Tottenham Retro Football Shirts

In 1882, the Hotspur Football Club was formed by grammar school boys at All Hallows Church before being renamed Tottenham Hotspurs in 1894. Just nine years after their formation, Tottenham became the first non Football League side to win the FA Cup after defeating Sheffield United 3-1. After several years in the Southern League, the club were elected to the second division of the Football League in 1908 and immediately won promotion to the first division as runners up. However, their form in the first division was poor and they ended up bottom when the First World War interupted proceedings. This meant that when the football resumed in 1918, Tottenham were playing in the second division but once again they won promotion at the first attempt. This proved a springboard for the club’s second FA Cup success in 1921 with a 1-0 victory over Wolves in the final.

After finishing as runners up to Liverpool in the 1922 first division, Spurs underwent a steady decline before relegating to division two in 1928 where they remained up until the breakout of the Second World War. Arthur Rowe became club manager at the conclusion of the war and soon led the club to a dominant second division title victory in 1950. However, Rowe went one better in 1951 and secured Tottenham’s first ever division one league title with players such as Alf Ramsey and Bill Nicholson particularly influential. This was the pinnacle of Rowe’s era in charge as despite a second place finish in 1952, the club declined to mid table finishes before he resigned in 1955. Jimmy Anderson took over and nearly saw the club relegated in his first season but he bounced back and led them to a runners up spot in the following season. However, ill health caused Anderson’s resignation and he was replaced by the now legendary Bill Nicholson.

Nicholson’s first season showed no signs of the success that was to follow as the club finished in a lowly 18th place. However, the early 1960’s brought a huge period of success for the club as they achieved a league and FA Cup double in 1961 before going on to clinch another FA Cup in 1962 and reach the European Cup semi final before losing 4-3 to Benfica on aggregate. The FA Cup final in 1961 saw Spurs beat Leicester City 2-0 whilst the final of 1962 saw the club beat Burnley 3-1. Nicholson led the team to further success after this with a Cup Winners Cup final victory over holders Atletico Madrid in a 5-1 thrashing. A rebuilding process took place in the following years before a 3rd placed finish and FA Cup final victory over Chelsea in 1967. Further trophies were added in the early 1970’s as the League Cup was acquired in 1971 and 1973 whilst the first ever UEFA Cup in 1972 saw Tottenham beat Wolves 3-2 in the final to cap off the most successful period in their history.

Nicholson retired as manager in 1974 after a poor start but his successors were far from successful. In fact, after 27 years in the top flight, Tottenham were relegated in 1977 but as usual in their history, were able to bounce back up at the first attempt. Manager Keith Burkenshaw shocked the world in 1978 as he brought Argentines Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles to the club. The 1981 and 1982 seasons saw Spurs gain more success in the FA Cup with a 3-2 replay victory over Manchester City in 1981 that saw a memorable Ricky Villa goal and a 1-0 replay victory over QPR in 1982. In 1984, the club managed to acquire the UEFA Cup for a second time with a 2-2 draw over two legs against Anderlecht which eventually saw the english club come through 4-3 on penalties. However, Burkinshaw announced that he would be leaving after this game which left Spurs once again trying to replace a great manager.

The remainder of the 1980’s saw solid league finishes as the Heysal disaster ruled Spurs out of potential european success. The club gained their next trophy in 1991 under the leadership of Terry Venables with a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. In 1990, Sir Alan Sugar launched a takeover bid as the previous chairman was on the verge on bankruptcy. However, the club failed to replicate their previous achievements and spent the majority of the 1990’s under various managers scratching around mid table. This trend continued into the 2000’s and only under Martin Jol did they look like perhaps re-establishing themselves as a major force again. The club is currently managed by Harry Redknapp and after a good end to the 2008/09 season, they will hope to push the top clubs for a Champions League spot this time around.