Planet Spurs - 12

The series where we try and find a few stories that may have slipped under the radar from the wonderful world of Hotspur to lighten your weekend.  They say football isn’t what it was well you can judge for yourself as this time around we discover how money is ruining the game, the dangers of the sins of the father and two players are arrested for playing for QPR. 
We also reveal when the Fire Brigade come to the rescue and saved Christmas.

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Starting this time around with another  ‘Spurs and the Law’ tale and during WW1 in March 1916 two QPR players were arrested at White Hart Lane after the 0-0 draw. The players Linkson and Nixon had gone absent from their army unit to attend the game, Nixon playing in goal. A police sergeant had recognized them and had waited to the game ended before arresting them. The players claimed they had been given leave for the weekend and that it had then been cancelled at the last moment. They decided to travel anyway and were found to have return travel tickets and had been away from their units about seven hours. They were remanded in custody to await an escort back to their units.

Sins of the father - A lot of Spurs fans were unhappy when George Graham was appointed the Spurs manager but what did Arsenal fans think?  Soon after the appointment Grahams son was drinking in his usual pub with some ex arsenal players when some of the other customers suggested Graham senior had switched allegiance by becoming Spurs boss.  The outcome was Graham junior was attacked with a snooker cue and required stitches to a head wound.

left - Henry Erentz, our first Danish star is featured below.

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They say money will be the ruin of the game just look at what Spurs were offering players at the end of the season to join for the coming year.  It scandalized the press throughout the UK the Edinburgh Evening News went so far as to publish details.  James McNaught received £ 50 down and four pounds ten shillings a week. Harry Erentz £30 and three pound fifteen shillings a week. Kenneth McKay £25 and four pound in winter, three pound in the summer. The papers warn us that other clubs are competing for players and offering big prices. Well it was May 1898.  It was quite common for wages to be lowered out of season this continued too after the Second World War.

As for Now and Then well football is a simple game all you need is a blackboard and demonstrated here by Arthur Rowe and Martin Jol.

Spurs were due to play at Nottingham Forest on 27th December but the River Trent has flooded and for those don’t know it is directly behind their ground. It was Boxing Day and the ground had been under water for three days and with Spurs due to visit the next day called the fire brigade for help. They realized that the ground sloped to one corner so they brought in men and pumps and worked throughout  Boxing Day till ten o’clock that night to clear the water whilst the two sides met in London and drew 2-2. The following day more than twenty two thousand watched as the team’s met again and another 2-2 draw. Thus Tottenham’s first Christmas in Division One in 1909 was damp but playable.

COYS
Keith Harrison.
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