The Almanac was suggested by the readers panel and its where we take a look back across the November’s of years gone in order to allow me to select a cross section of some of the events, interesting stories and characters that have helped shape the history of the club, with a few small sidesteps.

After several formats I decided to go with date order, rather than grouping by event or chronological. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive listing.
Part B will be published in a few days.

Its that time of the year again as the evening light gives way to darkness and everything hidden in it emerges. When strange noises are heard and in the light of the floodlights you catch a glimpse of something dashing across the night sky. Strange shadows and unexplained bumps in the night. You look under the bed and tell the children its safe and it is ….isn’t it?
 
Tomorrow is Halloween and Talking Tottenham, before pulling the covers over our heads until its gone away, takes a look at the Spooky’s.  
Be afraid, be very afraid.

Our Danish midfielder scored the winning goal at the death of the game at Wembley to bring Tottenham’s third triumph in the League Cup at the end of the last century. The man in question was man of the match Allan Neilsen.

Tottenham’s road to Wembley and the Worthington Cup started in September with a two legged tie with Brentford and would end with Tottenham picking up the Worthington Cup and qualifying for Europe.

The second set of Every Picture Tells a Story is now complete. A look at some of the images that might not otherwise get much of an airing and don’t deserve to be lost in the mists of time. First featured on Facebook and now collected together for your delight.
 
This top image takes us back to the FA Cup and 1983. Hardman Neil Ruddock comes to the rescue of teammate Justin Edinburgh as he carries him to safety. Our Sixth Round game took us to Manchester City. Nayim scored a hat trick and Steve Sedgley got our goals as we came out winners 4-2.

John Cameron is an iconic legend in Tottenham’s history. Last year we published a profile of this amazing man (1). This article was based upon the nomination papers designed to persuade the committee at Hampden Park to look favourable upon John’s nomination to enter the Scottish Hall of Fame. Therefore it did have a more neutral balance rather than Tottenham related.

It is disappointing to report that John despite being shortlisted was not inducted into the Hall, although his nomination goes forward for consideration next year.  This despite the support of all the clubs he played for his family and many other supporters. Here in this second article we look in more detail at parts of his life and his teachings.

In this latest set of connections with Scotland we feature Glasgow Rangers, the games and some of the players that have moved between the clubs over the years. We then recall the trials some of our early Anglos’s underwent as they attempted to win their international caps by appearing for the national team.
Then we have the last Tottenham player to win a full international cap whilst at Spurs.

With Tottenham playing Anderlecht this week the story of the 1984 UEFA Cup Final will be told many times. I thought you might like to look back at one of the heroes from that night.

Our right back Danny Thomas. Danny joined Tottenham from Coventry City in 1983 after making nearly a hundred appearances for the club he joined as a ten year old.  He had made his first team debut for the sky blues against Spurs in 1979. 

In this latest collection of images of White Hart Lane from across the ages we concentrate on the Marsh Lane End. You may know it better as Park Lane.

There is a few more of the non-Tottenham games that we have hosted across the years and some Lane trivia. I was requested if I could include some information on the history of the site in the next collection.  I’ve dug out what I can of the clubs earliest days at the Lane, with mentions going back to the seventeen hundreds, hope that’s far enough!

left - "Marsh Lane end" 1913

This time we remember some of our meetings and other links with Glasgow Celtic including when they were European Champions. There are some very early links with north of the boarder and a few more recent ones with another Glasgow club. We also look at two Tottenham players who turned out for their country.

Tottenham had actually met Glasgow Celtic seven times in North America before we ever clashed in the UK (1). When we finally met in August 1967 it was at Hampden Park rather than at their own ground.

A  very special Talking Tottenham where the India Spurs members were recently given the opportunity to question one of our own players. Harry Winks our exciting young midfielder was in the hot seat before joining up with the England Under 20 side this week. Harry has become a regular in the Spurs matchday squad this season and played in our Europa League group stage opener against Qarabag, helping us claim a 3-1 win. His first team debut came last season, also in the Europa League, in a 1-0 win over Partizan Belgrade at White Hart Lane. Details of his full profile below.

In this Cup Adventures we look back at Tottenham’s victory in 1991 and some memories from a few of the people involved. Gary Mabbutt gives his personal reflections on Tottenham’s final victory in 1991. This success had a backdrop of upheaval off the pitch and the club was in financial trouble with some estimates putting us 20 million in the red. There was a takeover of the club by Alan Sugar and Terry Venables with discussions taking place on the eve of the match that Venables had to leave to join up with his team. It had not been a good time for Spurs fans but on the pitch we had something special.

One Tottenham player due to get an extra shout from India Spurs members at the Lane or attending one of our screenings when he appears in future with be our talented midfielder Harry Winks after he agreed to take a  question and answer session with our members. We are publishing that tomorrow but before that we meet the man himself here is a brief introduction to our promising young star.
Updated May 2018

Harry made his first  team debut as a sub V FK Partizan in November 2014 at White Hart Lane in the Europa League game which we won 1-0. A Spurs fan born in Hemel Hempstead, 2nd Feb 1996, That makes him twenty next birthday. Harry joined the club’s Academy in July 2012. That first season he played thirteen games for the Under18’s as well as appearing in the FA Youth Cup and the Next Generation competitions.

