Heartland

When Chelsea won their second League Title in 2005, fifty years after their first, Sky Sports News cameras followed the victory parade the next day, where the plastic flags were out in force on the streets of Kensington. The reporter spoke to fans, including a bloke well into his forties, in one particular interview that sticks in the mind. The fan explained he had been there through the hard times, since he first started going under Vialli…

Earlier this week, ESPN’s enjoyable football magazine programme Talk of the Terrace had as a guest David Schneider, a comedian and Arsenal fan (separate entities on this occasion). Schneider also explained how he only became an Arsenal fan in more recent times, coinciding with Arsene Wenger taking charge. And Schneider is not alone in only have supported Arsenal through the thick and thick; the voluble criticism about Wenger being trophyless from some Arsenal fans last season can’t just be put down to the modern age of half-baked opinions on radio phone-ins – there are a sizeable number of Arsenal fans who don’t remember pre-Wenger.

Now there is nothing wrong with people coming late to football, and the two anecdotes above are no evidence alone that Chelsea and Arsenal have a large number of fair-weather fans; however, it is very questionable whether the Emirates will be full when Wenger has gone, especially if they revert to playing the “brand” of football that was associated with them from Herbert Chapman to Bruce Rioch, via Don Howe and George Graham; and it is also doubtful that Chelsea’s matchday revenue will hold up if they slip out the Champions League, and further down the Premier League, something Roman Abromovich probably recognised with his recent big money throws of the dice in the January transfer window.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea are in the top ten of Deloitte’s guide to the income of football clubs released today, but Spurs remain in the top 20 and despite the differences in stadium capacity and years of Champions League investment, the gap is less than three over-priced strikers. Of course that gap accumulating season upon season will affect Tottenham’s bid to compete in the transfer market, as UEFA rules will ensure money can only be spent from matchday income, broadcasting revenue and commercial deals, which is why I would expect the Northumberland Project (NPD) to become financially viable again, if, after any legal challenges, West Ham are confirmed as having won the bid for the Olympic Staduim.

What we at Tottenham do have is a very large and loyal following, which won’t be wavered while the Club’s history and tradition remain intact. When we were in the second division in the seventies there were thousands locked out at away games; there are many Northern fans that started following Spurs as youngsters under Bill Nicolson that still travel to see Spurs all over Europe; there are current Tottenham season ticket holders that travel from South London, the Home Counties and the Midlands to White Hart Lane for every home game and have done so for years; there are countless Scandinavians who grew up watching the Spurs team of the eighties live on television on Saturday afternoons rather than go to their own local games (and like all Spurs fans who grew up watching that great football of that time, have continued following Spurs through the grey days of Gerry Francis and beyond); but most of all Spurs have a hardcore following in North London – in Enfield, Edmonton, Southgate, Broxbourne, Harringay and of course Tottenham itself. Even Barnet, where Arsenal play their reserve games has a large Tottenham fan base.

A move East would have meant that Tottenham would have lost that last natural geographical heartland to future generations who will grow up with their only local team being a red one originally from south of the river. And while Arsenal would have been handed a catchment area to them on a plate, Spurs would have had a new home in a territory where most local allegiances lie elsewhere.

Tradition is a big factor in Tottenham’s fantastic following – both in style of football, and the famous history of the club, which includes its home; leaving N17 after what would be at least 130 years by the time of any suggested move to Stratford would have affected that. And in a few years time, Spurs, like all clubs, will also be directly competing against live football that will be even more readily available on the television and internet then it is now, in times that are likely to be financially tougher for the paying punter after years of savage public service cuts that will inevitably lead to a downturn in spending and disposable income for the many, rather than the few.

There is little doubt Spurs could fill a 60,000 seater stadium in N17 week-in, week-out, but there is no guarantee of that in a new area, with the tradition dented, no local goodwill to draw on in the future, and more reliant than ever on form on the pitch, which for all teams is only temporary to varying degrees of extent; a wholly owned stadium with an increased capacity, in its own heartland is the only solution that accounts for Tottenham’s long-term future, with the look ahead to forty years, rather than to ten.

