Russ Pegrum Fan Interview

The return of the fan interview! This ones a little special. I've been Facebook friends with Russ's mum for a while along with numerous other Spurs fans. Its through her posts about Russ that I came to hear of his story and realised what a real inspiration he is. Life has dealt him a real shitty hand but he always seems to be so positive about his life. So I reached out and asked if he would want to do a fan Interview with us, and share some of his memories about Spurs. He agreed and below is his Top 10 moments as a Spurs fan. Enjoy. 

My name is Russ Pegrum, I'm 48 y o and I'm currently fighting (and losing) to bowel cancer. I'm still enjoying life and supporting Spurs helps with that. Well, sometimes.

In no particular order I have chosen 5 goals and 5 other memories.

1. Harry Kanes goal against Arsenal. The one he smashed in from way out by the corner flag. No more explanation needed.

2. Gareth Bales volley against Stoke. Power, accuracy and incredible agility to get his leg up like that.

3. Heung Min Sons goal vs Burnley. The pace and stamina were incredible. Definitely one of my favourite ever players. He won the Puskas award for that goal at the end of the season as well.

4.Glenn Hoddles chip vs Watford. Apparently Glenn thought he was having a shocker that day but the goal was typical Hoddle. Absolutely majestic.

5. Gazzas free kick vs Arsenal in the FA Cup semi. The fact that it was a semi final AND against Arsenal made it even better.

6. I was not happy when we signed William Gallas from Arsenal. Why would we want an Arsenal reject. But one midweek evening against opposition I can't remember he got injured. It took a few minutes to get the sub ready and during that time Gallas put his body on the line, throwing himself in front of everything even though he was playing on 1 leg. That was the night Gallas won my respect!

7. UEFA Cup final vs Anderlecht. I remember 2 fairly ordinary games but an exciting penalty shoot out. Mickey Hazard told a cool story recently. Apparently Graham Roberts told the other players he would take the first penalty so they would go 1-0 up and immediately put pressure on Anderlecht. How's that for confidence!

8. Signing Rafael VdV from Real Madrid for a measly £8m. I thought it was a wind up. What a signing and it came out of nowhere.

9. Lucas Mouras hat trick against Ajax in that Champions league semi. One of the few times I've seen my dad shed a tear. (Believe me he wasn't the only man shedding a tear that night, Tony)

 

10. Beating Villa 2-1 at home on Sunday. Purely because the last time I saw Spurs actually win live was a pre season friendly against Inter. They won 5-1 and I think Darren Bent scored 3.

Some great memories there Russ so thank you. Some of those are I my top ten as well, watching Gazzas freekick go in, in a pub in Camden with all my wife's Arsenal supporting family was a highlight! Being allowed as a kid to stay up late and watch that Anderlect game then buzzing all day at school the next day, just brilliant.

If anyone wants to do one let me know in the comments and I'll contact you. 

The League That Noone Wants

 The more I read about this Super League the more convinced I am it will happen. It'll happen because before this statement, all the infrastructure, the TV rights and the planning had all been completed. These aren't stupid owners, these are very successful business men who have made fortunes doing what they do best. Investing in projects and taking them to the next level. 

They don't care who scored the most goals, who played the most times, how long you and your family have supported the club. To them you are a cash cow who will put money into thier product no matter how badly they treat you, and they know it as well.

The media, Sky, BBC, Bt sport are throwing thier dummies out thier prams because they see the cash cow disappearing. They've had thier pants pulled down and they don't like. The bully has become the bullied. 

Sky's bias towards Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City is legendary and not for good reasons. They created transfer deadline day, graphs showing how much money was being spent, reporters outside grounds. You created the project, pushed that project and now its turned on you and you don't like. Well tough. Get used to it because the tide has turned. 

YOU started it. You went behind the FAs back and held clandestine talks to grab the TV rights away from testrial TV stations. You did this with every sport you could. 

YOU hid it behind a paywall and robbed a generation of following sport because their parents couldn't afford it. 

YOU created the haves and the have not, the greed that is now inherent in our game.

YOU whored the Premier League around Europe and the world saying it was the best in the business and everyone wanted to be in it, look at all the money we have.

Then you sat back and watched the money roll in, incredibly smug in the pot of gold you had created. You looked down on the rest of us struggling to follow the game that was ours.

But you had poked the wolves nest, slowly but surely you invited them into the chicken coop. First letting Ambramovic buy Chelsea, what fun you had telling everyone of player after player that he bought.

Then the Glaziers bought Man utd, what great people they were and how wonderful that Americans were taking an interest in your product, how you loved it. 

Then the Mansours got hold of Man City. Robinho bought on deadline day. Headline after headline. Isn't this brilliant look how clever we are, look how much money they are spending on the game, doesn't it look wonderful. 

