Spurs Legends

[Jordinho]

Time to start taking a closer look at some of the names that have worn the shirt in the past and whose names we now see as user rankings. I will try to add them in order, one at a time.

First up and at the very bottom, you could say he's not even on the actual ladder: Alan Pardew

In the summer of 1995 he joined us on loan from Charlton. He appeared four times in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. He played in the team who suffered the embarrassment of being involved in Spurs' record defeat in the history of the club, when they lost 8–0 away to German side 1. FC Köln. Spurs had fielded a team made up of reserves and loanees, including Pardew, for their final group game in Cologne. He went on to sign for Barnet where he both played in the first team and coached the reserve team.

 

[Jordinho]

Next up: Ben Alnwick

Having only made 19 appearances for Sunderland and perhaps better known for some of his off-field activities, Benjamin Robert Alnwick joined Tottenham Hotspur in the January 2007 transfer window for a fee of £900,000, in a deal that could rise to £1.3 million and saw Márton Fülöp going the other way for £500,000.

He spent most of his Spurs career out on loan, only to be recalled whenever one of our two first choice keepers got injured.

Alnwick made his debut for Tottenham in January 2009 in a League Cup semi-final second leg against Burnley, which ended in a 3–2 loss, although Tottenham won 6–4 on aggregate. His first Premier League game for Tottenham was, surprisingly, at Burnley on the final day of the 2009-10 season, 9 May. He conceded four goals as Burnley won 4–2.

On 4 July 2012, Alnwick moved to Barnsley on a two-year contract. This season he moved to Charlton on a one-year contract, before joining Leyton Orient this January. However, a week later it was announced that Alnwick was suffering from unspecified medical problems, and was unable to train or play.

 

[Rorschach]

Next up: Ben Alnwick

Having only made 19 appearances for Sunderland and perhaps better known for some of his off-field activities, Benjamin Robert Alnwick joined Tottenham Hotspur in the January 2007 transfer window for a fee of £900,000, in a deal that could rise to £1.3 million and saw Márton Fülöp going the other way for £500,000.

He spent most of his Spurs career out on loan, only to be recalled whenever one of our two first choice keepers got injured.

Alnwick made his debut for Tottenham in January 2009 in a League Cup semi-final second leg against Burnley, which ended in a 3–2 loss, although Tottenham won 6–4 on aggregate. His first Premier League game for Tottenham was, surprisingly, at Burnley on the final day of the 2009-10 season, 9 May. He conceded four goals as Burnley won 4–2.

On 4 July 2012, Alnwick moved to Barnsley on a two-year contract. This season he moved to Charlton on a one-year contract, before joining Leyton Orient this January. However, a week later it was announced that Alnwick was suffering from unspecified medical problems, and was unable to train or play.

That one came back to haunt us big time.

 

[scaramanga]

That one came back to haunt us big time.

Yep. I think we'd have been better off if they had no keeper at all that day.

 

[Jordinho]

Paul Mahorn

Paul Gladstone Mahorn played as a forward and was a graduate of the Spurs youth system. He made his Premier League debut on 22 January 1993, in a 2-1 defeat to Swindon Town at the County Ground.

He played three Second Division games on loan with Don Mackay's Fulham in the 1993–94 season. In the 1995-96 season he played eight games for Burnley in the second division while on loan there. His first and only goal in the Football League came on 30 March, in a 4–1 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park.

His next appearances for Spurs came in September 1997. One in the League Cup 2nd round, 1st leg, at home to Carlisle United. Tottenham won 3-2 and Mahorn scored one of the goals. The other two where scored by such greats as Neale Fenn and Ruel Fox. He went on to make two more appearances in the Premier League that month.

He left White Hart Lane after an FA Cup encounter with Fulham on 5 January 1998, where he had replaced David Ginola after 43 minutes. He signed with John Rudge's Port Vale in March 1998, but only played the one game in the First Division and was not signed for the 1998–99 season. He later had brief spells with Stevenage Borough (Football Conference), Cambridge City (Southern League) and Cambridge United before the former top-flight player disappeared off the football scene.

Sources: Wikipedia and BBC

Here are some comments from the BBC article:

I remember this match! I was a young kid of 12 years of age, and it was the first time that Fulham was ever on the BBC in my lifetime!

Although I have to admit, my only memory of this match is that a) we lost and b) Colin Calderwood scored with his arm! That was very upsetting, and Robin Herrara saw it, but none of the officials did. I was gutted.

Glad to see that the disappointment caused by incorrect refereeing decisions is still rife today =)

I was at this game and have 2 distinct memories:
1. I remember a guy behind me sarcastically shout "Yeah, give it to Clemence, he's good!" as Clemence received a pass. Within a minute Clemence had scored his first goal!.
2. I will never lose the memory of witnessing possibly the worst shot in football history performed by the one and only Paul Mahorn. Some Fulham fan at the top of the away fans must've caught the ball it was that bad. No wonder he's in hiding!!

i remember paul mahorn playing. I remember him running from midfield with the ball, klinsmann made a brilliant run and mahorn spooned his pass in the opposite direction, and klinsmann went mad at him! haha

 

[Jordinho]

Steve Slade

Steven Anthony Slade began his career in the youth teams of Tottenham Hotspur, turning professional at the club for the 1994–95 season. Playing as a forward, he made his debut the following season in a Football League Cup tie against Chester City in October 1995, before making his league bow two months later against Wimbledon. He went on to make 8 appearances for Spurs without scoring.

However, unable to establish himself at White Hart Lane, Slade joined newly relegated Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 1996 after manager Ray Wilkins paid Spurs £350,000 for the player. In the summer of 1996, immediately prior to his move from Spurs to QPR, Slade was selected for the England under-21 side that took part in the annual Toulon Tournament in France. Slade featured in four games in all, appearing against Belgium, Angola, Portugal and Brazil, although this was to be his sole taste of the international game. Slade remained at Loftus Road for over four seasons, although made more substitute appearances than starts at the club and also spent time on loan at Brentford.

Released in 2000, he had a short, undistinguished spell at Cambridge United, before dropping into non-league football with Hayes. Following his release from Hayes, Slade briefly played football in Iceland. A trial at Grimsby Town followed and, although ultimately he did not land a contract, Slade featured in one game, appearing against Morecambe in the Football League Trophy. Slade returned to non-league football after this featuring for Maidenhead United, before spending two separate spells at Barking.

 

[Jordinho]

Paul McVeigh

Born in Belfast, Paul Francis McVeigh started his career at Tottenham Hotspur in 1996. He made 3 appearances, scoring 1 goal against Coventry City

He joined Norwich City in March 2000 on a free transfer. In the 2002–03 campaign he was the club's top scorer with 15 goals. Most of those goals came when he was partnering Iwan Roberts upfront, although later in the season Worthington decided to move him to left midfield. The following season he scored 5 goals in over 40 appearances and helped Norwich win promotion to the FA Premier League. During the 2004–05 season in the Premier League, McVeigh made 20 first team appearances, and his highlight was when he scored at Old Trafford in Norwich's first away game.

