Bill Nicholson - part 1

               “His legacy is to have left forever something that all Spurs teams and staff
                should aspire to: that is to play football in a correct, honourable and
                entertaining manner.

                 …Bill was one of the greatest blokes, if not the greatest, that I have ever
                 worked for”

                  - Jimmy Greaves

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This coming week sees the ninety-fifth anniversary of the birth of Bill Nicholson. Later this year we will mark the tenth anniversary of his passing. The Tottenham fan base in India grows in strength daily. Some of the India Spurs members have followed Tottenham for years whilst many have joined the faithful more recently attracted to the club because of the style of football we play. I’ve tried in my own humble way to compile a tribute that will reflect not only his life and achievements but the high regard that he is still held in by those that knew him both well and from afar. Lets celebrate the mans life and the legacy that stretches out across the years and still touches football lovers today for who just winning isn’t enough. Its winning “The Tottenham Way.”

William Edward Nicholson was born in Scarborough, on the North Yorkshire coast on 26th January 1919. He attended the local High School, playing in the school team at centre half. Later he worked as a laundry assistant and played for the Young Liberals side in the local league. Their manager, a Spurs fan, contacted Tottenham and this led to our Chief Scout, Ben Ives sending him a letter on February 29th 1936 inviting him for a trial. A letter his mother would treasure for many years(1).

1.The laundry worker, aged 16.

Bill recalled "When the letter came no-one knew what to do. We weren't even sure exactly where Tottenham was. My mother and father had never once seen me play football. They knew I was keen, but had no idea whether I was any good or not."
This was the depression and jobs were hard to find, his brother had helped him obtain one at the laundry where he worked on the drying machines. Finally deciding to risk it Bill quit his job to try his luck at becoming a footballer.

Thus it was on the 16th March 1936 Bill arrived at White Hart Lane for the first time. His arrival was recorded in the local paper, The Tottenham Weekly Herald. 

"On Trial, Spurs are giving a month’s trial to an amateur, Wm. E. Nicholson, an inside right of Scarborough Working Men’s Club. He recently celebrated his 17th birthday. His height is 5ft 8ins and weight 10st 12 lbs."

Bill’s next mention in the paper comes in a match report. After our ‘A’ team lost 5-3 at Guildford City on the 21st of the same month.

2. Bill in action

 At the end of his trial he was taken on as a member of the ground staff, at two pounds a week. Bill later described that time

"We were cheap labour really, I think I painted every single girder under those stands out there, eight to five we worked, every weekday. We trained two afternoons a week, including a lot of running around the pitch."  This early experience at the club and his upbringing ensured that for the rest of his life he found time to speak to everyone at the club.

3. training

It was on New Years day 1938 he made his debut for our London Combination reserve team. A 3-0 home win over Bournemouth. He was then given a professional contract with Tottenham’s senior nursery club Northfleet United. Where on April 18th. 1938 he gained a Kent Senior Cup winners medal in the final against Dover.

On the 19th November 1936 he scored a hat-trick on his second outing for our ‘A’ team, in a 7-1 victory over Brentwood Mental Hospital. He would also feature for Northfleet Amateurs during 1937. It was around this time that he was switched from playing at inside forward to left back.

4.

Bill signed professional forms for Tottenham during August 1938 and made a further nine appearances for the  second XI prior to making his Football League debut at Ewood Park in a 1-3 defeat by Blackburn Rovers on October 22. He picked up a thigh injury and spent the latter part of the match playing at outside right. At the time he was the tenth youngest player to have featured in our League team.

Notes 1- There is a picture of the letter on the Spurs.ru. website.

Image's - Top - Actually a little later in 1950.  3 & 4  only credit I can find for these are Google and Spurs.ru.  ? origin
Thanks- A full list of acknowledgements will appear at the end of the series, but particular thanks in this section must go to. John Fennelly, THFC and THOS

About the author:
Keith Harrison, Nilgiris, TN
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