Planet Spurs - 7

As we head into another weekend Planet Spurs pulls together for your enjoyment some of those stories from the Club’s past that you might otherwise slip past you This time around there is the tour that the FA banned. We remember a couple more occasions when Spurs fell foul of the Law and there is the question of shirt numbers.

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We previously featured some ‘Spurs and the Law’ stories, this time it’s an issue about the bus. In December 1990 on route to a game at Chelsea the team stopped for lunch and whilst they were eating the police towed away the bus. Spurs turned up late, were fined and lost.
They really should have learnt as the same month in 1914 the bus taking them to our last meeting with Woolwich south of the river turned up late. The driver then in an attempt to make up time was stopped for speeding. The team arrived just minutes before kickoff. All’s well however, we won 3-0.

One tour that did happen was the famous one to South America on 1909 and for the team picture this time around there is this one of the side on the ship home. There is also a picture of the Everton side on the same journey and with the same display of life buoys and Oars. The legend has it this was because one of their fellow passengers was an executive of the OXO Company.

As for that tour that didn’t happen as you will see as Spurs powered their way to that magnificent first FA Cup triumph in 1901 they were in demand from out European admirers. However as you will also see from the second image the FA declined to sanction the trip due to it being the close season! Spurs would wait until 1905 for their first overseas tour.

We are now use to players wearing squad numbers sometimes in the forties and nothing to do with their place on the field, this item comes from Spurs legend and later manager Billy Minter. He was quoted in 1927 “it is quite sufficient for players to be numbered on the programme. It is to my way of thinking, it is unnecessary for them to be numbered like so many jockeys. In my long experience of football I have always found the crowd able to pick out any man after  a glance at the programme. If the players keep to their places on the field it is easy as ABC to find them by looking in the programme. This applies equally to visiting teams who are usually unknown to the average home spectator.

And pictures then and now - Left - Ted Ditchburn V Newcastle 1951. Right- Dele scores our first goal of this season at St James's.

COYS
Keith Harrison.
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Previous articles in this series can be found @
http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/the-obit-of-planet-spurs

Top pic - Chirpy warming up 2013.

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