McVeigh was made available for transfer by manager Nigel Worthington at the start of the 2005–06 season although towards the end of 2005 injuries forced Worthington to start McVeigh. McVeigh played incredibly well for the remainder of the season scoring vital goals at Leeds, Leicester and Sheffield United. This helped gain him the player of the month award in December and January and he signed a one-year contract extension. McVeigh made a bad first impression on new manager Peter Grant when he was sent off for headbutting in injury time during the 1–0 win over Cardiff. He got very few opportunities under Grant and was loaned out to Burnley for the last few months of the season where he scored 3 goals, helping them to survive in the championship. McVeigh was released by Norwich at the end of the 2006–07 season.

In July 2007 McVeigh trained with the Italian Serie B side Pisa before Plymouth Argyle manager Ian Holloway gave him a trial with a view to signing him. A 6-month deal was offered but not accepted and the following month he signed for Luton Town, the ninth player Luton manager Kevin Blackwell had signed in the summer. McVeigh was offered a free transfer after Luton were relegated at the end of the 2007–08 season, but remained at the club as he was under contract until the end of the 2008–09 season. He featured in the game against Bradford City on 4 October, and then played regularly until late December, scoring his first goal for the club in the 2–1 victory against Dagenham & Redbridge.

On 19 May 2009 he began a short trial with MLS team San Jose Earthquakes in a bid to gain a contract after being released from Luton on a free transfer. The following season, 2009–2010, McVeigh began training with his old club Norwich City with City manager Bryan Gunn not ruling out signing McVeigh and on 22 July 2009, McVeigh re-signed for Norwich on a one-year contract. McVeigh made his second debut for Norwich in their 5–2 victory over Wycombe. McVeigh started the first few games under Paul Lambert although and dropped down to the bench while the team went on a 20 game unbeaten run. He made his only appearance in 2010 coming on as a substitute in the 3–0 win over Bristol Rovers. He won his second league title with Norwich helping them gain promotion back to the Championship before calling a day on his professional career.

Norwich fans sing a song dedicated to the popular McVeigh; to the tune of Frankie Valli's Can't Take My Eyes Off You, it notes the fans' love of him "despite your lack of height".

Between 1999 and 2004 he was capped by Northern Ireland 20 times, first by Lawrie McMenemy in the 1–1 home draw with Canada on 27 April 1999 whilst a youngster at Tottenham, then on 11 occasions by Sammy McIlroy after McVeigh moved to Norwich and finally on eight more occasions by Lawrie Sanchez. He had previously won 11 caps for the under-21 side. McVeigh effectively retired from international football to concentrate on reviving his club career.

McVeigh called on the IFA to drop 'GHod Save the Queen' as the anthem for the Northern Ireland team.

He has later written a book called 'The stupid footballer is dead'.

---

Paul McVeigh makes a big statement with the title of his book The Stupid Footballer is Dead.

We'll see whether footballers disgrace themselves on their summer holidays, drive to other clubs without permission on August 31 or lose their cool on Twitter.

But the general point of former Tottenham and Norwich midfielder McVeigh's book is to be successful you have to have the right mind set. The days of being silly, not focused and relying purely on talent are long gone.

Ex-Northern Ireland forward McVeigh did, himself, have to overcome obstacles. Like his size, he is 5ft 6in, being told he was not good enough by George Graham and then nearly not getting a chance at Norwich.

Lesser players have packed it in. But, throughout an interesting and entertaining book, he makes the point you have to be focused, dedicated and picks out role models like Sol Campbell, Rob Green and Craig Bellamy.

Some players in their careers, like McVeigh, have not had the most talent but have utilised it, showed determination and succeeded. Others, who have had more talent, have not been dedicated enough.

It is one of the most interesting and different concept football books since Garry Nelson's Left Foot Forward, the story of a journeyman footballer.

McVeigh, 36, now moving into a media career and has set up his own motivational company to help tutor and encourage young players, draws you into thinking about how footballers can improve, succeed and focus. It's so much better and different than many biographies.

McVeigh said: "I just wanted to do something completely different. So many people in football are like sheep mentally. I did yoga as a kid but I was afraid to tell anyone because it was different. Yet it is so helpful to your core and body strength.

"Look at Andy Murray. He has gone from losing finals to winning, in my view, through his mindset. He's improved his mental strength and that is so important.

"But football clubs do coaching, they look at every physical detail - and yet they largely overlook the mental side of the game.

"Spain and Germany are moving ahead. England look for excuses. They say there's too much pressure on them. Do they really think there's more pressure on being the defending world champions or, for that, matter Germany? It's just not true. But it shows a weak mentality.

"It's such a basic thing. Clubs bring in coaches but overlook psychologists. They work with the body and not the mind."

You could look at England's under-21s as a very clear example of failing on the big stage. They buckled in the summer and flopped spectacular. Again, mentality, approach and not being committed enough were held up as reasons.

McVeigh's own company has been working with Norwich's youth team and they reaped benefits from beating Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup final.

That's some achievement when you compare the millions spent by Chelsea to recruit youngsters from across the globe compared to Norwich's more humble approach.

The methods go from simple focusing - McVeigh remembers his first session at Norwich as a player turned a run of just two wins in 12 to five straight wins - and visualisation which is something Wayne Rooney does before games. He pictures himself scoring the winner.

"Wayne Rooney talked about visualisation," said McVeigh. "It's really simple and yet it surprised people. I remember my first session at Norwich. It just highlights what you need and what you want from the game. Focus on winning that tackle, scoring that goal.

"How can a team like Norwich beat a team like Chelsea who have spent so much money on buying the best talent? It is about instilling a focus and Norwich had an incredible desire to win."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/ex-norwich-man-paul-mcveighs-new-2095255

 

[Klinsmania]

Paul Mahorn

Paul Gladstone Mahorn played as a forward and was a graduate of the Spurs youth system. He made his Premier League debut on 22 January 1993, in a 2-1 defeat to Swindon Town at the County Ground.

He played three Second Division games on loan with Don Mackay's Fulham in the 1993–94 season. In the 1995-96 season he played eight games for Burnley in the second division while on loan there. His first and only goal in the Football League came on 30 March, in a 4–1 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park.

His next appearances for Spurs came in September 1997. One in the League Cup 2nd round, 1st leg, at home to Carlisle United. Tottenham won 3-2 and Mahorn scored one of the goals. The other two where scored by such greats as Neale Fenn and Ruel Fox. He went on to make two more appearances in the Premier League that month.

He left White Hart Lane after an FA Cup encounter with Fulham on 5 January 1998, where he had replaced David Ginola after 43 minutes. He signed with John Rudge's Port Vale in March 1998, but only played the one game in the First Division and was not signed for the 1998–99 season. He later had brief spells with Stevenage Borough (Football Conference), Cambridge City (Southern League) and Cambridge United before the former top-flight player disappeared off the football scene.

Sources: Wikipedia and BBC

Here are some comments from the BBC article:

I played football with Paul Mahorn once. My Saturday team didn't have a keeper one week so one of our midfielders, an 'interesting' chap called Troy said he'd bring his mate along. His mate turned out to be Paul Mahorn, who lived on the same housing estate. Paul turned up [...Mod edit]... He proceeded to have a blinder and possessed by far the longest goal kicks I've ever seen at that level. Every one of his kicks landed on or beyond the edge of the oppo's penalty box so we had no trouble clearing our lines that day, we'd just knock it back to him and he'd launch another 90 metre monster and we'd pile forward again. It was the only time he ever played for us, but at least I can say I shared a pitch with a Premier league footballer in a 'proper' game.

