Spurs Home Record Against Blackburn Rovers

A record stating that Tottenham have won their last five matches against Blackburn Rovers is always a worrying statistic for a Spurs fan.  For most clubs that would be something to build on and boost confidence but for Spurs in their current fragile state it could become another burden too heavy to carry even against a relegation threatened Blackburn team who have  only won once in their last six Premier League matches.  Spurs, of course, have only one win in their last nine games.

Spurs Home League Record against Blackburn Rovers (inc PL)

P  47  W  30  D  7  L  10  For  110  Ag  60

Home Premier League Record

P  17  W  9  D  3  L  5  For  25  Ag  22

Spurs have won the last five games against Blackburn.

22nd Oct. 2011  PL  (a)  Won 2 - 1  Van der Vaart (2)

A goal in each half from Rafael Van der Vaary secured the points for Spurs at Ewood Park as they extended their unbeaten run to six matches.  Match Report

2nd Feb. 2011  PL  (a)  Won 1 - 0  Crouch

A headed goal by Peter Crouch after three minutes from a long diagonal cross by  Rafael Van der Vaart brought Spurs the win which enabled Spurs to complete the 'double' over their northern opponents.

Last Match at White Hart Lane

13th Nov. 2010  PL  (h)  Won 4 - 2  Bale (2), Pavlyuchenko, Crouch

Spurs were two ahead at the interval, having missed a penalty, and had added another two in the opening half hour of the second half.  Blackburn's late goals with one from current Spurs player, Ryan Nelsen, brought some respectability to the scoreline, although Spurs contributed to the goals with poor defensive play.

13th Mar. 2010  PL  (h)  Won 3 - 1  Defoe, Pavlyuchenko (2)

Jermain Defoe gave Spurs the lead on the interval.  Roman Pavlyuchenko scored a second ten minutes into the second half.  With ten minutes to go Rovers pulled one back through their former captain, Samba, but Pavlyuchenko restored Spurs' advantage five minutes later.

19th Dec. 2009  PL  (a)  Won 2 - 0  Crouch (2)

After a difficult first half, Crouch gave Spurs the lead on half-time.  Spurs battled in the second half to maintain their lead which Crouch increased with a good goal, with seven minutes remaining.

23rd Nov. 2008  PL  (h)  Won 1 - 0  Pavlyuchenko

A goal after ten minutes was sufficient for Spurs to take the three points as they recovered from the previous week's defeat at Fulham, their first defeat under Harry Redknapp.

28th Oct. 2007  PL  (h)  Lost 1 - 2  Keane (pen)

Martin Jol's sacking in midweek with Clive Allen in temporary charge and Juande Ramos waiting in the wings was the background to Rovers last win at White Hart Lane.  Robbie Keane had given Spurs an early second half lead from the penalty spot.  Blackburn drew level on the hour and took the points with a late goal from Samba.

10th May, 2007  PL  (h)  Draw 1 - 1  Defoe

The penultimate match of the season was played on a Thursday evening and the point took Spurs closer to European qualification.  Rovers went ahead in the first half but Defoe equalised with over twenty minutes remaining.  Spurs ended the season in fifth and a Europa League place.

5th Mar. 2006  PL  (h)  Won 3 - 2  Keane (2), Mido

Spurs were battling to take fourth place in the Premier League and two goals by Keane gave them the advantage in the first half but Rovers pulled a goal back before the interval.  They drew level as Spurs withstood a second half onslaught but took the points with a goal by Mido.  The match is remembered for Keane's first goal as he juggled the ball as he made his way in along the touch line before scoring.

14th May, 2005  PL  (h)  Draw 0 - 0

Spurs' hopes of a UEFA Cup place were dashed as they failed to beat a stubborn Blackburn side in the final match of the season.

8th May, 2004  PL  (h)  Won 1 - 0  Defoe

In what had been a difficult season with Spurs at one point fearing relegation, they won their last home match through an early Defoe goal.  David Pleat's spell as caretaker manager was coming to an end with Spurs having searched for a new manager from September when Glenn Hoddle was sacked.

11th May, 2003  PL  (h)  Lost 0 - 4

The final game of the season ended a poor period for Spurs who lost three of their last four matches, conceding 11 goals.  It was Teddy Sheringham's farewell game but disappointed fans showed their frustrations against Glenn Hoddle, the team and the Board with many throwing their season tickets on to the pitch at the end.

Memorable Home Match against Blackburn

16th April, 1964 1st Div.  (h)  Won 5 - 2  Greaves (2), Gilzean (3)

The first of the three Easter fixtures on Good Friday, saw Spurs win comfortably with the 'G'-men at their very best.  Jimmy Greaves and Alan Gilzean sharing the goals as Gilzean, signed the previous December, scoring his first hat-trick for the club.  Match report from the Daily Express.

This match was the fourth in a remarkable run of five home games at the end of the 1964 - 65 season when Spurs scored 25 goals, conceding 9.  They were undefeated at home throughout the season but won only once away from home.  In the final five matches they defeated Blackpool 4 - 1, Wolves 7 - 4, Liverpool 3 - 0, Blackburn 5 - 2 and Leicester 6 - 2.