The Board were right to look at a Plan B when considering the NPD; however, while not putting all its eggs in one basket while working on the NPD made good business sense, it seems a converse position where the Olympic Stadium is now the only option, if all public pronouncements are to be believed.

It is entirely possible that the recent positioning has been taken in order to win the bid – if it was known the Club had other alternatives (including a viable NPD), it would have been another negative factor in its Olympic Stadium bid, which clearly became the Board’s preferred option on financial grounds.

It has been speculated that a reason for Tottenham’s initial interest in the Olympic Stadium was the fear of another club growing to be a competitor with increased matchday revenues; but West Ham’s ticket pricing model for the new stadium, which recognises the need for widespread ticket reductions and concessions, is not the same as Tottenham’s plan.

Daniel Levy has been an excellent chairman up to this point, being decisive on footballing matters and not only running the club on a sound financial footing, but investing heavily in the team, with the recent transfer window being unusual due to poor execution, rather than lack of ambition. But while there is sound reasoning in benefits of a move to the Olympic Stadium, those benefits alone didn’t make it the right decision for the Club as a whole. 

It’s not relevant at this point to look at the reasons why it looks like Spurs won’t be awarded the bid – from the outside it looked a technically competent bid, while apparently compelling from a footballing view for neutrals (echoed by the whinging in tweets of certain broadsheet football correspondents today as well as the Football Supporters Federation); but two factors that weren’t on the criteria against which the bids were measured were the Social Responsibility to the area of N17, and the long-term interest of the club in deserting it’s local fanbase. And they are the two key reasons why a rare win at anything for West Ham tomorrow morning may be seen as a victory for Spurs in years to come.  

MG

My e-book on Tottenham Hotspur's return to the European Cup after 49 seasons is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

 

Graham Roberts Interview - May 2003

Originally Published online on melstars website on 10 May 2003

Graham Roberts Interview
Thursday 8 May 2003
 
There have been few bigger influences on the Melstars' outlook on sport than the Spurs team of the early eighties. A very good group of intelligent and talented players that played with style, courage and class. Graham Roberts was central to that side and its successes, and he kindly agreed to be interviewed for the site; we spoke about that team, the reason he left Spurs, his playing days away from the Lane, his managerial career and of course the current Spurs set-up.

Roberts was signed from Weymouth in 1980 for a record figure for a non-league player, records show it was £35,000 but Roberts added that with the incentives in the deal Weymouth eventually received beyond a hundred grand. "Burkinshaw hadn't seen me play" he revealed, he was spotted by a scout, Bill Nicholson, not a bad judge of a footballer.

The same season Burkinshaw also bought Garth Crooks and Steve Archibald, building one of the greatest sides in the Club's famous history. "I played in the reserves. I earned the right to get in the team, and fought every game to be in it. Every game I played was a bonus" said roberts.

"When he bought Ossie and Ricky no one had really heard about them. What he did was build the team around those players. We needed an out-and-out goalscorer, a 20 goals a season striker. Archie and Crooksy were those sort of players".

It was a great team. "Every player was made for that team. You had Tony Galvin on the left. Ricky, Ossie, Glenn, what would they be worth now? Paul Miller and myself at the back, Stevie Perryman and Chrissy Hughton. It was a good blend. And you had players that could come in, Mark Falco, Garry Brooke and Mickey Hazard. They could all do a good job".

Two attacking full-backs who pushed on, a two-footed left winger and three flair players in midfield, what were Burkinshaw's tactical instructions like? "Keith never gave a team talk. Peter Shreeves would tell us who to watch at set-plays. We never ever went out to stop a player. We knew that if we played to the maximum of our ability we could beat anybody".

"The Captain was Stevie P and he ran things on the pitch. We were all good talkers. We never worried about other teams."

At the end of that 1980-81 season Spurs reached the FA Cup Final, which was to be their first of an amazing seven appearances at Wembley in sixteen months. Roberts famously lost his front teeth in the first match, when he received an accidental kick from his own team mate Chris Hughton.

