Spurs Legends

[Jordinho]

Jamie Redknapp

Jamie Frank Redknapp was born in Barton on Sea, Hampshire and started his career at Tottenham Hotspur as a youth player, but turned down their offer of a contract in order to play for Bournemouth under his father.

He made 13 appearances for the club before attracting the attention of Liverpool, who signed him on 15 January 1991. Kenny Dalglish paid £350,000 for Redknapp, who was still only 17 at the time. He was one of the most expensively signed teenagers in English football around this time.

Following Dalglish's sudden decision to resign, Redknapp was part of a transitional Liverpool team under Graeme Souness. He spent most of his first two-and-a-half years as a substitute or in the reserves, missing the 1992 FA Cup Final triumph and only becoming a regular first-team player in the 1993–94 season, at the expense of Mark Walters. At this time, Redknapp had also become one of the mass-marketed poster boy icons of the newly developing FA Premier League where, alongside other photogenic young players like Manchester United players Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe, he was used ceaselessly in commercials, advertising spots and for the league's promotional purposes in merchandising and sales, with the result being that football stars had become idols on par with rock stars and pop stars.

Redknapp spent a decade at Merseyside, but barely played in his last two season due to injuries. Towards the end of the 2001-02 season he joined Tottenham on a free transfer, but didn't make his debut until the following season. The injuries followed him and he missed more games than he played.

In January 2005 he became his dad's first signing at Southampton. At the end of the season, on 19 June 2005, the 31-year-old Redknapp decided to retire from the game due to his constant injury problems and on the advice of his medical specialists.

 

[Jordinho]

Bobby Zamora

Robert Lester was born in Barking, London, and played his boyhood football at Senrab Football Club. A lifelong West Ham United fan, he started his footballing career as an apprentice at the club's "Academy of Football", but was released from the East London club on the same year group as Jlloyd Samuel, Fitz Hall and Paul Konchesky.

Zamora joined Bristol Rovers as a trainee in August 1999, making a total of six substitute appearances for Bristol Rovers in all competitions without scoring, before joining Bath City on a one-month loan in early 2000, where he scored eleven goals in eight games, and then Brighton & Hove Albion on loan in February 2000, scoring six goals in six games.

In August 2000, he made a permanent move to Brighton for £100,000. During his tenure he quickly established himself as a prolific goalscorer, breaking into the England under-21 team and attracting interest from several higher-division clubs. He scored 83 times for the club in 136 appearances, helping Brighton win two successive championships as the team won promotion into what became the Championship. The Brighton fans had a chant they used to sing in his honour, to the tune of Dean Martin's That's Amore: "When the ball hits the goal it's not Shearer or Cole, it's Zamora."

Having been watched for much of the previous two seasons by the then manager Glenn Hoddle, Zamora moved to Tottenham Hotspur for £1.5 million in July 2003. However, he struggled to gain a consistent first-team place at White Hart Lane, making only 18 cup and league appearances, eleven as substitute, and scoring a single goal, knocking West Ham United out of the League Cup in October 2003.

In January 2004, Zamora joined West Ham in a deal which saw Jermain Defoe go the other way to Tottenham Hotspur. In the 2004–05 season, Zamora scored 13 goals, including one in the first leg and two in the second leg of the Championship play-off semi-final against Ipswich Town and the only goal in West Ham's 1–0 victory over Preston North End in the Championship play-off final sending West Ham into the Premiership. In 2006 he received an FA Cup runners-up medal, missing a penalty in the shootout against Liverpool.

Zamora was the first player to score a winning goal against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in April 2007.

In July 2008, Zamora and team mate John Paintsil were signed by Fulham for a joint fee of £6.3 million, Zamora being £4.8 million of the total transfer fee. In his first season for Fulham, Zamora struggled to find the net, scoring just twice in 35 league appearances over the 2008–09 season,. After the season had finished, Fulham and Hull City agreed a fee on 15 July, which would have seen Zamora move to Hull for £5 million, but he decided to stay with Fulham in order to attempt to prove his critics wrong. The fans being more inclined to sign the alternate version of his song: "When the ball hits your head and your sat in row Z it's Zamora".

His fortunes didn't improve much in the league in his time at Fulham, reaching 8, 5 and 5 goals in the following seasons, but Zamora played a big part in their run to the Europa League final in 2010.

On 31 January 2012, Zamora joined West London neighbours Queens Park Rangers on a 2½-year contract from Fulham. Having picked up a higher number of injuries than goals scored in recent years, Zamora returned for the 2014 Championship playoff final and scored the only goal of the game in the 90th minute to return QPR to the Premier League after a one-season absence. In the summer he signed a one-year extension.

