Footballers' Birthdays

[CosmicHotspur]

Centre forward Tommy Roe was born today in 1900 in Evenwood, a mining town near Durham and he played for Durham in 1923 before journeying south where he joined Northfleet, our nursery club. He came to Spurs in 1925 and figured in seven games, scoring four goals before moving on to Notts Forest for a season in 1928.

He spent further single seasons with Luton Town, Walsall and Coventry City before retiring from the game and he died in 1972.

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Former striker "Sir" Les Ferdinand MBE is 43 today. He was with Crystal Palace from 1986 to 1995 but played in only a handful of first team games for them before transferring to Newcastle for two seasons.

He joined Tottenham in 1997 and made 118 appearances for us, scoring 33 goals along the way and helped us win the League Cup in 1999, when we beat Leicester City 1–0 in the final but injuries restricted him to just 12 goals in his first three seasons at the club.

He moved on to West Ham for a season in 2002 and also had brief spells with Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and Watford, finally hanging up his boots just short of his 40th birthday. Les was capped 17 times for England.

He is now back where he belongs, with the team he supported as a kid, on our coaching staff showing other strikers how it's done.





Goalie Bill Jacques was born today in 1888 in Erith, Kent. He first played for Gravesend, followed by a spell at Coventry City before joining Tottenham in 1914. he played in 138 games for us until 1920 when he retired from the game and was our regular keeper in the 1919-20 season when we won the Second Division championship, that team in this photo.

Bill died far too young, in 1925.

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Finally, a mention for Sir Geoff Hurst, England and West Ham legend, who is 68 today.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Former midfielder Jason Dozzell is 42 today. Born in Ipswich, he played for Ipswich Town from 1983 to 1993, making his first team debut aged 16.

He then joined Spurs and made 84 appearances in his four, often injury-stricken, seasons with us and never popular at the Lane, he quickly became a figure of scorn and derision. He transferred to Northampton for a season and then played for Colchester Utd, Canvey Island and Grays Athletic before hanging up his boots when a persistent toe injury sealed his fate.

He hit the headlines when an incident in an Ipswich bar, which famously involved a cake being flung across the room from Dozzell’s cor­ner, resulted in a drink-driving charge in 2007 and a three year ban.

He managed non-League Ipswich Wanderers from 2003-06 and Leiston for the 2006-07 season and regularly supports various local charities in Ipswich.

 

[TheChosenOne]

I thought he was going to be "the one"

He wasn't but he shares my B'day so thats one good thing I suppose.

 

[AW?]

I thought he was going to be "the one"

He wasn't but he shares my B'day so thats one good thing I suppose.

He's a bit young for you mate isn't he? :wink:

 

[TheChosenOne]

He's a bit young for you mate isn't he? :wink:

LOL I like them young.

But I'm sure Cosmic will agree - when I catch them I can't remember what to do.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Peter Baker is 78 today which is difficult for me to come to terms with, as I remember him as a young, very fit ever-present right back in the 1960s Double team.

Peter was born in Hampstead and went to school at Southgate County. He came to Spurs from Enfield in 1952 and was at the Lane until 1965. He played in 345 games during his time with us. He has a rightful place in our Hall of Fame and was a much under-rated player in my opinion. He had great tactical sense and his partnership with Ron Henry, our left back at the time, is one of the best defensive pairings I've ever witnessed.

He went to South Africa when he left Tottenham and played for Durban Utd. Now back in Enfield, he lives in quiet retirement with wife Lynne. I remember when they first got engaged - they made a really well-suited couple.

I remember Peter well. He was a friendly, modest man who was also a mean cricketer and an excellent, all-round sportsman.




Steve Robinson is 34 today. The central midfielder joined Spurs as a trainee in the 1993-94 season and made two first team appearances, moving on to Bournemouth after a brief loan spell with Leyton Orient.

He joined Preston NE in 2000 for two seasons and then transferred to Luton Town until 2008. He hasn't played since leaving Luton where he sustained an injury before hanging up his boots.

 

[TheChosenOne]

It is the personal little "titbits" of info that makes this column of yours such a good read Cozzie. Ta.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

It is the personal little "titbits" of info that makes this column of yours such a good read Cozzie. Ta.

Glad you enjoy it x

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Thomas Fitchie was born today in 1881 in Edinburgh. A talented forward, he was nicknamed the "Prince of Dribblers". He played as an amateur as he travelled a lot and had too many business affairs to commit to football as a professional.

He joined Woolwich Arsenal when he was 19 in November 1901 and scored twice on his debut. He often guested for other sides, including Fulham, London Caledonians and Spurs - we were not at that time Arsenal's deadly local rivals.

Fitchie's ability was such that he was called up to play for Scotland in 1905 and he won four caps in all. Fitchie left Arsenal in mid-1906 to return to Scotland where he played for Queen's Park for two years. He also spent some time in Southern England during this period, occasionally appearing for Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion. He returned to Woolwich Arsenal in 1908 and he played another full season, scoring ten goals (nine in the league, one in the cup) in twenty-one games. In all, he played 63 times for Arsenal and scored 30 goals.

After leaving Arsenal, Fitchie joined a touring team known as The Pilgrims, a side composed of British players that toured the USA in October and November 1909. After returning to England, Fitchie played for Glossop North End between 1909 and 1911 and Fulham for a second spell in 1912. He died on 17 October 1947.

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Alex Glen was born today in Kilysyth in Scotland in 1878. The 6'1" inside left first played football for Clyde and was a medical student at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and served as a surgical dresser in the Boer War.