Then UEFA decided to mess about with the European Cup, let's make sure all the big clubs are always in it, let's give them 4 places each year, that'll keep them happy. We'll make it almost impossible for a team without money to get in it, the money we give to those competing will keep the riff raff at the door. We don't want them, we want the so called elite and no one else. 

The problem was they sat and they waited. They watched it grow and grow. Watched as more and more money entered the coffers and when the time was right BAM!!! They struck and now you are so far out of your league you have no idea what's hit you.

The Superich invaded. They bought the clubs, they control the game now and theirs nothing you can do about it. How upset you are about this, how dare they take your prized toy away from you. Who do they think they are?

They will make this like American sport. Two conferences, teams going into the playoffs, an overall champion. No relegation, a closed shop that only the richest can attend A salary cap, players being paid hundreds of millions a year. Disney, amazon and others buying the rights. Sky and others scrapping around for the odd game here and there, the odd highlight if they are lucky. How the tables have turned. 

Sky broke, the Premier league broke, a second class tournament that no one cares about. Every league winner will always have an asterix next to thier achievements because these clubs walked away. The question will always linger, "Would they have won it if Liverpoo/Man ud etc had been in it?" The answer is well never know  forever tainting that achievement.  All that history gone forever. They just don't care. It's that simple. 

The fans will gripe and moan but as the older generations like me die out the young ones will know no different. Like today all they know is the Premier League and Champions league. Remember when you bought FIFA and got all the players? Then EA started charging you for them, people moaned but now it's the norm. You pay your £60 then hundreds more to unlock players that were once free. Yet every year you go back and do the same thing again and again. This is exactly the same but on a far grander scale. 

This is the biggest dose of Karma I've ever seen. The TV companies thought they controlled the game, and for a while they did. They told us when to watch and what to watch and we lapped it up like the good children we are, so very grateful for SKY allowing us to watch our teams. 

Let me play devils advocate. Think about this, would you rather your club be in it or out of it, because if you say out your an old fossil like me. They don't want us, we don't spend enough money, oh we buy the season tickets but we don't buy the 5 course meals or bring in the corporate clients. We are the ruffians they want to leave behind, and they will.

They want the kids, the younger more hipper generation. The ones who will pay the streams and think nothing of it. You won't care about tradition and such forth, they just want to watch what they are told is the best league in the world. Who says so? Why those wonderful TV companies that's who!!

Stamp your feet and make your protests unfortunately it won't change a thing. It will happen no doubt about it. Its just a question of when it starts now. 

RIP football you were so much fun whilst you lasted.

Opinion Piece: Money Talks

The news that broke late last night of Manchester City being banned from the Champions League for cheating had to be the least surprising news in years. You cannot honestly say you were shocked by the fact that they had breached FFP rules with the way they have spent money in the past decade. It means nothing though, because they will appeal and win as have PSG and others when caught doing the same thing. Why? Because money talks and always has.

I have no sympathy for the people that own and run that club, my sympathy's are with the fans. Not the new ones that have attached themselves to the coat tails of their recent success, but the ones who were going when they were in League 2. They got sold a dream bought into it and have now got to face the total destruction of their club. What they believed in is now gone and it wont be back.

Forget jealousy and fan rivalries for a moment. Let me give you a scenario. Joe Lewis decides he's had enough of not winning things and unleashes his full financial weight onto the Premier League. We are suddenly buying the bets players in the world and paying 500k a week in wages. We start winning the league by record points totals and dominating all competitions. We are untouchable. Be honest how many of you would complain? That is exactly what has happened at Manchester City.

No one had heard of Sheikh Mansour before he bought Man City and signed Robinho on the very last day of the transfer window in the summer of 2008. Everyone was shocked and lets be honest pleased that there was someone else who was potentially going to take over from the money Chelsea had been throwing around the previous few seasons. It was fun and exciting. Except football had finally sold its soul.

People will blame SKY for footballs ills, that's fine you are entitled to, but what they did was transform the game, in the beginning, for the better. As much as we harp on about the 'good old days' football was dying. Decades of football hooliganism, crumbling stadiums and governments trying to destroy us. Football was not in a good position. Football was controlled by the 'Big Clubs' back then, five or six clubs who always looked after themselves and their own interests. We were one of them, and if has been reported recently, we still are.

Football sold its soul a long-time ago for money. The problem now is that some of us older ones are being priced out of going and we don't like it. Tough we started it when we all bought into the Premier League. We watched as SKY made football 'sexy', turned it into the cash cow it now is and watched as the foreign money rolled into the game. We got wonderful new stadiums, that not only hold football matches but concerts and NFL games. We lost our history and out tradition in the process. To nick a phrase, the prawn sandwich brigade took over.

