In The Beginning
The history of Tottenham Hotspur began under a street lamp just across the road from what is now the Spurs Store on High Street Tottenham, London N17. Some players from the local cricket club and the local grammar school - St. John's Presbyterian - were at a loss as to what to get up to during the summer and so they decided to start playing football. This was back in 1882. Unsure about what to call themselves, they named themselves after the youngest son of the Duke of Northumberland, Percy, who went by the nickname of "Harry Hotspur". It was the valiant nature of his derring-do heroics, that they thought it was an appropriate title to adopt, so Hotspur FC was born.
The club was reorganised in 1883. Under the new chairman, John Ripsher, the club played their home fixtures at Tottenham Marshes and took to wearing all navy blue.
The club played and won their first competitive match in 1885, beating St. Albans 5 - 2 in the London Association cup, under the new name of ''Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic club". By this time, the kit had transformed into light blue and white halved shirts and a credit balance of nine shillings was recorded.
It was in 1887 when Spurs encountered their first match against the ''old enemy'' Arsenal, who were called Royal at this time. The match had to be abandoned 15 minutes from the end due to bad light with the match eagerly poised at 2-1 to Spurs.
The following season, Tottenham Hotspur moved grounds to Northumberland Park and the cost to get in was the princely sum of 3d (1p). 1890 saw a further kit change with the shorts change to red. An act which which saw tantamount to heresy. Although the club did choose to keep the navy blue shorts.
1895 became a pivotal year in the clubs history after the club adopted professionalism. The following year contained some milestones for the club; a friendly against attracted 6,000 fans to the ground, the club were elected to the Southern League Division One and the club once again had a kit make over with the shirt changing to chocolate and gold stripes.
The folloing year saw the club reach their first, of many, cup finals. Most noteably losing out to Wellington Borough 2-0 in the local Charity Cup competiton.
1898 proved to be another landmark in the clubs history, as the club officially became a limited company and the record attendance swelled to 14,000 for a match against the newly named Woolwich Arsenal. This year soon became even more recognisable in the clubs history as it is the year in which the club famously adopted the colours of the ''Invincibles'' that were Preston North End, who had recently accomplished ''the double'' and so Spurs were now associated with the white shirts and navy blue shorts, for which they are world famous.Home At Last And A Trophy Too
As the final year approached, Tottenham became subject of another stadium change. Moving to, the now world famous, White Hart Lane. The new stadium was almos called ''Gilpin Park'' but the new 35,000 capacity stadium gradually became known as White Hart Lane and has remained that way to this very day.
The first official match to be held at the new stadium was against Notts County, where the gate receipts totaled 115.
The move heralded success for the club and in 1900, Tottenham won the Southern League but the big success came in 1901, as Tottenham Hotspur became the first non-league team ever to win the FA Cup, beating Sheffield United 3-1 at Bolton, after holding them to a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace, in front of a then record crowd of 110,000. 1901 FA Cup Final; Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield United
By winning the FA Cup, and after breaking the Northern domination of the competiton, Spurs established a new tradition that of tying coloured ribbons, in favour of the winners, onto the hands of the trophy to mark ther success. A tradition that is now seen throughout the footballing world.
Following their Fa Cup success, Spurs were elected to the Second Division of the Football League in 1908 and they won promotion to the First Division at their first attempt in 1909. Between The Wars
The club endured a six year spell in the First Division before relegation struck, but promotion again was swift after the break for the Great War of 1914-1919. A record points tally of 70 (with two points for a win) saw Spurs back in the top flight.
The following year in 1921 saw Spurs celebrating another FA Cup success, their second in all, after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers by a single goal at Stamford Bridge.
After seven years of consolidation, relegation hit the club again. It then took a further five seasons before the club would return to the top league as the club finished runners-up and gained automatic promotion.
1934 saw the completion of the East Stand. The work was finished just in time for the club to be relegatedagain in 1935. Although, three seasons later, in 1938, 75,038 fans crammed into the ground to see a FA Cup Sixth Round tie against Sunderland, to set an attendance record at White Hart Lane which will never be broken.Post War Success
A period of wartime and doldrums for Spurs meant that they had to wait until 1950 to regain their place in the First Division and the bulk of that team went on to win the League Championship trophy for the first time in the club's history in 1951 under the management of Arthur Rowe.
After Rowe retired, Jimmy Anderson took over the reigns, however he could not handle the pressure and as a result a player stepped up and took over the job. Many we're suprised at this appointment but little did they know that this new manager was about to lead the club into an unforgettable era. That man was Bill Nicholson.
In October 1958, Spurs we're facing a home match against a struggling Everton side. The antiicpation for this match was minimal. The result of 10-4 to Spurs signalled that it was the start of a reign that would see Tottenham Hotspur scale peaks that other teams could not hope to reach.The Double And Bill Nicholson
Nicholson's team building took a while, but by 1960 all the pieces were in place and his most famous achievement was about to begin.