"I remember going in at half-time with a face full of blood and the doctor said to the manager at "he can't go out, he's concussed", and slipping out the other door and playing. You play in a Cup Final, you're not going to give it up easily, and we were one-nil down at the time".

Spurs memorably won the 100th Cup Final in the replay with the winner the individual effort from Ricky Villa that was voted the greatest goal ever scored at Wembley; that summer Burkinshaw bought Ray Clemence from Liverpool, and players, including Hoddle, whose contracts were expiring, signed longer deals.

The FA Cup was retained, but it could have been a lot better. Spurs challenged on all four fronts, unfortunate to lose the 1982 League Final to Liverpool, going out in a dirty game at home to Barcelona in the semi-final second leg of the UEFA Cup (a 1-0 defeat that is the only European home defeat in their history), and coming close in the League.

"In 1982 we had a big backlog of games. We were playing four games a week. In the last two weeks we never trained. Just played and rested."

The Barcelona game came days after a defeat in the League at Old Trafford. After the European game Spurs played nine league games in nineteen days, including two matches against Liverpool, who went on to win the title. "We were two-nil up against Liverpool in the league, and they got back to 2-2". Spurs played 66 matches that season, losing just 13.

European success eventually came in 1984 when Roberts scored a dramatic equalizer in the dying minutes at home to Anderlect in the second-leg of the UEFA Cup Final. He also scored the first penalty kick in the shootout and went on to lift the Cup, as Captain in Steve Perryman's absence.

"That was the best night I have had in my life. I never went home. I was drunk out of my brains. I then went to Scotland to play for England. It was a good week. I will probably live for that for the rest of my life".

That European run was typical of Tottenham in that era, winning in the final with an under strength side, after some classy performances on route to the final. "After letting in a sloppy goal against Barcelona [in 1982] we were determined to win [a European trophy]. We were cruising against Feyenoord 4-0 up. We then let in two goals and got slaughtered in the press. We then went there and won 2-0."

That Feyenoord squad contained Ruud Gullit and Johan Cruyff; Cruyff had reportedly watched Spurs prior to the first-leg and was dismissive about his forthcoming opponents, although he changed his mind after those two performances.

Some fantastic achievements, but did that Spurs side of the early eighties really fulfil their potential?

"We probably should have won the European Cup Winners Cup [in 1982] and we should have won the league. Particularly in 1985, under Peter Sheeves."

Shreeves took over after the UEFA Cup Final when Burkinshaw left, famously looking back at the ground, and saying "there used to be a football club over there".

"The worst thing Spurs ever did was get rid of Keith Burkinshaw. They have never replaced him. Irving Scholar wanted to do the contracts. Burkinshaw wanted to run the football side, and leave the PLC to run the rest of the club, as it should be. They wanted someone just to coach".

Spurs came very close to winning the title again in Shreeves first year in charge, and again tiredness caught up with them; Everton, the eventual Champions, won 2-1 at the Lane in a critical game in April. Neville Southall made a famous save from Mark Falco that would have made the game 2-2, although he couldn't stop a Roberts "screamer from 35 yards". "We pummelled them second half".

Buy now Spurs had added Clive Allen and John Chiedozie and were to add Chris Waddle and Paul Allen before the next campaign. Shreeves stayed just one more season though. "Peter done a good job, Tottenham through and through. Maybe should have been given longer".

Shreeves' sacking in 1986 and the arrival of David Pleat led to Roberts' exit from Tottenham. "He rang me at home, and told me any offer he got for me he'd accept. I said okay and put the phone down. He rang me back and told me not to put the phone down on him".

"I worked very hard in pre-season and got back into the team in midfield, and he couldn't get me out. I never really wanted to leave - I would have stayed at Spurs all my life. I had two more years on my contract, and asked him for another year that would take me to ten years, and he said "you've got no chance, you'll never get a Testimonial from this Club".

