Connections - Italy, part one

Italy are the next country to come under the microscope as we explore some of that countries connections with Tottenham Hotspur.

Considering that this season is our 20th European campaign (1). We haven’t been drawn with Italian opposition too often. We certainly have met them on a number of other occasions in various parts of the world.

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The earliest meeting I can find occurred in 1914. That summer Spurs toured Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Tottenham were undefeated in 9 games in 21 days. Just one of those games was in Italy. This was against Milan and we won 5-0, Fleming, Elliott 2 and Bliss 2 got our goals.

Bert Bliss played over two hundred games for Spurs scoring more than a hundred goals and earned one England cap.

In  the summer of 1960, just before we set of on our Double quest, we sent a full strength side to Turin to play Juventus and lost 0-2. The Juventus club will of course host this years Europa League Final. The other club in Turin is Torino who we played in the autumn of 1971 for the Anglo-Italian Cup, a competition for the League Cup winners between the two countries.

The first leg was in Turin and Martin Chivers scored the only goal. The second match at home was won 2-0 with Chivers again and Alan Gilzean on the score sheet. Torino returned to the Lane in 2007 and we won by the same score. 

1. Bert Bliss, 2 goals in our first Italian encounter.

Part of Paul Gascoigne’s (top image, left) protracted move to Lazio (2) was a two legged meeting for the Capital Cup. The two games were played in the autumn of 1992. We lost the first leg in Rome 0-3 in what was Gascoigne’s first game after his long term injury received in the FA Cup Final and he marked his return by scoring against us. The following month we lost again, 0-2 at home. In 1993 we met Lazio in the Makita tournament and beat them 3-2. Then nine years later in a friendly at White Hart Lane, Dean Richards and Jamie Redknapp gave us the lead before Lazio pulled it back for the friendly game to end 2-2. 

2. Nicola Berti

Not too many Italians have played for Tottenham. Nicola Berti joined us in 1997. Berti an experienced midfielder and a World Cup runner up was in the later stages of his career and had lost some of his pace.He was brought in by Christian Gross who wanted his experience, and he did show some wonderful touches in the 23 games with 3 goals he played. After Gross left he found himself out of favor and he moved to Real Zaragoza.

He later played in Mexico, Japan and Italy and last I heard he had moved to Australia with the Northern Spirit club. Strangely its not long ago I'am sure the crowd were singing his song at The Lane.

Another player who joined us from Italy was our own Jimmy Greaves (top image, right). Bill Nicholson having won the Double felt he needed to improve his squad even more for their European challenge. Born in London he joined us via Chelsea and AC Milan and would become the highest goal scorer in the clubs history.

It was Jimmy's old club, AC Milan who would provide the first Italian opposition in European competition. We met in the Semi-final of the UEFA Cup in 1971-72. The first leg was at the Lane. In one of the truly glory nights at the Lane. Spurs went behind and the Italians showed just how brutal they could be. Two wonderful goals by Steve Perryman that night gave us a slender lead (3).

Watch the highlights of that first leg, below. What you wont see is that before the sending off Sogliano had spent a great part of the evening kicking Mullery and anyone else in range.

3. Jimmy Greaves drove back from Milan and is here seen arriving at Dover.

Bill Nicholson has stated that he did not think that Tottenham had done enough and knew we had a tough task ahead in the second game. Milan attacked but it was Mullery, the hero again, who gave us the lead in the 7th minute.
The Tottenham team defended wonderfully that night. Milan finally equalizing after 70 minutes from a penalty. At the final whistle the Spurs players were held on the pitch by police until it was safe as the home fans vented their anger throwing everything they could lift on to the field.

The next meeting in European competition with an Italian team came in the 2008-09 season. At that time in the UEFA Cup teams only met once in the group stage. Our game at Udinese ended in a 2-0 defeat. Tottenham had started the season poorly and this was manager’s Juande Ramos last match before he was replaced by Harry Redknapp.

We had previously met Udinese in 1985, in Australia (4) where we beat them 4-1.  

4. Alan Mullery, the UEFA Cup semi-final.

It might come as a surprise but transfers between Tottenham and Italy date back to the end of the Second World War. Jordan Long, a forward, had signed originally as an amateur for Spurs turning professional a year later and became a first team regular from August 1947.
He notched 13 goals in 27 games before moving to Juventus. He failed to settle in Italy and after nine months moved back to join Birmingham City.

We have met Florentina on a number of occasions. Apart from the Bill Nicholson testimonial game in 1997 they also provided the opposition for David Howell’s testimonial in 2001. We had also met them earlier in Canada in 1969 where we lost 0-3 in Toronto. Then ten years later we met them again this time in Japan. On that occasion it was a 1-1 draw.

Notes 1 -This is not including the Intertoto competition.
2-  Gazza, 9.11.13
3 - Talking Tottenham 4, 11.10.13
4 - Connections - Brazil, 19.12.13

Images - Top- Google Images, 1- Sportspages, 2- The Premier League, 3- Topfoto, Sure this picture was in the Daily Mirror, 4- THFC
Thanks - THFC, THOS, BBC, The Times, Bob Goodwin - the Complete Record, Phil Sour - The Official History, Top Spurs, Hotspurhq, mehstg.com, THFC - Those Glory Glory Nights VHS, Colin Gibson & Harry Harris -The Glory Glory Nights. Youtube.


About the author:
Keith Harrison, Nilgiris, TN
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