I started watching football way back in 2002 at the mere age of 10. Back then, as ESPN and Star Sports mostly covered the matches of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool and the rest others were just fillers, I had to make a choice between those 3 and for some reason it turned out to be Manchester United. This is an injustice done on Asian fans due to the lack of coverage. In the year 2002, English Premier League wasn’t much popular among Indians.And as a 10 year old, I had

THE MEN WHO MADE SPURS 

In this latest series, Martin Cloake looks at some of the key figures who have made the club what it is.

If ever a footballer epitomised the image of the English sporting gentleman, it was Vivian Woodward, one of the earliest exponents of the style of play that Spurs would come to be associated with. He was a popular figure, called “Sir” by his contemporaries, and refused to indulge in foul play or dubious tactics on the pitch. His place in Spurs history comes because he scored the club’s first league goal, and became the first Spurs player to be capped for England.

Woodward was born in Kennington, south London and qualified as an architect. He started playing football for non-League Chelmsford City, and was soon noticed by the big clubs. In 1901 he was invited to play for Spurs reserves and within two years became the club’s first-choice centre forward. 

The English FA Cup is the oldest and arguably most famous knockout competition in world football. First competed for in 1883, it had been dominated by clubs from the north of England, the stalwarts of the early professional game. In 1901, Tottenham Hotspur broke the northern stranglehold, establishing themselves as a serious force in football and also setting a record that is unlikely ever to be broken. For Spurs were the first, and still the only, non-league side to win the Cup.

The summer of 2013 saw drastic changes at White Hart Lane. With the spending spree and changes in personnel, Spurs also sent a lot of players out on loan. The likes of Ryan Mason and Alex Pritchard were players who went to enhance their experience and seek first team football at other clubs for a season. Another such player was England U-21 midfielder, Tom Carroll.

"Dude, why Tottenham?",asked a friend of mine with an astonished look. And I was compelled to think-Hmmm, why Tottenham?

Okay, it goes something like this. It was the summer of 2006, the World Cup year. I was only 11 and being an Indian child, I grew up watching and playing cricket. Then the World Cup came around and took me completely by storm. Having enjoyed the FIFA World Cup ever so much, I was looking forward to the Barclays Premier League.

Harry Redknapp had a big role in developing the career of Gareth Bale. The Real Madrid man flourished under him at first before becoming a world beater and many believes that it was Redknapp who toughened him up during the tough times. His man management skills were lauded at one time for getting the best out of Welsh star.

Similarly another player is slowly making the grade at Tottenham. Here also Harry Redknapp played a vital role.

The summer transfer window was mostly dominated by the saga surrounding Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid from Tottenham.  Once the world record transfer was sorted out, Spurs fans had a slightly different view towards the new season than what they expected in May.

Using the money earned from the sales of Bale, Scott Parker, Tom Huddlestone and Steven Caulker, Spurs purchased the services of seven new, international players. 

International boundaries have changed a great deal over the years and many new countries have appeared with the breakup of old ones. One of the countries affected more than most was the Soviet Union / Russia.  I’ve tried to look at some of the connections with how the boundaries were at the time.

1973 /4 saw us visit the former Soviet Union to play Dinamo Tbilisi in the UEFA Cup 3rd Round. Ralph Coates scored a great with a screamer in the first half in a 1-1 draw. Back home we eased to a 5-1 win.