Best Spurs XI 1982-2005

[Electric ~soul~]

Okay, I tried to suss out who would be in my best Spurs XI last night since 1982, when I had my first season ticket.

 

As easy as it would be to go for a 0-5-5 formation, what with the wealth of talent Spurs have had in midfield and attack over the years, I've reluctantly settled for a 4-2-2.

 

Goalkeeper

A choice of only two really - Paul Robinson and Ray Clemence. And Ray gets my vote as he proved himself over 5/6 seasons at the club and won a couple of trophies with us en route.

 

Right-back

Surprisingly, Billericay manager Justin Edinburgh doesn't get the right-back role in my all-time XI! Chris Hughton came oh-so close, but Steve Carr, before his season out injured, was absolutely superb for us. The crosses he used to put in, just so that some twat like Chris Armstrong of Steffen Iversen could fk them up, were quality, and he could defend a bit too!

 

Left-back

Struggling to think of any, actually. Tarrico? No. Dean Austin? No. Mitchell Thomas? No. Pat Van Den Hauwe - jeez, it's going to have to be, isn't it? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

 

Centre-backs

Richard Gough one of them, without a doubt. What a rock. And what a shame his missus got the hump on 1987 Cup Final day and threatened to divorce him unless they moved back north.

The other centre-back is a bit tricky. Graham Roberts possibly, even if just for his heroics against Anderlecht. Ramon Vega... in his dreams! Ledley King has all the potential to be a future Spurs legend, though let's check he's definitely not going to Arsenal first! So it has to be a toss-up between Neil Ruddock, who was just brilliant in his one season return in 1992/93 before getting the hump with Sugar, and Gary Mabbutt, captain marvel.

Mabbutt it is.

 

Right wing

Backing vocalist on Diamond Lights, it can only be Chris Waddle. Anyone who doubts the ability of this guy should just watch my 1988/89 season review and some of the goals he scored and some of the touches of skill he pulled off. And he had a superb mullet.

 

Centre-midfield

Hoddle and Gascoigne. No more needs to be said.

 

Left wing

Daveeeeed. The only shining light in a pathetic late nineties at Spurs. Just like Waddle ten seasons earlier, 1998/99 belonged to Ginola. Goals against Barnsley and Leeds spring to mind, but there were so many more. Yet Gooner Graham offloaded him.

 

Strikers

So many to choose from... Clive Allen, Teddy Sheringham, Steve Archibald, Jermain Defoe, Gordon Durie, Garth Crooks, Mark Falco... none of these get in.

Gary Lineker is, of course my first choice. League top scorer in 1989-90, club top scorer in the three seasons he was there, not sure at his goals:game ratio, but it'll be pretty damn good. People say that Lineker was not much of a footballer - he could only score goals. Errr... isn't that the point of the game?

And possibly the best player I've ever seen in a Spurs shirt - Jurgen Klinsmann. If Lineker did "what it says on the tin" to quote I'm not sure who, the Klinsmann was the complete player. AND he scored goals! What a coup that was bringing Klinsmann to the club when we started the season with -12 points and out of the FA Cup. The guy was simply a class act. He had it all. Passing, tackling, holding the ball up, scoring tap-ins, scoring headers, scoring 30-yard belters. Klinsmann says his up-front partnership with Teddy Sheringham is the best he's ever played in, and I think Teddy echoes those sentiments. What a shame we failed to qualify for Europe that season leaving Alan Sugar to wash his car with the number 18 shirt!

 

Team:

 

Ray Clemence

Steve Carr

Richard Gough

Gary Mabbutt ©

Pat Van Den Hauwe (please, someone help me with a left-back!)

Chris Waddle

Glenn Hoddle

Paul Gascoigne

David Ginola

Jurgen Klinsmann

Gary Lineker

 

Subs: Paul Robinson; Chris Hughton; Neil Ruddock; Teddy Sheringham; Clive Allen

[Electric ~soul~]

Actually - fk it. Chris Hughton can go left-back!

[gertcha EFM]

Attouba could do a job.

[EFC_Callum]

Goalie

Paul Robinson.

To be honest i havent watched many olden era games and i was born after that final so the goalie between then and now were [****!!****] walker being the main one!

 

Right back

Stephen Carr.

Pacy,Good shoots (vs Man U)

 

Cente bACKS

Deadly Ledley (just for that goal vs bradford)

 

Gary Mabutt

 

Left Back

Chris Perry!

 

Right midfield

Waddle

 

Centre

Hoddle

 

Left

Gazza

 

Right striker

Sheringham

 

Centre

Jurgen

 

Left

Lineker

[Electric ~soul~]

Chris Perry - you're not Thornsy in disguise, are you!?

[GHA EFM]

What about Erik the Viking?

