60 years a Spurs fan

[Terry & Terry]

I watched that final in 1961 with my Dad. I wasn't a supporter until then. I have been ever since. 60 years and counting. Where did they all go?

 

[BuryMeInEngland]

We must have seen a lot of the same games. I first went with my Dad and Grandad in 1962, right after the double year (we went to the high road to watch them in the open top bus in 61), my dad and grandad had been supporters for years going back to Ted Ditchburn. We always stood on the lower East Stand at the Park Lane End.

Can't remember the first game but I do remember John White curling in a corner kick to score with nobody else touching it. My old man always had a flask of tea that came out at half time and my job was to write down the half time scores from the board on the other side of the pitch. He used to go to the same turnstile and I would just get squeezed in with him when he paid.

We didn't have too good of a relationship at the end of his time, but those days were the absolute best. Thanks for the reminder

 

[ShelfWatcher]

Absolutely right. Anyone not paying attention would quite often get a bag alongside the head.

Thanks, so my memory wasn't failing me. So what I can't remember is how the guy got paid. I assume you gave your thrupenny bit, and what crazy coins they were ?, or whatever it was to someone near and they handed it on etc

 

[ShelfWatcher]

We must have seen a lot of the same games. I first went with my Dad and Grandad in 1962, right after the double year (we went to the high road to watch them in the open top bus in 61), my dad and grandad had been supporters for years going back to Ted Ditchburn. We always stood on the lower East Stand at the Park Lane End.

Can't remember the first game but I do remember John White curling in a corner kick to score with nobody else touching it. My old man always had a flask of tea that came out at half time and my job was to write down the half time scores from the board on the other side of the pitch. He used to go to the same turnstile and I would just get squeezed in with him when he paid.

We didn't have too good of a relationship at the end of his time, but those days were the absolute best. Thanks for the reminder

Glad the thread brought back good memories Yep flasks of tea, and sometimes coffee, so common then. Poorer times I guess, but made for a better game atmosphere in the 60s. Less drunken idiots more concerned about a half time top up than watching the game
Tea from a flask, as evocative as Prousts biscuit. That stewed taste, yet so welcome on a bitter cold day

 

[BuryMeInEngland]

One more memory but from later years. Getting off the train at Liverpool Street after a game and immediately getting the classified issue of the Evening Standard with all the results and match reports from that afternoons games (all games kicked off at 3pm on Saturday). Fleet Street didn't mess around in those days.

 

[sammyj]

Missed seeing John white play was he as good as they say

 

[longtimespur]

I started going in the mid fifties so saw Ted Ditchburn, and the duke, (Len Duquemin) and later on the double winners.
My eldest brother took me .we'd get a bus from Turnpike Lane and get off at WHL, walk down White Hart Lane and call in a fruit and veg shop and pick up and orange box for me to stand on. Always behind the goal Park Lane end. My best man from ny first marriage, was a gooner and we'd go week and week about Highbury and WHL, whoever was at home. If both were I'd always go to Spurs game. Moved out of London early 70's after my marriage and haven't been a regular since.
Memories not what it was but had some great times and some shite times following our great club.

 

[Spurslove]

Missed seeing John white play was he as good as they say

Oh hell yes. He was such a lovely graceful player with a lovely touch and an uncanny habit of finding space to collect passes from (that's why they called him 'The Ghost'). He died at so tragically at only 26 years old, taking cover from a thunderstorm by a tree on a golf course, which got struck by lightning.

.

 

[Spurslove]

I'm so grateful to all those of you who've shared your early memories with the rest of us. So lovely to re-visit those old days and those experiences as younger folk. Those are the things which will never leave us, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings and the memories of our loved ones dearly departed will always be with us.

Thanks ever so much all of you, and of course, COME ON YOU SPURS!!!!

?‍

 

[Houdini]

I started in 59/60 and although I had heard of Fulham & Chelsea, because of the English side of my family's old neighborhood, it was an old Jewish sweetshop owner who told me to "forget that lot" and went on to extol all about the virtues and wonderful winning style of Tottenham Hotspur football club.
Standing in his shop I was mesmerised by his story telling, the questions he asked me about how much football do I play, who do I play with and where?
The only football I played was at school or in the streets and parks.
He went on to say things I never understood at the time about managers...
The vast majority of my mates were Chelsea supporters yet QPR were a much closer club.
I went to Loftus Road a lot when I was a kid, we used to bunk in through the derelict houses.
I collected everything I could that was Spurs related, mainly programmes, scarves, rosettes & photos.
Anyway, Frank Taylor, the tuck shop owner, leaned over his counter and said in a hushed tone, "just remember, class is like cream....it always rises to the top!"
Nope...didn't know what that meant either... But soon did.
I left the shop 100% Spurs and with a little white bag of FREE sweets.....every time I went into that shop he'd say "up the lilywhites".
One day his shop was shut and we never saw or heard of him, or his wife Liz, again.
Thanks Frank, it's been 60+ years of ups and downs, ecstacy and agony, an emotional rollercoaster..
I'm still riding it...