In the third of the Easter games at Ewood Park on Easter Monday, Spurs lost 1 - 3, having lost by a single goal at Sheffield Wednesday on the Saturday - and the current players are feeling fatigue?

Tottenham Can WIN against Manchester City

Tottenham face a formidable task as they meet Premier League leaders, Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow afternoon.  Last August it would have seemed unthinkable that Spurs would be only five points behind City following the Manchester's club overwhelming win at White Hart Lane.

Let's be positive because, let's face it, if we can't be no-one else will be.  Spurs can beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.  In August I wrote an article suggesting that Spurs could win at Old Trafford but that proved ill-founded.  United's win, I thought, was not as impressive as the media made out at the time as Spurs had matched them for an hour. 

Perhaps I just made an error over the site of Spurs' success in Manchester this season just as I did in 1966 when throughout the World Cup I was certain that Jimmy Greaves would score a hat-trick in the Final only for his replacement, Geoff Hurst, to snatch the glory.

The match on Sunday can't be classified as the 'winner takes all' scenario that the games in Manchester against City have been in the past two seasons but Spurs must take something from the match to prevent City from opening an eight advantage over them at the top of the Premier League table.  City have a formidable home record in the Premier League this season.  They have won all ten of their home games, scoring 31 goals with only four conceded.  City have however, lost both of their last two home games to United and Liverpool in the Cup competitions.  It is City, however, who are probably under more pressure to succeed as the expectations for them are so high.

Reasons for Spurs to be Positive:

• Setting aside the game at White Hart Lane in August when City had started the season at a pace while Spurs were still in the starting stalls, encouragement can be taken from the fact that since that game Spurs have taken more points, 46, than any other club in the Premier League.  City had a nine point advantage then but that has been reduced to five.

• Encouragement can be taken from Tottenham's Premier League record at City's various stadia.

P  14  W  9  D  2  L  3  For  19  Ag  13

In the Premier League era we can also add two League Cup successes (1 - 0 in 1982, 2 - 0 in 2007), an FA Cup triumph (4 - 2 in 1993) and a draw (1 - 1 in 2004) in the same competition. 

• The past two seasons have seen Spurs play City at the end of the season with a Champions League place up for grabs.  No-one will forget Peter Crouch's goal in May, 2010 which provided Spurs with their passage to Europe's top club competition.  On the night Spurs deservedly took the spoils.  A year later while Crouch's own goal handed the Champions League place to City, it was Spurs who finished the stronger and City fans who were relieved to hear the final whistle.  In that game City had already put together much of the team which Spurs will face tomorrow while Spurs are considerably stronger with the introduction of Scott Parker, Brad Friedel and Kyle Walker.  The team will also include Gareth Bale who was injured at the end of last and Ledley King is rumoured to be ready for this weekend's game.

• If Ledley King is available to play he brings a much needed assurance to the defence and whoever partners him in central defence, Younes Kaboul or Michael Dawson, will be much more confident and reliable in their play.  King brings with him a record of success to the side - he has not appeared in a losing team in the Premier League since August, 2010 when Spurs lost unexpectedly to Wigan Athletic at White Hart Lane.  He has played in 17 games since then in all competitions and has remained undefeated with 14 wins and three draws.  His last appearance was against Chelsea when Spurs drew 1 - 1.

• Spurs will be without Emmanuel Adebayor who can't play as he is on loan at Spurs from City.  City, however, will be without a number of key players - Vincent Kompany who is suspended while Yaya and Kolo Toure are playing in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.  The absence of Adebayor will be a chance for Jermain Defoe to show that he is the striker with a goal scoring instinct that the team has lacked in previous games.  For all their creative, skilful football Spurs have failed to take opportunities which have presented themselves and so victories have been hard-earned against lesser opposition.  This game would be a perfect time to find that clinical goal scoring touch.

The game against City will be an interesting test for Spurs and an opportunity to gauge how far they have progressed as a team when faced with top opposition.  For Spurs to succeed they will need to be secure in defence while being clinical when any goal scoring opportunities arise. 

Equally, it will be  test for City to face the pace and attacking skills of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Kyle Walker, while Rafael Van der Vaart can usually be relied upon to raise his game in  a match of this importance.  A win for Spurs would increase their belief for their prospects for the season, a result would restrict City's progress while a defeat would make life more difficult for Tottenham but would not bring an end to what, so far, has been a fantastic season.

'Come On You Spurs!'

They Played for Spurs and Stoke

Stoke City currently have four former Tottenham players in their squad with three of them moving directly from Spurs to the Brittania Stadium.  Previously, it was less common for direct transfers to occur, more often the players appeared at both clubs at some period in their careers.

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As with QPR and Fulham, the Stoke squad contains a number of former Spurs players.  In the preview for the game against Stoke, I mentioned the importance of those players to Stoke's current team.