His assault on the League started in amazing fashion and the side remained unbeaten for 16 matches, winning their first 11 of the season; they won the most games (31) and the most away games (16); they reached 50 points in 29 games - quicker than anyone else; the 115 goals for that season is still a club record; they equalled the record of 66 points for a season; they equalled the number of away points gained in one season (33), they completed the double over eleven clubs, equaling the record in one season. They ended up winning the title by eight points from Sheffield Wednesday, but the figures do not tell the whole story. It was the manner in which the team played that won the matches and friends along the way. The fluid, open, attacking game which made the team of Brown, Baker, Henry, Blanchflower, Norman, Mackay, Jones, White, Smith, Allen, Dyson so renowned across the globe.
The anti-climax came in the FA Cup final when they failed to live up to the football they had been playing and ended up winning 2-0 against a Leicester City side reduced to ten fit players (these being the days before substitutes). However, "the Double" had been achieved for the first time this century and when no team was believed able to do so. - Take note Gooners -
The side took much of the credit, but the manager was the driving force behind them. His lack of recognition compared to people like Ferguson and Busby is a disgrace.
If anything, he set the standard that they had to live up to and is therefore, more important than any book will tell you.Europe Calling
The following was full of anticipation by Spurs, they were confident of repeating the feat of last season and with the added involvement of European Cup to look forward too, success was high on the list at Spurs.
Their first leg of their Premliminary round tie saw them have to endure freezing cold conditions as they faced Polish side Gornik Zabrze, unable to climatise to the conditions the side suffered a shock 4-2 defeat. The second leg arrived and Spurs were in a bullish mood, they ended up thrashing the poles 8-2.
The season ended up falling between two stools, as they lost out to Benfica in the semi-finals of the European Cup and came in third in the League behind newly promoted Ipswich Town (managed to the Championship by ex-Spurs Alf Ramsey) and Burnley. Spurs did extract some revenge by beating Burnley 3-1 in the FA Cup Final to retain the trophy. This gained entry to the 1963 European Cup Winners Cup and they reached the Final, beating Atletico Madrid (the holders) 5-1 in Rotterdam, with new signing Jimmy Greaves among the goals. Tottenham became the first British side to win a European trophy... and how!60's And 70's
The side gradually broke up through age and transfers, but Nicholson rebuilt and in 1967, the FA Cup returned to Tottenham after a 2-1 win over Chelsea in the first all-London final.
The rebuilding process continued under Bill Nick, and he created another era of success for the club, winning the League Cup in 1971 after a 2-0 victory against Aston Villa at Wembley. This meant another entry into European competition for Nicholson's side, this time it was the UEFA Cup. Spurs battled their way to meet Wolverhampton Wanderers in a two legged final. Spurs won the first leg 2-1 at Molineux and managed a 1-1 draw in the second leg at home handed Tottenham the trophy 3-2 on aggregate. This achievement meant Spurs had become the first English club to win two European Trophies. - Take note Pool and United fans-1972 UEFA Cup trophy
Records were again on the menu in 1973, when Spurs became the first club to win the League Cup twice, overcoming Norwich City 1-0 in a lacklustre final. As holders they reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup and the League Cup win ensured that Spurs would be back in the competition again.
The 1974 campaign was however one of the darker periods of Tottenham's history, with the two legged final (Spurs being the first English club to play in three major European finals) against Feyenoord being lost 2-4 (Tottenham's first final defeat) and Spurs fans rioted in the Dutch stadium leaving a reputation on the continent that has never been forgotten. The night upset Nicholson greatly; his pleading to the Spurs fans to behave themselves went unheeded and Spurs got a ban from Europe, which was a bit unnecessary, because they were not to qualify for another 10 years. End Of An Era
The heart had soon gone out of it for Bill Nick. The hooliganism at home and abroad, the big name players, the way transfers were now conducted. It all added up and conspired to his resignation in 1976.
His replacement was ex-Arsenal manager Terry Neill. His spell was hugely disappointing for both him and he club. After narrowly avoiding relegation in his first season, he could not manage to do the same in the following campaign and was soon replaced by Keith Burkinshaw.
Under the guidance of Burkinshaw, Spurs only lasted one year in the second division in the 1977/78 season. They came third and managed to gain promotion on goal difference. What happened next stunned the football world. The World Cup in Argentina had just finished and suddenly, Spurs were announcing that they had signed Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa of the World Cup winning squad! A Fresh Start
While their impact was slow at first, while they acclimatised to English football, within three years they had experienced the thrill of winning the FA Cup.
