRD KIT 2006/07

20 May 2013 LILYWHITE LILYWHITE May 2013 21

THE ULTIMATE THFC QUIZWho scored Totten-hams first goal in the

Premier League?1

Spurs legends Chris Waddle and Glenn

Hoddle released a pop song by which name?

2

Against which op-ponents did Totten-

ham record their highest attendance?

5

Who scored a memo-rable goal for the club

from the halfway line vs Ipswich?

4

Which team did Spurs play in their very

first match at White Hart Lane?

3

Who was known as The Rocket?6

Tottenham have won MOTDs goal of the

season award just once. Who scored that goal?

7

Who did Spurs face in Bill Nicholsons

testimonial?8

Who was the last Icelandic player at the

club before Gylfi Sigurds-son arrived last summer?

9

In which year was the club

formed?10

Which player couldnt watch

Dimitar Berbatovs pen-alty at Wembley?

11

Against whom did goalkeeper Paul

Robinson scored against?12

Who manufac-tured the Spurs

kit in 2003/04?15

What is Gareth Bales middle

name?14

Which member of the first team

squad currently wears the number 16?

13

There are two players who are

in their second spell with the club now - who are they?

16

Hod and Wad lookingvery masculine - but

what was their song?

What two different shirt numbers has

Jermain Defoe worn in his time at the club?

17

How many times have Tottenham

won the FA Cup?18

D

A

C

B

TOP TOTTENHAMTWITTERERS

Youth Updates@WindyCOYS

An essential tweeter for any real Spurs fans. He always attempts to analyse the more technical aspects of the game while remaining eternal-ly positive (Lord knows how at times). He also specialises in the devel-opment squads and can

often be found tweeting from Hotspur Way watching one of the various youth teams.

Fair but Spurs@MichaelBridges

He might be a jour-nalist for Sky Sports

but hes most definitely Lilywhite. Probably due

to his background in the

media his opinion is balanced and fair but always with Tottenham at the heart of it. It is his duty to write the Tottenham annual as well. He appears to also rub shoulders with some fairly famous people, judging by those he tweets anyway.

Big Mouth@Crackers

This larger than life Spurs fan found fame

on Sky Sports Fanzone and his popularity has

continued to grow. Hes Spurs through and through but never one to slag the club off. He has recently began a Spurs podcast with celebrity Spurs fan Anthony Costa. The show named Ooh When The Spurs has already welcomed on guests such as David Ginola. He also organises regular legends nights for fans to meet former players.

THFC all under one account@HotspurRelated

If youre looking for a one-stop-shop on anything and everything Tottenham, heres your man. If youve got this tweeter on your timeline youll never miss a thing. The account posts everything from table information to compet-itor updates to even the odd Tottenham wallpaper.

The Voice of Reason@danielwynnethfc

He happens to be the official

club match day commentator. His voice is the one youll hear over the TVs if you go down mid-game to grab a pie or relieve yourself down in the concourses. If interesting stats are your thing then get following. Quite often he pro-vides an eyeopening insight into his time spent on a match day at The Lane

The Entertainer@coytey

Another Tottenham Hotspur employee, this time the half-time pitch side host Paul Coyte. He has the pleasure of speaking to some of the legends of this club every single home game and he

shares this too on his twitter account. He also quite likes a gag, although I cant confirm if youll find them find them funny or not.

In The Know@neileatson

Formerly the much maligned @Akayid. Hes a bit like Harry Redknapp in the sense that he doesnt seem to do an awful

lot until one of the trans-fer windows comes

around. He clearly has a couple of good sources

within the club and shares live transfer information as

he gets it. He called the trans-fers of Hugo Lloris and Mousa Dembele days early. Certainly

Can you name these four forgot-ten faces of White Hart Lane...

20What minute did Jonathan Wood-

gate score the winning goal in the 2008 League Cup final?

19

Fill in the gapMartin Jol

---------------------------- Harry Redknapp

21

Who did Michael Dawson score

his first goal for the club against?

22

Which ex-Spurs player kicked

out a number of Hossam Ghalys teeth?Turn to pg 38 for answers

25

What is the capacity of White

Hart Lane?23

From which team did we buy Benoit

Assou-Ekotto from?24

Your essential guide on who to follow to be up to date with everything #THFC

makes the windows much more exciting and its fair to see hes a true ITK.

Ticket Trading@HotspurTickets

The best place to buy and sell match tickets online. Run by a selfless individual for the benefit of anyone who needs to shift or get hold of home or away tickets. They also run a safe way of trading.


Not a surprise but a player full deserving of the keepers shirt in this team. Born in Northern Ireland, Jennings grew up playing Gaelic football, undoubtedly aiding him in becoming an outstanding goalkeep-er. He spent 13 years at White Hart Lane making 591 appearances and even scored a goal! During those

years he helped the side to win the FA Cup, the League Cup twice and the UEFA Cup. The goal he scored came in the 1967 Charity Shield match against Manchester United. He kicked the ball the length of the field and it bounced over the unfor-tunate United stopper Alex Stepney and into the net. In 1976 he became

the first goalkeeper ever to win the PFA Player of the Year award; a great indication of his ability and reputation. He may have crossed the divide as he played for Arsenal but Jennings is still very well received at White Hart Lane, where he now can be found on match days milling around the different lounges.

1PAT

JENNINGS

GOALKEEPER

BEST EVER XI

No other man has pulled on the lilywhite shirt more times than one, Steve Perryman. He did so an incred-ible 866 times, which led to some referring to Perryman, as just, Mr Tottenham. He became club captain at the tender age of just 20. He may have played a large proportion of his career in midfield, but youve cho-

sen for him to represent this side in defence, which he was equally adept at. He switched to right-back when Graham Roberts joined the side but continued to play at a very high level of consistency. As you might expect, with being one of Spurs longest ever-serving players, Perryman won a number of trophies in that time. His

honours include both of Tottenhams UEFA Cups, two FA Cups and two League Cups. He also picked up a personal award whilst at the club. In 1982 he was named Footballer of the Year. Upon leaving Tottenham, Perry-man moved to Norway and played for IK Start for a period.

BEST EVER XI

2STEVE

PERRYMAN

RIGHT-BACK


A product of Tottenhams youth setup, Hughton made his debut in 1979. He made almost 400 appear-ances for the club and is rightfully considered to be one of the best full-backs to ever play for Spurs. Hughton helped us to win the 1981 FA Cup, the 82 FA Cup and the 84 UEFA Cup. He may have left the club

to play for London rival West Ham but he returned in 1992 as a coach. In his time at Spurs as a coach he served under 10 different managers; Ray Clemence, Doug Livermore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Gerry Francis, Christian Gross, George Graham, Glenn Hoddle, David Pleat, Jacques Santini and Martin Jol. He also took

charge of the side as caretaker manager on two separate occasions. With Hughton on board, Tottenham finished in fifth place in two consec-utive seasons while also winning the 1999 League Cup. He has gone on to have a successful career in man-agement at Newscatle, Birmingham and Norwich.

3CHRIS

HUGHTON

LEFT-BACK

BEST EVER XI

Dave Mackay, one of Tottenham Hotspurs most famous and instantly recognisable players, not least for the brilliant photo above of him throttling Leeds Billy Bremner. He joined the club from Heart of Midlothian in 1959 for 32,000 and became the main driving force behind the great 1961 Double-winning team. He was famed

for his fierce determination, skill and tough-tackling. He was said by many to be the complete footballer and his determination was what gave him that extra edge. Other than the Double, Mackay won plenty of other trophies while at Spurs, including two more FA Cups and the Cup Winners Cup. The infamous Brian Clough

claimed that Mackay was Tottenham Hotspurs greatest ever player. It would be very hard to argue against this with Mackay still being complete-ly synonymous with the famous Bill Nicholson Double win.