Do I sound angry? That's because I am. I'm tired of people moaning about how money changed the game when we all stood by and watched it happen. We watched Portsmouth go almost bankrupt a decade ago, we saw our own club almost go to the wall 30 years ago and yet we learnt nothing. We did nothing, we stood their with our hands on our dicks saying "Not my club not my problem" instead of looking at the bigger picture. We were warned and did nothing about it. So don't stand there moaning about it we created it. We hoped we would be the club taken over by the money men and success would follow. We lost our way, our traditions, our history for the next bloke who was going to throw millions at us and sod the rest.

Manchester City will win their appeal. Then they will carry on doing what they do. Spending money they don't have in a system that is mean to protect the top clubs as its always done. Talk of point deductions and bans is paper talk and nothing more. The FA and Premier League are absolutely toothless. UEFA haven't been able to make a single FFP penalty stick in any of the ones they've handed out. Why? Because money talks. It always has.

The fans suffer and the money men get richer and no one does anything about it. Its too late now. Stay away? Fine well ship in a load of cooperate fans to replace you, they spend more money than you anyway. Don't buy the shirt? That's okay we sell more in Asia than we do in the UK anyway. Don't pay SKY or BT Sport? That's okay we sell the rights abroad anyway. You cannot change a system that is set up to do whatever it wants and is awash with money.

Football will never be the game you remember or grew up with. Its changed. The game you dreamed about playing when you was a kid. Now players go to Chelsea and Man City who pay them fortunes to sit on the bench and never play. Do I blame them no not for the money they earn but surely a little pride must kick in? You spent all that time getting there and now don't want to play and just take the money? Shame on you.

What wont ever change is the love you have for that club, the more you are pushed away from it due to finical constraints, the more you will swallow your anger and attach yourself to the reflected glory that may one day come your way. I miss the club that we once had. I miss meeting friends and going to games. We are all but priced out now, so we meet in pubs or homes and watch games that way. Does our passion diminish no it doesn't, but we aren't wanted by the money men who run football because we cant spend the money they want us to, so we are pushed aside.

Manchester City may suffer for a while but they will find away around the rules. As others have done before them and others will continue to do. FIFA was rife with corruption, has anything changed? No. UEFA had a corrupt President, has anything changed? No. Football isn't run by governing bodies no matter what they tell you. Its run by money men and lawyers and that's never going to change. The game I grew up watching has gone. Things have improved, stadiums, pitches, and better players. But at what cost? Ask yourself was it worth the price you paid?

The FA Cup is now a micky mouse competition that no one wants to win in all honesty. Destroyed by money. The Premier league is now split into three. Those battling relegation, those fighting for the Champions league, and those you make the numbers up. Fans will always buy into the promises of their Chairman and the lies they are sold. Its called hope. Yet once hope is gone you have nothing left. Ask a genuine Man City fan how they are feeling this morning and Ill bet they'll say all they want is their club back. Too late mate that ship has sailed.

Money talks, it always has and always will, you're a fool if you think otherwise.

A Interview with Don McAllister

Don McAllister was a tough tackling centre back in a transitional era for us as a club. Bill Nicholson had departed and Terry Neill was manager before pathing the way for Keith Burkinshaw. Don played 209 times for us and was with us through thick and thin. He is remembered fondly by us older fans as a very good player who gave his all every time he pulled the shirt on. Its my pleasure to now share with you Don's interview he was kind enough to do with me. Its not every day you interview someone who has played with so many Tottenham legends, Pat Jennings, Ossie and Steve Perryman as well as the likes of Pele, Carlos Alberto and George Best. Please read on and enjoy.

AH: You signed for spurs from Bolton in 1975 how did that come about? 

DM: 72-73 Bolton were on the verge of financial problems and had been relegated to the 3rd division so they made a bold move of using the successful youth team, so the young players were used to get the club back to division 2.  I was one of the players used in the 1st team at 16.

We won promotion at the first attempt I played 45 of 46 league games , the next couple of years the team got stronger as the players matured , players like Paul Jones (England u23) Peter Reid England & Everton , Sam Allardyce , Roy Greaves, and myself we became the targets for the bigger clubs. I had been keeping Sam Allardyce out of the team and Spurs came in to buy me. Bolton had Sam ready to step in to the team and also put £80,000 pounds into the clubs bank account.

I had been out playing golf and when I returned home the phone rang , it was the Manager Ian Greaves:

"Where have you been we have been looking for you all day" he asked

"Why?" I asked

He replied "Pack your bags and get down to the club ,we are selling you!"

"Where? "I asked

He said  "1st division" and hung up! He didn't even tell me where!

AH: What do you remember about your debut?