Zamora was called up for the England Under-21 squad for a friendly with Portugal in April 2002. Zamora was named in the England Under-21 squad for the 2002 European Under-21 Championship with David Platt, the then England Under-21 team manager, saying of him, "My mistake was not going to have a look at him earlier than I did. He's been in one squad, did very well in training and came on for 25 minutes and did great. If I need a goal and look at my bench and see a player who has scored 30 for the past two seasons, there is a chance he could come on. He warrants his place. [...]". Zamora was capped six times for the England Under-21 team.

Zamora was watched by the Trinidad and Tobago coach, Leo Beenhakker. However, Zamora turned down the chance of playing in the World Cup finals with Trinidad and Tobago, saying in August 2005, "Trinidad is my dad's country and to play in the finals would be a dream but West Ham are more important. I am only thinking about the club at the moment and do not want to be distracted from that.

On 7 August 2009, it was revealed that Zamora and Bolton Wanderers defender Jlloyd Samuel had received their Trinidadian passports, and would play for the Soca Warriors in their World Cup Qualifier against El Salvador on 12 August. However, Zamora did not get his first cap due to an injury he picked up while training.

His form in the 2009–10 season led to calls for Zamora to be called up to the England squad, and there had been rumours that Fabio Capello had been visiting Craven Cottage to look at his performances. However, due to an Achilles injury, he was not included in Fabio Capello's provisional squad of 30 players for the run-up to the 2010 World Cup,.

On 11 August 2010, Zamora won his first England cap in a friendly, coming on as a half time substitute against Hungary in a 2–1 win at Wembley. On 15 November 2011, Zamora made his full England debut by starting in the 1–0 friendly victory over Sweden at Wembley. He has not won any more caps since.

 

[Jordinho]

Nico Claesen

Nicolaas Pieter Claesen was born in Maasmechelen, Belgium, and started his professional career at R.F.C. Seraing, a club that has since been merged with Standard Liege. His prolific form for them saw him called up for Belgium and eventually earn a move to Stuttgart.

After one season in Germany he moved back to Belgium and Standard Liege, but he would soon be on the move again. Three goals for a Belgium side that finished fourth in the 1986 World Cup saw David Pleat spend £600,000 to bring him to Spurs.

He went straight into the team and impressed from the start. He scored his first goal in a 1-2 away defeat at Norwich in November and another as a sub in another away defeat, this time at Coventry. In January he managed a run of four goals in five games, but Pleat had other ideas. The signing of Steve Hodge signaled a switch to a 5-man midfield and with Clive Allen in unstoppable form Claesen was reduced to a sub, often used in a withdrawn role that didn't suit him.

The following season started much better, with Claesen racking up nine goals in all competitions by mid-October. Then Pleat left and Spurs dropped down the table. New manager Terry Venables felt he could disperse of Claesen and in August 1988 he joined Royal Antwerp for £550,000.

He remained in Belgium for the rest of his career, also playing for Germinal Ekeren, KV Oostende and Sint-Niklase SK, scoring goals wherever he went.

Since retiring in 2000 he has been involved in coaching at some lower league sides.

[video=youtube;LJ8Jiew1Z-Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ8Jiew1Z-Q[/video]

 

[Jordinho]

Ben Thatcher

Benjamin David Thatcher was born in Swindon, England. As a youth, Thatcher played Sunday League football for various amateur teams in London, before attending the Football Association (FA)'s School of Excellence at Lilleshall.

Upon graduation, he signed his first professional contract with Millwall, making his debut in the 1993–94 season at the age of 18. The following season he established himself in the Millwall first team, and scored his first goal as a professional. He was also called up to the England U21 side. He made more than 100 appearances for Millwall, and won their Player of the Year award for the 1995–96 season.

In the 1996 close season, he was transferred to Wimbledon F.C. for a fee of £1,840,000. In his first season at Wimbledon, Thatcher made only nine appearances, but played more regularly in subsequent seasons. After Wimbledon's relegation from the Premiership in the 1999–2000 season Thatcher moved to Tottenham Hotspur.

Thatcher cost Tottenham Hotspur a fee of around £5 million in the Summer of 2000. A few months after the transfer, Spurs manager George Graham was sacked, and Thatcher featured less frequently under successor Glenn Hoddle, though he was a member of the Spurs team for the 2002 League Cup final.

