Dave Mackay - True Tottenham Legend

There isn't much (if at all anything) that Spurs can thank the Woolwich Wanderers for........but maybe one thing that we could give them the ever so slightest wafer thin slice of credit for is the signing of Tottenham legend Dave Mackay. The story goes that back in the day Bill Nicholson had his eye on a young welsh centre half called Mel Charles, but with the Scum stepping in to seal the deal our manager was left to look elsewhere for a new signing and that's exactly where Dave Mackay fitted in.

And what a stroke of luck that was.

The term legend is banded about far too easily these days and in my opinion it should only be used looking back on a career on a player who has left legacy through success and performance. In Spurs history Dave Mackay is one such player, he'd already had a successful stint in Scotland with home town team Heart of Midlothian (where he won every trophy going) before the bright lights of London came calling. Sir Bill would later maintain that he wanted Mackay all along, but either way he came to epitomise a Spurs side made up of grit and flare.

The iconic image of him grabbing Billy Bremner by the throat* (an image that Dave himself disliked) has given Mackay the hard man reputation in that great team of '61 but he had so much more to his game - threading passes through the midfield and scoring the odd hat-trick here and there he was in no way just a clogger he had class.

His presence and aura inspired his team mates, willing them on with a never say die unflinching will to win. Back in the days when tackling was still allowed in football George Best was quoted as calling Mackay "The hardest man I have ever played against – and certainly the bravest" and Old Big 'ead himself said that Dave was "Tottenham Hotspur's greatest player" and he should know after signing him for Derby County where the success story continued from player into manager.

Comparisons are inevitable in football, with a youngster coming through or a new signing arriving there are those that will hark back to a former player that the new acquisition is similar to just to add an extra burden on their shoulders. But while we look at today's team for a inspiration or a link back to our greatest ever team through Scott Parker I truly believe we will never see the like of Dave Mackay again @ White Hart Lane......

*The story behind that photo is that Mackay had just came back from his second broken leg (something that would have finished the career of today's lesser mortals) and was quite justifiably miffed with the little ginger tosser. Incidentally Sir Alex Ferguson has the exact same image hanging on the wall of his office, maybe the secret behind his success right there?

The Pride of North London

Let's get one thing straight we haven't won anything yet, but my word we are only a few steps away from changing that! With the possibility of a title and an FA cup, memories of 61 maybe updated to the class of 2012!
With the other side of north London crashing out of the cup and getting a good old fashion hiding by AC Milan earlier on in the week (a team we knocked out of the CL last season) things are looking great for the original boys of North London and their following. Ask any fan who has been the out standing player of our season so far and you could pick anyone from 12/13 players. From King to Kaboul every player has played their part! And with the second North London derby of the season only a matter of days away, it's unusual for us to feel like we could really batter them on their home soil! Last seasons win there shows that we have nothing to fear! And the A*****l team of today is miles behind that of recent seasons! Watching them crash out of the cup against Sunderland brought a massive smile to my face, that idiot of a boss they have looked like a dead man walking! Has the golden bubble around Wenger finally burst? Let's hope we can stick another nail in that ageing coffin!
So with uncertainty surrounding 'Arry beyond this current campaign, wouldn't it be great if he could leave on a high! Over the last few seasons we have pushed on! With the additions of VDV, Parker and Sandro we have finally added quality depth to the middle of the park and with young Livermore looking better with every game played. The likes of Tom Hudd and Jenas will have a hard time forcing their way back into the squad next season. (Thats if Jenas is welcomed back from his loan) Meanwhile the red side have been selling off the crown jewels like there is no tomorrow, I wonder if we could tempt RVP  to cross the divide... a bit like Sol did all them years ago? What comes around goes around springs to mind! but in all fairness would you swap any of our players for theirs? For the first time in ages we can turn around and stick two fingers up @ them! The highlight of their season? The return of that 30+ past it icon.... How quick that past, 3 goals scored against the so called lesser teams, doesn't really sound like a story book ending. I've just heard he has landed back in New York ready to play in that part-time league called the MLS!
What ever happens come the end of the season, we have had more highs than lows and we have been playing some of the greatest football man has ever seen, just ask Sir Alex.
With Bale telling everyone he has no intention of leaving The Lane for Real Madrid or Barcelona it's a great time to be part of a Spurs revolution!
It's been a long time coming but we have finally taken back that title of Pride of North London. After all Spurs are on their way to Wembley!

Modern day hero

In an ideal world!

A cracking performance by the mighty Spurs yesterday, fast moving - slick football, pass and move, the way it should be! Not bad considering two of our most influential players were missing! VDV watching on from the stands as he celebrated his 29th birthday! With Saha making his home debut it was written in the script that the talented Frenchman would find the net against one of his former clubs! So with a 10 point gap between us and the scum the possibility of us finishing above them is looking more a reality with every match played!
Now the only concern is that all this talk of 'Arry and England could knock us for six! If the players or the manger take their eyes off the ball we could end up going on a winless run like we did @ this stage last season! It would be great for both the FA & 'Arry to decide what the plan is regarding the vacant position and then that will allow us to concentrate on finishing as high as we can and hopefully we can bring back the FA cup for the first time in 21 Years!
Now if 'Arry decides to move on, we can't sit about and moan, after all every Englishman would love to represent their country! But who would be the ideal man to replace him? Under 'Arry the likes of Dawson, Kaboul and BAE have gone from average squad players to world beaters! Somthing the likes of Jol & Ramos failed to recognise during their time @ the Lane! Calls for the special one to take the reins have been heard from Everyman and his dog! The problem is we can't afford to pay the wages to attract the players he would want! Plus the way he plays football isn't gravy! Under 'Arry we have been playing some wonderful stuff! So who else is there? Well Poyet has worked wonders down in Brighton got them playing some cracking footie but he is relatively unproven in the top flight and only he knows how Levy treated him when he was part of the coaching staff during the Ramos period!
Other managers mentioned in the same breath as Spurs include Moyes, Capello, Hiddink and Benitez. Although Rafa didn't really do that well @ Inter! He did work wonders for Liverpool!