BEST EVER XI

4DAVE

MACKAY

CENTRE-HALF


Possibly the best ever product of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, Deadly Ledley, as he was known to the fans, played just 268 times for the club in 13 years due to chronic knee injuries. He sadly had to retire last year due to said injuries. Amazingly King says his career was effectively over just 30 seconds into his debut. He suffered a

knee injury that day and forever had to live with the side effects. Despite such degenerative injuries King still managed to play fairly regularly for the club due to a special training programme. Harry Redknapp called King an absolute freak of nature due to his ability to not train out on the pitch all week but to be able to play

the full 90 minutes on the weekend to a consistently impeccable stan-dard. Many would class him as the most talented English defender of his generation and Tottenhams best player of recent times. Calls have been made for the number 26 shirt to be retired in his honour and he is set to receive a testimonial match.

5LEDLEY

KING

CENTRE-HALF

BEST EVER XI

Chris Waddle joined Spurs from Newcastle United in 1985 for a fee of 590,000. The attacking midfield-er scored two goals on his debut against Watford at home. He repre-sented the club for four years before leaving to move abroad to Olympique Marseille. During his time at the club he didnt actually win any trophies

as Spurs were beaten in the 1987 FA Cup final and finished third in the league in the same year. He and Glenn Hoddle had a great under-standing on the pitch and had a good relationship off of it, so much so that the pair actually recorded their very own pop song, which made the UK Top 20 in 1987. During his time at

Spurs, Waddle was a regular fixture in the England team and went with the side to the European Champi-onships in 1988. Due to a ban on English clubs competing in European competition after the Heysel disaster, Waddle moved abroad to pursue other ambitions.

BEST EVER XI

6CHRIS

WADDLE

MIDFIELD


Simply know by many Tottenham fans as God, Glenn Hoddle is not much of a debatable inclusion in this team. Hoddle joined the club as a schoolboy in 1974 on the recommen-dation of another Tottenham legend Martin Chivers. He went on to make 490 apperances for the club in 12 years. His sublime balance and close

control, stunning passing and vision and extraordinary shooting ability made Hoddle the most gifted player of his generation. There have been very few players turn out for the club with such levels of talent. During his career at Spurs he won two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup. Only four players (Steve Perryman, Pat Jennings, Gary

Mabbutt and Cyril Knowles) have played more matches for the club. He will be most remembered for his goals against Manchester United and Watford. His spell as manager of the club may have not been altogether successful but God could do nothing to tarnish his gleaming reputation here.

7GLENNHODDLE

BEST EVER XI

Paul Gascoigne was one of the most entertaining and exciting footballers to watch anywhere in the world at the time, let alone just at Tottenham. He also had a personality to match too. He was famed for his crazy antics and one day he even brought an Ostrich to the Spurs training just for a laugh, as you do! Gascoigne was

instrumental in the Spurs getting to the 1991 FA Cup Final. He scored a spectacular free-kick against Arsenal in the semi-final at Wembley, but in the subsequent final injured himself attempting to make a rash tack-le. Spurs still won the cup beating Nottingham Forest and the players brought the cup with them to the hos-

pital for Gazza afterwards. After four brilliant years at the club Gascoigne left for Italy, Lazio to be precise. He maintains absolute, legend status still at White Hart Lane.

BEST EVER XI

8PAUL

GASCOIGNE

RIGHT-WINGMIDFIELD


The voting was very close between this Welsh speedster and another from an older generation; Cliff Jones. Bale got the nod on this occasion though and it would be hard to argue he shouldnt get a run out for this team after the season he has had. He has been propelled from jinx to superstar in almost a matter of

months. After joining Tottenham as a gangly teenager, Spurs fans have been treated to seeing him rapidly develop into a world superstar. Not often is it possible to witness the pace and athleticism that Bale has to offer but we have been treated to it for 6 wonderful years now. Bale has shot from an occasional left-back to

crucial striker. His brilliantly consis-tent performances and incredible goals meant he was crowned PFA Player and Young Player of the Year in April. He is only the third player ever to do so. He also picked up an-other personal accolade in the shape of the Football Writers Player of the year award.

9GARETH

BALE

LEFT WING

BEST EVER XI

It was a pretty big shock when we singed Jurgen Klinsmann from AS Monaco in 1994. Former owner Lord Alan Sugar famously revealed the deal live on Sky TV from his boat in Monte Carlo. People were very critical of the German upon his arrival on these shores, mainly because of his reputation as a diver. He howev-

er instantly endeared himself to the Nation when he performed the now famous Klinsmann dive after scoring away at Sheffield Wednesday on his debut for the club. He quickly became very popular in England and went on to win the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year award for 1995. His popularity

was such that he was inducted into Madame Tussauds. He only played for the club for just over 50 games but he reached legendary status in record time. Klinsmann has since gone on to manage the USA and the German national team as well as Bayern Munich.

BEST EVER XI

10JURGEN

KLINSMANN

STRIKER


This man scored more goals for Tottenham than any other player ever. Rescued from AC Milan in Italy by Bill Nicholson, Greaves joined the club in 1961 for 99,999. The unusual fee was intended to relieve Greaves of any pressure of being the first 100,000 player. Greaves however refutes this and says the

fee was such so that Bill Nicholson was not the first manager to make a 100,000 singing. In his nine years at the club he was the leagues top goal scorer in four of those. During his time here, Greaves won two FA Cups and the European Cup Win-ners Cup. He is rightfully considered to be Tottenhams greatest ever goal

scorer and one of the clubs very best ever players. He scored an incredible 266 goals in 379 matches and is by far an away our record goal scorer.Greaves was famoulsy dropped for the 1966 World Cup Final in place of Geoff Hurst, who of course went on to score that famous hat-trick.

11JIMMY

GREAVES

STRIKER

BEST EVER XI


GARETH BALE IN NUMBERS

Google hits29,400,000Gareth Bale Twitter

38minutes

to score a second-half hat-trick against Inter

22Bales measured in-game top speed

mph

70m

Bales estimated transfer value

5direct free-kicks scored for Tottenham

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Wayne Bridge

TheoWalcott

OTHER SAINTS GRADUATES

Gareth Bale Madrid = 19,800,000; Ga-reth Bale Maicon = 897,000; Gareth Bale chimp = 606,000; Gareth Bale girlfriend = 404,000


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LukeShaw

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THE ULTIMATE QUIZ ANSWERS p23: 1 Gordon Durie 2 Diamond Lights 3 Notts County 4 Jason Cundy 5 Sunderland 6 Ronny Rosenthal 7 Paul Gascgoine 8 Fiorentina 9 Eiur Gujohnsen 10 1882 11 Didier Zokora 12 Watford 13 Kyle Naughton 14 Frank 15 Kappa 16 Jermain Defoe and Younes Kaboul 17 25 & 18 18 8 19 94th 20 Stephane Dalmat, Gilberto, Milenko Acimovic, Cristian Ceballos 21 Juande Ramos 22 Chelsea 23 36,310 24 Lens 25 Noe Pamarot


BORN TO BESPURS

CLIVE ALLEN CLIVE ALLEN

His double-winning father, Les

eginning at the start of your Tottenham career, how did your move to Spurs come

about?I was in my second spell at Queens Park Rangers and it was the beginning of the season 84. It was actually the first time Id asked for a transfer to leave QPR and Totten-ham obviously saw that Id asked for a transfer. Peter Shreeves was in charge, theyd just won the UEFA Cup under Keith Burkinshaw whod left. Funnily enough Peter Shreeves had been a youth team coach there when I was a schoolboy and Id trained at Spurs as a schoolboy at 14. There was that association with him and I remember him calling me and saying I think you know where the ground is, Ill see you in

would take me to games so I always had a soft spot for the club and obvi-ously knowing Dads history. I remember going to games with Dad and people saying as we walked along the High Road, Oh if youre half as good as your Dad, youll be a great player. I think to be perfectly honest with you every team since the double team have been living up to them, trying to replicate what they did. I suppose I just felt it was my chance to have a go to see what would

the morning. I remember that was a Wednesday, on the Thursday I went to White Hart Lane, had the medicals and the deal was done. I think I just thought it was my destiny that one day I would play for Totten-ham. At that time I was 23, Id had a couple of different London clubs, started at QPR, went to Arsenal, Crystal Palace, back to QPR and I felt as though I was coming into the prime of my career and it was a chance to play at Spurs. It was a nice phone call and there was no decision to be made.

