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 During this trip to the archive down at Hotspur Towers we will look back at those Spurs players who have scored five (or more) in one game for the club. This chap (left) hit nine. Then there is a little pot-pourri of some of the miscellaneous scoring feats well worth recalling. Tottenham have seen a player score five in a competitive game on only four occasions. All of them at the Lane. Must of us will remember Jermain Defoe being the last to do so at home to Wigan (2009).  Tottenham’s first European campaign started in Poland, (where this years EL final is scheduled), against Gornik Zabrze, on the 13th September 1961 in a small mining town in Katowice (1).
Bill Nicholson flew out to Warsaw before the game, with no airport in Katowice, he then had a four hour train journey. To find what he described as a depressing place. Their club officials were very welcoming. They took him to one hotel but the standard was poor. He asked to see another hotel and was taken to another town called Chorwoz. Which was even worse. He returned to the first. However before the team arrived a major clean up and redecoration had taken place. The players still found bugs in their rooms. On the street outside, guards with machine guns supervised prisoners repairing the cobbled streets. On their arrival two English journalists were arrested for taking photos in the town. Bill also had their team watched but said they learnt nothing.
McNamara’s Band.
“Oh, me name is McNamara, I’m the leader of the band…” While you ‘la, la, la ’ along to this happy Irish themed tune. It was traditionally played for years just as the team reached the top of the stairs and came into the supporters view. This was in the days before teams had to walk out together and shake hands and pretend to be friends. The home team would appear first and then with the crowd revved up to full volume the visitors would enter the hostile arena. The excellent timing of the entrance was managed by a button being pushed as the team left the dressing room and this rang a bell in the announcers room. The fact that the tune was written in Barnet, North London would of made it popular with local bands and well known to the supporters. Some people like to claim it was adopted by Tottenham because of the legendarily captain Danny Blanchflower. Our relationship with the tune clearly pre-dates that. Noted Tottenham historian Bob Goodwin thinks that it dates from 1947. The Enfield Town Band who provided the pre-match entertainment and being a local tune would of no doubt have included it at various times. The tune had become one of the songs that was sung by the players when traveling to away games. The directors asked the band to play it as the teams emerged recognizing it lifted the crowd. The original lyrics tell the true story of an Irish band and McNamara who died in the First World War. The song first appeared in the film “The way to the stars” in 1945. Later that year it was recorded with changed lyrics by Bing Crosby who had a major hit with it. The lyrics have changed a number of times over the years to suit the singer. There has been several attempts to add Tottenham lyrics to the tune over the years and none were ever that successful. You do however have to enjoy lines like “The whistle blows, the cockerel crows” or “Of all the teams the famous Tottenham is the greatest of them all.” Having been played pre-match at White Hart Lane for many years it is now played at half -time. --- The top image is the Tottenham Royal Dance Hall on the day of the Double celebration parade. On the balcony you can see the resident band playing to the crowds. Glory Glory Hallelujah The first club to be associated with this song was in fact Hibernian in Scotland in the late 1950’s. Scottish football was much stronger then and Hibs reached the semi-final of the European Cup. Tottenham were the first English team to use the song and have made it their own. Whilst usually associated with the European Nights. We know from first hand testimony that it certainly was sung before that. The first time we can be sure of was April 1960. Tottenham won 3-1 at Wolverhampton and that stopped them winning the Double which we claimed the following season. The version sung by the crowd for many years was 'Glory Glory Hallelujah'. Some years later ‘some people’ started to sing' Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur.' The band ‘Chas N Dave’ have been wrongly blamed for this. The change more likely dates from the late 1960’s when Leeds United recorded a version of the song and inserted their own name. This led to some singing Tottenham Hotspur instead of Hallelujah Another attempt to steal the song came in 1983 when the second best team in Manchester decided to record it. This rather backfired on them as opponents the length of the country would sing it as well but change the lyrics to ‘Who the f*** are Man United.’ As that club has little decently they continue to play it to this day. Sang to the tune 'John Brown’s Body', which predates the words by several years, the words of the 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' were written in 1861 and relate to the wicked and the arrival of Judgment Day. These words were changed by fans from "His truth goes marching on." to Spurs go... The original version has been sung over the years by countless singers, including Elvis. It also features regularly in movies. Incidentally the phase ‘The Spurs go marching on’ can be traced back to Christmas 1950 and a cartoon in the club programme of Arthur Rowe dreaming of winning the Double trophies. It is also the title of Ralph Finn’s book of the 1963 Cup Winners Cup season. Next time - Its back to the pitch and a game many watching described as the best Spurs ever played. Glory Glory Hallelujah, Keith Harrison. t- keith16024542
 Pathetic! The word used repeatedly by my mind and tongue while watching the match against Aston Villa. Let the unexpected, undeserved yet long overdue win not soften the scathing assessment of our game play. We got the rub of the green and without playing a huge part in it. Villa shot themselves in the foot and even though they managed to end their barren run of games without scoring, three crucial points are what they will surely be missing. Benteke’s instinctive retaliation to Mason’s provocation was foolish to be honest. Things do get bad in heat of the moment and tempers flare, but the act of ‘slapping’ (strong use of the word, I know) an opponent merited a red card irrespective of the intensity. The referee was left with no option but to follow the letter of the law and send him off; however, Mason was lucky to not be cautioned. An evening culminated in remorse for the gigantic Villa striker, who was left to ponder over what could have been. And after majority of the game had passed through, there seemed only one thing Villa and Benteke were destined for.
 Bailys Goal / Duquemin
Long, long ago in a football stadium far, far away…..when the world was a different place and football a different planet. We unfold for you today the tale of one of the most controversial goals ever scored at White Hart Lane. The goal that many blame for the relegation of one of the teams involved. The fall out from that game even reached into the corridors of the Football League and the Football Association. |
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Flying Down to Rio History of T.H.F.C. Tribute to Bill Nicholson Talking Tottenham Early Legends The Road to Turin International Connections Hotspur Towers Most Read Articles
The 100 Year War Interview with Marina Sirtis A Long Dark Shadow By Royal Appointment School Report: An Insight into the Younger Eric Dier Dear Jimmy All Change At Spurs Hotspur Towers History Of THFC: Part 1 Passage to India: Rohan Rickets Thanks For The Memories Our Tommy Carroll The AVB Files: Part1 The Lilywhites You The Jury The Hand Of Hugo Connection - Argentina Creating a Reputation One Hotspur Archives
August 2018
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