He subsequently moved to Leicester City in a £300,000 transfer deal in the summer 2003, immediately proceeding to attack Glenn Hoddle's style of management. In 2004 he opted to play for Wales, for whom he qualifies due to his Welsh grandmother, and made his international against against Hungary, in a 2–1 victory in March 2004. By October 2004 he had earned his seventh and final cap for Wales. After a single season at Leicester, Thatcher once again found himself in the arms of a relegated club, and moved to Emirates Marketing Project. He scored once in the league for Leicester, in a 4–4 draw with his former club Spurs.

His move to Emirates Marketing Project cost around £100,000. His Emirates Marketing Project debut came on the opening day of the 2004–05 season against Fulham. He was initially the first choice left-back at Emirates Marketing Project, but a combination of injuries and the emergence of Stephen Jordan limited him to 21 appearances in his first season for the club. In January 2005 Thatcher nearly joined Fulham for a fee of £500,000 after a series of burglaries unsettled his family, but the move fell through. His second Emirates Marketing Project season followed a similar pattern to the first, with most of his 19 starts coming in the first half of the season.

Thatcher gained notoriety on 23 August 2006, in a game between Emirates Marketing Project and Portsmouth. Whilst challenging with Pedro Mendes for a loose ball Thatcher viciously and intentionally led with his elbow, knocking Mendes into the advertising hoardings rendering him unconscious. Mendes required oxygen at pitchside and suffered a seizure while being transferred to hospital, where he spent the night. Mendes was discharged from hospital the next day, but remained under medical supervision.

Thatcher was investigated by the FA as a result of the challenge. He was disciplined and his barrister, Rupert Bowers, read a written apology following the hearing. Greater Manchester Police noted receipt of many "statements of complaint" and also chose to investigate the matter. On 30 August, Emirates Marketing Project announced that Thatcher would be banned for six matches, two of which would be suspended, and fined six weeks' wages for the challenge. This punishment is separate from the sanctions made by the FA, who suspended Thatcher for eight matches, with a further fifteen game suspended ban for two years.

He signed for Charlton Athletic on 11 January 2007 for a reported fee of £500,000, which could rise to £750,000 depending on appearances. He played his first match for Charlton Athletic on 23 January 2007 against Middlesbrough The team were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season

Thatcher joined Ipswich Town on 14 August 2008 on a one-year contract with an option to extend it for a further year. His contract was terminated by Roy Keane on 26 February 2010, due to his refusal to move closer to the club.

 

[Jordinho]

Radek Černý

Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Černý turned professional in 1993 as a 19-year-old with Slavia Prague, his home team, after playing for them since the age of 6. His father was a goalkeeper, who started out as a youth at Slavia before playing in the Czech third and fourth divisions, while Černý's older brother Petr was another goalkeeper playing for the club.

Černý did not get a chance to play for Slavia in the early years of his career, having been loaned out to three different Czech clubs and not returning until 1997, when he finally made his debut. Petr Černý was later signed as a deputy to his younger brother.

Černý played for SK České Budějovice JČE in the first two seasons of the Gambrinus Liga and Union Cheb in the third before playing for Slavia's first team. He went on to make more than 150 appearances for Slavia, many of them in European competition, and earning three caps for the Czech Republic. He was twice a domestic cup winner and scored one goal, the last goal in a 4-0 league victory against FK Jablonec 97 in the 1999-2000 season.

Černý joined Spurs on an 18-month loan in January 2005, which was extended until the end of 2008 to replace Kasey Keller who, finding himself unable to win back the Spurs number one jersey from Paul Robinson, had signed for Borussia Mönchengladbach. Spurs had also signed Márton Fülöp, a young Hungarian goalkeeper, in the previous summer, but it was Černý who was called to deputise for Robinson for the last three games of the 2004/05 season. He made his debut at White Hart Lane against Aston Villa. Spurs won 5–1 but were unable to win a UEFA Cup spot that season.

Robinson was injured in March 2007 for the FA Cup quarter-final at Chelsea where Černý made his first competitive appearance for nearly two years in a memorable match that ended 3–3. Robinson returned for the replay, which Spurs lost 2–1. Černý was on the bench for the rest of the season as Spurs finished fifth again.

The 2007/08 season began badly for Spurs, with Martin Jol leaving in November 2007 and Robinson under pressure after making a number of goalkeeping errors. New manager Juande Ramos eventually lost patience with Robinson's loss of form and for the first time in his Tottenham Hotspur career, Černý displaced Robinson, being preferred for the League Cup semi-final first-leg at Arsenal. However, Robinson returned in time for the final after a Černý goalkeeping error in the UEFA Cup against his former team threatened Tottenham's chances of winning in the round.