How did it make you feel about the prospect of representing the club especially given your fathers role within its history?Growing up as a youngster my Dad

Footballers run in the Allen family and Clive was no different...Lilywhite catches up with the former Tottenham striker and coach


B

Park at the beginning of the 84/5 season. I scored that day and we won 4-0. I suppose the first goal for the club is a memorable one but to be honest I enjoyed them all. They were all special in their own right.

Who would you say was the best player you played with at your time at Spurs?Well that is really, really difficult. From a selfish point of view I would have to say Glenn Hoddle because Glenn was the best passer of the ball I ever played

with. I played with some fantastic midfield players over the years but Glenn was one who could literally put the ball on a sixpence from both sides left and right. Some-times people didnt appreciate the real quality that he had. I would say me being a striker he was the best player I played with.

You had that incredible 49 goal season, what would you put that down to? Were there any particular circumstances that brought that about?It was interesting because Id

happen. It was a great feeling, it really was.How important was your Dad when you were a young boy starting out in football?Well obviously I think the advice and the beliefs that he instilled in me from an early age were everything that helped me reach the goals that I did. He was the one who was always there to give advice and help me on my way. He was invaluable.

If you could pick out one what would be your favourite goal in a Spurs shirt?I think the biggest goal was the cup final goal in 87 in the second minute in terms of magnitude of the game. That would be a special one. The other one would be my first goal which was at Goodison

been injured the previous season for almost a year. I played the last 12 games of the season lead-ing up to the 86/87 season I got myself fit, I got back in the team and scored a few goals towards the end of the season and then there was a managerial change, David Pleat came in and I remem-ber him saying to me whats your plans for the summer? I said Im going to carry on because Ive missed so much time. He said I dont want you to and I couldnt quite understand it. He said If you want to start training start 3 weeks before we start pre-season because pre-season will be tough and youll be in good shape for it. I did exactly that, I trained really hard for 3 weeks before pre-season. In total I ended up doing effectively an 8 week pre-season and I was in really good shape and I felt sharp. Because of the layoff Id had and a couple of operations. I got off to a flying start. We played away at Villa the first game of the season and I scored a hat-trick and I never really looked back after that. The confidence it gave


us winning away on the first day of the season and scoring three goals. It was a season that you could only dream of really, it was just fantastic.

The record for all competition goals still stands is it one you can see ever being broken?I think it would be very difficult to break it in the modern day game purely because the forward play-ers and strikers probably wont play enough games to rack up that sort of return of goals. From working with Jermain Defoe over the last few years he said We got no chance of ever breaking that! I think you can understand why. I think if any top class striker now returns over 20 goals hes had an incredible season so now to get anywhere near it would be nigh on impossible these days.

If you had to pick one highlight from your time at the club as a player what would it be?

I think being named PFA Player Of The Year at the end of that season. I was fortunate enough to also win the Sports Writers award but to be voted the best player in the country

by your fellow professionals is the biggest accolade you can receive. That was a very special award at the end of what was a great season.

Do you ever look back on your time as a player with the club with any sort of regret or frustration, bearing in mind you were so close to winning something on a few occasions but never quite did?Yeah, I think if there was a regret, particularly after the 87 season

the team broke up, Glenn left and went to France and there were a few changes at the club and I just felt under David Pleat at the end of the season that the following season I thought we would have a good chance of going for the Championship.

We finished third that season, sem-final of the Milk Cup, final of the FA Cup that the following season looked to be the one in which we could have realistically staked a claim.

What was it like to work under the different managers in your spell as a coach at the club?It was a fantastic experience. Da-vid was in temporary charge after Glenn Hoddle left as manager and he invited me to come back to the club. Id been coaching with the FA with the England youth teams for a couple of years as well asthe media work I was doing. The chance to go back to Spurs as a coach was one that I couldnt pass up. I wanted to have a go at it. There was a number of managerial changes at the club. Santini came in first briefly. Martin Jol was alongside him then moved into the manager role. Juande Ramos before obviously Harry came in. I had an opportu-nity, a good opportunity where I worked with coaches from differ-ent countries with slightly different ideas, different philosophies. I felt that it was a coaching educa-tion I was going through that was fantastic really. It was like a three year cycle that that was happening and it really helped me to develop myself as a coach.

Dad was the one who was always

Below: Clive celebrates his FA Cup Final goal

Clive rocking the tache

A slightly less youthful Clive looks on

Above: Clive wheels away after scoring against The Enemy

there to give advice and help me


experiences and the most memorable.

What is it actually like to be sat on the bench for a game like that, so low down and so close to the play?It is interesting. Sometimes you cant judge the distances and its never as easy as it is from sitting upstairs. You get a better view from upstairs but what you appreciate down at that level is the pace of the game, the speed the players are moving at and the physical side of it as well. It is as close as you can get to it and its a fantastic feeling and experience to be sitting there. Obviously you

do have the opportunity from that distance to try to influence the players and give information and advice if you can. Its the sec-ond best place to be other than playing.

How hard is it to relay instruc-tion to the players on the pitch, particularly in a game when the crowd is so loud?Its not easy at all. You can hear the crowd but its more of a buzz then actually singing. You just hear this volume of noise all around you. Normally you end up relaying a lot of your stuff to the players that are on the nearest side, whether thats your left back and left winger or right back and right winger. Youre hoping that they can then get the messages across the field to different peo-

ple. Invariably your captain is one who will look across who you can communicate with

but you just hope that the players are listening to those

When Harry came in he brought me into the first team group as one of his coaches and that was obviously the best times with first staying up, qualifying for Europe and then the Champions League experience. It went from level to level each year, which was perfect really. Fantastic.

How did all those managers differ from each other?I think it was the way in which they went about their business. Santini was very quiet and left a lot of the work to the coach-es and in particular one coach. Martin Jol was very much at the forefront himself of the sessions with myself and Chrissy Hughton helping out. Ramos was very, very strict, very disciplined and it was extremely regimented in the way that he worked and he was the one who called all the shots. While, Harry just really let the coaches take care of all the sessions. He was always there to watch them but he almost overseeing it rather than right out on the pitch coaching and taking the sessions. He had more of an overview and watched what we were doing. Different ways to work but again, its all about re-sults. I enjoyed Harrys way where I was taking sessions and he was overseeing but again that was a good education as a coach to see how different people worked.

Whats the one thing that you and the team achieved during your time here as a coach that you are most proud of?Certainly qualifying for the Cham-pions League and then I think the best game that I was involved with was the Inter Milan game at home obviously the result away was a crazy one really. We were beaten but Gareth had the most amazing night. But the home game, a Eu-ropean game at White Hart Lane under those lights was amazing. It was as electric as I have ever experienced it that night. It was just simply incredible. Again Gareth had a superb night; we had a fantastic result to progress through into the knockout stages. That was probably one of the best

instructions and then being able to carry them out if possible.