Matthew Etherington joined Spurs in a joint deal with Simon Davies from Peterborough United on New Year's Day, 2000.  He was valued at £500,000 but failed to establish himself during his three years at the club.  He made 51 League appearances for Spurs (28 as a substitute) - scoring once in the League against Everton and twice in the Cup.  He joined West Ham United in August, 2003 as part of the deal which brought Fredi Kanoute to Spurs.  In January, 2009 he joined Stoke and has helped the club become established in the Premier League, reach last season FA Cup Final and compete in the Europa League.  One of the reasons for Stoke's disappointing performance at Wembley against Manchester City was that Etherington had rushed back from injury and was not fully fit.

Jonathan Woodgate has had his career blighted by injury at Leeds United, Newcastle United, Real Madrid, Middlesbrough and Spurs.  He joined Spurs from Middlesbrough in January, 2008 for £7.5 million and became an instant hero when he scored the winning goal against Chelsea at Wembley in the Carling Cup Final.  That was the highlight of his time with Spurs as he was often out injured and only made 49 League appearances.  He played only 15 minutes of football in his final eighteen months at the club.  Much time was spent undergoing operations and treatment in an effort to resolve his injury problems.  Since joining Stoke he has appeared in nine Premier League matches but has sat out the midweek Cup and European games.

Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch started his career with the Surs youth team but moved on to QPR and then appeared for a number of clubs including Portsmouth (twice), Aston Villa, Southampton and Liverpool before following Harry Redknapp from Fratton Park to rejoin Tottenham in July, 2009.  He made 73 League appearances for Spurs but only scored twelve goals although it was his goal against Manchester City in May, 2010 that guaranteed Spurs their first season of Champions League football.  Ironically, it was his own goal a year later in the same fixture that took City in to the Champions League.  It was in Europe that he was most effective when foreign defenders failed to cope with his height and as with England he scored more frequently, scoring 22 international goals from 42 appearances.  His early sending off against Real Madrid brought Spurs Champions League campaign to a disappointing end at the quarter final stage.  He joined Stoke at the end of August for a fee of £10 million.

Wilson Palacios has struggled with injury since joining Stoke last August.  Spurs received about £6 million for the player who had joined them from Wigan in January, 2009 for £12 million.  He made 65 League appearances and scored once against Hull City.  In his final season he appeared less frequently in the team as Sandro became more accustomed to English football and competition for places in central midfield became more intense.

Garth Crooks is the last player to move in the opposite direction, coming to Tottenham in the summer of 1981 to join up with Steve Archibald in a striking partnership which would take the team to two FA Cup successes.  He became the forgotten man of the 1981 Cup win as Ricky Villa's goals in the semi-final and final overshadowed his contribution to the success.  He signed for £650,000 and moved on to West Brom on a free transfer in August, 1985, having had a period on loan with Manchester United.  He scored 48 goals in 125 League appearances for Spurs and 27 Cup and European goals in 57 appearances.

Ian Moores joined Spurs from Stoke in 1976 as they battled against relegation.  They failed to avoid the drop but Moores helped the club gain promotion the following year.  He scored a hat-trick in the 9 - 0 demolition of Bristol Rovers but the following season, after two years with Tottenham he joined Leyton Orient.  Following his retirement he went into coaching but sadly died after illness at the age of 43.

Other players who have played for both clubs but not consecutively, are:
Jimmy Robertson scored in the 1967 FA Cup Final win over Chelsea but joined Arsenal eighteen months later and then had five years at Stoke after a time with Ipswich Town.

Ray Evans came through the youth system at Spurs but in the early 1970s struggled to establish himself in the team ahead of Joe Kinnear.  He made 133 League appearances at full back but in January, 1975 signed for Millwall.  He joined Stoke in 1979 after two years at Fulham.

Tony Parks, the current goalkeeping coach with Spurs and hero of the 1984 UEFA Cup Final win made two appearances for Stoke in 1992.  He came through Spurs youth system but in eight years with the club he made only 37 appearances.  His big moment came in 1984 when Ray Clemence was injured and he had the opportunity for an extended run in the team which took them to the UEFA Cup Final penalty shoot-out success.

Gary Brooke who was substitute for the 1981 and 1982 FA Cup Finals had a loan period at Stoke later in his career after leaving White Hart Lane.  Brooke came through the youth system and was a hard tackling midfielder with a powerful shot.  A serious car accident threatened his career and restricted his appearances for Spurs.

Paul Stewart and Paul Allen who played in the 1991 FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest both played for Stoke after leaving Tottenham.

Gerard McMahon, a young midfield player who made a few first team appearances following his transfer from Glenavon in Northern Ireland for £100,000 joined Stoke for £450,000 in 1996 after two years at White Hart Lane.

Hans Segers who came to Spurs late in his career as goalkeeping cover and then coach, had time with Stoke in earlier days.

Two older players who played for both clubs - Joe Brough, a half back, who made two appearances for Spurs in their first season in the Football League in 1908.  He joined from Stoke City having had a season with them and moved on to Port Vale in 1909.

Charlie Wilson was a centre forward who played for Spurs from 1919 to 1922.  He then had six years with Stoke after signing for them in 1925.  He scored 27 League goals in 55 appearances for Spurs before joining Huddersfield Town.  In his time with Stoke he scored 110 goals in over 150 League appearances.