On 4 May 2008, Černý told Sky Sports News that he would be joining QPR of the Championship at the end of the season because of the lack of first team action at Spurs. He made his debut in the QPR 2–1 victory over Barnsley at Loftus Road. After some uncertain displays at the start of the year, a string of fine performances enabled Černý to establish himself as the R's first-choice goalkeeper. He was left out of the 2012–13 QPR Premier League squad, losing out to fellow goalkeepers, Julio Cesar, Robert Green and Brian Murphy.

He was released in the summer of 2013 and returned to Slavia Prague. He has now retired.

 

[Jordinho]

Noe Pamarot

Louis Noé Pamarot was born in Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, and started playing professional football at Martigues. After two seasons there he was signed by Nice, playing two games for Portsmouth on loan in his first season.

In 2004 he moved to Tottenham. Primarily a central defender, he was used at right back and made 23 appearances in the league, scoring one goal, before injuring his right knee in April 2005.

He was never able to get back into the team and was transferred from Tottenham to Portsmouth in January 2006 in a £7.5 million deal that also included Sean Davis and Pedro Mendes.

He was an unused substitute as Portsmouth won the 2008 FA Cup Final. His only contribution to the victorious campaign was playing the full 90 minutes of their fourth round win over Plymouth Argyle.

Pamarot was released by Portsmouth following the expiration of his contract in the summer of 2009.

On 28 August 2009, Pamarot signed for the Spanish team Hércules on an initial two-year contract. Pamarot was the undisputed first-choice center-back during his first season with the Valencian, who finished 19th and were immediately relegated back. In mid-July 2011, he signed with another top-divisioner, Granada CF.

He only played 3 times for them and was released in the summer of 2012.

Six months later he re-signed for Hercules. After being released this summer he is currently without a club.

 

[Jordinho]

Sean Davis

Sean Davis was born in Clapham, England, and is a product of the Fulham youth system. He made his first-team debut for Fulham aged just 17 years and 25 days in 1996. Davis progressed under the watchful eye of managers Keegan, Jean Tigana and later Chris Coleman. At the end of the 2002-03 season, Davis was named as the Player of the Season. After the season Davis was called up to be part of the England squad that faced Australia, although he did not play. He is one of the few players in the world to have played at all four professional levels of football in England with the same club and is also the only Fulham player to achieve this.

He attracted interest from Everton and Middlesbrough during that season, more so after he had handed in a transfer request citing his "ambition to further his career". However, Fulham were reluctant to sell Davis until they had found a suitable replacement. A transfer to either Everton or Middlesbrough never occurred as Davis was injured during the summer and unable to pass a medical to switch clubs, so this kept him at Fulham for the 2003–2004 season. After a month out injured, Davis made his return in the reserve match against Watford on 8 October 2003. A month later, Davis had withdraw his transfer request, as he began dedicating to Fulham by starting a negotiations to sign a new contract.

In the summer of 2004 he signed for Tottenham Hotspur. After starting early season games, forming a promising partnership with Pedro Mendes, injuries restricted his appearances. Davis went on to describe his time at Tottenham Hotspur, writing on Daily Mail column, quoting: "I played the first four games, got injured and then was out for three months. In that time my daughter was born 10 weeks premature. It was a difficult time and I did not really manage to get fully fit before I left."

In January 2006 he signed for Portsmouth in a deal that included Noe Pamarot and Mendes. While arriving at the club short of match fitness, he played an important part in Portsmouth's 2006 survival campaign.

On 1 February 2009, Portsmouth rejected a bid in the region of £3 million for Davis from Bolton Wanderers. Pompey manager at the time Tony Adams, was keen to secure the player to a new contract with his present deal due to run until the summer of 2009. On 1 July 2009, Bolton confirmed the signing of Davis on a free transfer on a three-year deal.

Suffering two major injuries, he only played 3 times for Bolton in his three years there and 3 times for Bristol City on a short loan to gain match fitness, before getting injured again. He was released at the end of the 2011–12 season following Bolton's relegation from the Premier League and announced his retirement from football on 25 September.

During his time at Portsmouth, due to influence from team mate Linvoy Primus and the Faith and Football organisation, Davis converted to Christianity; "Since going to Portsmouth and meeting people like Linvoy Primus, who is a Christian, I have got into that and it's been a revelation to me. There's a big Christian group at the club and the 'Faith in Football’ thing that Linvoy is involved in is fantastic."