 

[Jordinho]

Jamie Slabber

Born in Enfield, London, Jamie Andrew Slabber joined Tottenham Hotspur as a trainee in August 2001, where he was mainly used as a reserve team player. He made just one appearance in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute for Gary Doherty against Liverpool in a 3–2 defeat on 16 March 2003. He set up Teddy Sheringham for Tottenham's second goal, four minutes from the end.

[video=youtube;PdZpEcBhmms]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdZpEcBhmms[/video]

Slabber made the bench on two more occasions, but was never fielded. He had loan spells at Danish outfit AB Copenhagen in 2004,[5] and Swindon Town in 2005. He was released from Spurs in April 2005 and signed for Aldershot Town until the end of the 2004–05 season.

Slabber made a total of four appearances, including two in Aldershot's defeat on aggregate in the Conference National play-off semi-finals to Carlisle United, where he scored in the 90th minute of the second-leg. Slabber then signed for Grays Athletic on a free transfer in May 2005. He spent a month on loan at Oxford United in November 2006. Former Grays Athletic manager, Mark Stimson, signed Slabber for Stevenage Borough in December 2006 from Grays.

Slabber was released by Stevenage on 17 May 2007, and signed for Conference South club Havant & Waterlooville two months later, ahead of Conference National side Halifax Town. He also had an unsuccessful trial at Rushden & Diamonds in July 2007. He was released from Havant & Waterlooville in October 2008, before re-joining Grays Athletic. On his second debut for Grays, Slabber scored a hat-trick in their 7–0 win at home to Maldon Town in the Essex Senior Cup. He re-signed for Grays in July, after leaving at the end of the season. Slabber joined Conference South club Woking on 31 December 2009, signing until the end of the 2009–10 season.

At the end of the 2009–10 season he joined Eastleigh. Slabber won Player's Player and Manager's Player of the Year in the 2010–11 season having made 48 appearances and scoring 25 goals. In the 2012-13 season he played for Chelmsford City, scoring 23 goals in 39 league appearances.

Slabber has represented England at both under-18 and under-19 levels and won one England C cap.

This season he signed for Sutton FC:

Sutton United’s new recruit Jamie Slabber has spent time at the very top level of football, and he wants to bring his considerable experience and goalscoring prowess to Gander Green Lane.

The 28-year-old striker fell under the charms of United boss Paul Doswell at the end of last season and has signed a two-year deal.

Doswell is hoping Slabber and fellow new boy Jamie Taylor will form a striking partnership that will bring goals.

And it seems a safe bet, as Slabber fired 28 goals for Chelmsford City last term as the Clarets made the Blue Square South play-offs, only to fall at the last hurdle.

Slabber said: “I know Jamie [Taylor] from our days at Grays Athletic together, and although I only saw him play a few times because he was injured, I could see he was a lively striker.

“I put him in the Jermaine Defoe bracket – always busy, whereas I am a target man, so hopefully he can feed off me and we can get the goals.

“If I am on my own up front, I am a sort of fox in the box. I am not sure I scored any goals from outside the area last season.”

It is not only goals that Slabber brings to United. He also has a wealth of experience, which began in 2001 as a trainee at Tottenham Hotspur under Glenn Hoddle.

Slabber made just one appearance for the Spurs first team, coming on as a substitute and setting up a Teddy Sheringham goal in a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in 2003.

When Hoddle was sacked, Slabber spent time under David Pleat and Jacques Santini, but it was Martin Jol who sent Slabber packing.

He said: “I learned so much from Glenn. I will never forget that it was he who gave me my first chance in the side.

“Coming on at White Hart Lane is right up there in the special moments in my life, alongside playing for England and the birth of my daughter.

“I have learnt a great deal over the years, but I cannot imagine I can teach many of the Sutton players anything new

“The likes of Jamie [Stuart], Harry [Beautyman], Marvin [Williams] and Craig [Dundas] are legends in non-league football.

“All I hope I can do is add a little bit of oomph when the final push comes at the end of the season.

“Paul told me of the plans he has at Sutton, and they sound great and I really think we can achieve something this season.”

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/sport/10515027.Jamie_Slabber_is_out_to_be_goal_den_boy_o f_Gander_Green_Lane

 

[Stufat]

This is an excellent thread

 

[Jordinho]

Hans Segers

Johannes Segers was born in Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant. His early career was with home-town club PSV Eindhoven, before being signed for Nottingham Forest by Brian Clough during the 1983–84 season. In his 4 seasons there he made 58 league appearances, while also spending time on loan at Stoke, Dunfermline and Sheffield United.

His career revived when he was signed as replacement for Dave Beasant by Wimbledon in the aftermath of their FA Cup glory in 1988. He would remain the club's first choice goalkeeper over the next eight seasons, making 265 league appearances. Although he was unable to help Wimbledon win any more silverware, they never finished lower than 14th in the top flight in any of the eight seasons he played for them, and peaked at sixth place in the FA Premier League in 1994.

In 1994 he was accused of involvement in match fixing, together with Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, Wimbledon striker John Fashanu and a Malaysian businessman. The case was referred to Winchester Crown Court for a criminal trial in 1997, but all four defendants were cleared. In December 1997, Grobbelaar and Segers were found guilty by the Football Association of breaching betting regulations.

In the summer of 1996, Segers signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers as understudy to Mike Stowell. A brief spell in the Conference with Woking followed, before he made a remarkable return to the Premier League scene with Tottenham Hotspur, where he spent three years (playing just one league game and one league cup game) as a standby goalkeeper until he finally retired in the summer of 2001, a few months before his 40th birthday.

He was goalkeeper coach at Tottenham Hotspur until 26 October 2007 when he was asked to stand down with immediate effect following the sacking of Martin Jol.

In 2008-09 he joined PSV as a goalkeeping coach for their youth teams. In June 2011, new Fulham manager Martin Jol brought Segers in as his goalkeeping coach, a position he still holds.

 

[THFC]

I remember Paul Mahorn, used to get relentless stick from a couple of people who used to sit infront of me, he could clearly hear the obscenities, must have been **** to hear your own fans screaming at the top of their voice that you were sh*t

 

[Jordinho]

Phil Ifil

As a schoolboy Philip Nathan Ifil attended Gladstone Park Primary School and Willesden High. His mother is Greek-Cypriot and his father is from the West Indies. He played for Springfield Football Club based in Kingsbury, London before signing for Tottenham Hotspur as a teenager. He was a regular in our academy and reserve teams from the 2001/02 season.

The summer of 2003 saw Phil called up to the England squad in the Under 20 World Cup held in the UAE. A disastrous 3 games saw England finish bottom of group D with just 1 point, drawing 0-0 with Colombia. England lost the other group games to Japan and Egypt, both 1-0. Ifil’s only appearance of the competition was in the defeat to Egypt. He has played for England at additional levels in the Under-16, 17, 18 and 19 set ups.

Ifil was given his Spurs debut starting right back in the opening game of the 04/05 season at home to Liverpool which finished in a 1-1 draw. Martin Jol praised the youngster as “one of the big prospects in England as a right full-back” after his second start at St James Park the following week. He appeared in a Carling Cup fixture against Burnley in November 2004 but seemingly went off the first team radar afterwards.