Tottenham's record at Blackburn Rovers

Tottenham have shown great improvement in recent weeks and will look to improve on their draw at Newcastle United last weekend.   Undefeated in five Premier League games as they go to Ewood Park to play Blackburn Rovers, they will have to match last year's result to maintain their progress and assault on a Champions League place.


Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur

Blackburn have had a difficult start to the season and are currently in twentieth position in the Premier League with five points.  They have won only one of their eight matches, although it was a rather stunning performance, coming from behind to defeat Arsenal at Ewood Park.  They were behind at the interval (1 - 2) but scored three second half goals to lead 4 - 2 and held off a late surge from Arsenal to win 4 - 3.  Last weekend they drew 1 - 1 at QPR and they also gained a point at Fulham.  They have lost their other three home games to Wolverhampton Wanderers (1 - 3) on the opening day, to Everton (0 - 1) and Manchester City conceding  four second half goals.  They have also lost at Aston Vila and Newcastle United.  In the Carling Cup they have enjoyed home successes over Sheffield Wednesday and Leyton Orient.

In the Premier League, their leading scorer is Ayegbeni Yakuba who has two goals while Reuben Rochina has scored four in League (1) and Cup (3).  Last week central defender and captain Christopher Samba who was reported to be a possible signing for Tottenham during the summer scored their goal at Loftus Road.  Manager Steve Kean has been under pressure since taking charge from Sam Allardyce last December.

Recent Results at Ewood Park 
Feb. 2011  Won 1 - 0  Crouch
For the second successive season, Peter Crouch was the match winner for Tottenham at Ewood Park.  In the third minute he rose above the defence to head in a diagonal cross from Rafael Van der Vaart.  A hard-working team performance and some good saves from Heurelho Gomes ensured that Spurs held out to take the three points.


Dec. 2009  Won 2 - 0  Crouch (2)
Two goals from Crouch secured victory for Spurs.  The first came at the end of a first half which had seen Rovers in the ascendancy.  Tom Huddlestone had attempted a long range shot which went awry and ended up as a perfect pass to Niko Kranjcar on the right. His cross was headed in off the bar by Crouch.  The second was scored with seven minutes left when Crouch was put through by Jermaine Jenas, he advanced towards the penalty area to shoot past Paul Robinson.  It was a hard-earned win which many previous Spurs teams would not have gained.


Apr. 2009  Lost 1 - 2  Keane
This was a match which Spurs dominated but lost in the final ten minutes as Blackburn were assisted by some debatable refereeing decisions.  Robbie Keane had given Spurs an early first half lead which they held until late in the game.  With ten minutes left the referee send Wilson Palacios off for a second bookable offence but two minutes poor defending at a corner gifted Rovers an equaliser.  One minute from time rovers snatched an undeserved winner - Spurs had thrown away three points.  



Apr. 2008  Draw 1 - 1  Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov put Spurs ahead after seven minutes but Blackburn levelled after half an hour.  Spurs, having won the Carling Cup a few weeks earlier were in a run of poor results that lasted through to the end of the season.

Since 1996 when Spurs Won 2 - 0 at Blackburn on the opening day of the season with two Chris Armstrong goals they have started a run which has seem them lose on only three occasions in 14 games.  They have won 6 times and drawn on 5 occasions with only three defeats.  That win in 1996 also saw Gary Mabbutt break his leg and be out for the rest of the season. 


Overall League record at Blackburn:

P  47  W  14  D  11  L  22  For  51  Ag  71

Premier League Record:

  P  17  W  7  D  4  L  6  For  19  Ag  14

Memorable Result at Ewood Park:

The Tottenham victory in February, 1998 was totally unexpected as they were struggling under Christian Gross in a relegation battle.  That day Spurs showed an previously unseen togetherness and determination to battle for the points which they took with three goals from Nicoli Berti, Chris Armstrong and Jurgen Klinsmann.  It was only their second away win of the season, since success at Everton in Gross' first match as manager.

Tottenham have completed the 'double' over Blackburn for the past two seasons and to maintain this season's upward progress will need to take three points on Sunday to keep the pressure on the teams around them who are striving for fourth place.  The lack of fit central defenders is causing a problem as only Younes Kaboul and Sebastien Bassong are fit and Jake Livermore had to stand in against Rubin Kazan in central defence on Thursday evening's win in the Europa League.  With Blackburn again having a difficult season, Tottenham will be hoping to add to their misery by winning at Ewood Park for a third successive season.  

Where have All Tottenham's Academy Players Gone?

The Failure of Spurs' Youth System

Tottenham Hotspur spends vast sums of money each year to discover, train and support young players through their Academy system but their 25-man squad for this season includes only two players who have progressed to the first team by that route - Ledley King and Jake Livermore. 

The publication of every Premier League clubs' 25-man squad for this season has identified a serious question about the success or failure of the Tottenham Hotspur Academy Youth system.  In their squad they have only two 'home-grown' players who have actually progressed through the club's youth system - Ledley King and Jake Livermore.  The other 'home-grown' players have been bought by Spurs after they developed and gained experience at other League clubs.  Michael Dawson came through the Nottingham Forest system, Aaron Lennon developed with Leeds United, Gareth Bale was first discovered by Southampton, new signing Scott Parker and Jermain Defoe were part of the Chartlton Athletic youth system, Ben Alnwick developed with Sunderland and Tom Huddlestone was introduced to League football at Derby County.

