- Jul 6, 2012
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By my calculations, yesterday (16th December) marked my 60 year love-hate affair with Tottenham Hotspur.
It was 60 years ago yesterday my uncle Nat took me as a scatty 9 year old schoolkid off to the football, and introduced me to White Hart Lane to see the debut performance of one Jimmy Greaves (God rest him).
I'll always remember my uncle saying to me 'Come on boy, I'll take you to the football' and I was so excited. I don't think my dad ever forgave him, as he was a gooner, but that's another issue!
As soon as I walked into the place, I was awe stricken and even standing on my little box on the old shelf, I could barely see what was happening on the pitch, but the atmosphere that day was amazing and I loved it. I also loved the bag of peanuts my uncle bought for us as the guy came round shouting 'Peanuts, peanuts..' with his little sack of goodies.
Of course, Jimmy did what he always did on his debuts. He not only scored for us in a win over Blackpool, but he helped himself to a hat trick and from day one, the crowd took him into their hearts, me included, and for all the Spurs players down the years who I've fallen in love with, Jimmy was always my ultimate hero.
You'll have to understand, I was born and raised in Highbury, half a mile from that place which should not be named, and who knows, if my uncle Nat had taken me there first...well it doesn't bear thinking about!
My bedroom walls were covered with all sorts of posters with Spurs pictures and newspaper cuttings and all sorts.
Blimey, 60 years. Where the hell has that gone. All the joys and all the heartaches, the agonies and the ecstacies, no wonder I've hardly got any bloody hair left! I sometimes wonder what I must have done in a past life. I must have ben a right bastard (Who said 'no change there then)? LOL.
Part of my DNA now. I may have completely fallen out of love with football but THFC will never leave me till I shuffle off this mortal coil.
This might be a good place to invite others to share their own experiences of their first visit to WHL.
Come on you Spurs!!!
It was 60 years ago yesterday my uncle Nat took me as a scatty 9 year old schoolkid off to the football, and introduced me to White Hart Lane to see the debut performance of one Jimmy Greaves (God rest him).
I'll always remember my uncle saying to me 'Come on boy, I'll take you to the football' and I was so excited. I don't think my dad ever forgave him, as he was a gooner, but that's another issue!
As soon as I walked into the place, I was awe stricken and even standing on my little box on the old shelf, I could barely see what was happening on the pitch, but the atmosphere that day was amazing and I loved it. I also loved the bag of peanuts my uncle bought for us as the guy came round shouting 'Peanuts, peanuts..' with his little sack of goodies.
Of course, Jimmy did what he always did on his debuts. He not only scored for us in a win over Blackpool, but he helped himself to a hat trick and from day one, the crowd took him into their hearts, me included, and for all the Spurs players down the years who I've fallen in love with, Jimmy was always my ultimate hero.
You'll have to understand, I was born and raised in Highbury, half a mile from that place which should not be named, and who knows, if my uncle Nat had taken me there first...well it doesn't bear thinking about!
My bedroom walls were covered with all sorts of posters with Spurs pictures and newspaper cuttings and all sorts.
Blimey, 60 years. Where the hell has that gone. All the joys and all the heartaches, the agonies and the ecstacies, no wonder I've hardly got any bloody hair left! I sometimes wonder what I must have done in a past life. I must have ben a right bastard (Who said 'no change there then)? LOL.
Part of my DNA now. I may have completely fallen out of love with football but THFC will never leave me till I shuffle off this mortal coil.
This might be a good place to invite others to share their own experiences of their first visit to WHL.
Come on you Spurs!!!
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