He skippered the academy side that lost to Ipswich in the FA Youth Cup Semi final in mid 2005. A loan stint with Millwall followed and gave the youngster some more first team experience in a relegation threatened time at The Den. During the summer of 2005, Phil was part of the England U19 squad who were beaten in the final of the European Championships to France. An unused sub in the final, but Phil started 2 of the other 4 games.

Ifil started at right back in our 3-1 Carling Cup victory over Port Vale at the Lane in November 2006 playing the whole 120 minutes as the game was won in Extra Time. The following week he signed a new contract and again received extensive praise from Martin Jol “I wanted him to extend his contract because I think he is a terrific player”. Phil’s next league outing would be in a 3-3 draw with Wigan in April 2007 at the JJB Stadium playing in an out of position role at left back.

In September 2007 Phil joined Southampton on a 3 month loan deal which saw him make a dozen appearances. He caught the eye of Colchester and joined them for an undisclosed 6 figure sum in January 2008. He scored his only two career goals so far in as many games against Brighton on 11 December 2009. and Southend United on Boxing Day 2009. In two and a half season at Colchester he played under managers Geraint Williams, Kit Symons, Paul Lambert, Joe Dunne and Aidy Boothroyd. When the latter departed the club a contract offer which was sitting nicely on the table was withdrawn.

Unsuccessful trials at Crystal Palace and Watford allowed Dagenham and Redbridge to take Ifil on a one year deal for the 10/11 season where he featured infrequently. He was released by The Daggers after one season and snapped up by Conference outfit Kettering Town. Unfortunately he could do little to prevent Kettering’s financial problems off the pitch, a 3 point deduction ensured relegation resulting in the club finishing rock bottom with just 30 points.

Ifil had a trial with Wrexham in January 2013 in the hope of winning a contract with the Welsh club.

More recent photo:

Sources: wikipedia and The C0ckerel Crows

An article from his time at Dagenham:

At 23, I couldn't believe I was on the scrapheap, says Phil Ifil

Ifil is just another example of how a talented English youngster has been allowed to slip through the net at a Premier League club as they chase the prize money and kudos that playing in Europe has to offer.

The right-back was one of the brightest prospects to come through Tottenham's academy over the past decade, having been at the club since he was eight years old.

He made his debut at home against Liverpool aged just 17 in 2004 and clearly still had the backing of former manager Martin Jol three years later when the Dutchman said: "He's a real Spurs player, a home-grown player with a great mentality and a very good career ahead of him."

And yet while Tottenham were participating in the biggest game in their history against Young Boys last month to qualify for the group stages of Europe's premier club competition, the 23-year-old was arguably in a more important fight, that of saving his crumbling career.

For Ifil's name was on a 31-page list of free agents which included Jeremie Aliadiere, Lee Hendrie, Francis Jeffers and Nigel Quashie.

It is a frightening prospect for any young footballer, let alone one who also has a 12-month-old son to look after. He said: "It was scary because I have more responsibilities, I have a family, I have a little boy.

"It did go through my mind sometimes how I was going to provide for him. Football is changing now. People are becoming more aware of what they want and are not handing out contracts like they used to.

"Nowadays people don't care what you've done in the past, it's the now. There are more experienced players than me still looking for a club.

"But I always believed I would get a club, not because I was over-confident but you have to believe in yourself.

"I just wanted to prove to myself that I was not going to fall out of the game which is so easy to do.

"I know a lot of players from the time I came through who are no longer playing. Football is a very emotional game and some people get disappointments and come back, while others just want to move on."

The former England Under-20 international took the hard decision to leave White Hart Lane in January 2008 when the club moved to sign Alan Hutton and Chris Gunter to push him lower down the pecking order.

He joined Colchester United, who were then in the Championship, after loan spells at Millwall and Southampton in a bid to get the first-team football he craved to develop his career.

Things were going well, despite relegation to League One a few months later, until the departure of manager Aidy Boothroyd in May resulted in the offer of a new contract being withdrawn by the club.

Now he was facing the prospect of competing with a number of professionals in a similar position with a much harder task to impress, especially once the new season got under way.

He added: "It's difficult for clubs to take you on if you haven't played any games and it's really hard to prove things in training.

"I had to keep my fitness up on my own, too, and I employed a personal trainer. It is something you have to do, you have to look after yourself. People aren't going to do it for you.

"I went to Crystal Palace for two weeks, then I went to Watford for another couple of weeks and that's when Dagenham stepped in earlier this month.

"John Still gave me an opportunity and I was thankful for that. I just want to repay him and show the club that they made the right decision.

"I will always be able to say I made my professional debut against Liverpool but I don't want to look back. I'm 23, I'm not at the end of my career. I have to work hard and do my best at Dagenham first.

"We are in the bottom three at the moment but I believe we have the quality to stay in League One.

"It is still early in the season and no one thought that Southampton would be down there.

"We're not worried about it at the moment, the level of performances recently have been good.

"We drew 2-2 at Charlton and Colchester recently which showed we're not scared of anyone."

One would think it would be human nature for Ifil to take one look at Dagenham's rustic Victoria Road Stadium, which holds just over 6,000 people, and reminisce about the time he played in front of 35,000 fans just a few miles away at White Hart Lane.

But Ifil said: "I'm really enjoying my time at Dagenham, still loving football and am doing everything I can to get back to the top."

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/at-23-i-couldnt-believe-i-was-on-the-scrapheap-says-phil-ifil-6519393.html

 

[Jordinho]

Mark Yeates

Mark Stephen Anthony Yeates started his career at Tottenham as a 17-year old in 2002. Playing as a winger, his first taste of professional football came in loan spells with Brighton & Hove Albion and Swindon Town during the 2003–04 season. Loaned to Swindon as part of the transfer to Spurs of Swindon player Leigh Mills, Yeates only played four games before being returned to White Hart Lane after a disagreement with then manager Andy King. He made his Spurs debut against Wolves on the final day of the 2003–04 Premier League season, setting up a goal for Robbie Keane. In the 2004-05 season he made two more Premier League substitute appearances, picking up one yellow card, and one FA Cup substitute appearance.

In the 2005–06 season, Yeates lost his squad number to Jermaine Jenas and instead went on a long term loan to Colchester United, scoring five league goals, as they achieved promotion from League One. Prior to 2006–07 Yeates signed a two-year contract extension with Spurs. He joined Championship team Hull City on a season-long loan, but hardly featured for them before returning to his parent club midway through the season. He then signed a loan contract until the end of the 2006–07 season with another Championship side, Leicester City. He scored on his Leicester début at the Walkers Stadium in a 1–1 draw with Luton Town. On 25 April 2007, having only featured 16 times for Leicester, and not once under caretaker manager Nigel Worthington, he was allowed to return to Spurs after being deemed surplus to requirements.

On 3 July 2007 he completed a permanent move to Colchester United. Yeates was set to sign for Crystal Palace Football Club, but due to the fact that he failed his medical, the transfer was abandoned. He had a productive year in League One, during which time, he scored the first competitive goal at the new Colchester Community Stadium in a game against Oldham.

Yeates then signed for newly relegated Championship team Middlesbrough for £500,000 on 26 June 2009. In and out of the team in the first part of the season, he scored what turned out to be his only goal for Middlesbrough in their 5–1 win over QPR in December 2009. After finding himself surplus to requirements under new boss Gordon Strachan, Yeates signed for Boro's Championship rivals Sheffield United. Having made the move, Yeates found himself playing no more regularly at Bramall Lane than at Middlesbrough. In an eighteen month stay, he was in and out of the side and never showed any real consistency. By the time Micky Adams took over as manager of the Blades, Yeates was virtually frozen out of the first team all together.