Ledley King

Ledley King and Jake Livermore are at opposite ends of their footballing careers.  King is the last player from the Tottenham Academy to have played at the highest levels of English football after progressing through the youth ranks and becoming a first team regular at White Hart Lane.  He made his debut at Anfield in May, 1999 and is the Club captain.  He was part of the the Carling Cup success over Chelsea in 2008 and has also represented England.  If through his career he had not been plagued by injury he would have made many more appearances for Spurs and added to his international caps.  The Tottenham defence has certainly missed his commanding, assured performances in recent seasons and he is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in English football.


Jake Livermore has just started out on his footballing career, making his first Premier League start in the opening game of the season at Old Trafford, having previously appeared as a substitute against Stoke in March, 2010.  He also played in last season's Carling Cup and this year in the Europa League game against Hearts in Edinburgh.  He is looking to build on those early opportunities and establish himself in the Tottenham squad and as a regular in the team.


Two true 'home-grown' players in the 2011-12 squad represents a very poor return for the finances invested in the Academy each year.  However, some of the young players listed in the Under-21 group will have an opportunity this year to show their worth in Cup games and in the European matches - especially Andros Townsend, while Tom Carroll, Harry Kane, Ryan Fredericks, and Jake Nicholson appeared in the recent home game against Hearts.  Other players from the Academy are currently out on loan gaining League experience at clubs in the lower divisions - Adam Smith who has just been selected for the England U-21 team coming on as a substitute is with MK Dons, Jonathan Obika has returned to Yeovil Town and David Button was with Leyton Orient until injury required him to return to Tottenham.

Danny Rose, Dean Parrett and John Bostock are included in the Under-21 squad and would be regarded as 'home-grown' players.  They have some first team experience having been members of the Academy but all were identified by other clubs at a young age and Tottenham paid a fee to Leeds United, Queen's Park Rangers and Crystal Palace respectively, to acquire each of them.

Scanning through the lists submitted by the other nineteen clubs, looking for players who have developed with Tottenham is not much more fruitful.  The obvious exception is Steven Caulker who is on a season long loan with newly promoted, Swansea City.  He is a product of the Tottenham Academy and a player in whom many have high hopes.  He has made excellent progress in the past two seasons while on loan with Yeovil Town and Bristol City, winning awards at both clubs, showing that they appreciated his talent and endeavour on their behalf.  He made his first Spurs' appearance in the Carling Cup last year and has played in Swansea's first three Premier League games.  He has now represented England at Under-19 and Under-21 level and it is thought that Caulker will be challenging for a place in the Tottenham squad next season.

Former Tottenham Youth Players
Recently departed England international, Peter Crouch, of course, started his career in the Tottenham Academy but had to leave White Hart Lane in order to get a chance to develop and gain experience.  He came through the system a year behind Ledley King but was sold to Queen's Park Rangers in July, 2000 for £60,000.  He later played for Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Southampton, Liverpool and Portsmouth again before returning to Tottenham for a fee of £ 10 million in July, 2009.  He has scored 22 goals in 42 appearances for England.  In his two seasons with Spurs his best goal scoring performances were in European games and he is best remembered for the goal he scored against Manchester City which secured the club's place in the Champions League at the end of his first season with the club.  In all competitions he made 88 appearances, scoring 24 goals before his £10 million transfer to Stoke City.

Stephen Kelly is a Republic of Ireland international with Fulham who as part of his development with the Tottenham Academy had loan spells with Southend United, Queen's Park Rangers and Watford in 2003.  He was highly regarded at each of those clubs and he made his Tottenham debut in 2003 but remained as understudy to Stephen Carr and Paul Stalteri.  He made 37 appearances, scoring twice, before transferring to Birmingham City for a fee of £750,000 in the summer of 2006.  He has subsequently played for Stoke City on loan and joined Fulham in 2009.


Luke Young who has just signed for QPR from Aston Villa made 76 League and Cup appearances for Tottenham following his debut in season 1998-99.  He was sold to  Charlton Athletic for £4 million pounds in the summer of 2001.  He has also played for Middlesbrough and has made 7 appearances for England.

Mark Gower playing against Tottenham

Mark Gower, a midfielder, was with Spurs for five years but failed to break into the first team and left to join Barnet in January, 2001 for a small fee.  He also played for Southend United for five seasons, returning to the Lane with them for Cup games in 2006-07 before joining Swansea City in 2008.  He has made over 400 appearances in lower League football and is now a member of Swansea's squad having played 42 games for them in their promotion season.  He has scored 60 goals in all competitions through his career.


Michael Kightly, a winger, had a season at Tottenham as a schoolboy but on being rejected by them has had to work his way back with Southend United and Gray's Athletic before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan in November, 2006, signing permanently the following January.  He helped Wolves in their failed promotion bid from the Championship that season and was attracting the attention of other clubs, including Tottenham.  However, injury has hindered Kightly during his career but he was part of the Wolves squad that was promoted in 2009 and has appeared in the Premier League for them.