DM: It was Coventry away , cold and wet Spurs were in need of points so the game was tight and finished up 1-1 so a much needed point. It was great to play in a team with names like Jennings, Peters, Kinnear, Chivers, Knowles, England, Beal and so on people I used to watch on tv. As it turned out we just managed to stay in the 1st div with a win at home on the last match of the season against Leeds United.   

AH: You went on loan to Washington diplomats in 1977 what was that like? 

DM: I enjoyed Washington its a very nice place to be sent to recover from knee surgery,  and the early years of USAs venture into football. Plus it was the first time I had lived overseas , I got to play against great players like Pele , Carlos Alberto , George Best, Eusebio and may other big stars of the game.

AH: What was the reason for that?    

DM: I had had knee surgery and needed to get fit to play again which takes time not just training but game time, Spurs were having a bad year and ended up being relegated , so there was no chance of me getting any game time whilst I was recovering when the team needed every point they could get , so I was sent to the USA , little did I know on my return we would be in the 2nd Division and would be fighting to bounce back at the first attempt a place I had been before with Bolton.

AH: You were there when we won promotion back from Division 2 to the First division what memories do you have of that season? 

DM: Many memories. The season had already started when I arrived back from the US  the team had been hard at work , I had to win a place back in the team and prove my fitness was back after my surgery and the trip to America .

So the season for me started and I playing for the reserves many of whom I did not know , as the season progressed I got back into the team and stayed there to the end of the season.

The closer we got the more the pressure increased the better our opposition seemed to play and the harder it got , for me I was back and started to score some important goals in this period 

I got 4 goals non more important than my diving header against Bolton giving us a 1-0 win .

The last game was away at Brighton we needed a draw to go back to the first Division after a tense game  the whistle blew at 0-0 the job was done , so I had been in 2 promotion teams from div 3-2 and div 2-1 while I had not played many games for spurs in the relegation year and at Bolton I was not in the 1st team when they were relegated

AH: Ossie and Ricky arrived what was that like? After all they were World Cup winners!

DM: It was very exciting to be at Spurs during this period the arrival of 2 World Cup winners brought with it expectations of better days ahead , the ticker tape welcome to us coming on the pitch at WHL was fantastic plus both players brought with them a different style of playing and excellent skills 

AH: How did the players help them settle into the team and surroundings?

DM: In the early days it was difficult as they only had limited English but the boys did everything we could to help them settle in and over time friendships started , I took them fishing to some local spots and introduced Ossie to golf with his first game at Ware golf club , any of you that know Ossie these days know you can find him playing golf most days. I have regular contact with him and occasional contact with Ricky as he lives in Argentina. As for the football we had to learn how to play a different way, to best use the skills of the 2 new guys who changed the future of the club and moved in to a golden few years at Spurs 

AH: You scored 9 goals for spurs in 209 appearances what was your favourite? 

DM: No question it was the Bolton goal , a goal made on the training ground John Pratt near post , corner to Glen flick on with players moving in on goal , this one was a bit far in front of me so I had to dive at speed and got perfect contact , never to be forgotten , the top 2 teams (both my teams ) 52,000 fans it could not get better ..  the one thing missing was cameras to video the goal….. we were the 1st and 2nd in the league the biggest crowd in London even with the cup semi on the same day and no cameras.

AH: Who was the best 2 players you played with?

DM: Its a difficult question as I played with a lot of great players I watch today's goal keepers with their non stick Gloves punch balls coming straight at them and think of Pat Jennings who caught footballs in one hand but its a specialised role .  

My number 1 was a young player from the youth team , Glen Hoddle he  did things so easy and was so skill-full he became the most dynamic player in the country for many years. Another of  Glen’s attributes  was he was a hard worker and a good trainer few people mention this about him , he was without question a Great Player. 

Next for me is Steve Perryman  not only was he a great leader for the players he was a dynamo never stopped running and pushing the team forward . Never missed training and very rarely injured , playing 850 games for Spurs wow if you play 50 games/year thats 17 years! Amazing! 

I also have to mention my friend Ossie he was also another dynamo, non stop player with great skill who changed the way we played football , Ossie could run with the ball and change direction so fast made him almost impossible to catch and like Glen he could dictate the way the game was played. Ossie was a outstanding player and a great guy 

AH: What was your favourite game that you played in and why? 

DM: My Favourite game would be against Man Utd in the FA cup Replay at Old Trafford when we won 0-1 with Ossie scoring the winner in extra time , this game had everything , it had one of the best saves I have ever seen by Milja, he caught a shot hit hard and was going into the bottom corner of our net when he caught it in one hand at full length and it stuck , Milja was later carried off on a stretcher after a clash with Joe Jordan and was replaced in Goal by who else but Glen!. With extra time running out Ossie picked the ball up just inside the Utd penalty box and put his shot in the to right hand corner in front of a full house in Manchester (where I am from ).