In July 2011, Yeates signed for Watford on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He scored on his debut against Burnley to put Watford 2–0 up, with the game finishing 2–2. Yeates was a regular in the Watford side up until their FA Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur on 27 January, in which he lost his place to Sean Murray. However, he continued to make substitute appearances and retained his place in the squad the following season under then-new manager, Gianfranco Zola. On 7 June 2013, Watford announced that Yeates' contract would not be renewed and he was to be released as a free agent.

On 3 July 2013, Yeates signed a two-year contract with Bradford City, the third time that Yeates had worked under manager Phil Parkinson, having previously played under him at Hull City and Colchester United.

Yeates has 3 Republic of Ireland U21 caps and 1 Republic of Ireland B cap.

---

10 clubs, 10 years, one unfulfilled ambition for Mark Yeates

Bradford's Mark Yeates has taken road less travelled but still holds out hope of Ireland call

TEN CLUBS in ten years. Mark Yeates sits back and ponders the truth in the statement. He didn't envisage his career going this way, but then every kid starting on the ladder dreams of staying at the top table forever. Only a lucky few enjoy that privilege.

For everyone else, it's about surviving on the carousel, taking the rough with the smooth and dealing with the variety of characters that populate the levels below the Premier League.

Yeates could write a book on it. The Dubliner is a big personality, a 28-year-old with plenty of stories to tell from a journey that has brought him up and down England, from a promising youth at Tottenham Hotspur to his current home at Bradford, with a number of different stops along the way. It's a transient existence.

Affinity

"Unless you've had a long affinity with a club, it's hard to get really attached," he says, matter of factly. "Lloyd Doyley, a close friend of mine, has been at Watford since he was a kid – it's something you don't see a lot of these days and I admire him massively for that. I've had to take a different route."

His arms are informative, covered in tattoos that offer an insight to his mind and motivations.

"I've enough ink on me now," he laughs. On his right arm, beneath a colourful maze of artwork, he wears the statement, 'Live every day like it's your last', a suitable motto for the subject. The message on the left arm has far more emotional significance. It simply reads, 'Dad'.

*******

He's been thinking about his father a lot this summer. A pre-season trip to Athlone set off the nostalgia. The reporter from the 'Bradford Telegraph & Argus' who made the journey was sitting in a bar when the subject of Yeates came up with a local who happened to be an Athlone Town fan.

Discussion turned to Bradford's recent capture because the former St Mel's regular remembered his father, Stephen, lighting up the old venue in his brief stint there.

"Steo" was a well-known figure in football circles in the late '80s and early '90s, spending time with Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers, Athlone and Kilkenny and then playing on in the junior game. He was a special talent, a trickster and an outgoing soul who was popular with his peers. In 2002, on the day that Mark was playing for Tottenham Hotspur youths, he died tragically, aged just 39.

"He was still a young man," his son reflects. "It's a long time ago now, but you do have your days when you get a bit down and think about it.

"This summer was one of the longest summers I've had back in Dublin, and I pretty much spent most of it in Tallaght.

"They do a game for Dad every year, his old Shels side, they run a charity day with a few teams. Greenhills College, the last team he played for, are represented, and then just a mixture of other lads that played with him.

"It's a great day, and it's nice to see him in a good light, and hear about what a character he was. It's just a pity that he never got to see me play over here in first-team football."

His grandfather Tony, Stephen's dad, stepped in to provide guidance and is a frequent visitor with whom he speaks every day. Tony is another unique individual, not shy about speaking his mind. After taking in the Irish tour games with Athlone and Bohemians, he sidled over to Yeates' manager Phil Parkinson in the aftermath of the second match at Dalymount. "Jaysus," he announced, "You were a lot better the other night."

Yeates grins as he delivers the anecdote, adding that his boss took it well.

Swooped

He enjoys working with Parkinson; having previously spent time under the 45-year-old's stewardship at Colchester and Hull. After parting company with Watford at the end of the season, he had interest from the Championship, with Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday keen without acting in a hurry. Parkinson swooped and offered assurance in the sense that he values the attacking midfielder's approach and wanted to make him a focal part of Bradford's plans.

The downside was a drop to League One, which he got past because of the rising profile on foot of their charge to the League Cup final and then play-off success at Wembley.

He has trained in more salubrious environments. Bradford rent pitches from a school based off a main road and have erected a sign to stop local kids having a kickabout on summer evenings, even if they don't have the manpower to fully police it.

On the day we meet, Yeates finishes the morning session by embarking on the long walk to a dressing-room past children playing cricket on a summer camp.

There's a positive attitude around the place, though, a quiet confidence that another promotion charge this year is possible, and the sale of 14,000 season tickets illustrates the depth of support in the Yorkshire city. And, with a partner and child to support, Yeates needs to find a settled base where he has the security of a manager who understands him. His journey (which he details club by club in the accompanying panel) has been peppered by false starts.

"I need to find somewhere for the long haul," he explains.

It would be easy to attach the journeyman label but it doesn't sit right with his style – Yeates is not the stereotypical grafter scrapping away to do a job.

By contrast, he is a technically adept performer who has struggled at certain stages because the manager who took a chance on his ability left, and was replaced by someone with a different philosophy. At Middlesbrough, Gareth Southgate made way for Gordon Strachan. At Sheffield United, Gary Speed left and Micky Adams stepped in.

"Listen," he says, leaning back into his seat. "My style definitely doesn't suit certain managers or maybe the way I approach games. I've played my best in football-orientated teams. Other managers are a bit more solid and direct and I don't suit them. That's the harsh reality of football."

As a kid at Spurs, he was given a chance in the first-team squad by Martin Jol and was close to making the grade without quite getting across the line.

A succession of loan stints led to a permanent move to Colchester, then a Championship outfit. His real big move was to Middlesbrough in 2009.

"They'd just come down from the Premier League and were looking to go straight back up," he recalls.

Southgate's sacking still rankles; Strachan arrived with different ideas, dispatched Yeates to Sheffield United, brought in a raft of Scots and failed to meet the promotion target.

After a similar experience with Adams halted a promising time in Sheffield, Sean Dyche recruited him to Watford. Yet again, change was imminent.

Yeates clicked quite well with Gianfranco Zola and regularly featured last term, although a clause in his contract which would be activated if he reached a certain number of appearances was an obstacle. The Pozzo family who run the club have an unusual approach to player recruitment, however, with a multitude of loan players ferried in from Udinese.

"You'll be training one day and then you look up and you find 14 new lads next to you," Yeates says. "In the space of two years, practically the entire squad was changed."

Leaving was a wrench, as London is the closest thing to home in England. After sporadic stays in hotels and apartments, he owns a house there. Upping sticks again was a chore.

"It's very hard," he says, "With a missus and kid, it's not just me moving around. She has family in Leeds, which makes it easier for her, and I'm hoping I can settle here. I've moved to Guiseley, on the outskirts of Leeds, next to the airport and I've plenty of family coming over so I'm positive about the whole thing."

He would like to have professional reasons to fly back across the Irish Sea more frequently, but international recognition has eluded him since he starred in a 'B' international with Scotland in 2007.