Out of the youth and develop-ment squads at the club who would you pick out as potential future Tottenham stars?I think youve seen over the last couple of years the emergence of one of two. Jake Livermore has come through the ranks; Steven Caulker is a fantastic prospect. They had to go away on loan to develop themselves as people, not only as players. That experience of leaving the comfort of the club that theyve been brought up at. Theyve gone away, theyve played at difference clubs. Steven had a fantastic season at Swansea and has come back now to establish himself now in the squad. Andros Townsend, hes an ex-ample. Ryan Mason is another. Young Tom Carroll is a real talent, he went out to Orient for a while.

I think that the development side of the home grown players has been an important thing over the last five years and the club is now just starting to see the benefit of it. For me if there is one to go on to play at the highest level it would be Steven. He was one who started late, he didnt come into the club until he was about 15. Now hes developed very

quickly since then. Its not always the babies you get at 8 or 9 that end up being players for your first team.

Who were the three best players you were lucky enough to coach at the club?That is a very difficult one. From an individual

point of view Luka Modric was as good as anyone that I worked with. I thought the

ability he had was up there on a level with a Glenn Hoddle. He

was a good character, great train-er and lovely person. Most of all he was an amazing footballer and hence thats why he got the move to such a big club as Real Madrid. Gareth when he first arrived was young and raw. I think we all saw the potential there but I just think it took a couple of years for him to mature just to grow up really. Its tough. The move to a big club, the expectation can be hard to deal with. With no disrespect at all to Southampton you have to go from playing maybe one good game in four for them to maybe playing three good games out of four for Spurs. On his day, hes the one player that I think is unplayable. Thats down to his blistering pace and his great ability. Gareth would be another one who has matured to be an exceptional player as well. After that the only one other one would be Ledley King. I didnt unfortunately get to work with him when he was at his very best. But you can see that he would have been probably one of the best players in the world. He had his terrible injury problems so physically he was never in any condition to say that he was even 75% fit in games and yet he was unbelievable. That would be the three that I would say having worked with them were the most talented.

While you were at the club were there any players that perhaps the club let go of too early or that werent a success when they should have been?The one that springs to mind is Taarabt, who I worked with in the reserves, who was an exceptional talent but was so inconsistent. I think that was probably the one reason why that he didnt develop at the club and play for longer. He didnt produce what he was capable of on a consistent level. If he did that he would still be there and maybe even at a big club like Barcelona or Real Madrid. He had that sort of ability but unfortunate-ly he couldnt produce that all the time. He may well be the one that the club look back on in five years time and say we made a mistake.


Below: Rafa van der Vaart after opening the scoring vs Inter Milan

Below: Spurs young guns Steven Caulk-er (R) & Tom Carroll (L)


under all different mangers. Also managing the reserve side for a couple of years. Football is a way of life to me. Its what I enjoy. Id love to manage. I do enjoy the media side of things and thats something I did for 8 years when I finished playing, while I was taking my coaching qualifications and building up experience. They dont work together in my opinion though. If youre coaching or managing its a 24/7 thing. You have to be totally committed to that and thats something I under-stand. But given the opportunity that is what Id like to do.

Just how good is Gareth Bale having worked with him day to day and just how good can he become? He can become one of the very best players in the world. Every-body has seen glimpses of that and as I said before there are games when he is truly unplay-able. His greatest asset is his speed. The pace at which he does thing at means players cant live with him. Physically he is the perfect specimen in terms of his shape and size. With all the tests that are performed on players regularly he comes out at the very top on almost all of them, lung capacity, flexibility you name it. He is exceptional physically. Allied with all that he has great ability and a fantastic left foot. I think now he has matured and understands the game more and how best to em-

ploy his strengths to be effective and ultimately win football match-es. He could be anything in the next five years; he really could be.

Where do you think this Spurs side are capable of finishing?Certainly this season they should finish in the top four with the squad they have. Again that progress over the last few years, I think they are as competitive as the other teams vying for that top European football. I think the Manchester clubs are just out in front with Chelsea behind but other that them I believe Spurs are the best equipped to qualify for Champions League football.

What do you think the main dif-ferences are in football in 2013 and back when you played?I think theres a greater under-standing of players physically. There is far more analysis done on games and there is so much more coverage on games in the media and probably global inter-est in football. I think players are better conditioned with there be-ing more knowledge of how many games they should be playing and when they should play. How-ever good players were and still are good players. In 2013 players have to be supreme athletes as well as excellent footballers and thats the biggest difference.

How do you think the 87 team you played in would get on against todays 11?I think it would be a very very in-teresting game. We were a team that certainly had pace like the current team has. Chrissy Waddle who was an unbelievable player, there wouldnt much between him and Gareth Bale to be perfectly honest. I think looking at the two teams it might just come down to mentality, a will to win; that determination. Id take us just to win, just.

How would you sum up your time as a player and a coach at the club?Apart from winning a collective award from the team, it was everything I hoped it would be.

Playing for a great club and having the opportunity

to go back there and work for the last six years with some brilliant players. Everything and more.

What are your thoughts on your departure from the club last summer?Real disappointment because of the way things had gone the pre-vious three seasons. Fourth, fifth, fourth we finished in the league and we had some decent cup runs. I think we had assembled a squad that was competitive right up at the top of the table. I felt you can understand it to a point but no less disappointing, especially considering the steady progress that we made year on year.

How different do you think last season could have been if it wasnt for certain games of circumstances?Yeah it was small margins. When you think of Jermains chance at Manchester City where if he slides that in and we win the game we would have gone top of the Premier League and could have been in with a chance. No one knows whether we would have come close to winning it or not but we had a chance, however small. That is football at the elite level. Little details and blink-and-youll-miss-it-moments can have such a huge bearing.

Youve been doing a fair amount of media work since leaving the club. Is that some-thing you wish to pursue or do you have ambitions of manag-ing?Yeah Id like to manage. Thats something Ive always wanted to do. I feel now that Ive done my apprenticeship having worked

CLIVE ALLEN

Above: Messrs Redknapp (L), Jordan (C) and Allen (R)

Below: CA can only mean one person...


2,368PLAYER STATS

DEMbL

MOSTPASSES

bEST PASS COMPLETION DEMbL90.9%

26MOST GOALS bALE

MOSTFOULS

49

SCOTT PARKER

6 1

MOST

CARDSYELLOW

MOST

CARDSRED

VERTONGHEN ADEbAYOR

MOSTASSISTS6

LENNONMOST CLEAN SHEETS

8LLORIS

IN FOCUS

TEAM STATS

SEASON STAT ATTACK

4,590TOTAL MINUTES PLAYED

TOTAL AMOUNT OF PLAYERS USED 28

NUMbER OF COUNTRIES PLAYED IN

TOTALGOALSGOO0OAL

49%WIN PERCENTAGE

82

6

27 15 11

WINS DRAWS LOSSES

SHOTS PER GAME17SHOT CONVERSIONPERCENTAGE 9.5%

0PENALTIESAWARDED

GYLFI

TOTAL SHOTS

SIGURDSSON

APPERANCES

49

83

SHOTS ONTARGET

55%

OFF THE bENCH

26G 8OALS

MOSTCROSSES53

GOAL10 SHOTS PER

be the most exciting Spurs expert with our facts and figures feast. Mousa take a bow...


WillGarethBAle ?