Wolves also have Jamie O'Hara in their squad, having signed him in the summer from Spurs for £5 million.  His final years in youth football were with the Spurs Academy but he had been a product of Arsenal's youth system having spent five years with them.


Playing in the Lower Divisions

It is often assumed that young players who fail to make the grade at a club like Tottenham will go on to have a good career elsewhere in English football but from the evidence of the Premier League squads few have progressed to the highest level.  It is, however, true that a number of young players who left Spurs without appearing in a competitive game for the senior team at White Hart Lane have had lengthy careers in the lower divisions of the Football League.

Mark Yeates came through the Spurs youth system and made his first team debut in the final game of 2004 against Wolves.  However, he only made another two League appearances as a substitute and left White Hart Lane in 2007 after five years with the club.  He joined Colchester United and in two seasons made 72 appearances which attracted the attention of Middlesbrough for whom he signed for £500,000 in July, 2009.  A year later he went to Sheffield United where after finding himself surplus for the second time with the arrival of a new manager, he joined Watford last summer.

Speaking ahead of the FA Cup 4th Round tie between Watford and Spurs in January, 2012, Yeates commented on his time at Spurs,  

" Tottenham was a big part of my life ...... so I've got a lot of fond memories.  I've still got a lot of pals there.  Martin Jol gave me a few run-outs, but Spurs are such a big club and at the time in every transfer window they were bringing in three or four new players.  It was hard for the likes of myself, Dean Marney and Johnnie Jackson, we were on the fringes.  Eventually we had to move on but there are no hard feelings."

Charlie Lee left Tottenham in 2007 and signed for Peterborough United where he played regularly in midfield and at full-back for four seasons.  He played for Peterborough at White Hart Lane in the FA Cup 3rd Round in 2010 and joined Gillingham during the summer.

Kevin Maher was a young midfield player with Tottenham who left on a free transfer in January, 1998 to join Southend United where he spent ten seasons as a regular in the team making over 380 appearances, including the Cup games against Spurs in 2006-07.  He joined Oldham for a season in 2008 and the following year joined Gillingham where he played for two seasons.  He is now with Dagenham and Redbridge.
 
The Dagenham and Redbridge squad also includes their captain, Mark Arber, a defender, who left Spurs in 1998 to join Barnet for £75,000.  He has had twelve seasons in League football making over 500 appearances for five different clubs, including Peterborough, Oldham and Stevenage Borough. 


Peter Gain was a midfield player with Spurs at the end of 1999s who joined Lincoln City for a fee of £15,000 in March, 1999 after working his way through the youth system.  He made 200 appearances in almost six years before moving to Peterborough where he played for three seasons and moved on to Dagenham and Redbridge in 2008. 


Two players who are regulars with Stevenage are goalkeeper, Chris Day and defender Ronnie Henry.  They failed to make the grade with Spurs but have furthered their careers away from the club. 


Now aged 36, Chris Day sat on the bench for Spurs on many occasions as substitute goalkeeper but never got on to the pitch.  He joined Crystal Palace for £225,000 in 1996 and has made over 300 appearances at eight League clubs including Queen's Park Rangers, Watford where he appeared in the Premier League, Lincoln City, Oldham, Millwall and Preston North End.  His greatest achievement was helping Stevenage gain League status and promotion to League 1.


Ronnie Henry is the grandson of Spurs 'Double' winning full back, Ron Henry.  He was released by Tottenham in November, 2003 but was unable to find a club.  He eventually signed for Dublin City but was released due to shortage of funds.  In January, 2004 he joined non-league Stevenage Borough, was made captain and led them into the Football League and further promotion.  He was the first player to raise a competitive trophy at the new Wembley, captaining Stevenage to FA Trophy success. 

Johnny Jackson left Spurs in 2006 after seven years, having made 20 appearances and scoring one goal.  He joined Colchester United where he made over 100 appearance in three seasons before joining Notts County in 2009.  The following summer he signed for his current club, Charlton Athletic.

Lee Barnard

Lee Barnard made three substitute appearances for Tottenham before his transfer to Southend United.  A regular scorer for the reserves, his opportunities were seriously limited at Spurs.  After six years with the club and several spells out on loan, he moved to Roots Hall on a free transfer in January, 2008 and scored 37 goals in 75 appearances before a transfer to Southampton two years later for an undisclosed fee.  He has scored 23 goals in 56 appearances and helped them to promotion to the Championship last year.


Rob Burch waited for five years for an opportunity to appear in goals for Tottenham after turning professional in 2002 having come through the youth scheme.  He had periods on loan at various clubs but in July, 2007, having been released by Spurs, he signed for Sheffield Wednesday but played only three games for them.  The following year he joined Lincoln City and made over 90 appearances in two seasons.  In the summer of 2010 he went to Notts County on a free transfer after turning down a new contract with Lincoln.