"I'm surprised that I haven't been invited to some get-togethers," he admits. "I've seen some other lads (get called) and I think, well, I've been playing at a high level for so long now, for some great clubs, so I'm going to get a call-up. But, listen, if it happens, it happens; if not, you've got to get on with club football.

"Down in League One it'll be a lot harder. I'm not being big-headed but I played 35 times in the Championship last year for a team that reached the play-offs.

"I know, deep down, I'm probably a Championship footballer. Wes Hoolahan didn't get into the side until he was 30/31 and he had to play League One with Norwich and go up that route. There's plenty of boys that have done it."

That remains the ambition, yet he knows that making it this far in the profession is an achievement, given that so many ex-colleagues have fallen by the wayside and drifted from the sport completely. Ultimately, it's why he retains a cheery disposition.

The toing and froing between the clubs is far from ideal but the bigger picture is that he's done reasonably well financially from an endeavour he enjoys. The employer changes, yet the job satisfaction is the same.

"Football has given me everything," he says. "It's the best job in the world. You have the craic every morning with 20 lads, and then at the weekend you get to go out in front of big crowds and kick a ball around. It's any lad's dream, no matter what level you play at. I'll never take it for granted."

Life has taught him to expect surprises around the corner. After a decade packed full of twists and turns, he's ready to embrace certainty.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/10-clubs-10-years-one-unfulfilled-ambition-for-mark-yeates-29563482.html

 

[Grays_1890]

I watched Jamie Slabber for 3 seasons at Grays Athletic and he was a quality player. He has moved on to be a real non league legend.

 

[Jordinho]

Danny Hill

Daniel Ronald Louis Hill was born in Enfield and started his career as a Tottenham Hotspur trainee. He was at the club from 1992 to 1998, making a total of 13 first team appearances. During his time at Spurs he also had loan spells at Birmingham City, Watford and Cardiff City making a total of 15 appearances with these clubs.

Before November 2010, Spurs' last win (and until then only Premier League victory) away against Arsenal was a 3-1 success at Highbury on May 11, 1993. Having beaten Doug Livermore's Tottenham 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final a month previously, Arsenal boss George Graham opted to rest several key players ahead of the final against Sheffield Wednesday and paid the price with a North London derby defeat. Teddy Sheringham got Spurs' first in the 39th minute and John Hendry added two more after the break as Tottenham finished the season in eighth place.

Spurs' team that day: Ian Walker, David McDonald, Pat Van den Hauwe, Danny Hill, Gary Mabbutt, Neil Ruddock, Steve Sedgley, John Hendry, Darren Anderton, Teddy Sheringham, Paul Allen.

In summer 1998 Danny signed for Oxford, making 10 appearances for United before quickly moving on to Cardiff City that November. After 69 appearances and 4 goals for Cardiff, Danny signed on a free transfer for Dagenham & Redbridge in July 2001.

According to a Daggers fansite: Danny is an excellent midfielder who is instrumental in building attacks when he plays. In 2001/02 he played some blinding games and scored vital goals, including one that is rated one of the best ever at Victoria Road against Stalybridge Celtic.

In 2002/03 Danny struggled to regain his form of the previous season and his opportunities in the first team were limited. He has signed an extension to his contract though and remains a class act for the Daggers.

He stayed with them until 2005. His latest known whereabouts was in 2007 when he played for Billericay in the Ryman League Premier Division and worked as a part-time plumber.

 

[Jordinho]

Andy Booth

Andrew David Booth was born in Huddersfield, England. He began his career playing for his home town club as a trainee, making his first team debut at age 18 as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat at Fulham in March 1992, but had to wait until November that year to score his first goal (in a 2–2 draw at Blackpool) for the club. A few more goals followed in the 1992–93 season, but it was the season after, the last at Huddersfield Town's Leeds Road ground, that he really forced his way into the first team. Partnered with Ronnie Jepson, Booth netted 29 goals, of which six came in two hat-tricks, and finished the season by scoring one more in the play-offs, guiding the Terriers to promotion into Division One. His efforts got him international recognition and earned him an England debut for the England Under-21s. Then-manager Neil Warnock described him as "the best header of a ball outside the Premier League". The next season, in which Huddersfield finished just outside the playoff spots in the division above proved to be the last Booth would play for Huddersfield after four seasons, during which he had scored 53 league goals for the club.

In the summer of 1996, Sheffield Wednesday bought Booth for £2.7 million, and his goal-scoring form continued into the Premiership, scoring 13 goals for the Owls as they finished seventh in his first season making him the club's highest goal scorer for that season. In his second season with Wednesday, he scored only seven goals and Booth was never to reach double figures in the Premiership again. Despite this, Booth had many highlights at Sheffield Wednesday including a hat-trick on his return to the team following an operation, against Bolton Wanderers. Booth stayed with Wednesday until 2001, a period which included their relegation from the top flight.

It was during his final season with the Owls that he made his final Premiership appearances. He joined Spurs on loan for a month as cover for injured strikers Les Ferdinand, Steffen Iversen and Chris Armstrong. His agent Garry dingdonginson said: "It's a dream move for him. Spurs are a huge club and I think he'll do very well. It's a chance for Andy to prove himself at the highest level once again".

Booth, 27, played under Tottenham director of football David Pleat at Wednesday and scored the First Division club's goal in their 3-1 FA Cup defeat at Southampton on Saturday. "It's unusual for us to make a loan signing but we felt we wanted to give Les the maximum chance to rehabilitate from his hamstring injury," said Pleat. "We don't want to force him back too quickly because we have a heavy schedule coming up. We felt we needed a little more strength to go with Sergei Rebrov to give him a fair opportunity."

Making his debut against West Ham, Booth provided battling support to his strike partner, but couldn’t find the net. The powerful centre forward struggled in his following 3 games, eventually returning to Wednesday, and his Wednesday career came to an end shortly after his return to Hillsborough.

In March 2001, Huddersfield Town were struggling towards the bottom of Division One. On 22 March they paid Sheffield Wednesday £200,000 for the services of Booth, who returned with the intention of scoring the goals that would help him avoid his second successive relegation, and keep the club he had supported as a boy in the division he helped them reach. However, his goals were not sufficient and Huddersfield Town were relegated. In his first full season back with the club, he helped them into the play-offs. Despite another goal for Booth, Huddersfield lost to Brentford and were denied the opportunity to bounce straight back. Worse was to follow next season, when Booth's six goals did little to help his team avoid relegation, and they fell into the bottom division for the first time since 1980.

Despite this setback, Booth stayed with Huddersfield Town and his experienced head was crucial in guiding a team of youngsters through a difficult season, culminating in a drop into the play-offs on the last day of the season. This time, though, Huddersfield were victorious at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Now plying their trade in League One, Huddersfield have been in the upper reaches of that league since their return. Booth has scored 23 goals in that period, including his 100th league goal for the club (after which a DVD was released showing all 100 goals) and a hat-trick, all headers, on 18 March 2006 against Rotherham United.

At the end of the 2005–06 season, following another play-off appearance (defeat against Barnsley over two legs), Booth had scored 12 goals for Huddersfield Town. To commemorate Booth's service to the club, Town played a testimonial match against Spanish La Liga side Real Sociedad on 25 July 2006. The game finished 0–0 in front of over 7,000 people. On 1 February 2007, he signed a one year extension to his contract till the summer of 2008. On 15 February 2008, Huddersfield Town fans gave a petition to Parliament that would allow a statue of him to be erected in Huddersfield. On 26 April 2008, he became the first player to sign a contract extension under new manager Stan Ternent, which would keep him at the club until the summer of 2009.