We hear the thoughts of The Independents Simon Rice

First of all what are your thoughts on Bales season? Well hes been quite simply exceptional. Hes contributed hugely to Tottenhams fight on all fronts. He has really stepped up to the plate and grown so noticeably both as a player and as a man. He might not be captain but he has almost taken over an authoritative role within the squad and particularly out on the pitch. People questioned whether he could bring his game on this season but I think he has answered them and more. Whats impressed me so much about Bale this season has been his obvious desire to advance himself. Hes always been fortunate enough to have a great physical foundation but build upon it he has. His natural speed and large stride pattern have given many a right-back a torrid 90 minutes but he has added other weapons to his armoury too. His ability to score goals from free-kicks has long stood but he has de-veloped his own new technique for striking dead balls that has reaped great rewards this year. Much has been said of his seemingly straightforward move to a new central position but he deserves great credit for this too. His willingness to improve, especially by putting in the extra hours on the training ground, is commendable. Another example of Bale harnessing his God-given attributes is his ability to be a danger to the opposition in aerial situations. I think back to his impressive headers against his former club Southampton and Inter Milan. He has always had an excellent left foot both in its explosive power and unerring accuracy and this season that has certainly been the case. However it has been his ability to score a variety of different kinds of goal from all over the pitch. His finish-ing is now almost that of a seasoned striker when you look at well-taken goals

like his against Newcastle and Arsenal at home. There are also those where he has driven at defences and punished them from range. Ive already mentioned his

headers and free-kicks which just leaves the stunners. His last-minute winner in a London derby away at Upton Park was just remarkable and will rightful-ly be considered for goal of the season.

What have you made of Bales devel-opment from his Southampton days?Well he was obviously a fantastic talent from very early on evidenced by playing for Southampton from 16 onwards. He moved to the bright lights of London still young and it appeared he was set to make an instant impart here too. He scored on his home debut against

Arsenal which you would think would be the ideal way to get your Spurs

career underway but that proved to be his most significant act in

a white shirt for a while. He struggled with two serious injuries in his first couple of seasons and then had that rather unfortunate record that led some to believe that he might be a jinx! Since he broke

that hoodoo though he hasnt looked back. Hes changed position four times and got better with each one. What inter-ests me the most though

is physical development. He has changed from a

gangly teenager into a monster of a man. His 6ft frame is now sur-

rounded by almost pure muscle and his fitness levels are incredible.

So the big one...do you reckon he will leave?Its actually very hard to say. I think people are pretty sure that he will but the more you assess the situation and hear others talk about him you start to think that it might not be just yet. He still has time very much on his side as he is only 23. When you think most players dont reach their peak until they are more

Could Tottenhams coveted Welsh wizard be off for good? Lilywhite speaks exclusively to the online Sports Editor at The Independent, Simon Rice.

PRESS CORNERHe has really stepped up to the

plate and grown so noticeably

both as a player and as a man


most noteworthy though is his big money contract with BT to be a pundit on their coverage.

If he was to search for pastures new, who would be the likely suitor?Well I think straightway his next suitor could be only a few places. First of all not many clubs will be able to afford him especially given that Daniel Levy is the seller. Realistically it would be between the real powerhouses in world football, the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United, Real Ma-drid, Bayern Munich and maybe Manchester City. But most likely I would say it would be between United and Real Madrid because of the money involved and his style of play matching theirs. Then you take into consideration Tottenhams likely unwillingness to sell to another team in the Premier League so as not to harm their own chances and Madrid becomes the most likely destination. His very direct style of play would definitely compliment Madrids lightening fast counter-attacking style. Another reason Real would want him would be his ability to play in various positions, notably the left side. Their current left-back Fabio Coentrao looks set to

leave and Bale would certainly be an effective option as a left-back-cum wingback. However with such a young family and only being young himself would Bale be prepared to relocate abroad just yet?

Comparisons between Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo are becoming louder, is it one you subscribe to?This is on the surface can seem a lazy comparison but I think it does go deeper on some levels. I think the two are both mentioned in the same breath because of their similar physique tall, strong and muscular. They both too have tremendous speed not just over a short distance but over long lung-busting sprints. Many consider Ronaldo to be close to the complete player because of his perceived lack of weakness-es. With Bale now adding more strings to his bow this comparison draws closer. All the things that Bale has added to his game this season are what have made Ron-aldo the best player in the world, after Lionel Messi, for numerous years and the thought of the two of them in the same team is a frightening one.

What is his market vaule?I think first you have to separate it into what he should be worth and what someone will realisti-cally pay. If you think Manchester United sold Ronaldo for 80mil-lion. Ronaldo was just about to enter the prime of his career and had scored an incredible amount of goals for United the season before. However Bale has age on his side and the potential to only get better and this season more than any other has proved that is willing to work to do that. So I would say 60million would be about what he is probably worth. Despite saying that though you have to take into consideration

this wouldnt be a realistic price for Madrid to pay.

I would say with all things pondered be-

tween 40million and 50million. Lets hope that for Tottenhams

sake and also for all us English

football fans that he hangs around

for a few seasons more at least though!

like 28 he can afford to wait for his move. He has always been a family orientated person and makes regular trips back to South Wales. Now with the arrival of his baby daughter you might imagine that he would be keen to remain in familiar surroundings. Then you have to take into account why he has been so successful this sea-son and one reason appears to be his new Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas. AVB has clearly put a lot of trust in Bale shaping the side around him with all parties reaping the rewards. They clearly have a fantastic working relation-ship and you could see that espe-cially after Spurs late win at West Ham back in February, when Bale raced to embrace him on the touchline. Right now he is a big fish in a smaller pond but both are enjoying success from each other. Sometimes I guess if youve got a winning formula why change just for the sake of changing?Despite this you can see there has been a concerted effort to up Bales brand appeal in recent times. For instance last summer he had his ears pinned back, he also seems to be taking more care in his appearance with some high maintenance haircuts. I also recently noticed he now has his own YouTube channel and has joined Twitter and he is very care-ful about what he tweets. Perhaps

AVB has clearly put a lot of trust inBale, shaping the side around him

SIMON RICE

Below: Will GB11 link up with CR7 at RM?


SINGUP

IFYOU

LOVETOTTENHAM

t may have not es-caped your attention that White Hart Lane

has become a different place to watch your be-loved team in recent years. An air of expectancy has gripped N17 and suffocated a once consistently raucous atmosphere. The utterly bemusing aspect of this newfound feeling of over importance is that in the 20 years since the inception of the Premier League, Tottenham have qualified for the Champions League just once. It seems feelings of entitlement are reserved not only for the upper classes.Have we become everything for which we have disdain? Or is this just a sacrifice that has to be made to be rewarded as consumers with all the trappings that modern football has to offer.

This may or may not be the reason for a definite lessening vocal support but there are supporters who still want to do exactly

that support. What ever happened to the

days when how loud you sang and how passionate you

were in the stands wasnt depen-dant on how well Tottenham were

playing on the pitch?The guys behind The Fighting Cock podcast agree, not only that, theyve gone and done something about it. Through the medium of their pre-re-corded radio show and ex-cellent forum they have

managed to bring together likeminded supporters to whip up an atmosphere at Spurs games once again. As you might expect they started small but also experienced widespread inter-est very quickly. In February last year 250 fans trav-elled to South London to watch the Spurs youth team take on Charlton in the FA Youth Cup. We lost one nil. That didnt matter. The point of the night was to support the team, and the shirt they play in. To sing as loud their lungs would let them. And they didnt disappoint.