"Rangers came in for me and he told me I wasn't going, which made my mind up I was going. When they eventually offered the right money, he rang me at five o'clock in the morning the day I was due to play against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He said "you're going" and told me not to come to the match. When I came back from Scotland on the Monday to pick my boots up, my boots, my gear, were all chucked outside the gates. When people say to me "why don't you like him?" I think that speaks for itself".

Roberts' portrayal of the club now is one that has failed to teach it's staff the respect due to its former greats; he tells us to our disgust how two weeks ago Burkinshaw was refused entry in to the car park by an ignorant attendant and went home, how former players including himself have to pay for match tickets, how his wife is charged £58 to go to Legends, and of how someone on the commercial side of the Club told him - when he rang to offer his services for the Washington D.C. tribute match for old players earlier this season - he wasn't needed.

In contrast he is welcomed back at Glasgow Rangers, where he enjoyed his time and won the league under Graeme Souness, a manager "who never asked you to do anything he couldn't do". On visits back he has been given a box rather than paying for a single ticket, and at no charge.

"Every week Rangers have different former players come out at half-time. Spurs should have a couple a former players on the board, who know what the supporters want".

After he was released from Rangers he went to Chelsea, who bought him after they got relegated. Mickey Hazard was there at the time as well, and they won promotion with Roberts not missing a game.

A falling out with Ken Bates over a house deal that fell through and left him and his family homeless meant the player-coach role he was promised never materialised and prompted him to go to West Brom under his mate Brian Talbot. Talbot got sacked soon afterwards, and it's the only move he has regretted.

His managerial career started with Enfield where he took them to second in the League, and the FA Trophy semi-final. He was sacked four weeks after his mother died, and he was promised a future at the club.

He went to Yeovil, who after their promotion this season, he believes will now be the biggest club in the Third Division. During his time in charge in an effort to raise funds he invited Newcastle down, which led to his secretary writing and sending the infamous fax, wishing Newcastle luck and saying "we're not all arseholes in the Conference" that precipitated his departure.

He thinks he left Yeovil in a good state but would probably have left them at the end of that season because of the travelling. He was then asked to take over at Chesham who were bottom of the league, and they won 13 of their final 16 games when he took over to stay up.

After that came a spell at Hertford which he did as a favour for a friend, but he never got paid. And now he is at Carshalton Athletic, where he won the league last week after taking over when they were third from bottom of their division last season.

He must want the chance at a higher level? "I would like to go into professional management, but it's not what you know, it's who you know".

"I work hard. I work 80-90 hours a week in part-time football. I find young kids. I enjoy coaching and enjoy making them better players."

"My ambition is to go back to Spurs and Rangers in some capacity and give something back that they gave to me. I would run through brick walls for Spurs".

As for the current Spurs set-up, he believes Hoddle is right in releasing players like Freund and Sheringham before next season, even though he acknowledges the jobs they have done. He appreciated that Hoddle was trying to achieve a bit of short-term success by bringing in experienced players for his first two full years, and victory in the League Cup Final against Blackburn would have been justification of that policy.

But it took Alex Fergurson, a manager like Burkinshaw in terms of running the team, a few years to win a trophy; "Hoddle should go with the youngsters now and stick with them. Even if it doesn't go well, stick with them. But people have got to have the patience.'

'Hoddle should be given three years to bring youngsters through. Spurs haven't got the funds they need so success has to be achieved gradually. And he should get rid of anyone who doesn't want to play for the club and is not committed."

At the moment Roberts has written a letter that he is going to send to the Club to ask for help with a testimonial.

"I am willing to give some money to charity and some to the ex-Tottenham players if they want it. I have been in non-league for twenty years, and professional football for twelve years. I am an old git now".

Spurs, when they hopefully finish educating some of their low-paid staff about the tradition and history of the Club, as well as about Customer Service and Respect, should do one of their legends the honour he deserves, and grant him a testimonial at the Lane.


MG
May 2003

My e-book on Tottenham Hotspur's return to the European Cup after 49 seasons is available on Amazon and Smashwords.