Connections - Scotland part 6

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.

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When we played Glasgow Rangers in a behind closed doors at Hotspur Way in the summer of 2015 it was the latest in a number of meetings between the clubs. The first and most famous was the European Cup Winners Cup clash in the autumn of 1962 (1).  We next met in the pre-season of 1968. A 3-1 win at home in a pre-season friendly. This was the start of a number of pre-season warm up games over the next few years. June 1969 saw us met them in Canada when we beat them 4-3 in the Toronto Cup, Jimmy Greaves firing a hat trick. Then in the August we played them in Glasgow and another win. The following year saw them visit Tottenham in pre-season and 1971 we traveled north when they gained their first ever in over Spurs. We did not meet again until 1980 when we traveled and again two years later. 1986 saw yet us yet again travel to Glasgow in the April for a win. Then in the August they visited the Lane for Paul Millers testimonial game. 1989 saw us stop in Glasgow during our pre-season European tour. Our next encounter was when we played in the Ibrox international tournament in 1995 however we did not meet the host club. It was another nine years before we met in pre-season action again in Glasgow for what was the last public meeting and a rare victory for the Scotsmen. That recent behind closed doors game was won by Spurs and was made up of three thirty minute ‘halves’ so as to allow as many players to take part as possible. The Scottish club then took our youngsters Nathan Oduwa (top) and Dominic Ball on loan for the 2015/16 season. 

There was a time when Englishmen were not welcomed north of the boarder by the Scottish fans. That has changed in recent years Grahams Roberts became a legend at Rangers as he did at Tottenham. Paul Gascoigne was another player they welcomed with open arms despite scoring some spectacular goals against their national team. Other player links include Alfie Conn (2), Mark Falco who went north of the boarder in the late eighties and Richard Gough, below,  (although born in Sweden and growing up in South Africa) became a mainstay of the Scottish team and joined Rangers when he left Spurs.

As we learnt earlier in the series it was harder for the ‘Anglos’, Scottish players playing for English clubs to be selected for Scotland (3). There were however international trial games. The earliest Tottenham appearance dates back to 1899 and James McNaught playing for the Anglos V Home Scots. This annual fixture saw Sandy Brown appear in 1902 and the following year David Copeland and Sandy Tait both played. Tom Collins played in the trial match twice, 1911 and 12. David Steel went one better appearing in 08, 10 and 1912. Whilst his brother Bobby was in the 1909 game.

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The last Tottenham appearance was Alex Lindsey (4) in 1923.  The only Anglo / Tottenham player who managed to impress the selectors enough to earn a full international call was Sandy Brown. His story and his unique place in both Tottenham and English football history will be featured in a forthcoming Hotspur Towers.

The latest Tottenham man to represent Scotland is Alan Hutton, right..

He joined us from Rangers in 2008. Alan who made as many headlines off the pitch as he did on late joined Aston Villa. He has won nearly fifty caps for his country, 14 coming during his time with Spurs. Playing sixty games for the club, the right back scored twice.

Martin Peters is the Tottenham link who has played against Scotland the most for England. His England career over eight years yielded 67 caps and 8 came against the Scots. Of those five where while he was with Tottenham and produced two goals.


 If you know any Tottenham / Scotland connections not featured in this series please let us know.

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COYS
Keith Harrison.
t- Keith 16024542
f- peter shearman (old non de plume)
 
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Notes – 1- see Hotspur Towers – Glasgow Rangers,
2 - see part five.
3 - see part one.
4 – see Hotspur Towers – A discreditable exhibition.