On 22 April 2009, Booth announced his intention to retire from playing and become an ambassador for the club. His playing registration will be kept by the club, in case he is required in the future. On 25 April 2009, in his final appearance at the Galpharm Stadium, Booth was made captain of the Huddersfield team. He opened the scoring in a 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion to score his 149th goal for the club. After being substituted in the last few minutes of the match, Booth earned a standing ovation from both Huddersfield and Brighton fans. The following week, in his final match for the Terriers, he scored his 150th goal for the club in the 1-1 draw against Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road. That puts him in 3rd place on the all-time list behind Jimmy Glazzard and George Brown. His 452 appearances put him in 4th place on the appearances list.

Since retiring he has become a club ambassador for Huddersfield Town and has his own column in the Huddersfield Examiner: http://www.examiner.co.uk/all-about/andy%20booth

Here's a match report from his very first Spurs game, written by Daniel Wynne:

Andy Booth arrived at White Hart Lane on Tuesday and he was straight into the action last night at the Boleyn Ground.

The reaction to his loan signing was mixed to put it mildly. Sheffield Wednesday fans were out on the streets of the steel city celebrating whilst many Spurs fans were talking of our club having reached an all time low.

I knew his scoring record at Hillsborough was not exactly prolific, but he surely can't be as bad as everyone is making out.

So off I went to Upton Park not exactly excited at the prospect of seeing our new signing make his debut, more curious than anything.

Early rumours of adding insult to injury by handing him Ginola's number 14 shirt were soon quoshed as Andy took to the field sporting the number 19 on his back.

The Spurs faithfull gave him a good reception and he can even boast his own song, which is more than star striker Sergei Rebrov can talk about. To the tune the Mancs (or should I say Surrey boys) sing Andy Cole's name to we sang Oh Andy Booth, Andy Andy Andy Booth.

Booth made a brisk start, winning headers and holding the ball up well. He was prepared to get stuck in and even rose above the defenders to score with a bullet header only for the linesman to rule it out for offside.

That header was his only real chance on goal but at least he converted it.

He ran all night and tired somewhat towards the end.

It's fair to say he will not set the world alight, but for a month, he will help us out for the league games.

After one game, I'm not sure what all the fuss was about. It will be interesting to see how he performs in front of the demanding home supporters on Saturday against Charlton.

http://www.tottenhamhotspur-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/oh_andy_booth_andy_andy_andy_booth_3702/index.shtml

 

[Jordinho]

Dave McEwen

David McEwen was earning rave reviews banging in goals at South London’s Isthmian League behemoths Dulwich Hamlet. The upshot of the hot McEwen form was a rave review from Spurs Director of Football, David Pleat, and in January 2000 Dave’s footballing story took a somewhat dramatic course with a transfer from Hamlet to those mighty Spurs themselves.

Peter Crouch said in his autobiography that, in early 2000, he had high hopes of making the grade at Tottenham. He was a well thought of, if ungainly, 19 year old and he felt he was progressing nicely towards the first team squad, but by March that year, Crouchy’s world was starting to unravel. Pleat didn’t much fancy him and he found himself loaned out to Dave’s former club, Dulwich, where the fans quickly and unkindly dubbed him the 20 Foot Chicken. Crouch scored on his debut in a 2-1 defeat to Billericay Town and it got steadily worse from there. No more goals and several defeats followed and Spurs sent him to Sweden to work on his dance moves.

McEwen was, relatively, living the dream by replacing Steffen Iversen in a last gasp Premier League draw against Derby at White Hart Lane. McEwen’s debut was perhaps more famous for the start-of-the-end for luxuriously quaffed Frenchman David Ginola, who was replaced by enthusiastic young buck Matt Etherington. Replacing GHod with a raw youngster at 1-0 down to a poor Derby team understandably enraged the WHL faithful and their reaction to this probably didn’t much help the other incoming sub. The reaction was, though, understandable because this act of blasphemy was meted out by ex-Gooner Stewart Houston, while standing in for fellow ex-Gooner boss, George Graham, who was convalescing in hospital.

Blazing a header over and missing a sitter was maybe not the ideal debut for McEwen but he had at least shown promise and had made his Premier League debut. He also, arguably, played his part in ratcheting up the pressure on a Derby goal that was finally breached in the last minute by Stephen Clemence to ensure a draw.

At the end of that season Dave had lived the dream by moving from non-league to Premier League and could look forward to the promise of more appearances with the ****erel on his chest. Crouch, on the other hand, was informed he was surplus to requirements and was offloaded to QPR for a nominal fee that suggested he might be one of the many promising footballers who slipped slowly down the leagues and out of the game. After a typically erratic start to a Spurs season, Dave might have expected to at least have got a shout before Christmas. Sir Les and Rebrov were failing to hit it off and Iversen was injured, but George Graham was coming under huge pressure to produce and he wasn’t about to risk it on a young(ish) untried striker.

The call didn’t come until January when Graham was desperate, Les’ ageing body was starting to fail and Iversen was crocked (again). Even then a rather unhappy Rebrov first ploughed a lone furrow in George Graham’s plans. Having finally got the nod, Dave played in three successive games that January, all scoreless draws in which he barely got a sniff. McEwen never added to his three January games, never got any more game time and couldn’t impress the boss enough to extricate himself from the reserves. At the end of the 2001 season Spurs kept on French youngster Yannick Kamanan and added Teddy Sheringham to the squad. There was no room for McEwen and his contract was not renewed.

Across London, Crouch had made a fairly inauspicious start to his QPR career but that was suddenly shot in the arm by six goals in six winter games. It was now 2001 and, very briefly, things were looking decidedly rosy. However, after the brief spring awakening, QPR’s form suddenly caved in and they went on to be relegated from the Championship, with Crouch scoring just 3 goals in the last 21 games of the season. With just 12 goals in a relegated team, things also looked uncertain for Crouch. With an illogical leap of faith, not to mention stretch of wallet, Pompey shelled out a frankly astonishing £1.5million on QPR’s 10 goal bean pole which, ironically, allowed QPR to sign his replacement in the form of one Dave McEwen.

What happened to Crouchy after that is the stuff of robots and a swirling, whirling round of odd and expensive transfers that saw him pitch up back at the place his career appeared to have ended, Spurs. But what happened to Dave McEwen? It could be said that McEwen’s QPR career was as uneventful as his Spurs career. He made six appearances and not only were none of them victories, Dave failed to find the net and was released the following year.

A spell at Hertford Town followed but Dave’s professional football career was over at the age of 25. This was particularly impressive given he’d only arrived in it at the age of 23. Dave’s late arrival in football was entirely down to his decision to complete his Business Degree at the University of London and he went on to work as a trader in the city.

Source: http://therealfacup.co.uk/2011/02/11/diverging-paths/

Programme: Dave McEwen

As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining and that's certainly been the case here this season.

While a number of our more experienced stars have been sidelined through injury, their absence has opened the door for many of our younger players, presenting them with opportunities in the first team they may not have expected so early in their careers.

Nobody is more aware of this than Dave McEwen, our 23-year-old striker who, in the space of just over a year, has gone from non-league football to the Premiership.