There was also another great game at Old Trafford when in the first half we could have been 5 down not 2 but for the brilliant saves of Barry Daines we got hammered. The 2nd half was different, we the defence started to win our battles and we scored a goal by  Ralph Coates this silenced the 60,000 crowd followed by another goal this time it was Ian Moores. Our final move was John Pratt came on as a sub he then scored from 30 yds us winning 2-3 a game of two halves for sure. 

AH: You were part of the 81 cup winning team what memories do you have of that day and the build up to it?

DM: The build up to the cup final, we went away to a country hotel to prepare  for the biggest game we had had for many years , we were away from the media and other distractions we trained and relaxed by playing golf and other non stressful things, the day was everything a player looks forward to thats the trip down Wembley way and to walk out on the pitch . The most important thing, the only reason to be there it to win the Cup unfortunately on this day  it was a draw so we had to wait a few more days for us to win the cup with Ricky writing the history books with his goal the FA cup is ours…. over the next few years there were more to come 

AH: If you could pick one player from the present team to play alongside you who would it be and why? 

DM: It would have to be Harry Kane, he seems to score every week, every time the ball is in the danger area Harry is never far away, he is challenging some of the great goal scorers like Jimmy Greaves  Clive Allen. These guys have set the records and Harry is chasing .. and doing a great job.

AH: When you signed for spurs where there any other clubs in for you and if so why spurs? 

DM: The local papers had me linked to Liverpool < Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley  were photographed in the crowd watching , Jimmy Arnfield had talks with them but nothing came of it seems Jimmy wanted swaps , then Terry Neill arrived.

AH: What are you up to now? 

DM: I live on the Gold Coast in Queensland Australia I moved to Australia 1991 and have been retired for about 6 years. I live on 8 acres of land with views to the coast line , we also have chickens and had 1 cow until recently, there is plenty to do on the property, we also have a small lake out of the back of my home I want to stock it with some fish , I see my Grand Kids every day because they live on the same land as we do but another property. I play golf go fishing and visit the beach , my wife (46 years ) and I travel ,we are  off to Hawaii soon, our life is busy.

I do miss the football contact as it was and still is a major part of my life , I am amazed that there is still interest in us as players from so many years ago, our supporters are so passionate about the club and its history as a ex player it makes me so proud to say I played for Tottenham, unfortunately for me I live  in Australia where football is not the big game.

When I come home I am always treated very well at WHL, from the Club and our great fans who never forget, I catch up with my team mates and play golf with them at the Legends events under Golf captain Ossie . I try to get to a couple of games to watch our current team and on my next visit I will go to this fantastic new ground we will soon call home. Family for Life when you play for Spurs 

Thanks to Don for his time and patience waiting for me to get this ready. It never ceases to amaze me the bond these guys still have after all these years and the love they till have for our great, great club. We should never forget the contribution they made to our history. Anthony 

A Interview With Keith Burkinhsaw

They say you should never meet your heroes, they say you'll be disappointed by your own expectations. Thats not always true. Over the course of this season I've been lucky enough to interview some very special players from the Tottenham teams I supported as a kid. I had a wish list and have almost completed that with a few surprise ones in between. The one I thought Id never get though, the one that was the pinnacle and a dream was the one I completed recently and is here now ready for you to enjoy. Keith Burkinshaw is in my opinion, right up there with Bill Nicholson with what he achieved for this club of ours. He understood the traditions of what Bill had started and developed it and bought myself and fellow Spurs fans moments that we still talk about almost 40 years later.

He is fondly known as the General by those of a certain age but also, he was the creator of dreams and the deliverer of trophies. He did it all in a way that meant the spotlight didn't fall all that often on himself, he allowed the players to have that spotlight. When I spoke to Keith, it was wonderful to hear the passion and love that he still has for the club flow from every answer he gave me. He didn't not answer any of my questions and was very gracious in the time he gave me. I could have spoken to him for hours about his time at the club. It was a wonderful experience and I hope I've done him justice in the following interview. Ladies and Gentleman it is my absolute pleasure to share with you An Interview With Keith Burkinshaw.

AH: You started your career at Spurs as a coach to then manager Terry Neil, having moved down from Newcastle Utd where you were coaching at the time. When he left for Arsenal was there a chance of you going as well or had you already been lined up to replace him as manager?

KB:Well the situation was I was away on holiday when it happened, and I read the newspaper saying Terry had left and gone to Arsenal, and I remember saying to my wife at the time that I've come all the way from Newcastle and looks like I may get the heave-ho. I may as well put in for the job and I might just get it and thats how it happened.

AH: So you had no idea at all that Terry was looking to leave?