Simply being Spurs and being there was enough. Something spe-cial had hap-pened that night. A group of football fans reclaimed

their right to enjoy their football match day experience regardless of the result or anything else. Since then 1882 has grown and grown, with an increasing number of supporters choosing to live up to that title. With such popularity and demand for more games to be 1882 events, they began to attend first team fixtures. They liaised with the club who allocated specified blocks in White Hart Lane so all the 1882ers could sing along together. These 1882 games against the likes of Panathinaikos and Maribor in the Europa League and Coventry City in the FA Cup have caused quite a stir. It

was as if an away support had infiltrat-ed the Tottenham end, yet it was fans decked in lilywhite and navy that were urging their team on with all manner

of chants. Above all else they were having fun. Middle-aged men crooned the Ste-fan Freund song. A shared chorus of King Ledleys ballad as 26 minutes struck. Even a rare and per-haps first vocal thank you to Daniel Levy sat in the West Upper. And when the game lulled a collective effort to celebrate an imaginary goal.

From what might have looked odd from the outside made perfect sense to the tightly packed group. This was in fact a symbol of hope for

the next gener-ation, a symbol against faceless corporate greed and, not least, a symbol of unity that drew this little band of visionaries together. This is not an exclusive club by any stretch of the imagination. No. Those of #1882 are not elitist. It is not a whos the better fan competition and is certainly for anyone and everyone that wants to reclaim what it means to be a supporter and to simply enjoy yourself, and football for what it is. The Fighting Cock boys deserve great credit for taking a stand against the dy-ing atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur HQ, for taking action and for helping Spurs fans everywhere to discover or re-discover what it means to turn up and just be Tottenham and sing for the shirt.

As elite football becomes more saniti

sed, Lilywhite examines the

group of Spurs fans who refuse to be

silenced...

#1882 MOVEMENT #1882 MOVEMENT

I


BACK FROM THE BRINKMICHAEL DAWSON MICHAEL DAWSON

ast summer saw Andr Villas-Boas stroll through the doors at Hotspur Way

to take charge of his new club and

project, but with his reputation

regarded as stained and disfigured

by his less-than-satisfactory work at

Chelsea (in the judgment of Roman

Abramovich, anyway).And within weeks, Villas-B

oas had

made a decision which might but

for the self-belief of a player he had

wrongly pre-judged have dam-

aged more than just his credibility.

At Stamford Bridge, his man-man-

agement skills, particularly towards

senior players, had been ques-

tioned. This despite the feeling that

he was under orders from above to

phase these all-powerful members

out of the first-team.

His arrival in North London was

He was handed the armband then sho

wn the way to the exit door, but Mich

ael

Dawson wasnt going to leave withou

t a fight...

L

EXCLUSIVEINTERVIEW


greeted with a strange concoction of hope, ambiguity (some Spurs fans seeing failure with Chelsea as a badge of honour) and a helping of disapproval. But when he quickly sanctioned the rather bizarre sale of the newly appoint-ed club captain and fans favourite Michael Dawson to QPR, some feared an early repeat of RIP, AVB.The Portuguese felt 29-year-old Dawson was expendable (fifth in five of his centre-backs, accord-ing to the player himself); and perhaps incapable of performing in his 4-2-3-1 system, with its high defensive line.But having remained committed to Tottenham, and shown he was not for turning, Dawson has flipped his managers opinion 180 degrees.From fifth of five to first-choice, he is now a crucial cog in the works and fulfilling the role of club cap-tain he was assigned.And where some might expect bit-

terness to linger, a mutual respect has blossomed.Indeed, its not just Dawson who has grown to respect and admire his new boss. The straight-talking Yorkshireman reports that the whole Spurs squad are fond of Villas-Boas and his methods, as evidenced by a camara-derie visible even from a distance. Not that Dawson felt he was ever that close to moving on.Well the club accepted a bid {from QPR}. Thats as far as it went, he says. Ive been at the club eight years now. Its not always been easy and there have been a lot of centre-halves come and go.

Weve got five top centre-halves at the football club and the man-ager cant play them all. He told me that I was fifth in that five.But I still didnt feel it was right for me to move, I wanted to stay and fight for my position. I never thought about leaving.Dawson is portrayed as a battler and you might imagine him to be a straight-down-the-line type of bloke, so its perhaps not surprising to hear that he appreciated his fourth Spurs managers candidness. He is very honest and very fair. I have never had any problems with him. Hes been brilliant with me now Im playing, and even when I wasnt.

And it isnt just the Portugueses

straight-talking that Dawson is an admirer of.The gaffer is very thorough. He does exten-sive work on the other team and takes that information and we work on that in training.Ive worked under lots of good man-agers, but he is right up there. Unlike at the Bridge, Villas-Boas age is proving no barrier to progress at the Lane.We know he had a hard time at Chelsea, admits Dawson. But as soon as he walked in that door the lads respected him and the fact he is the manager of Tottenham.

Hes now got us playing really well and I think I can speak for everybody when I say that we are all enjoying working and playing for him.And playing for him at the pin-nacle of European football next season, if current progress is any guide.Spurs main aim appears to be finishing in the top four, and Daw-son adds: Last season to finish fourth and still manage to miss out on it was just bizarre. But our aim is most certainly to be back in the Champions League where we were a couple of years ago. It was a great journey and thats where you want to be playing football and hopefully this season the gaffer will take us back there. We had some great nights and it was a really special time.Youve got to earn the right to finish in the top four, but if we do

it will be great.Notwithstanding a slow

start, Spurs are now

on course to realise that aim by playing functional yet attractive football. I think as a team were doing really well, says Dawson. It took a little bit of time to get firing on all cylinders when the new gaffer came in. We lost to Wigan, which was a bad result.

MICHAEL DAWSON

The lads enjoy playing for and working with the new gaffer

I was told I could leave but that was never going to happen

We ended up being on the better side by the fact he agreed to stay with us. We were lucky in that senseAndr Villas-Boas

A grateful boss

But since then weve gone on from strength to strength. Its great to be in the top four and also playing some good football.Yet while the Lilywhites inspired by the seemingly unstoppable Gareth Bale - look like top four material, are they the top Totten-ham team Dawson has known?On that, the sure-footed stopper isnt so certain.

Below: Daws and Siggy celebrate


Until youve achieved anything its hard to say, he insists. Since Ive been here Ive played in teams and squads that have won the League Cup and got to the quarter-finals

of the Champions League and those included

some brilliant players. Some of those players have

departed, some have stayed and weve also been joined by some top-class players.But its definitely a squad capa-ble of qualifying for Champions League football and also winning something.As captain it would be brilliant to win something and hold a trophy aloft and experience that special feeling.Dawson may have almost gone from leader to leaving last sum-mer, but once you hear him speak you soon realise that was never a realistic prospect. Instead, its another L word that is on the lips of Spurs hard man defender. A word he hopes will sustain him at White Hart Lane for the length of his career.Im a loyal person. I had a chance to leave and didnt at the first sign of hard times.And loyalty works in both ways. If I keep playing well and the club still want me then I dont see any reason why I couldnt retire here.Im really enjoying my football and I cant foresee anything that will change that too much.

Id love to stay here. I love it here.

In love, and well loved, Michael Dawson is well and truly back from the brink.

As captain it would be brilliant to win something and hold a trophy aloft

FACT FILEFull name Michael Richard DawsonAge 29 (Born 18 Nov, 1983)Height 6ft 3in (1.91m)Weight 11st 9lb (73.92kg)Birthplace NorthallertonDate signed 31 Jan, 2005Bought for 4,000,000Made debut 16 Apr, 2005 vs Liverpool at Anfield (2-2) Squad number 20Appearances 282Goals 10England caps 4Team supported as a boy Nottingham Forest

MICHAEL DAWSON

DAWS-ON...

alongside him. He was a great guy, really

quiet off the field and he led by example on it. Hes a guy that everybody misses at the club. Last year I did captain the side when he wasnt playing so its not something Im not used to. Im now one of the most senior players at the club and Ill just aim to do something close to as good a job as Ledley did but I cant say that will be easy.

Its a close run thing but Id say finishing in the top four. But hav-ing said that, Im thinking back

to the night we beat AC Milan over at their place. Some-times you just have to pinch yourself.