Another Tottenham junior goalkeeper was Simon Brown who left the club in 1999 to join Colchester United.  He spent five season there, making 140 appearances before moving to Scotland to play for Hibernian.  Under fifty appearances in three seasons, saw him join Brentford for two years.  This was followed by a season with Northampton Town and a move to non-league football with Cambridge United.


Charlie Daniels is a defender/midfielder who joined the Tottenham Academy from Norwich and progressed to the reserves but in January, 2009 he joined Leyton Orient and has over 100 appearances for the club.


A young youth player of whom much was expected was Phil Ifil.  He made his League debut for Spurs in Jacques Santini's first game in 2004, played the next game but then made only one more appearance before leaving for Colchester United in January, 2008 for an undisclosed six-figure fee.  He spent thirty months there making 40 appearances before making 13 appearances in a season with Dagenham and Redbridge.  He is now in non-League football with Kettering Town.


Another Kettering signing this summer was Jamie Clapham who had progressed through the Tottenham youth system in the early 1990s.  He made one substitute appearance for Spurs in 1997 but after being out on loan he joined Ipswich Town for £300,000 in March, 1998.  There, he made over 200 appearances, including playing in European competition, in five years.  He signed for Birmingham City in January, 2003 for a fee of £1,300,000 where he played for three years.  He also played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City, Notts County and Lincoln City.  He joined Kettering Town during the summer but in a career stretching over seventeen years from his youth days, he has made over 400 appearances in League and Cup football. 


Young Players Starting Out
More recently some former Academy players have taken their first tentative steps to re-establish their careers after getting over the disappointment of not making it with Spurs.  Lee Butcher is a goalkeeper with Leyton Orient having joined in July, 2010.  He had been with Norwich and Arsenal before joining the Spurs Academy in 2007 but after being out on loan he was released.

Troy Archibald-Henville is a young defender who came through the Academy with Tottenham and was an unused substitute on two occasions.  However, after a loan spell with Exeter City he signed for them in January, 2010 and now has over 40 appearances for the club, playing either in defence or midfield.

Sam Cox can play in defence or midfield but after coming through the Academy teams and going out on loan he was released in June, 2010.  He joined Barnet and has played for them in League Two.

Jacques Maghoma progressed through the Tottenham Academy but was released in June, 2009.  After trials at Burton Albion and Hereford United, he agreed to sign for Burton where he has made over 80 appearances.  An attacking midfield player, he is establishing himself in lower League football.


Long-term Problem at Tottenham

Even a famous footballing relation doesn't guarantee success as Ronnie Henry demonstrates and the recent Europa League game at Hearts brought forward another example - John Sutton, the younger brother of Chris Sutton who formed an important goal scoring partnership with Alan Shearer in Blackburn Rover's Premier League success in 1994-95.  The younger Sutton started his football career at Tottenham but on leaving in 2003 he joined Raith Rovers.  He has played for a number of Scottish clubs but ventures into English football were less successful and he returned to Motherwell and then signed for Hearts in the summer.


Going back through the years, even sons of famous fathers who have been associated with Tottenham have had to be satisfied with playing at a lower level than their fathers.  Danny Greaves, son of Jimmy, left Spurs for Southend United in 1981 but made less than fifty appearances there.  Ian Gilzean the son of Alan, left Tottenham for Dundee in 1992 and has played for many clubs around the British Isles.  Pat Jennings Junior followed his father into goal but his playing career after Tottenham was limited to playing in Ireland.

Having joined the Tottenham Academy there is no guarantee that a young player is destined to a successful football career and even after signing a professional contract there is a long way to go before stepping out as a regular member of the first team.  On the evidence provided by former graduates of the Tottenham Academy, only a very small proportion will make it in any form of senior professional League football in England.  For all the money expended each year, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club sees a very small return on their investments but where the fault lies, it is hard to identify because there have been many managers, coaches and scouts involves in this process over many years but the results are very similar.  

In the past twenty years the only Academy/youth players to have established themselves at the club are Nick Barmby, Sol Campbell, Ian Walker, Steven Clemence, Stephen Carr and Ledley King.  Perhaps, some of the current 'hopefuls' with the Academy will change that situation in the coming years.

Spurs 'Lost XI'

Tottenham's Missing Players

Concerns are mounting over the number of highly paid international players who have been lost at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club for some considerable time.  These players continue to receive their highly exorbitant salaries without having to kick a football in anger - we'd all be up for a job like that.

Before the announcement of today's team, a few words of thanks to some former members of the Spurs 'Lost XI' who have gone off to pastures new.  First, the captain and founder member of this illustrious team, Robbie Keane who after many years of service and goals took off to his 'boyhood team', Liverpool, where they destroyed him and returned him six months later, as damaged goods.  His days became numbered when he masterminded the infamous Christmas 'golf' trip to Dublin.  Harry Redknapp was not best pleased so Robbie went off to his other favourite team Celtic on loan, became a Hammer but with even less success and is now plying his trade with David Beckham for LA Galaxy.