The following season, 2013/14, he appeared on the bench in several Premier League and European games. As well as playing five games for the Under 21’s, scoring once. He also made fourteen appearances for the Under 18’s, scoring four times and appeared again in the FA Youth Cup. Last season he scored twice in eighteen games at Under21 level. He then joined the touring party to Asia last summer where he appeared in both games. He also featured in the MLS game in Colorado.

Last week he was on duty with England Under 20’s in Germany for the Mercedes-Benz Elite Cup. Harry was a second half substitute in the victory over Holland. He then started the second game alongside our own Nathan Oduwa in the win over Turkey. The third game on Tuesday was against the host nation which the home side won by the only goal, Harry appearing from the bench in the 65th minute.

He has previously won international recognition with six caps at Under 17 level, Under 18’s (twice) and Under 19’s (seven times).

His first goal for his country came in April 2014 for the Under 18’s as England beat Germany 2-1 when he came off the bench to score the winner.

Harry signed professional forms in July 2014 and a new contract a year later which keeps him at the club to 2018, with a years option.  Harry is clearly highly thought of at the club and regular spectators at his games speak warmly about him. A very promising player who has been tipped to have a big future. I know India Spurs members will be watching carefully. Don’t miss the Q/A with him tomorrow.
This can be found @ http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/talking-tottenham-with-harry-winks
 
You can also follow Harry’s progress on his twitter account  @harrywinks_

Update May 2018
Injury blighted the season just ended but Harry still won praise for his performances, especially for Spurs away to Real Madrid and when he won his first England cap away to Lithuania.
He has now played a total of 61 games for Spurs with 1 goal.
Our continued best wishes and a speedy recovery to one of our own.
 
Don’t miss our other Talking Tottenham specials with Marina Sirtis
Link - http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/talking-tottenham-with-marina-sirtis
And Daniel Wynne link - http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/talking-tottenham-with-daniel-wynne
 
COYS
Keith Harrison
t- Keith16024542
f- Peter Shearman

The British Cup Winners Cup comes under the spotlight in this issue as we look at the club’s Scottish tour of ‘21. We take a look at the day a Scottish Select XI came to White Hart Lane and featured Alan Gilzean’s first game at White Hart Lane.
We recall meeting Hibernian fourteen times in nine years and former goalkeeper Neil Sullivan is also featured.  We also put on our genealogists outfits and discover a surprise connection.

One of the many stories that fascinated me as a young Spur was this competition and the various myths that surrounded it. Different sources will tell you it was competed for in the 1955/56 season and ran for three years. Others claim it started the following year and operated for either one or two, and every other combination of dates over that period. Players talk about playing in it, the press refer to it and some clubs discuss it in their programmes and even produce league tables, there is talk of it being shown on TV. There are even stories about the trophy and sponsors. Of all the many tales in football that are confusing and contradictory the Anglo-Scottish Floodlight competition (to give it its most common name) is one of the most tangled webs. There is however one very simple fact that everyone does agreed on…… The competition never actually existed.

That’s one small step for shoppers in north London one giant leap for Tottenhamkind. That is how we welcomed the opening of the Sainsbury’s store as the first part of the new build transforming N17. Talking Tottenham could have been described as a stumble.

Looking back now trying to find a design and style for the magazine-style roundup certainly provided a challenge. One of the landmark moves was taking up the gauntlet to right a wrong that got India Spurs noticed.

This time we look back to our second meeting with a Scottish club in European action. A true Tottenham legend comes south and sets two transfer records. There  are the caps won below full international level and some debut goals for Spurs  players.

We have a leaning towards encounters with Aberdeen and there is also a look at some international links involving Spurs. 
 

Alan Mullery wiil be inducted into the National Hall of Fame this week everyone here at India Spurs sends him our heartiest congratulations.
Alan our former trophy winning captain had an outstanding career and here we present a brief look back at some of the moments contained within it. Signed in 1964 to take the place of Danny Blanchflower he had to work hard to win the fans over as the two men could not be more different in style. He certainly managed it and I well remember signing his name around the country in the years that followed. Here then are a few things you might or possibly not know about him.

Before becoming a professional footballer Alan considered entering the priesthood.  He was only put off when his dad told him he swore too much.

On the 29th September 1953 Tottenham officially turned on their floodlights for the first time. In a prestige friendly that night we played Racing Club de Paris. In this article we will glance back at that night and a few other little notes about Tottenham 'Under The Lights.'

We had met the French side several times in the past both home and away and twenty eight thousand turned up that evening to witness this new way of playing football, in the evening after a days work. This might seem common place to us now but at the time the fans found this new and exciting.

Between 1961 and 63 Tottenham were the first team in the twentieth century to have won the FA Cup and League Championship Double. They retained the FA Cup, only the second team that century to achieve back to back victories and then were the first British side to win a major
European trophy.