Since retiring, Davis have since joined Fulham FC as a columnist

 

[Jordinho]

Jason Dozzell

Jason Irvin Winans Dozzell was born in Ipswich, England. Playing football for the Langham Lions in the Colchester Youth League, Dozzell was noted as a "prolific schoolboy scorer", and was signed on schoolboy terms for Ipswich Town by Bobby Robson despite interest from West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.

Dozzell made his debut for Ipswich Town in February 1984, coming on as a substitute against Coventry City. Ipswich won the match 2–0 and Dozzell scored late in the second half, becoming the youngest player, at 16 years and 57 days, to score in the old English Football League First Division.

In the 1985–86 season he became a regular starter for Ipswich, scoring five goals in 51 games, although the club were relegated to the Football League Second Division. His 1986–87 season saw him play in every game, making 42 league and 11 cup appearances and scoring a single goal. He was also selected for the England under-21 team, for whom he played nine times without scoring.

In the 1988–89 season, Dozzell finished as the club's joint top-scorer with 13 goals from 37 appearances. His 16 goals in the 1991–92 season helped John Lyall's Ipswich win the league title and secure promotion to the newly formed Premier League. He featured regularly the following season, scoring nine goals in 52 games and helping the club stave off relegation in their first season back in the top tier of English football.

In August 1993, Dozzell was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £1.9 million. In his first season he made 32 appearances and scored eight goals. Dozzell suffered numerous injuries during his time at White Hart Lane, restricting the number of games in which he played. In the 1994–95 season, he managed just seven appearances and failed to score.

He made a total of 99 league and cup appearances and scored 14 goals over his four seasons at the club. Dozzell made a brief return to Portman Road in 1997, on loan for a month, and made ten appearances before signing for Northampton Town in 1997. A season with The Cobblers saw him score four goals from 26 appearances and help the club to the play-off final at Wembley Stadium. This was followed by a move to newly promoted Colchester United, initially on a monthly contract, where Dozzell made more than 100 appearances and scored 11 goals in three seasons.

Dozzell retired from professional football in 2001 as a result of persistent injuries, in particular an ongoing toe problem. However, he continued playing with non-league clubs. A brief spell with Canvey Island reunited him with former Colchester and Ipswich player Neil Gregory. Canvey Island released him and he moved on to an even shorter stay with Grays Athletic, who signed him alongside Carl Leaburn. This was followed by a move back to Ipswich and into management.

Dozzell took his first step into management with Eastern Counties Football League club Ipswich Wanderers in 2003. In his role as player-manager, he moved to play in defence and secured an eighth place finish in the league during his first season with the club. The following season, he led them to the league title and promotion to the Eastern Counties League Premier Division. The 2005–06 season saw Dozzell lead the newly promoted club to seventh in the league, but despite ending the season with a record tally of points, he left the Wanderers, citing off-pitch issues at the club.

Dozzell went on to manage Leiston, but he left in November 2007.

[video=youtube;vElVHoGNQj8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vElVHoGNQj8[/video]

 

[Jordinho]

Espen Baardsen

Espen Baardsen was born in San Rafael, California, USA, to Norwegian parents. He was selected for the USA under-18 national team before switching his international eligibility to Norway because of his dual nationality. He played 4 times for the senior Norway team.

Baardsen had been coming over to train with the Spurs youth team each summer since 1992 and in June 1996 he signed a full contract for Tottenham Hotspur.

His first year at Spurs was very up and down. He started really well in pre-season and was able to claim the second-choice goalkeeper spot which was vacant after Chris Day had left the club. He played plenty of reserve games during that season and made his debut against Liverpool at Anfield. He was also able to establish himself as the first-choice keeper for the Norwegian U-21s.

Over the next three seasons, Baardsen had two periods in the Spurs first team. In January 1998, he came in for Ian Walker with Spurs third from the bottom of the table and battling against relegation. By the end of March, Walker was fit again and it wasn’t particularly surprising that he came back into the side because Baardsen was only 20 years old and Walker was an England international.

The next period in the first team at Spurs was in September 1998. Walker wasn’t in his best form, so he got a chance against Everton away and Spurs won 1-0. The next game we beat Blackburn at home 2-1 and I was voted Man of the Match. He made his international debut against Latvia. After eight or nine games George Graham became the manager of Tottenham. He played another six or seven matches under Graham and was then dropped after letting in a weak goal against West Ham.