KB: No none at all

AH: Did Bill Nicholson offer any words of advice in the early days of your career there?

KB: Bill was with West Ham when I first went to the club and he was still there when I became manager, I thought to myself well there's no one that knows this club better than Bill Nicholson so I spoke to him and he agreed to come back to Spurs and he was the one who was looking at players for me.

AH: We were relegated in your first season in charge were you worried the club would replace you?

KB: Well I always remember the Chairman saying to me were going down but we the directors believe in you and were going to give you another season but make sure we come straight back up to the first division.

AH: No pressure then?

KB: No none!

AH: Gaining promotion at the first attempt must have been a huge confidence boost for you?

KB: Yes it was but it was a hard season that one, we were expected to return straight away and win the title, in the end it came down to the last game of the season when we got the draw at Southampton. We nearly blew it at one stage but got there in the end.

AH: I recently met Ossie Ardiles at a legends night and he told the story of how he signed for Spurs not knowing they had just been promoted to League 1. How did his and Ricky's transfers come about?

KB: The manager st Sheffield Utd who had an Argentinian coach with him, told him that Ardiles would be available for an English side, he was a friend of mine and he rang and said Im going out to Argentina at the weekend, we haven't got the money for him but would you be interested. He was voted the best player at World Cup and here was a mate saying that I could potentially sign him! So we got there on the Saturday, Rattin the Argentinian who got sent off against England in the 1966 World Cup was my guide whilst I was out there. He showed me around and help set up the meeting with Ossie. I met Ossie and his wife on the Sunday and I knew after that first meeting that he was going to join us. It was just a case of persuading Ricky to come as well, which was an added bonus for us.

AH: My first memory of Spurs was the 1981 FA Cup Final and 'that' goal was the reason I fell in love with the club, what memories do you have of those two games?

KB: In the first game against Man City I felt they were a little bit physical, one or two of them tried to kick us off the park I felt. We were a little bit lucky Glenn took a free kick and it hit one of their players to go into the goal to make it 1-1 and of course that happened I was pretty certain we would win the replay, I dont know why it was just the way I felt. Ricky had a really poor game in the first game and I took him off in that game and he wasn't too pleased about it. I remember Steve Perryman saying to me " We cant play him in the replay because he was really poor today and we cant take the risk, we need to put someone else in the side". I didn't agree with him and told him so. Ricky was the type of player who either played very well or not so well, so I thought to myself there is a good chance hell play very well in the next match and of course he did.


AH: We retained the cup the following year, how confident were you of doing that?

KB: The games caught up with us in the end we had 66 games to play that season, we were in every thing and only won the FA Cup. We got knocked out at of the Semi Final of the Cup Winners Cup by Barcelona, a little unlucky to lose that one I felt. In the League Cup Final against Liverpool we were 1-0 up when Steve Archibald went through one on one with the keeper and didn't take the chance. They were winning everything back then as well. One of the things I remember most from that game that not many people would know about, was at the end of the game before extra time, it was a nice hot day and the players laid on the grass trying to get some energy back but the Liverpool management didn't allow their players to do that, they made them stay on their feet. That was something I learned from that game, when it happened again I made them stay on their feet and move about. We won the FA cup but we had 16 games to play in eight days. We played a game every two days before the Cup Final and I put a weakened team against Southampton and got fined £15,000 for it.

AH: Wouldn't happen today would it?

KB: No it wouldn't


AH: The UEFA Cup Final game was your last ever game in charge at Spurs, Micky Hazard in an interview I did with him said that the players were supremely confident of winning as they thought the teams name was on the cup, did you feel this way? Or were you more apprehensive about the game?

KB: We were much the better side over there and we didn't take the chances. In the Second Leg we had a lot of players missing, Steve Perryman didn't play, Glenn Hoddle didn't play, Ossie Ardiles I didn't play because he had, had an injury, Ray Clemence didn't play thats four of our top players who didn't play in the second leg. I had to bring young kids in to play out of the youth system to field a team. It was very special to what we did.


AH: Who were your favourite three players during your time as manager and why?

KB: Glenn was the best technical player that we had, I think he was the best technical player I ever come across. Ossie always made something happen in a game a very special talent, terrific player, Steve Perryman was the best captain I ever came across. He on the field did what I wanted the team to do he made it happen. He was such a good bloke, he would ring me every Sunday and we would  talk for hours about  what had happened on the Saturday what we were going to do the following week, how we were going to set up against the next opponent, you know this was every match. He was a terrific captain Steve was.

AH: What would you say was your greatest achievement at Spurs?

KB: Well I think its like it is now with Spurs we hadn't been winning things, and we had to win something. The FA Cup in those days was massive, nowadays people arent that bothered about it. Back in those days it was on a par with winning the league. To win that first trophy was special and Im not being big headed but I think if I had stayed on we would have kept winning things.