So in an ideal world what would be the best outcome? Simple 'Arry to stay with us and maybe do a bit of freelancing on the side for the country in the shape of The Euros! COYS!

Parker for England

Tonight saw another outstanding performance by our 'old school' central midfielder Scott Parker, throwing his body on the line, covering the centre backs, along with some last ditch sliding tackles! This pint size likeable fella has been a revelation since putting on that Lillywhite jersey of the mighty Spurs! A key figure of the England set up and with that knobhead Terry stripped of the captains armband for country, would it not be fitting for a true gentleman in Scott Parker to be named next England captain? Respected by pundits and fellow professions Parker would be my choice all day long! Mopping up anything that gets through, he is one of the most consistent performers in the top flight of the English league! So that's my quick shout @ why Parker should be the next England captain! COYS!

The futures bright

It's been a few days since the transfer window shut, and I know most of us felt a little disappointed with the comings and goings @ The Lane. After a few cups of tea and time to reflect, maybe we have missed the bigger picture? We all know that we are in the midst of developing The Lane, it's taken a hell of a lot longer than many expected, but there's no doubt it's gonna cost a few hundred million! The last thing Levy wants to do is put the club in debt, so maybe the message is that all funds need to be ploughed into the redevelopment of The Lane? In the summer Scott Parker ( who has been our best player this season) cost a modest £6 million! The summer window before that Rafa was snapped up for less than we sold Pav for! So maybe the signings of Saha & Nelsen are a sight of the times ahead!

Now before we go all doom and gloom and start reading too much into other theories the question we should be asking is 'who could we of signed that would have made a difference to the team?' Tevez would have disrupted the harmony of the squad, Ba wouldn't of worked in the formation we play and I really can't thing of anyone else that we could of got in that would be happy to warm the bench?

With the likes of Smith, Kane, Townsend & Mason out on loan in the championship, there's only so many players we can fit into the squad! When they return in the summer, they will want to be part of the set up again, so maybe the fact we ain't going out and buying up the likes of Kaka or Lampard breeds hope for the younger players!

So with us currently sitting third in the league and with a good chance of Making it to the final of the F.A cup the future is looking bright @ The Lane. With talk that 'Arry could be heading to either Jail or filling the void that Fab will be leaving behind as England boss, my only concern is that the guy that Levy wants to bring in will undo all the hard work the cockney sparrow has done!

So with that in mind and the fact that you can never really predict anything in football! Make sure u mind the gap! COYS!

The Rise & Fall of Paul William Robinson

England's number one, so went the not most complicated of chants. Spurs history of 'keepers has been a slightly chequered one, from the greats of Ditchburn and Jennings through to the lesser well remembered Mimms & Keller.
Since possibly Ray Clemence Tottenham never again had a solid reliable stopper between the posts, this coupled with our then legendary dodgy and ever changing defence hardly helped matters.
If anything our goalies have been.....well....just above average....what they lacked in ability they made up for in crowd interaction (Erik the Viking) or an of the time trendy middle parting (Ian Walker)
Sure Walker was England's number one briefly but the way he smiled to himself every time he let a goal in didn't help but make him less than convincing.
Every top club had a top 'keeper, 'build from the back' is the saying isn't it? But it wasn't until the signing of Robbo that we felt at last we had found our missing piece.

I remember hearing of Robbo early on, Nigel Martyn was number one @ Leeds Utd at the time and was considered to be up there with David Seaman as far as goalkeepers went (he was even voted Leeds Utd's Best Goalkeeper of All Time by the fans), but some midweek cup heroics started to get Robinson noticed and when Martyn upset the then Leeds Boss El Tel  he stepped up and never looked back.

Robinson's last season up North wasn't the best - after all Leeds were relegated, but Spurs had obviously been keeping tabs on him, for the sometime maligned David Pleat was quick enough to snap him up for just £1.5m pounds.

Being between the sticks @ White Hart Lane makes a player the closest relation to the hard core support - both emotionally & geographically, we ask him the score, to give us a wave even, he throws his gloves into the crowd & a bond is built - I was there when the Park Lane faithful sang 'Happy Birthday' to him even unfurling a banner in his honour (sad but true!)
To have a decent 'keeper again was a novelty as a Spurs fan and how good was it to sing to any travelling set of supporters that we had "England's Number One" in goal?

Inevitably though confidence plays a huge part on a player's form and goalkeeper is a position where every mistake is magnified and analysed. Robbo just never recovered from his mishaps and it was a shame to see his decline. In a world of 'If onlys' a Paul Robinson in his prime could have given us that extra push we needed when Harry first took over and with our new number one Brad Friedel still going strong in his forties, who's to say we won't see Robbo's return?