There followed a season and a half of disappointment. His confidence nose-dived immediately after he was dropped and it took a few months to recover. In the end, he moved over to Watford for a fee of £1.25 million and a new start in English Football. However, towards the end of the 2000–01 season he lost his place in the team to veteran Alec Chamberlain. Although he returned to the side under new manager Gianluca Vialli in 2001–02, he was again displaced by Chamberlain.

In 2002 he had a short spell at Everton. Baardsen's one and only appearance for Everton occurred in bizarre circumstances, and ironically at his previous club, Spurs. Richard Wright damaged his knee in the pre-match warm up and Baardsen was press-ganged into goal. But his performance was less than stellar, even though kinder hearts claimed that none of the 4 goals he let in that day could have been prevented.

David Moyes kept him on for an extra month but he was finally released in February 2003.

After that he decided to retire from football.

He is currently a partner and fund manager for Eclectica Asset Management, a London-based asset management company. He is a frequent guest on the business television network, CNBC.

---

Why did you decide to give up football?

I got bored of it. Once you've played in the Premier League and been to the World Cup, you've seen it and done it. It was dictating what I could do and when. I felt unsatisfied intellectually, I wanted to travel the world.

What went through your head the day you quit?

I had finished with Watford, been on loan at Everton and had just started at Sheffield United. I had been living out of hotels and suitcases for months. It was in a Tesco in Sheffield that I reached my lowest point. I went into Neil Warnock's office to negotiate my wages and he offered me less than what a tube dr iver earns. I turned it down. I was young and had my life to lead, and that didn't have to be in football.

How did your interest in finance come about?

It was largely through researching where to invest my football wages. It got to the point where I would spend part of the day playing football and the rest learning about money markets. Rather than play PlayStation in my spare time, I would read bizarre books, The History of Interest Rates and Tomorrow's Gold. Most of my team-mates - Ramon Vega aside, as he had similar interests - probably thought it was a bit weird.

Do you miss football?

A lot of die-hard football fans ask me how could I quit football, but then they haven't been there or done it themselves. I had a great time playing, but I'm very happy with the way things turned out. Sometimes I miss the excitement, the stadium full of people, making a great save, you can't replicate that buzz. But that's overshadowed by other stuff; I especially hated dealing with the media. Those months at Watford after the ITV Digital collapse were pretty awful. Ramon and I were among the higher wage earners and we were made to feel a burden to the club.

What do you do now?

After I quit football I went travelling for 18 months. I came back and got involved with Eclectica in 2005. We currently manage close to a billion dollars - we deal in interest rate trades, foreign exchange rates and stocks. Most people in my industry specialise in one area, say commodities or effects, but I've got a pretty good array of knowledge, which I feel proud of.

Are you happier now you're living without football?

You wouldn't think a person working in the city could say this, but I'm more relaxed, five kilos lighter, fitter and healthier than I was at the end of my football career. Football is stressful, try playing in front of 40,000 crazy football supporters who are happy or sad for their whole weekend depending on how you perform. Never mind all the people criticising you on TV. Don't get me wrong, there is pressure to make money in this job, but it's different and something about it suits me better than football ever did.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/may/04/4

 

[Jordinho]

John Scales

John Robert Scales was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and played his first games as a professional footballer for Bristol Rovers. After two seasons there he moved to Wimbledon, just in time to be part of their FA cup winning season.

In 1994 Scales made a £3.5 million transfer to Liverpool. He has said of his time there that the highlight was his three England caps and the game at Anfield when they beat Saudi Sportswashing Machine 4–3 in April 1996. Scales has said that although the Liverpool team he was in had the talent to win the Premier League they lacked the focus and discipline needed to be champions, though they did win the Football League Cup in his first season there and were FA Cup finalists a year later, finishing fourth and then third in the Premier League.

In 1996, Liverpool accepted offers from Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur for Scales, who decided to again join up with Spurs manager Gerry Francis who he had played for whilst at Bristol Rovers. Scales had a disappointing time at Tottenham Hotspur due to injuries, being in and out of the team, and the instability of the club. He scored once during his time at Tottenham with his goal coming, coincidentally, against former club Liverpool in the 1998–99 Football League Cup, which Tottenham went on to win.

In July 2000, Scales signed for new promoted Ipswich Town but made only two Premier League appearances before succumbing to injury and was released in the summer of 2001.

