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Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) United Football Club History & Profile

Club History & Facts:

Tottenham Hotspur was founded as Hotspur FC in 1882. They began playing at the Tottenham Marshes in North London but then moved to White Hart Lane in 1899 which is where they’ve played their football ever since. The ground has a capacity of approximately 36,000. Tottenham are often referred to in short as Spurs. They are also known as the lilly-white as they are renowned for their white home kit. They have a bitter rivalry with North London neighbours Arsenal, but also have well documented rivalries with other London clubs West Ham and Chelsea.

In 1951 Tottenham Hotspur won their first of two league titles, Spurs were the first club to achieve the domestic double in the 20th century. In 1961 they won the league and FA cup under the management of ex-player and club hero Bill Nicholson.

They won their first piece of European silverware in 1963 with a cup Winners cup success against Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid. Key players during this historic period were the likes of goal machine Jimmy Greaves, midfielder Danny Blanchflower and Scotsman John White. Nicholson added the league cup in 1971 and 73 as well as another triumph in Europe with a win in the all English UEFA cup final in 1972.The departure of Nicholson saw the club lose their spot as one of the country’s elite teams. Spurs were relegated in 1977 to the old second division, but managed to regain some of their previous glory at the start of the 1980′s when they won two consecutive FA cups in 1981 and 82 with Argentinean duo Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardilles at the heart of this success.

In 1991 the lillywhites set a record by winning their 8th Fa cup courtesy of a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. Ex player Terry Venables was in charge with England stars paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker leading the way for this new generation. Spurs would fail to win another trophy in for 8 years until they lifted the League cup in 1999, the 90′s was not a great era for the club as inconsistency haunted them throughout the decade. Their last trophy win was another League cup win in 2008 over bitter London rivals Chelsea as defender Jonathan Woodgate got the winner in a classic Wembley final.

In 2006 Spurs were within one game of replacing Arsenal in the top 4 to gain Champions League qualification, but a 2-1 defeat at West Ham meant they lost out on the final day of the season which was a huge disappointment for the side managed by Martin Jol who were looking to finish above their arch enemies for the first time in 11 years.

Today’s stars include the Welsh wizard Garteh Bale and Dutch attacker Rafael Van Der Vaart.The lilywhites followed up an 8th placed finish in 2009 with a top 4 place in 2010. In 2011 Spurs missed out on a Champions League spot but still finished in the top 5.

Tottenham Hotspur European Performance / Record

In 1962 they got the closest they have to European cup glory when they lost in the semi-finals to eventual winners Benfica.

They won their first piece of European silverware in 1963 with a cup Winners cup success against Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid. Spurs lifted their third European trophy in 1984 as they became two time winners of the UEFA cup with the help of foot balling magician Glenn Hoddle and talisman Garth Crooks.

The current side have been rejuvenated by the arrival of Harry Redknapp as manager and achieved a Champions League qualifying place after beating big spending man City to 4th place in the 2009/2010 season.

Tottenham Hotspur Club News & Useful Links:

Tottenham Hotspur Official Website

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