Part 2 of a heartwarming reminder of the 90s and why we love Spurs
- Gareth Dace
- 12 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Goals, Gazza and a Trophy!
In part 2 of this three part series here are more 90s thrills to share with you as I try and rekindle some of the joys of supporting Spurs in a chaotic decade…
Southampton are again the opposition in the league game in February 1993 at White Hart Lane. We were just starting the see the emergence of the triumvirate of Sheringham, Anderton and Barmby but there was no better evidence of the rosy looking future than a spellbinding 4 minute and 45 second period in the second half in the heavy rain.
A goal behind we blitzed Southampton with a top-flight record of four goals in under five minutes early in the second half. Teddy scored twice and Barmby and Anderton one apiece. I can remember listening to this live on Capital Gold and in running downstairs to tell my grandad about our equaliser I returned to the radio in my bedroom still hearing commentator Jonathan Pearce shrieking – I assumed he was still describing the first goal only to learn it was now 3-1. By the time I repeated the exercise it was four. Alas we didn’t keep up that goals:minute ratio and the match ended 4-2.
That spring we witnessed the beauty of Teddy, Anderton and Barmby which was sadly broken up by injury for most of the next 12 months.
Another momentous result from that 1995 FA Cup run made all the more special for the fact that we’d initially been banned from the competition.
Spurs’ difficulties at Anfield are much publicised. Until Garth Crook’s winner in the 1985 League game we hadn’t won there since the Titanic had sunk in 1912. However, we’d actually done ok there (in relative terms) since with another league victory in 1986/87 and a largely forgotten 2-1 win at the start of the 93/94 campaign. Earlier in 94/95 – in Gerry Francis’ third game as manager – we gained a much deserved 1-1 draw and it was early signs of the turnaround under the new manager.
However, there was natural trepidation being drawn away at Liverpool in the Quarter Final despite the optimism of the time with a forward line that included Klinsmann, Sheringham, Anderton and Barmby. Liverpool were unbeaten at Anfield that season.
As we had at Southampton in the previous round we went behind but Teddy scored a peach of a goal just before half-time. The second half ebbed and flowed but reached a dramatic conclusion in the 90s the minute when Klinsmann anticipated Teddy’s cute flick to get behind the Liverpool defence and slot in an emphatic finish right in front of The Kop.
The final whistle was met with ‘limbs’ from the Anfield Road end but also by applause from much of the home sections. Many Spurs fans I’ve spoken to who were at this game remember being approached by Liverpool fans after the game and congratulated.
This was undeniably Spurs’ best away result, not just of the 90s but of a generation. Perhaps only Ajax in 2019 surpasses it for its significance. Perhaps, let’s not reflect on what came next in the semi-final though.
5. The marvel of Gazza circa 1990
In a decade and era pre mass lived televised football the only way of casting any sort of credible opinion on the ability of an individual player you had to watch them in-person. Gazza was always well known around the country but as we moved into 1990 he became Tottenham’s best kept secret.
We’d seen glimpses since his arrival in summer 1988 but to much of the nation he was just that podgy Geordie kid who does daft things. We knew he was the best midfielder in the country and the most uniquely creative and talented English player…ironically since Glenn Hoddle…who remained grossly underappreciated throughout the 80s.
It took Bobby Robson to see Gazza live in the flesh against Manchester United at White Hart Lane in April 1990 to recognise that this was someone who should not only be in his summer’s World Cup Squad but that the team should be built around him. On that afternoon Gazza outshone both Bryan Robson and Neil Webb – two players still ahead of him in the England pecking order.
Gazza had the summer of his life in 1990 and shone on the world stage. He became a national treasure and along with England’s leading goalscorer Gary Lineker meant that a new generation of football fans would form a club allegiance with Spurs. The pair of them helped put a few thousand on the gate every week as we returned to club football that autumn but nobody got more joy out of Gazza than Spurs fans who were witnessing the best player in the world at the peak of his ability. His hat-trick against England teammate Peter Shilton – with two trademark free kicks – that September was a highlight.
Gazza’s fame transcended football – by the end of the year he had a #2 hit with ‘Fog on the Tyne’, had appeared on Wogan and turned on the Oxford Street Christmas Lights.
In 1991 Gazza single handedly dragged Spurs into the FA Cup Final. His virtuoso performance on the mud heap at Portsmouth in Round 5 goes down for many as the greatest individual role seen by any Spurs player.
There’ll be more on his role in that FA Cup run later!
4. The 1991 FA Cup Final
Back when the FA Cup Final was still the most important date in the domestic football calendar Spurs won a narrative fuelled classic against Nottingham Forest. Owing to my dad’s networks as an amateur referee I received the great surprise of a Cup Final ticket and so was at Wembley on 18th May 1991 to see Spurs lift the FA Cup for a record eighth occasion.
It was the first time I’d seen Spurs lift the famous trophy (I was only four months old in 1981). The game itself was a rollercoaster ride – from Gazza’s injury, going 1-0 behind immediately after and then seeing Lineker’s penalty saved and a clearly onside goal chalked off just made the eventual victory all the sweeter. If I shut my eyes I can still Paul Stewart’s driven right foot shot headed straight for me via the inside side netting.
Pre Premier League and Champions League winning the FA Cup was the best thing you could experience as a fan (he says having never savoured a league championship victory).
Listen and subscribe to my podcast to hear more about all these players, matches and much more about the 90’s Spurs experience:
COMING UP IN PART 3…SEAT CLACKING ON THE SHELF, TELETEXT REVELATIONS AND THE NORTH LONDON CUP!
Gareth Dace is the author of "Hot Shot Tottenham" and "Is Gascoigne Going To Have a Crack?"
