A Tottenham Christmas ii - the elves strike back

              
India Spurs proudly present  “A Tottenham Christmas II – The Elves Strike Back.”  After the massive success of last year’s Christmas Day special (1) we set in motion a sequel.  Like all Hollywood blockbusters the first thing was to come up with a catchy title. Then we thought what do all blockbusters need, super heroes (see left), good triumphing over Arsenal and lots of fun along the way. Here then for your holiday delight and entertainment another look around Tottenham over the years. We will be looking at games, parties and all sorts of seasonal stuff.  If you want to pop back and read last year’s first, no problem I’ll sit here and have a mince pie while I wait.

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Paul Robinson turned into Father Christmas and delivered presents in 2005. At the end of the last home game before the big day he emptied two sacks of footballs on to the pitch. He then kicked the balls, all signed, in to the crowd at the Park Lane end. Robbo said  "It was my way of saying thanks to the fans for the support they've given me. I wanted to give them something back before Christmas so I went out and bought the balls, blew them all up at home myself and signed them. The fans have been great and as I've said before, that support means a lot to me and all the players."

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Its Christmas 1962, and as reigning Double champions the lads have the right to enjoy themselves. So grab a silly hat and its off to the canteen at White Hart Lane.

Here we catch from the left, Tony Marchi, Terry Dyson, John Hollowbread, Jimmy Greaves, Dave Mackay and John White. Sorry don't know the two on the right, assume they are club staff.

Maybe I am getting old but isn't that better than pictures of superstars being poured into a taxi when they cant walk?

Last time around we mentioned a number of the games we have played on this day.  Here is a couple more for your interest. Our first Football League game this day came in 1908 and the fixture planners sent us to Oldham (so much for local derbies and thinking of the traveling fans).  The following day we played them again at the Lane winning 3-0.  The following season and the first Division One game on this day was at home to Nottingham Forest.  Percy Humphreys scored his first goal for us that day.

Visiting the kids in hospital is an important part of the Christmas build up. Here its 2012 with Sigguardson and Culdini doing the honours.

Santa has handed out a few presents of debuts and goals over the years. William Dryburgh (1902) made his debut and scored.  1934 saw Doug Hunt’s debut at Grimsby. The return fixture the following day saw Almer Hall made his debut and he scored twice.  Whilst Fred Webster made his debut in the famous 5-0 win over that Woolwich mob in 1909 (1). George Robb scored on his debut (1951) as we won at Charlton. Two years later Johnny Brooks scored his first goal for the club on this day. 

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Boxing Day brings with it a whole raft of games and of course, unlike the 25th it remains a regular match day. Here are just a few Boxing Day highlights Sid McClellan (2) scores his first two goals for us as nearly 60,000 watch us beat Derby in 1950.  West Brom were the visitors in 1963, Bobby Smith scored his 200th league and last goal for Spurs. The following year thats 50 years this week Alan Gilzean scores his first for the club.

Jump forward to 1997 and David Ginola enters the seasonal fun, Shame about the hat. Maybe he should of borrowed Chirpys from the top image.

This is the match day programme for the Barnsley game. It must of gone to David's head (pun) as he scored twice in our 3-0 win.

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Our first recorded Boxing Day match came in 1884 V Grove, the score is lost in time.

Reports say that at the 1888 game with Orion Gymnasium we charged admission for the first time. Whilst the first competitive game came in 1898 with a Southern League draw at Southampton. 

The 1914/15 season a hundred years ago had very few highlights (3) but one did come in the game at home to Sheffield Wednesday as we win 6-1. Bert Bliss scored four and Bobby Steel and Harry Sparrow clip in as well.

Meanwhile up in the Boardroom the Directors are enjoying their Christmas meal.
The Chairman, Fred  Bearman, is second from the left.  Its 1960 and the lads will win the FA Cup this season, the last team to do it was in 1921 and their photo overlooks the event.

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Skip on a year and Tottenham's programme for the last home game before Christmas that  following season 61/62 sends  supporters festive greetings. They also gave them a rather special present. That day Jimmy Greaves finally made his debut for the first team. He scored a hat trick as we put five past Blackpool. Les Allen got the other two.

Christmas was certainly a much busier time in days gone by. For instance 1930 saw us play three games in three days. We lost on Christmas Day at home to Southampton. Then we won the next day at the Saints, before another win at Reading. Taffy O’Callaghan, who ended up with 99 goals for the club scored in all three games.

The last Christmas Day of the nineteenth century sees us beat Portsmouth at home. A hundred years later and Christmas Day games have been consigned to history but Boxing Day 1999 finds us winning at home to Watford.


This last image (below) relates back to that  Christmas Day 5-0 win over Arsenal which we looked at in last years special. It was just this image was too good to pass over. You will see the Tottenham crowd  figure in the image below. Less than half that number turned up at Woolwich the following day for the return game. That despite two railway special trains from Enfield carrying The Tottenham faithful.
 

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I hope you enjoyed "The Elves Strike Back," If so do let us know, because if you do, you never know, this time next year you might be reading    “A Tottenham Christmas III – The Rise of the Lilywhites.”

There are soon more Tottenham Christmas images in last Fridays, Talking Tottenham (4). For those celebrating the holiday, have a great Christmas, to everyone have a happy, points filled, new year. Thank you to THFC, Tottenham Journal, mehstg, Hotspur HQ, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Glory Glory, The Weekly Herald, Bob Goodwin and all the sources during the year especially the usual email crowd for their support during the year.

Notes – 1- A Very Tottenham Christmas -  http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/a-very-tottenham-christmas
2- Hotspur Towers 26,
3- Hotspur Towers 23,
4- Talking Tottenham 41,

COYS

Keith Harrison.
t- 16024542
f- peter shearman (old non de plume reserved for THFC matters)