Hotspur Towers - The Bad Boys

In the modern game referees are called upon to discipline players far more than in the ‘olden days.’ Previously the referees personality was used to control the game and in my opinion intention played a bigger part in the decision. Tottenham have conceived to always play fairly and within the spirit of the game and since their earliest days have built  a reputation for sportsmanship and good behaviour. That doesn’t mean that we haven’t had our share of ‘hard men.’

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Today we seek out a few of the club ‘bad boys.‘ This piece was first cobbled together a while back and as it sat in the ‘in progress file’ Spurs had a man sent off. I’m not ‘that‘ superstitious but I waited to an international break to proceed further.

The first Spur sent off in a Division One game was Johnny Blair away to Huddersfield in January 1927. The next time one of our players received his marching orders was eight months later when Blair again was the culprit. Johnny had joined us from Third Lanark and scored 16 goals in his 32 appearances for us before injury saw him lose his place and then unable to regain it.

The year following Blair’s dismissal year Cyril Poynton was sent off at Stoke, (our first in Division 2) and Cyril was the trainer when Jimmy Greaves was the first to go in European action at OFK Belgrade in April 63. Peter Crouch was sent off away to Real Madrid in our debut Champions League season and his been followed more recently by Dele Alli and Jan Vertonghen from the European stage.

We didn’t have another ‘walk of shame’ in the top flight until December 65 (37 years later) with Frank Saul. Terry Venables became the first league, home sending off, that was in February 1967.  While Neil Raddock was the first Spurs man to go in a Premier League game V Crystal Palace, in just our third game in the competition, August 1992.
The first Spur to walk in the North London derby was Willie Young.

Left - Blair.

Top - Aurier and the tackle that saw red at West Ham this season.

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The FA Cup didn’t see its first dismissal until 1968, at home to Manchester United when Joe Kinnear and United’s Brian Kidd both left for an early bath. Neil Sullivan holds the ‘double distinction’ of being our first goalie to go V Brentford in a League Cup tie in 2000 and also the first keeper in a League game v Newcastle just four months later. This pales when we recall full back Mauricio Taricco seeing red two weeks running.

1967 and the FA Cup tie and Dave Mackay (who was never sent off) was given his marching orders but then convinced the ref to change his mind as he had been the victim of the ball being thrown in his face! (1).

The first time we lost a man in the League Cup was Alan Gilzean, in 1966 at West Ham, our first game in that competition. 1982 and the semi final in that competition saw Tony Galvin sent off for fighting with future manager Martin Jol at West Brom. Justin Edinburgh was the first to go in a major final, the League Cup 1999.
Left - Kinnear

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Tottenham’s Alan Mullery was the first England player sent off, this coming at The Euros in June 1968.
Going back to the pre-football league era the earliest man we know to have ‘gone’ was Joe Walton this came in 1904 during a Southern League game at Brighton. Walton was with us from 1903 -09 and played in three international trial games. The winger scored 45 goals in 199 games

Right - Vertonghen cant believe it as he goes V Dortmund.

COYS
Keith Harrison.
t- Keith 16024542
f - https://www.facebook.com/keith.harrison.9659
My profile / archive is @ http://www.indiaspurs.com/keith_harrison.html

notes -1-http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/hotspur-towers-the-cup-of-67

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