[Electric ~soul~]

Yeah, I had a lot of time for Erik, and he was a pretty competent keeper, but Clemence was different class really.

[Electric ~soul~]

Lineker's figures...

 

League

Played - 105

Scored - 67

 

FA Cup

Played - 9

Scored - 3

 

League Cup

Played - 16

Scored - 8

 

European Cup Winners Cup

Played - 8

Scored - 2

 

 

Three goals in the FA Cup, eh? Two were against Arsenal in the '91 Semi, but I'm struggling to think what the other one was, unless he scored in the 1-3 3rd Round defeat against Southampton the previous season.

 

Must have been, as I'm pretty sure it was Paul Allen who got our only goal in the 1991-92 campaign.

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Chris Perry was superb at Wimbledon but suffered from that syndrome that affects virtually every player bar Nigel Winterburn when they leave the Dons and turn a bit crap.

Perry was on the verge of the England team in 1997.

But he wasn't a left back unlike Ben Thatcher who was another ex-don turned crap, I think he still holds the record for caps at U21 level as captain.

Dean Austin was a right back though Zeal, wasn't he?

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Ummm... I'm really not sure now.

 

In 1990/91 Van Den Hauwe was on left, so Edinburgh must have been right.

 

So when, in 1992/93 Austin had joined, I'm just assuming that Edinburgh stayed on the right and Austin was on left, but I may be mistaken.

[YELLOW]

Quote:

EFM The Firm, The Voice said:
Chris Perry was superb at Wimbledon but suffered from that syndrome that affects virtually every player bar Nigel Winterburn when they leave the Dons and turn a bit crap.

Dennis Wise?

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

You rate Dennis Wise, Yellow?

 

I certainly don't. He's a thug, and not even a talented thug like Roy Keane.

 

Dennis Wise is a [****!!****].

 

If Dennis Wise was any good, he'd have been a regular in the England team.

 

He wasn't.

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Check out the word "virtually" YELLOW!

 

Austin was a right back, I always thought Edinburgh was mainly a left back anyway!

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Yeah, you're probably right.

 

The two of them were as useless as each other, anyway.

[YELLOW]

Don't rate Wise at all just saying he was one of the few Wimbledon players that went on to better things after leaving.

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Only ex-Wimbledon player I can think of with any amount of footballing ability at all is Lenny Piper.

 

And that's probably why they got rid of him.

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

They had some wonderful players in 1997

 

Robbie Earle was top drawer, Chris Perry was England class, Leonardson was superb, even Holdsworth/Gayle/Ekoku were fantastic up front, Sullivan in goal was brilliant. Vinny was playing the best football of his career. Warren Barton had just left and Kenny Cunnningham was another player plucked from the lower divisions and was equally as good and there weren't many left backs better than Alan Kimble at the time!

[YELLOW]

Carl Cort and Jason Euell were coming through the ranks at about that time, Thorns?

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Quote:

Robbie Earle was top drawer, Chris Perry was England class, Leonardson was superb, even Holdsworth/Gayle/Ekoku were fantastic up front, Sullivan in goal was brilliant. Vinny was playing the best football of his career. Warren Barton had just left and Kenny Cunnningham was another player plucked from the lower divisions and was equally as good and there weren't many left backs better than Alan Kimble at the time!

Haha! Now I KNOW you're taking the piss!

"Chris Perry was England class". What at!? Tiddly-winks? Pictionary!!?

Kenny Cunningham? Alan Kimble!? Come on, mate!

These players may have been good compared to what you were watching at Clarence Park week-in, week-out, but "wonderful players"? I don't think so!

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

Once again I bow to your superior knowledge of top flight football, I happened to see these players a fair bit that season (probably saw as many Dons games as I did City) and Perry was on the verge of the England squad, Kenny Cunningham was as consistant a right back in the country and is still playing top flight football, you don't have a 10yr top flight career if you're crap do you? Alan Kimble was also mentioned in the England breath and was a fantastic dead ball player. Just because you had to endure crap like Austin and Edinbrugh down the lane while you finished below the Dons again don't try and knock them. You're just annoyed that you shelled out so many millions for ex-dons that then turned crap! As The gaffer attended all these games with me maybe you'd like to ask him his opinion

 

And yes YELLOW you are right, both Carl Cort and Jason Euell were coming through the ranks at the time, Euell made loads of apperances that season and Cort started to be move involved towards the end of the 96/97 season.

 

The 1st Choice starting 11 for that season was ace

GK - Sullivan

RB - Kenny Cunningham

LB - Alan Kimble

CB - Chris Perry

CB - Dean Blackwell

RM - Leonardson

LM - Marcus Gayle

MC - Vinny Jones

MC - Robbie Earle

SC - Dean Holdsworth

SC - Efan Ekoku