AH: The reasons why you left Spurs in 1984 are well known to us older fans and your quote of  'There used to be a football club over there' is often quoted about that time at Spurs, do you regret leaving or was it the right time to go?

KB: I dont regret it no because the owner at the time told me that I wasn't going to be a manager anymore. So what was I supposed to do stay there and have no say in anything that went on. The answer to that is no so thats why I left.

AH: Who from the current spurs team would you like to have managed?

KB: Harry Kane obviously hes a fantastic player, Heung-Min Son who is a brilliant player, I think Dele will come good hes been a bit inconstant this season and things haven't looked right for him but hell get that back and Im sure hes going to be a terrific player. Erikson and Dembele I think are terrific players. They just need that first bloody trophy, I've been to see the new stadium and I have to say its going to be absolutely magnificent, I think it will be the best football stadium in Europe its something every special, its terrific. I said to Daniel Levy Id love to have a wander around it a couple of weeks before its opened, just to see it when its done.

AH: Im sure they'll do that for you?

KB: I hope so its going to be a terrific place to play and watch football.

AH: Who was your best signing apart from Ossie?

KB: Tony Galvin on the left wing. He cost me £3,000. I got to know about him because I was at Scunthorpe in my later playing days and one of the directors there was a big pal of mine and he phoned me when I was manager at Tottenham and said there is a player playing for Gruel, and he said if Im a judge of anyone hes terrific. I dont think I sent anyone to have a look at him, for £3,000 he was a bargain buy if he worked out. He became one of the best players we had. Graham Roberts was another good one he cost £35,000 a steal in today's money. We had some terrific players in that side, Micky Hazard on his day was another its hard to pick individuals out of them all.

AH: Keith thanks for doing this for me, I've been grinning all the way through it, its been such a joy to do. Thanks so much.

KB: Your welcome.

Special thanks at this stage to the wonderful Jackie Burkinshaw who answered my random request and was gracious enough to arrange this between myself and Keith. I still cant believe I did this one! Thank you to them both for their time and patience.  Anthony

An interview with Paul Miller

1. 

   Paul Maxi Miller came through the ranks at Spurs and was a legend of the lane in his time there. He played in some of our biggest games and played in some our greatest teams. Paul was kind enough to respond to my random request for an interview and also gracious enough for some of you to ask him some of your questions as well. This is the first one I've done over the phone, all the others, apart from Ledley King which we filmed, have been by email. Paul was funny and brutally honest with his answers, it was a real pleasure to talk to him and it gave me a real insight into what it was like for him and the moments he treasures from his time with Spurs. I hope I've managed to convey his answers in a way that you realise how much playing for Spurs meant to him. Please read on and enjoy an interview with Paul Maxi Miller.
2. 
   