Ive also had some big disap-pointments. Losing on penalties to Man United in the League Cup Final, losing to Portsmouth in the FA Cup semi-final and missing out on Champions League football last season. Nevertheless there has been some great, great times and I really do hope and believe there will be some more to come.

I think Caulks is already showing hes a top player. Hes been out on loan to Yeovil and Bristol City and more recently Swansea and those experiences have done him the world of good. Hes still very young and its only his second full season in the league but I must say I think he is doing really very well.Tottenham are in the top four, hes played lots of games and has cemented his place in the first team squad. Hes a brilliant young footballer, enjoying his football and reaping the rewards from that.

I think that first and foremost you have to be playing for your club regularly before you can be considered for the national team. I am now playing frequently for Tottenham and I dont see why not with England. Who knows?Ive been in and out of the setup on many occasions so it would be really special to get back. Its a cli-ch, I realise, but there really are not many more special feelings than walking out with the Three Lions on your chest.

Ledley was a guy ever since I came to this football club that Ive always looked up to. As a player he is truly the best Ive played with or seen play. Its so sad to have to see him re-tire so young. Because had he not I think he would have easily been one of the best in England and probably the world. When I came here it was tough to take that step up from the Championship but it certainly makes it easier to make that transition when youre playing

MD chats Leds, Caulker,

England and dishes the dirt on

his teammates

STEVEN CAULKER

ENGLAND

LEDDERS

Above: Dawson looking pretty suave

Below: King of The Lane - Dawson learned from the best

THE HIGHS

THE LOWS

TEAM-MATES

Worst dressedBrad Friedel - Everything he wears is baggy!

Worst musicScotty Parker - He listens to some rubbish.

Biggest jokerTom Huddlestone - A proper windup.

Best trainerGylfi Sigurdsson - Hes always out shooting late.

Most skilfulAdebayor - Hes got pretty quick feet.


GET IN!TOTTENHAMS BEST

PREMIER LEAGUE

MOMENTS


PREMIER LEAGUE MOMENTS


PREMIER LEAGUE MOMENTS PREMIER LEAGUE MOMENTS


Aaron Lennon is swampedby his team-mates after

And its 4-4

scoring the equaliser

Danny Rose marks his

2008

league debut with the best

That Volley

goal hell ever score

2010

Arsene Wenger unwiselysquares up to ex-gaffer

Keep your hair on Martin

Martin Jol

2006

Lennon snatches the winneras we beat Chelsea for theHoodo Broken

first time in the league since 1990

2006Younes Kabouls headersecures all three points

KABOOOM

away at Arsenal

2010

1994KLINSMANNS SWAN DIVEJurgen Klinsmann: We were welcomed at Sheffield Wednesdays stadium by all these diving signs - 5.9, 5.8, all that sort of thing - and we were laughing about it. Then [Teddy] Sheringham had the idea. He said: if you score today, well all dive. And I said: OK, but well do it at once. The wonderful thing was that even the rival fans laughed about it


We battle back from 4-1down to mark our 125th

Party Time

anniversary in style

2007

Full-back Paul Stalteriscores a last-minute

Unlikely Hero

winner at Upton Park

2007

Pedro Mendes and RobbieKeane claim that goal

THATS IN REF!2005

Erik Edman after scoringone of the best Spurs goals

Pick that one out

ever, at Anfield

2006

PREMIER LEAGUE MOMENTS

ARE WE ALL

RACIST?It may be part of Tottenham Hotspurs DNA for many, but do we have to perhaps consider dropping our controversial badge of honour? The end of the y-word could be nigh...

A deafening boom pierced the air. Followed each time by a deep shout. I couldnt make the word out though. As the rain beat down, I grew more curiousMost people take a very select thing away with them after their first visit to White Hart Lane. Perhaps their first glimpse of the magically emerald turf as they clamber up the steps to their seat. Or the roar as the teams emerged from the tunnel. Perhaps the sight of Spurs in their gleaming lilywhite, or simply the electric spectacle with an atmosphere to match.Me? I took all those things away from my WHL debut and more. But another thing I will always remember from my first Totten-ham game is what I learned . . .A single word: Yid.We left the ground, my uncle and I, with the rain still pouring down. We pushed our way through the hordes of people and back down the High Road to the car. I was bound by fascination. But not fascination with football. I just had one question. What is the word that they sing after the drum - the one that begins with Y? My uncle duly explained, Oh, you mean Yids. Its just a

word for Spurs fans At the time, this sim-ple explanation satisfied my curious mind. Not was I to know at such a young age that this wasnt the entire truth.So what does the word mean? The Y-word, I mean.For most it represents what my uncle said: its a name for us Spurs fans. Its a name that brings us together and unites us de-spite religion, nationality or skin colour, not because of it. In an impassioned response to anti-Semitic chants from rival fans aimed at the clubs Jewish fans, Spurs faithful - both the majority who are non-Jewish and the significant minority who are - adopted the title Yid Army. Rather than disassociate ourselves from religion, we embraced it. For many Spurs fans, Yid is not synonymous with Jew. It incorporates all minorities and makes Tottenham unique as one of the most multicultural clubs around. It is seen as no higher accolade for a player wearing the lilywhite shirt than to be hailed as a yiddo. However, this issues waters have become muddied because not all football fans are aware of the full context of this word - some

Words Ross Gale

THE Y WORD THE Y WORD


Spurs fans included. This word does not belong to Tottenham Hotspur. If anyone has rights to the ownership of this word it is those who this highly discriminato-ry term was used to describe; the Jewish community in the horrific days of World War II. This word we sing has dark and funda-mental links to the Holocaust; to unimaginable genocide. Can we really claim this word as our own? However noble a cause we feel we may be fighting for our football community, is it really our place to do so?The main issue that certain organ-isations have with our vocal use of the y-word is that they feel it em-boldens (justifies even, if only in their own minds) opposition fans to repeat the word as an offensive retort. There can be no hiding from the fact that anti-Semitism is, just like racism, still an all too prevalent form of discrimination. Danny Lynch, Media and Com-munications Officer at English footballs leading anti-racism cam-paign group Kick It Out, expands on what he sees as an growing problem. Well, its certainly

something that we are beginning to see more of. We get numerous complaints here at Kick It Out from people who have gone to games being both subject to and witnessing anti-Semitic abuse. It is a very large issue. The largest problem with an-ti-Semitism in football is the context in which certain words are said. Lynch adds: I think we need to sort of make a distinction between the different strands, if you like, of anti-Semitic abuse. The compli-cated nature of it comes in when we have members of opposing fans, not Tottenham, calling the Spurs fans the Y-word. Tottenham supporters have reclaimed that word So certainly from a prosecution point of view, its very difficult. Its a really com-plicated issue when you have the home supporters using the word in a celebratory way and poten-tially the away fans using it in an abusive fashion. Efforts are being made to work through the prob-lem, though.We produced a The

Y-Word film a few years ago, which was aimed at raising that point, says Lynch. In essence, a lot of people see the word as an anti-Spurs word but actually it is a race hate word that finds its origins back in the Second World War and well before that. I think education is key - thats something we always promote. We wrote an education pack that supplemented the film so people could get their heads round where the word actually comes from. If you see the film, at the end it says think again and thats what we urge people to do. Were not asking for the word to be censored per se, but we are asking people to have a think about the word before they use it in their football-chanting vernac-ular.The Kick It Out-made film, featuring Ledley King, Gary Lineker, Frank Lampard and other famous sportspeople, seems to have made an impact - mainly on Spurs fans themselves, with many starting to question the ne-cessity of chanting the Y-word.Lynch too believes the video

I think education is key, thats something we always promote

Below: An un-popular figure amongst Spurs fans; David Bad-diel

has had an effect. Weve got about 100,000 views on YouTube, so from an awareness perspec-tive its definitely out there. It is our job to work very closely with the clubs involved to make sure that the information and materials in and around the Y-word are with the club. Then they can in turn deliver them through to the younger members of the team and fan-base.But would this word that many fans have taken proud ownership of ever be taken away from us? We are not actually telling the Spurs supporters to drop the word, insists Lynch. What we are asking them to do is think about where the word comes from and the fact that in some quarters there is a school of thought that it gives right to some other anti-Se-mitic abuse and some horrific abuse relating to the Holocaust. Its not the word itself but what the word actually spawns.The drum that used to lead the distinctive chant that so fascinat-ed me as a child may have been stripped from White Hart Lane, but I believe it is vital that we maintain our traditions and wear our adopted badge of honour with pride. I do concede that it is an issue bound heavily in context and deep-rooted discrimination. But perhaps more focus should be afforded to the bigots who use the Y-word with intent to hurt than the fans whose rousing espousal of a minority symbol is a means of uniting against such people.