A new West Stand at White Hart Lane looked down on the side as they progressed to their place in the Centenary FA Cup Final against Manchester City in 1981.
A poor game on the Saturday saw Spurs go behind, but a deflected Glenn Hoddle free-kick earned Spurs another crack.
The replay was an altogether different kettle of fish. Ricky Villa, along with his comrade from South America, had so been looking forward to playing at Wembley in an FA Cup Final, but had been substituted and trudged off around the running track, head hung low in disappointment in the first game. Within a few minutes of the start of the replay he had scored to put Tottenham on the road to a famous victory. Manchester City scored twice to take the lead, but a goal by Garth Crooks tied it at 2-2. Then Ricky took over. Receiving the ball from Tony Galvin wide on the left, his mazy run, beating at least five Manchester City players and the keeper was one of the greatest goals the old stadium ever saw. A goal fit to win any FA Cup, but the 100th certainly.
Ricky Villa celebrating the best goal ever seen in a Wembley final
The following season, Spurs' European Cup Winner's Cup lasted until the Semi-final stage where they were knocked out by Spanish giants Barcelona. Although Spurs did manage to repeat their feat of twenty years previously by winning the FA Cap once again, with a 1-0 win over QPR in the replay, after they drew the first match 1-1.
Following this proved a hard task and Spurs finished fourth in the League - qualifying for the UEFA Cup, but went cupless in 1982/83. Off the pitch the club became the first to float their shares on the Stock Market, a move which would be a milestone in years to come.
1984 came and so did another European trophy. Spurs beat Anderlecht on penalties, after two 1-1 draws to lift the UEFA Cup. Young keeper Tony Parks was the hero ofr Spurs that night, saving two Anderlecht penalties in the shoot-out.The home leg of the final was marked by the sad departure of manager Keith Burkinshaw, disillusioned by the money men now at the club he left with a comment which has become almost as famous as himself with the club, saying on his departure, ''There used to be a football club over there.''
A change was made to the 84/85 campaign as Spurs had reverted to an all white kit, something that was only used for European fixtures. During this year, another Spurs great had took the decision to leave the club, when Steve Perryman left to join Oxford United after making a club record 655 appearances for the club.
David Pleat was soon installed as manager and by 1987 he had taken Spurs to their eighth FA Cup Final where they suffered defeat for the first time, losing 3-2 to Coventry City after extra time. Two landmarks did come during that season though, Spurs reverted back to white shirts and navy blub shorts, replacing the all white kit, and Clive Allen notched up a staggering 49 goals in all competitons playing as a lone striker during that campaign. Beat that Mr Henry.Record Buys And Another Cup
In 1988 Spurs' money men really showed their worth by splashing out on bringing Paul Stewart to the club as the clubs first ever million pound player - £1.5million in all, arriving from Man City. They soon went one better after they signed Paul Gascoigne from Newcastle United for £2.2million.
Whilst not matching the feats of previous years, Spurs were still producing the kind of football normally associated with the club. With Gazza's trickery and the goalscoring ability of Garu Lineker now at the club, the future was looking bright. However that wasn't enoguh to stop Chris Waddle from leaving to join French giants Marseille for a neat sum of £5million.
1989 saw the completion of the East Stand's refurbishment and just when things looked bleak for the club on the financial front - a minor miracle happened.
As funds drained out of the club because of poor investments and the failure of the club to win trophies, an FA Cup run was driven by Paul Gascoigne (despite suffering from a hernia problem) and Terry Venables. The Geordie scored in almost every round and when he was just coming back from an operation on his groin, he scored a fantastic free-kick from 30 yards past David Seaman to give Tottenham a perfect start against rivals Arsenal in the first ever meeting at the semi-final stage between the two clubs. Spurs went on to win 3-1 and although the Final against Nottingham Forest was a bit of an anti-climax in comparison (despite the loss of Gazza through injury, being a goal down and missing a penalty), the FA Cup had helped to save Spurs as a football club. 
Forest's Des Walker scoring the own goal which handed Spurs the 1991 FA Cup
Alan Sugar (electronics entrepreneur) came in to join forces with Venables to secure the future of THFC. Beating off the rival bid by media tycoon, Robert Maxwell, Sugar laid his faith in Venables, but his financial dealings were of concern and this lead to his dismissal followed by Court cases about who said what and about whom.Power Struggle
Coming at a time, when in 1992 the Premier League was founded in place of the old First Division, the club was in turmoil. Gascoigne left for Lazio for a record £5.5 million. It was a time for reconciliation and Ossie Ardiles was brought in as manager to assuage the upheaval felt by the fans of Venables removal.
In 1994, he made a swoop on the players who had lit up the World Cup in the USA. Gica Popescu and Ilie Dumitrescu were brought in from the revelations of the tournament, Romania and in an audacious deal, Alan Sugar persuaded Jurgen Klinsmann to join the White Hart Lane revolution.