3. AH: You signed schoolboy forms with Spurs, was there anyone else interested in you at the time?
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5. PM: Arsenal, West Ham, QPR, Ipswich, Man Utd, Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
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7. AH: So with all those clubs interested why Spurs?
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9. PM: I liked Bill Nicholson but also because I met my school boy hero Bobby Moore and he told me to sign for Spurs as he thought that would be the best place for me and he was absolutely right. There was a good atmosphere there I and got on with the boys there. I trained at all the other clubs, spent a week at Old Trafford but they didn't suit me as well as Spurs did.
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11. AH: What do you remember about your debut, you came through the ranks at Spurs, what was it like getting that chance.
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13. PM: Id been knocking on Keith's door every Friday asking why I wasn't playing for about 6 months previously, the reserve team we had was very good back then. Two and half hours before we played Arsenal, Keith said "Im going to make a change from Saturday, Maxi keeps telling me how good he fucking is so now let him prove it" and that was it I was in the team and played from then on.
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15. AH: You played in the 1981 and 1982 Fa Cup Finals, which we won, which one do you think was the better game and why?
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17. PM: The first one is always the best one, getting your first medal and the way we won it with Rickys best ever goal was special nothing will beat that. The second season we were knackered we played 72 games and I had six injections through the season to get through it. Four other players had injections as well. We were playing on shit pitches, the ball was heavy and it took its toll over the season. The second final we got over the line, we could have done the treble that year, got beat by Liverpool in the Milk Cup Final in the last minute, Barcelona kicked us off the pitch in the Cup Winners Cup Semi Final. We were going well in the league as well but the games took its toll in the end. It was a great season but your first trophy is always the best one.
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19. AH: What memories do you have from before and after those games?
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21. PM: The build up to the games, when we beat Wolves at Highbury in the first one was probably the greatest atmosphere I've ever played in, in my life, the build up then to the final is great Top of the Pops, Blue Peter, signing the song and everything that goes with it. Meeting the Queen Mum at Wembley she was a lovely lady, and you know its what its all about isn't it. Why did we start playing football as a kid? Its because of the Cup Final, you go out with a ball and try and emulate what you saw the players do in the final. So to play in one was surreal, I was luck to play in 4, including the replays, so yeah it was very special.
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23. AH: You scored our opener against Anderlecht in the 1984 UEFA Cup Final First Leg, how confident were you going back to White Hart Lane after drawing 1-1?
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25. PM: We were gutted after the game, as they equalised in the last minute and we felt we should have won 4/5-1. Archie and Mark Falco missed some good chances. We pulverised them, absolutely pulverised them in that first game and we knew they would have to pick up in the second game which they did. We played quite well but they improved massively on the first leg, Saying all that though we were extremely confident we would beat them even though we had three of our world class players missing in Clemence, Hoddle and Ardiles we were never short of confidence in my time at Spurs.
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27. AH: That confidence comes from winning things though doesn't it?
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29. PM: Yes it does, we won 3 but we should have won 5 or 6, its never easy winning a trophy by the way but each one is special.
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31. AH: Apart from that goal what other goal was special to you?
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33. PM: The 25 yarder against Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals of the Cup winners Cup in 1982 was a good one, that one was special I was on top of my game then, I enjoyed that one.
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35. AH: How hard was it seeing Keith Burkinshaw leave after that Final, and how did it affect the players at the time?
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37. PM: Not bad to be honest we knew Keith was going and we accepted it. The problem was the Chairman (Irving Scholar) who wanted to run the show and he ruined it really. Saying that though the club carries on and the team carries on.
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39. AH: Who was the best player you saw play in a Spurs shirt during your time at the club?
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41. PM: Ossie without a doubt the best player I ever played with.
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43. AH: You played alongside Steve Perryman and Graham Roberts during your time at Spurs, what were they like to play alongside?
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45. PM: Steve was our leader, the baby faced assassin, he could make you feel two inches tall with his one liners. Graham a different personality but between he three of us we were winners and we could be quite nasty, which you had to be back then. We all got on though, we had a great camaraderie back then amongst us all. Chrissie Hughton was the Rolls Royce on the other side of us.
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47. Thanks for answering my questions Paul, the following questions are from some followers of the page.
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49. Rob Marlow: You were one of the toughest centre backs that has played for Spurs that I have watched, how many games do you think you would play in the current game in a season due to the current rules, and how many centre backs would last in your era?
50. 
    
51. PM: You just adapt to the era your playing in, we had the back pass rule changed when we were playing. (Before this rule you could pass the ball back to the goalkeeper and he could pick it up, it was decided to make the game more attacking that you could still do it but the goalkeeper would no longer be allowed to pick the ball up. A major change for a number of teams that used this method to either alleviate a bit of pressure or to launch a quick counter attack by the goalkeeper kicking the ball down the field) If I was bought through the ranks today Id be like Jan and Toby, I wouldn't be as physical because the games changed and you change with it. We all joke about how we would of got sent off in the tunnel but you adapt. People say Bobby Moore wouldn't have been able to play today but half his game was in his head and the way he read the game. You adapt, you can only be great when you played, in the era that you were in, you cant be great in a different era if you didn't play in it.
52. 
    
53. Julie Sujeewon: If there was one player who we could buy and money was no object from your era who would it be and why?
54. 
    
55. PM: Kenny Dalglish, Kenny was top draw so if money was no object then him without a doubt.
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57. Ryan Lewis: If you could play with any player from a Spurs team not from your era who would it be and why?
58. 
    
59. PM: Gareth, Gareth Bale, he was exciting. he has pace and scores great goals. I played with great players but off the top of my head I would say Gareth. Jurgen was another exciting player they would have been great additions to the team I played in.
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61. Stephen Owers: How does this team compare with the one you played in? I know we haven't won anything yet?
62. 
    
63. PM: There's your answer, you cant compare teams that haven't won things. Saying that, the first on is the hardest one.
64. 
    
65. Steve Shepherd: What was your favourite game for Spurs not including the Cup Finals?
66. 
    
67. PM: Easy when we beat Arsenal 5-0 and should have been 8. The day Mark Falco got the wonderful volley, we had seven home grown players in the team that day so yeah that was special. Beating Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield for the first time in 70 odd years was special but also beating Arsenal 3-1 at Highbury on January 1st 1985 to go top of the league. That was a great day and a great evening we had a great dinner at the Ritz that night as well.
68. 
    
69. Thanks again to Paul for taking time out of his day to do this for me. They are hard to get but hopefully will provoke some wonderful memories fro those reading it as it did for me asking those questions. I real honour and pleasure to do. Anthony
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