THE Y WORD THE Y WORD

I support Spurs because my whole family does. Im from Bruce Grove and live within walking distance of White Hart Lane. Im proud to support the team I do, Im proud of what this club stands for and almost all of its traditions. I am however not proud of the supporters of my clubs use of that word. The y-word. This notion may seem strange to some but this word is one that makes me feel terribly uncomfortable. Every time it is sung at a Tottenham game I can feel myself cringing. This again may surprise some fans Tottenham and non-Tottenham alike. The reason I cant bear

to hear this word is because I know its true meaning all too well. Thankfully on very few occa-sions have I been the subject of discrim-ination because of my religion but nev-ertheless I have ex-perienced it. I also fully realise the incredibly tragic and horrifying origin of the word.

Its perceived acceptance with-in a sporting setting causes

more confusion and a lack of aware-

ness amongst people, with

many not realising that this word is of racist conno-tation

whatso-ever. You

may think as Spurs fans

that you are fighting the corner

of the Jewish section of our

support by signing this word but it is not necessarily help that we have asked for. I am by no means being ungrate-ful for the support of others against bigotry and racism but just feel with this issue that it is not helping and is in actual fact inadvertently doing more damage. By all means, we are one in our love for this won-derful club but I really would urge any Spurs fan, Jew or non-Jew just think about what this word means and where it comes from. This is not a word that I feel should be taken lightly and this casual use of it can only lead to more hatred and confusion.

THE REALITY OF THE Y-WORDJewish Spurs fan Jud brenner explains what the term means to him...


Above left: Danny Lynch of Kick It Out

61ALLENLILYWHITE

TALKS

DOUBLEBILLWITH

Most players Tottenham records read far worse than 119 games, 47 goals, a league title, two FA Cups and one UEFA Cup Winners Cup. There was, and still is, only one Leslie William Allen.

pril 17, 1961, a date which will forever be Tottenham Hotspurs. History written.

A certain Les Allen the scribe. A short sharp swing of his right boot crashed the ball home. Sheffield Wednesday were defeated. Spurs tasted sweet victory. Theyd done it. Totten-ham Hotspur were champions of England. Allens 29th goal of the season proved the clincher. However, this was to be only half of the Lilywhites and Allens suc-cess that season. Nineteen days later, the crown of FA Cup winners was bestowed upon them. Fast forward 52 years and the achievement has lost not a smid-gen of its glory. If anything it has gathered it, like the two trophies have dust. Despite etching themselves into the record books and the hearts of the adoring Tottenham support, Allen admits to not comprehend-ing the magnitude of the players achievement at the time. You really just dont even begin to realise when youre in the midst of it all. It gradually began to sink in afterwards. In truth, though, its still sinking in today, and I think thats because it is still the clubs biggest achievement to date, says Allen.The Dagenham-born strikers time at the club didnt begin or end with this triumph though; it was in 1959 that he joined this famous institution. In fact he was, and is to this day surprised he signed for Bill Nicholsons side. I had no idea what was to lie ahead of us when I signed. To be frank, I couldnt even work out why theyd signed me.Tottenham let Johnny Brooks go to Chelsea and it was an ex-change deal so I went the other way. A lot of people said they shouldnt have let Brooks go, as he was a successful England International. Fortunately I stared to score a few goals and began to feel like I belonged, remembers Allen. Allen was one of a number of players brought into the team prior to the 1959/60 season by Bill Nicholson. We had quite a good team but hed sort of bought a few players in, some very good play-ers like John White who played

inside forward, Dave Mackay and myself. He put a few of us in with the group that was there and all of a sudden the Double year came around and we started off. Cor dear, we werent a bad side. We won the first 11 games, which hadnt been done before, and we had such a good football team that we just used to outplay people and we were very, very good that particular year.Tottenham had become a side famed for their slick passing style at the time but Allen also puts much of their achievement down to attitude. The team spirit was unbelievable. We had all different types of people in the team with different ways and different man-nerisms, but the team spirit was just fantastic. We all got on, we had our ups and downs, had our rows, had our kicks and had our fights. But the wanting to win within the team was unbe-lievable.Even in the five-a-side game in training, dear me, theyd kick you anywhere just to make sure you won the game! That atti-tude continued onto the matches on a Saturday. The atmosphere and the wanting to win was just fantastic.Coupled with this shared burning desire to win by all was something we take for granted in professional football today - strength in depth. There was so many good players there at Totten-ham, like Welsh interna-tional Mel Hopkins; there was Tony Marchi, whod

come back from Italy, who couldnt get in the team. Terry Medwin, another Welsh interna-tional, he couldnt get in the team. There was another really good team below the actual team that were playing, and I think that helped a lot to keep everybody on their toes.Spurs may well have had a large and talented

squad, but Allen cant help but single out one man responsible for guiding them to such big suc-cess. Well, they were all excel-lent players but one of the major driving forces within there, in my

eyes, was Dave Mackay. He was so, so driven and a little bit of that fell off onto

everybody else in the team and it really did help

everybody else. He

was one of the best

LES ALLENLES ALLEN

LES Above: Dave Mackay parades the FA Cup with his teammates.

A

Below: Les and the side climbed to dizzying heights


players I ever played with in my time, for sure.Another integral, if not the most integral, cog in these complex and glorious works was the late great Nicholson, of whom Allen paints a remarkable yet not unfamiliar picture. He was an unbelievable man. Youd come in after playing, may-be having won 3-0, maybe scored a goal like myself as a striker, and all of a sudden the first thing hed come up to you and say was, What about that one you put wide?In the whole five years I was at Tottenham, not once did he give me or anybody else a compliment. All he would concentrate on was all the things you could have done differently.But once again it helped to keep everybody on their toes. He was very well organised. He was very thorough with the team youd be playing. Even in those days he would get a report compiled on the opposition. He was truly 100% in everything and was always on the look-out for more players, as we knew. He was a very hard taskmaster and would never give anyone any credit at all ever. But he got results through the way he man-aged.Often, with one as driven and suc-cess hungry as Nicholson, there comes a rather strange juxtapo-sition between this drive and an unwillingness to talk about all they desire too early. Allen tells a similar tale. We nev-er ever talked about what we were going to achieve that year. We were so determined within every single game to do what we had to do. Not like now, when they start talking about whether Man United are going to win the league again this year so early in the season.That never happened. We just played, and Bill Nich always

brought us down to earth. If anybody started talking about anything like a Championship he would soon tell you lets do what weve got to do first before you start talking about anything.This blend of fast passing football, an unrelenting need to win and great camaraderie pro

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