Vice-Captain, Jonathan Woodgate has been an outstanding member of the 'Lost XI' for much of his time with Tottenham.  Most consistently over the last eighteen months when he managed to play for only fifteen minutes in Milan in the Champions League.  Having travelled the world, possibly at Tottenham's expense, in search of a remedy for his numerous injury problems, he has now taken up service with Stoke City in both the Premier League and Europa League.  In a short period of time he has managed appearances at such exciting places as Aldershot, Stoke, Split and Norwich.  Perhaps he'll appear at a ground near you, any day soon.

Team News:
Heurelho Gomes is a recent recruit for the 'Lost XI'.  Last seen sitting on the bench at Old Trafford following his uncertain display in the Europa League game at Hearts.  Not seen for the return match when Carlo Cudicini played with Brad Friedel who had made his debut in the defeat to Manchester United, among the substitutes. One wonders, nay speculates, if Gomes is to be long with us or is he destined to return to Holland where his idiocincracies are less problematic.

Alan Hutton, a combative defender, is a long standing member of this squad.  He first appeared surplus in early 2010 when he went off to Sunderland but returned and while making an impression with a couple of goals, all was not well.  A few appearances for Scotland later, rumours persist of his imminent departure but he's still 'lost' at Spurs.

Ledley King

Ledley King has been part of this team for long periods of his Tottenham career.  For the past number of years he has struggled to play regularly due to numerous injury problems and operations but he did manage to captain Spurs to their Carling Cup success against Chelsea at Wembley in 2008.  Unexpected appearances in the final two games of last season saw Spurs win at Liverpool and against Birmingham to claim a Euopa League place.  Another operation and he has gone missing again but is the newly appointed captain of Spurs 'Lost XI'.

William Gallas is a new recruit for this team.  Having signed from Arsenal last year he put in many stirring performances in the face of seeming injury difficulties.  Hardly a game passed without Gallas limping off for running repairs only to return a few minutes later,  bandaged and strapped up ready for action.  Many commendable performances followed and they were greatly appreciated by the Spurs faithful.  Eventually, the injuries caught up with him and he missed the final two matches of a long season.  Now missing at the start of the new season, he takes his place in the 'Lost XI'.

Sebastien Bassong had a commendable debut season for Tottenham but on occasions last year he looked lost all over the pitch, especially on a cold evening in Blackpool last February when Tottenham's claims for a top 4 finish started to unravel.  Still looking unsure and uncomfortable, it looks as if his future at Spurs could be short as talk continues of a central defender arriving at White Hart Lane.

David Bentley has been a member of the Spurs 'Lost XI' for most of his Tottenham career.  A few short periods of action on the pitch have been followed by spells of inactivity.  Last season spent on loan at Birmingham didn't help and talk of inauspicious performances for the Spurs XI seems to guarantee his regular availability for our little team.

Jermaine Jenas

Jermaine Jenas is a happy member of our team who is frequently absent through injury for some time each year.  He failed to impress on-lookers when given a sudden opportunity on the big-stage against Real Madrid last April.  Injury once again has reduced him to sitting on the bench as the new season starts with younger players eager to show their worth.

Wilson Palacios, like Bassong made a commendable start to his time at Tottenham but in recent seasons he has found it more difficult to hold down a place in the team.  Even the intervention of his mother failed to inspire him and he has become more isolated as Sandro has become accustomed to Premier League football. With limited opportunities, he may prefer to forgo the pleasure of appearing for the 'Lost XI' to turn out in the Potteries.

Luka Modric, the recipient of the members Player of the Year award in May, has become an unexpected member of the 'Lost XI'.  He has either had his turned by Chelsea or has sustained a convenient injury, depending on which story you believe, as Tottenham's season has got off to an unconvincing start.  How long he will remain part of the squad is uncertain.

Giovani Dos Santos was last seen starring for Mexico with wonder goals in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the summer.  He had a half season on loan with Racing Santander last year but has seen little action for Spurs in spite of his fine credentials on signing from Barcelona.  A move away to a team in Europa may be more may appropriate for his talent.

Peter Crouch is another newcomer to this select squad.  After making a goal scoring appearance in pre-season against Athetic Bilbao and with his understanding with Van der Vaart and his usefulness against Continental defenders, it appeared that he would continue to play a part at Tottenham for the foreseeable future.  However, after three games he has failed to appear and speculation of future dalliances with the Potteries continues.

Substitutes:
Ben Alnwick signed from Sunderland in a swap for Marton Fulop - Spurs didn't do well in that transaction.  He has spent most time on loan around the lower divisions of the Football League and will probably be off again on his travels very soon.

John Bostock came as a young player from Crystal Palace but has failed, to date, to live up to his early hype.  He became Spurs' youngest player when appearing in a European game in 2008 but has failed to impress in subsequent spells on loan at League clubs.  A young player who at present seems to have lost his way.

All clubs are facing the problem of players who are surplus to requirements, but for top clubs with big squads paying high salaries it is becoming more difficult to move players on as they see out their long contracts.  Tottenham have a squad of players who are earning high salaries but are not having to give anything to the club in return - it must be a great life for them, as long as they don't mind not playing football regularly.  It's something Tottenham have been trying to remedy in this current Transfer Window by removing some of them but now into the final few days of August, it would appear that there will be quite a number of them still available for selection for the Spurs 'Lost XI' in the coming months.