Scales was England coach for the Danone Nations Cup in 2007. Later in his career, Scales went on to coach the England Beach Soccer team.

https://twitter.com/John_Scales

Now football commentator / contributor, consulant (sic) and entrepreneur.

 

[Jordinho]

Terry Yorath

Terence Charles Yorath was born in Cardiff, Wales, but served his apprenticeship at Leeds before signing professional terms at 17. Along with other Leeds midfield players of the time, such as Mick Bates and Terry Hibbitt, he found it difficult to establish himself ahead of Don Revie's preferred pairing of Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles. Between 1967 and 1972 he made just 14 League appearances for Leeds.

In the 1972–73 season, injuries and suspensions allowed Yorath to establish himself as a first team regular. However, his first season ended with two cup final runners-up medals; he was a substitute in the 1973 FA Cup Final, which Leeds lost 1–0 to Sunderland, and also appeared in the 1973 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, which Leeds lost in controversial circumstances to AC Milan.

Yorath finally won some silverware the following 1973–74 season, where he was a key member of the Leeds championship winning side. Yorath became the first Welshman to play in a European Cup final when Leeds reached the final of the UEFA European Cup, but again Yorath ended up with a runners up medal as Leeds lost 2–0 to Bayern Munich in controversial circumstances.

Don Revie had left Leeds to manage England, and his eventual replacement Jimmy Armfield decided to dispense with Yorath's services in 1976, selling him to Coventry City for £125,000. Yorath would be captain to one of only a handful of top flight Coventry City sides that spent an entire season in the top ten.

Yorath remained at Coventry for three years, playing 99 games and scoring three goals and was captain for most of this period. He moved onto Tottenham Hotspur in 1979 for £300,000. When Yorath was signed by Spurs, Keith Burkinshaw had planned to utilise his experience at centre-half, but he settled into midfield, where his combative skills provided the platform for Ossie Ardiles to play his game, in a partnership that also saw Yorath get forward for the odd goal.

Moved to Vancouver Whitecaps in 1981, where he made 59 appearances, scoring four goals in his two seasons with the club.

Yorath picked up the first of 59 Welsh caps in 1970 against Italy, and he maintained a regular presence in the international side until 1981. Yorath also captained his country on 42 occasions.

In 1982, Yorath joined Bradford City as player/assistant coach. He was injured during the Bradford City stadium fire disaster in 1985 when he was forced to jump out of a window after evacuating supporters from a bar. He subsequently took up the manager's position at Swansea City in 1986 (making a single and final league appearance), and led the club to promotion from the Division Four to the Division Three at the end of the 1987–88 season.

In 1989, he was appointed part-time manager of Wales, eventually taking up the post on a full-time basis whilst still managing Swansea. However, this caused conflict with the club, and Yorath left Swansea to manage Bradford. He was dismissed by Bradford after just one year in charge, and returned to manage Swansea again.

In 1991, after a run of nine consecutive defeats, he left Swansea for a second time to concentrate on managing Wales. Under Yorath Wales attained their highest ever FIFA ranking of 27th in August 1993 and came close to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup tournament. Needing to win the final game of the qualifying group at home to Romania, Paul Bodin missed a penalty when the scores were level 1–1 and Romania went on to win 2–1. Following the failure to qualify Yorath's contract as manager was not renewed and John Toshack, then manager of Real Sociedad, was appointed as a part-time manager. However, Toshack resigned after just one game – a 3–1 defeat to Norway with the team being booed off the pitch in Cardiff by the Welsh fans still upset at the dismissal of Yorath.

Yorath joined Cardiff City as General Manager in 1994 and assumed control of team affairs in November of that year when manager Eddie May was sacked. However, his time in the hotseat with the Bluebirds was brief, and he was sacked in March 1995 with the club headed for relegation. He then took over as coach of the Lebanon national team, and helped them rise 60 places in the FIFA World Rankings before leaving in 1997.

Between 1997 and 2000 he worked as a coach at Huddersfield Town and Bradford City, before joining Sheffield Wednesday as assistant to Paul Jewell. Yorath retained his position when Jewell was dismissed, and eventually became manager in 2001. However, he resigned in 2002 after a run of five defeats in six league matches saw Wednesday drop into the relegation zone.

In June 2008, Yorath returned to football when he was appointed the director of football at Isthmian League Premier Division side Margate, where his brother Dai and nephew Dean had both played. On 21 November 2008, he was appointed manager of the club after Barry Ashby was sacked. However, Yorath resigned as Margate manager on 24 September 2009 following a run of disappointing results, leaving Neville Southall in temporary charge of the team.