This success has set a benchmark for the Tottenham teams since and for other clubs to follow. Both Manchester United and Liverpool have publicly credited Tottenham with their role in their own successes in later years. We will look at why that glorious period ended so quickly in a moment but first as a finale to our review of the 1963 European Cup Winners Cup triumph lets reflect on that unique and groundbreaking achievement.

Top - Tony Marchi brings the Cup home.
 

Tottenham’s first two seasons (until the end of 1962-63) in European competition  consisted of just 15 games. 7 home and away and one on neutral ground. In that time they became the second English team to reach a European Semi-final. The first British team to reach consecutive semi-finals in a major European trophy. They were the first British side to reach a European final and the first to win one. Their 5-1 defeat of Athletio Madrid still remains the highest win by a British side in a one game European final.

At home they scored 29 times and conceded seven in winning all their games apart from the draw with Feynoord. In all they won ten of the fifteen games and lost four. Away from home they won three times the first coming at Feynoord. To be followed by Glasgow Rangers and OFK Belgrade. In the process they scored 11 and conceded 14.

Our first European goal was scored by Cliff Jones at Gornik, he also scored the first at home from open play. Danny Blanchflower’s penalty being the first in the return leg. Whilst Terry Dyson scored in our first four games then only once more before striking twice in the ECWC final triumph. We failed to score in two games, away to Dulka Prague and at Slovan, both Czech sides. We overturned a first leg deficit on three occasions (the two Czech sides and Gornik). Twice we won both legs of a tie, Rangers and OFK. While Slovan at home was our only clean sheet.

We played clubs from seven different counties in six different lands, playing in Holland and Czechoslovakia twice. Our four trips behind the iron curtain resulted in just one win.
A total of 838,535 watched the 15 games, 418,816 at WHL. Where we topped sixty thousand three times and the lowest figure was 55,388.

The biggest crowd was at Rangers (80,000) We also attracted 70,000 on our visits to Gornik and Benfica. Only 40,000 were at the ECWC final although the stadium known as the ’tub’ could hold 69,000. 

Our top Euro scorer was Bobby Smith with ten, (seven coming at home). Terry Dyson hit seven in seven games, only failing to score in one, Cliff Jones and John White had six each. Mackay and Greaves five each. Greaves did not score in the European Cup games. Frank Saul and Danny Blanchflower two each, Danny’s were both penalties. Maurice Norman and Les Allen managed one each and there was one own goal. With 21 coming in the European Cup and 24 in the Cup Winners Cup.

Of the 18 players used, Brown, Henry, Norman and White played in all 15 games and were the only ever presents in the trophy winning season. Whilst Baker and Jones managed 14 games, Mackay 13, Blanchflower and Smith 12, Tony Marchi 10, Greaves 8, Dyson 7, Terry Medwin 5, Frank Saul 4, Les Allen 3, Eddie Clayton, Mel Hopkins and John Smith one each. Seven players were ever present in the European Cup games.

There are several reasons why that glorious period ended so quickly. The first is that only the winners of the two major competitions entered into Europe combat (1). Based on current qualification rules Spurs would have entered the Champions League, if it had existed, for the next three seasons after winning the Championship and then again in 1966/67 when they also won the FA Cup. Another factor was that the side were aging and that combined with a series of injuries devastated the team. Danny Blanchflower never fully recovered from his injuries and played his last game in November ‘63 before retiring at the end of the next season. The following month Dave Mackay had his leg broken for the first time. An injury that saw us exit the competition early the following season.

Few clubs could afford to lose two such inspiration figures, both were captains of their nations.In the weeks following that triumph Spurs had toured South Africa and Terry Medwin  had suffered a broken leg which ended his career. Bobby Smith struggled with fitness and injury and just a year after Rotterdam was sold to Brighton. Then in July 1964 John White was tragically killed. November 1965 and Maurice Norman had his career ended when he also broke his leg a year later. Bill Nicholson would rebuild his side and they would re-enter the European fray after the Cup victory of 1967. That team from the Glory days have set a standard that Tottenham still look for winning and doing it in style. The team were inducted when Tottenham opened its own Hall of Fame. The fact they are not in the National Hall of Fame is a disgrace and India Spurs have written calling for this to be corrected. They will forever live in the memories and hearts of us who lived through those days and all Tottenham supporters in the generations to come. 
 
COYS
Keith Harrison.
t- Keith 16024542
f- peter shearman (old non de plume)
 
View Full Bio
 
See also
Notes - 1 - see the The First Europeans, Glasgow Rangers, Slovan Bratislava, OFK Belgrade and Athletio Madrid, Gornik, The First Adventure, Benfica  and White Hot Lane

On May 15th 1963 Tottenham won the European Cup Winners Cup final in Rotterdam and thus become the first British side to win a major European trophy. Blanchflower was still struggling with injury but had returned to play the last three games. Although visibly tiring in each. Both Blanchflower and Nicholson were aware that this would properly be Danny’s last major game of his career and of his influence he had on the side.
Then Tottenham lost Mackay through injury having failed a fitness test on the day of the match. His pure energy and drive would be a major loss. John White also needed a late fitness test. Bill Nicholson was reported as being downbeat as he wrestled with playing the reserve john Smith.