 

[Ray_Evans]

I remember the peanuts and munching them at the game.
Thank you for sharing your 60 years as a Spurs fan.
Ps I am 67 ?

Yes, I remember that well. His sales pitch was 'Peanuts! All roasted!' if I recall correctly.

 

[BuryMeInEngland]

Missed seeing John white play was he as good as they say

Yes, he was every bit as good. He was called the ghost for a reason. I was devastated when he died, first time as a kid one of my heroes had died.

 

[ShelfWatcher]

I started going in the mid fifties so saw Ted Ditchburn, and the duke, (Len Duquemin) and later on the double winners.
My eldest brother took me .we'd get a bus from Turnpike Lane and get off at WHL, walk down White Hart Lane and call in a fruit and veg shop and pick up and orange box for me to stand on. Always behind the goal Park Lane end. My best man from ny first marriage, was a gooner and we'd go week and week about Highbury and WHL, whoever was at home. If both were I'd always go to Spurs game. Moved out of London early 70's after my marriage and haven't been a regular since.
Memories not what it was but had some great times and some shite times following our great club.

Great post, thanks for sharing
such a different era, people didn't have the tribal hatred we have now. So many went to Arsenal one week,Spurs the next, to watch some football, get away from the missus, no way were they going shopping ?

 

[ShelfWatcher]

Yes, he was every bit as good. He was called the ghost for a reason. I was devastated when he died, first time as a kid one of my heroes had died.

I remember vividly to this day seeing the TV news report. So sad, and the end of our greatest team.
We came back strong in 67, and who knows with White might have won the League again. But alas was not to be ?

 

[Spurslove]

Yes, he was every bit as good. He was called the ghost for a reason. I was devastated when he died, first time as a kid one of my heroes had died.

I can very much associate myself with those words mate. Same here.

 

[ralphs bald spot]

One more memory but from later years. Getting off the train at Liverpool Street after a game and immediately getting the classified issue of the Evening Standard with all the results and match reports from that afternoons games (all games kicked off at 3pm on Saturday). Fleet Street didn't mess around in those days.

i remember queing up at Bruce Grove station waiting for the Evening Classified to come in - the match reports often only went up to half time

The first games i remember are the early seventies though I had been taken before that apparently- used to go over the reserves as well and they used to win most games easily and we had a centre forward called Ray Clarke who scored tons of goals - when I went to first team games we had Gilzean up front who in my juvenile eyes never scored much I couldn't understand how he played instead of Clarke !!

Other things the halftime scores round the edge of the pitch A to Z - Golden goal tickets - Bovril

One of the things that younger people probably don't realise with the wall to wall coverage we have nowadays is that if the team was away for the latest scores you relied on round the ground reports on the radio if you weren't the commentary match or a score update on the wrestling on World of Sport - Saturday afternoon the reserves would play at the same time as the first team and the old chap would give an update to the score every 15 minutes or when a goal was scored by walking round to the boards on the other side of the pitch and putting the score up - he would occasionally give a thumbs up if the first team were winning before putting the score up. I remember being at the reserves when the first team lost 8-2 to Derby the old boy who did the scores clearly getting annoyed as he trumped round the pitch to update the impending woe coming from the Baseball Ground eventually he announced to the crowd in enclosure 'i am not doing this no more I haven't got an eight'

 

[Spurslove]

Anyone remember the old 'Football Specials' bus service which used to take us fans from Manor House straight to the ground on a match day? I think the fare was about a bob (5p)?

.

 

[Terry & Terry]

I remember vividly to this day seeing the TV news report. So sad, and the end of our greatest team.
We came back strong in 67, and who knows with White might have won the League again. But alas was not to be ?

I read it in a newspaper when we were away on holiday. It ruined the holiday, I couldn't believe it, I was miserable for days.

 

[bigfrooj]

One more memory but from later years. Getting off the train at Liverpool Street after a game and immediately getting the classified issue of the Evening Standard with all the results and match reports from that afternoons games (all games kicked off at 3pm on Saturday). Fleet Street didn't mess around in those days.

That used to blow my mind, such a different world back then.

Similarly my Dad used to drag us down to Walthamstow dogs most Saturdays and we’d get the Sunday papers on the way out - it was like a weird time travelling thing to the little me.

 

[Sevens]

By my calculations, yesterday (16th December) marked my 60 year love-hate affair with Tottenham Hotspur.

You poor bastard. I thought 41 years suffering was bad enough.....