Suffering from a FA investigation into the mishandling of financial matters at the club, Spurs were docked League points and banned from that season's FA Cup. Unfortunately for Ardiles, his attacking philosophy with the Famous Five (Barmby, Klinsmann, Sheringham, Anderton and Dumitrescu) up front was doomed once the side started leaking goals and the burden of the docked points meant he was replaced by Queens Park Rangers manager, Gerry Francis.
Sugar was determined to get justice over the sanctions taken and arguing that these misdemeanours took place before he was in charge at the club and also that he had brought these problems out into the open, he took the FA to court and won the points and the place in the FA Cup back in place of a large fine.
Francis got Spurs to an FA Cup semi-final, when they should not have even been in the competition, but the side lost 1-4 to Everton. The year also saw the "Shelf" on the East Stand turned into a seated area and the next year a new South Stand was built. But it wasn't all off the pitch activity - Chris Armstrong was brought in to replace Klinsmann for £4.5 million - a club record signing.
Again a lean time was had by all concerned with the club, until the sale of Teddy Sheringham to Manchester United lead to a record buy of £6 million for Les Ferdinand of Newcastle United and he was joined by his team-mate, David Ginola.
The ground was finally completed when the North Stand was rebuilt in 1998, leaving the stadium as one of the best in the country, but totally unrecognisable from that of only ten years before.
Another change in manager after Gerry Francis bit the bullet and then less than a year after (and having saved the club from relegation with the help of the returning Klinsmann) Christian Gross also left. The appointment of George Graham - a stalwart former Arsenal player and manager - caused disquiet among Spurs fans, but he organised the side quickly and in his first season, the team beat Leicester City at Wembley 1-0 to win the Worthington (League) Cup with ten men after Justin Edinburgh had been dismissed.
In 2000, there were more changes behind the scenes as Sir Alan Sugar sold his majority shareholding to ENIC, an investment company, who became the biggest party on the board. Return Of The Prodigal Son
A couple of months into their reign, they dismissed George Graham as manager and shortly after installed Glenn Hoddle as the new boss on the eve of an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, which the club lost.
Another humiliation followed when club captain Sol Campbell defected to Arsenal on a Bosman free transfer. Thus with limited funds to improve the squad, Hoddle turned towards more experienced players in the shape of Teddy Sheringham, Gus Poyet and Christian Ziege for inspiration.
Season 2001-02 saw a promising improvement, as the Spurs finished in ninth place. However, a League Cup Final defeat to Blackburn Rovers left Hoddle under pressure for the following campaign.
Once again, only limited funds were available, the only significant outlay being £7 million for Robbie Keane, who joined from Leeds United. 2002-03 started well, with Tottenham remaining in the top six as late as early February. But with just seven points in the final ten games, the club was left in a disappointing tenth place.
Players publicly criticised Hoddle's management style and communication skills. Hoddle later claimed lack of support from Director of Football David Pleat. Six games into the 2003-04 season, Hoddle was sacked and Pleat took control. Levy was said to be "scouring" Europe for the perfect manager.Going Continental
In May 2004, after months of speculation, Tottenham surprised everyone with a massive revamp signing Frank Arnesen as Sporting Director, and French national manager Jacques Santini as head coach. This nominated "dream team" was strengthened when Martin Jol was named Santini's assistant.
Despite success with France, Santini soon appeared very uncomfortable in English football. The team played very defensively with little spirit. Early doubters were proved correct in November when without warning Santini walked out on the club after less than five months in charge. This extraordinary departure saw Jol take over. Tottenham climbed the table and Jol was named Premiership Manager of the Month for December 2004. Their away form disappointed and, despite early optimism, only achieved ninth place.
At the end of the 2004-05 season, Arnesen was tapped up by Chelsea who later paid compensation in the region of £5 million. Jol achieved a coup by signing Edgar Davids on a free transfer from Inter Milan, while Damien Comolli became the new Sporting Director in September, 2005.
After Jol's first full season in charge at White Hart Lane, Spurs finished in a club a record 5th in the Premiership.
Despite this obvious success, the season ended in an air of disappointment. Having been in 4th position for over half the season, Spurs were pipped to fourth place on the final day to fierce rivals Arsenal. The controversy didn't end there. In the morning building up to Spurs final day decider at Upton Park, eight first team players were struck down with a virus. They were forced to play the fixture and ended up with a 2-1 defeat, which resulted in them slipping out of fourth place and missing out on a lucrative Champions League spot.
Jol's intentions to build on last season's success was demonstrated with the £10.9 million signing of Dimitar Berbatov (just £100,000 off from being our most expensive signing) and the £8.2million signing of Didier 'Maestro' Zokora.