Yorath is the father of four children, among them television broadcaster Gabby Logan. His son Daniel collapsed and died on 25th May 1992 in his garden, at the age of 15, as a result of an undetected heart condition just before he was due to begin a footballing career with Leeds United.

In 2004, Yorath was arrested after a car accident and charged with drink driving. Yorath knocked down 27-year-old call centre worker Raziya Aslam breaking her pelvis. Yorath pleaded guilty to all charges and received a 30-month driving ban and 60 hours community service. The trial judge had been seriously considering a prison sentence for Yorath, but his defence advised that there was a risk that Yorath would commit suicide if sent to prison. Yorath maintains that he would not have taken his own life if he had been jailed.

Yorath talks about these two incidents in this article: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2005/mar/06/football.features1

In 2011 he ended up in hospital after a chip pan caught fire in his kitchen.

 

[Lost Mango]

Jamie Redknapp

http://www.sportsworldcards.com/ekmps/shops/sportsworld/images/tottenham


In all his "illustrious career, Redknapp won one league cup. Shuite talking head on match days and a footballing non-entity.

Also, harsh on Nico to be thrown in to what is obviously a **** take of "spurs legends". Gave it his all, 18 goals in 50 appearances, many as sub, unfortunate to be here in Clive Allen's one super season. Deserves more respect than to be lumped with Redknapp, Davis and Dozy.

 

[Jordinho]

It's mostly based on how many times they appeared for the club, with some adjustment for their standing amongst the fans. Basically, that's where Claesen ranks as he's neither superstar nor cult hero.

These are the Spurs legends as they come in the user rank list. There will be bigger names further down the road, it just takes a really long time to get there.

 

[Jordinho]

Erik Edman

Erik Kenneth Edman was born in Jönköping, Sweden. He started his professional career at Helsingborgs, where he won the Swedish cup in 1998 and the league in 1999. That same year he moved to Torino, but having never played for them he moved on to Karlsruhe the following season.

After only a handful of appearances he moved back to Sweden and AIK. Getting regular football there was enough for Herenveen to take a chance on him. His good form in the Dutch league made Frank Arnesen bring him to Tottenham and he was even voted Swedish defender of the year in 2004.

He will always be best remembered for his long range strike against Liverpool.

[video=youtube;pac5Zkk3eGw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pac5Zkk3eGw[/video]

The following season saw Korean left back Lee Young-Pyu arrive at Spurs and Edman decided to make the move to French football and Rennes.

In January 2008, Edman was signed by Wigan Athletic for a transfer fee of £500,000. The arrival of Edman was a good deal for Wigan Athletic, since the club did not find a good replacement after the departure of Leighton Baines the previous summer. In March 2008, Edman was injured in a match against Blackburn Rovers, damaging his anterior crutiate ligament in his knee. This meant he missed the rest of Wigan's season, as well as Euro 2008. Edman made his return to the Wigan team, as a substitute in January 2009 at Old Trafford, as Wigan lost 1–0 to Manchester United. However, Maynor Figueroa's impressive performances throughout the season kept Edman out of Roberto Martínez's starting eleven. Edman played his last game in the Latics' 9–1 loss against Tottenham Hotspur in November, where he had a torrid time against Aaron Lennon.

In 2010 he re-signed for Helsingborgs, where he went on to win the cup in 2010 and the double in 2011. Edman retired in 2013.

 

[Jordinho]

Spurs Legends 8-4 Guernsey Rovers Vets

Spurs Legends: Gareth Howells, John Lacy, Tony Galvin, Graham Roberts, Stuart Nethercott, Paul Miller, Darren Anderton, Brian Statham, Paul McVeigh, Andy Sinton, Mark Falco.

Substitutes and guest players: Trevor Wilkinson, Ralf Little, Don Batiste, Chris Dyer. Manager: Ossie Ardiles

 

[Grays_1890]

Jamie Slabber

I can say as a Grays Athletic fan he was brilliant for the club, both in the glory days and then coming back to save us from relegation, bit of a play boy in the first season but he then calmed down, beast of a player and a good goalscorer.

 

[Jordinho]

I can say as a Grays Athletic fan he was brilliant for the club, both in the glory days and then coming back to save us from relegation, bit of a play boy in the first season but he then calmed down, beast of a player and a good goalscorer.

https://twitter.com/x/status/880340197556330497

 

[Grays_1890]

I think he admits he was never good enough at the top level, it happens

 

[Jordinho]

https://twitter.com/x/status/882173634982408192