Dave is very much a realist and knows that his chance has only arisen due to the prolonged absence of Steffen Iversen, Les Ferdinand and Chris Armstrong in attack, but he is also mindful of the fact that, if you get your opportunity, you have to take it.

"Obviously, I would rather be in the squad on merit and because I am banging in the goals for the reserves, leaving the manager no option but to pick me," says Dave. "But it doesn't really matter how you get into the first team squad, once you are there that's it. You just have to try to do your best and hope you perform well enough to get another chance.

"Opportunities like these don't come around very often and you have to make the most of them."

McEwen made his debut last season here against Derby County in April but then had to wait until last month for his next appearance. He replaced Willem Korsten in the 63rd minute of our Premiership clash at Goodison Park, but the whole occasion was one surprise after another.

"I was only called into the squad at the very last minute on the Friday, just before the coach was due to leave," explains Dave. "I had to rush home and get my stuff, but I was delighted to be included. Once in the squad I then didn't expect to be on the bench, and then I certainly wasn't expecting to play."

He was then back on the bench the following game here against Southampton and was presented with another opportunity to further his footballing education when he replaced Les in the early stages of the game.

However, despite having time to make his mark on the match, Dave was disappointed with his performance. "I just felt in the Southampton game that I didn't do as well as I could have done, I didn't express myself enough or play with enough confidence," he says. "That was disappointing for me."

The final part in his trilogy of appearances came at Upton Park, once again as a substitute. "Suddenly, I'm playing against the likes of Di Canio, Cole, and Carrick, quality players and it's a great feeling as well as being good experience."

Unfortunately though, Dave's run of games ended when he too picked up an injury from which he is still recovering today.

"I took a knock in training at the base of my left ankle, but I'm relieved to hear it's not as bad as first thought," reveals Dave. "But it means I'm missing out on more potential appearances which is obviously frustrating. I just have to rest to give it time to recover."

Now that he has broken into the squad, Dave is anxious to stay there and he believes this is just the right club for players like himself as the coaching staff are not afraid of blooding youngsters into the first team.

"It's been excellent for the younger players this season," he says. "It helps that some of them have done really well and had extended runs in the side, such as Ledley King, Gary Doherty and Alton Thelwell. It gives the manager confidence to use more young players and it gives people like myself a boost too, knowing that if you're playing well enough you will be given a chance."

As for the remainder of the season, McEwen feels we've got plenty to look forward to and that even the league is not the lost cause many people are predicting.

"Once we get our players back from injury and now that we are starting to transfer our home form into our away games, we can get a good run going and squeeze into the top six," he says. "The FA Cup isn't just our last resort, we could be in with a shout of Europe in the league.

"We have to feel optimistic about the Cup as well. Today's game will be a hard match, we realise that having already played lower league opposition in Birmingham City and Brentford. We can't take games like this lightly, but it is a great chance to progress into the quarter finals."

http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/programme-dave-mcewen-170201/

 

[Jordinho]

Kazuyuki Toda

Kazuyuki Toda is a footballer from the the city of Machida in the western part of the Tokyo metropolitan area in Japan. Playing in midfield, he started out at Toin Gakuen High School before joining Shimizu S-Pulse at the age of 18 in 1996. He played in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, 2000 Olympic football tournament, was part of the squad that finished runners-up at the 2001 Confederations Cup and the Japanese team that reached the Round of 16 at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He did not play for Japan again after the world cup, stopping at 20 caps.

In 2003 Toda was brought to Spurs on a year long loan. His arrival prompted a row with Sunderland, who believed he was going to sign for them, having had a trial with the North-East club. They had been so impressed by his commitment during the first training match of his trial the Wearsiders' management had to take him out of the play as he was a little too enthusiastic. The rumours were that Sunderland could not meet Shimizu's asking price and legend has it that in the middle of the night, his agent took him down to London to sign for Spurs.

He was signed to be an understudy for the defensive role in the middle of the park, but in reserve appearances and in the brief first team chances he has had, it did not appear that he had the necessary attributes to adapt to the Premiership standard. Although he gave some impressive displays in the World Cup of 2002 in his own country, he was never more than OK for Spurs and ended on 4 appearances. If anything, he became better known for his outrageously coloured hairstyles and later for being spotted spitting at David Beckham in a friendly against Real Madrid on the Spanish side's tour of the Far East. His reputation as a hard man in Japan didn't translate to the Premier League and he seemed only to be able to try to reinforce it after he left Spurs by getting over-physical. This caused his absence from the national team once Zico took over, as he lacked in technical skills which the Brazilian was looking for in his players.

Cynics say that he was signed as a marketing ploy by the club to get the name of Tottenham Hotspur known in the Far East, but only by playing a footballer from that country would they make a sustained amount of money and raise the profile of the club in that part of the world. In Toda's case, he was not the player to make that impact for the club.

In 2004 he went on loan to ADO Den Haag in Holland, but failed to make a big enough impact there to keep the side safe from relegation and he was soon going back to Japan to play a season for Tokyo Verdy where Ossie Ardiles was manager, previously having worked with him at Shimizu. When relegation for Verdy happened at the end of the 2005 J-League season, the midfield man moved on to Sanfreece Hiroshima in late 2005 on loan and then the deal was made permanent.

Since then he's played for a few Japanese and South Korean clubs, before ending his career in the Singaporean league with Warriors Football Club in 2013.

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Warriors Football Club marquee signing for the 2013 S.League campaign, Kazuyuki Toda, have officially announced his retirement in a meeting with the club General Manager, Chong Wei Chiang, a week ago. A marquee signing for the club, Toda was a favourite with the fans and well like by his peers in the dressing room and also a leader on the pitch.

With his playing career behind him now, the former Japanese international is now planning the next stage in his post-professional football career, and hopes to one day return to Europe as a coach.

“I still love playing football, but now I am interested in coaching. I am still thinking which category is best for me. I love coaching with kids, and I want to help them improve not only as a footballer but as human being.” expressed Toda to the club’s media team

“Honestly, I want to coach in Europe, maybe in England or Holland, as I had played in those countries before. But I am planning to start first in Japan.” added the Japan Football Association ‘B’ License holder

The 35-year old started his career with Shimizu S-Pulse in 1996 and his impressive performance in the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, caught the eyes of Europeans clubs and he eventually signed for English Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspurs (Spurs).

“It is difficult to choose my best moments in Europe as my career is not fantastic there. I just want to be a good player and gave my best. England has one of the best league in the world and the level of football is high there.” explained Toda who made his debut for Spurs in a 2-0 loss against Emirates Marketing Project on 18th April 2003.

While Toda acknowledged his career in Europe is nothing to boast about, he feel that his journey to that part of the world and his international experience would be useful as he embark on his coaching career.

“Every country has different elements and I am fortunate to play in several countries. I am able to see the different style of coaching and training. In future, I want to share all these experience with the youths and players.” admitted Toda who made the switch from Spurs to Netherlands outfit ADO Den Haag in 2004.

Toda will return to Japan on 11th December 2013 and the club would like to wish him success as he pursue his dreams of becoming a top football coach. All the best Kazuyuki Toda!

http://www.safwarriors.com.sg/former-japan-international-kazuyuki-toda-set-sights-on-a-return-to-europe/

 

[Enzo Francescoli]

Fantastic thread, thanks for the effort.