He joined Grimsby Town in 1902 for one season and also played for Notts County, Spurs (1904-06), Southampton, Portsmouth (he joined in time for their summer tour of Germany, where his fluent German gave him the job of acting as the club's official interpreter) and finally at Brentford, where he ended his playing career. He was described as "a dexterous, elegant dribbler who swerved and weaved with devastating effect". Date of death now known.

****​

Defender Mark Clare is 19 today. He played for our Academy and Under-18 squad but never made made it any further and was released from Spurs last summer.




Chris Hughton is 51 today. A product of our youth system, he was at the Lane from 1977 to 1990, making more than 300 appearances as a full back and made his debut aged 18. He was at Wembley just two years after his debut for the 1981 FA Cup Final and replay, followed by a return trip the following year and also played in our 1984 UEFA Cup triumph.

Born in Stratford, East London he was the first black footballer to represent the Republic of Ireland and won 53 caps.

He played for West Ham from 1990-92 and Brentford for his final playing season in 1992-93 and then launched into his coaching career at the Lane, until he was sacked along with Martin Jol in 1997. He was coach and caretaker manager at Newcastle before being appointed manager in October this year. He earned and still retains respect from Spurs supporters.

His brother Henry played for Crystal Palace and Leyton Orient and alongside Chris for the RoI Under-21 side and his son Cian, who was also on our books as a youth player, currently represents the RoI Under-21s and signed a six month contract with Lincoln City in July.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Tony Want shares my birthday - he's a year younger and is 61 today.

The right back was born in Shoreditch and joined Spurs as an apprentice in 1964, turning professional a year later. He put in 50 first team appearances for us in his seven seasons at the Lane and then spent six with Birmingham City with a more regular first team place, with a loan spell with the Philadelphia Atoms in the USA in 1975.

He played for the NASL's Minnesota Kicks from 1978 to 1981 before hanging up his boots and returning to the UK to work as a fishmonger in Birmingham Market.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Midfielder Alain Didier Zokora Deguy is 29 today. Born in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, he was capped 75 times for his country.

He came to Tottenham from Saint-Etienne in 2006 and clocked up over 130 appearances before transferring to Sevilla last summer. Despite never scoring a goal and missing some absolute sitters, he scored with our supporters and became a firm crowd favourite with his very own chant.




Former winger Chris Waddle is 49 today. Born in Tyne & Wear, he was rescued from working in a factory making pies and sausages by Newcastle in 1980. Five seasons later, he came south to Spurs and made 138 appearances for us, scoring 33 goals and "made sweet music", both on and off the pitch, with Glenn Hoddle.

He transferred to Olympique de Marseilles in 1989 and also later played for Sheffield Wednesday, Falkirk, Bradford, Sunderland, Burnley (as player-manager), Torquay, Worksop Town and, finally, Glapwell. Capped 63 times for England, Chris was voted Footballer of the Year in 1993.

He now makes various media appearances and regularly commentates for Radio 5 Live and ESPN.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, capped 31 times for Russia, is 28 today. He came to us from Spartak Moscow in September 2008 and has so far made 32 appearances, scoring five goals.

Things have soured for him of late and he is unsettled, which is a pity as given the opportunity and with the right attitude, he is a prolific goalscorer. It looks as though he will be moving on in the not too distant future.




Midfielder Hossam Ghaly is also 28 today. Capped 28 times for Egypt, he played for El-Ahly and Feyenoord before joining Spurs in 2006.

His future at Tottenham was left in doubt after he pulled off his shirt and threw it to the ground after being substituted during our league game against Blackburn in May 2007. Although he was contrite when he calmed down, he has not been forgiven for the incident by many Spurs supporters and later Harry Redknapp changed his mind about putting him on the pitch as a sub when Hossam was booed by the crowd.

He transferred to Al-Nassr in January this year.




David Howells is 42 today. The midfielder was born in Guildford and came to the Lane in 1985, making his debut aged 18 in 1986.

He played in 335 games for us in his twelve seasons at Tottenham and was a member of our 1991 FA Cup Final winning team.

He transferred to Southampton in 1998 for two seasons, with a loan spell at Bristol Rovers but a persistent knee injury forced him to retire from the game. He now runs a successful string of soccer school all over Europe and is the director of a sports agency.




Jim Iley is 74 today. The former left half hailed from West Yorkshire and played for Sheffield Utd from 1954-57 before joining Spurs for two seasons and making 53 appearances for us.

He played for Notts Forest from 1959 to 1963 and then Newcastle Utd until 1969 when he ended his playing career with Peterborough. He managed Barnsley from 1973 to 1978.

He's the first player on the left in the back row in this 1958 team photo.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

:lol: the lad in front of Danny Blanchflower, looks like he's wearing someone elses head, and i never knew how broad Teddy Ditchburn was either - can't really see it in the photos or footage i've seen before but he really could carry barrels on his shoulders, eh?

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Former left back Pat Van Den Hauwe is 49 today. Born in Belgium but raised in London, his loyalty lay with Wales and he represented them on thirteen occasions.

He joined Birmingham as an apprentice in 1977 and turned professional the following season and made his debut aged only 17. After 143 games, he moved to Everton in 1984 for five seasons. Everton won the League titles in 1985 and 1987 and the goal Pat scored in the 1987 season clinched the title for them. They also won the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1985.

He came to Spurs in 1989 and was in our 1991 FA Cup winning side, making 116 appearances for us before transferring to Millwall in 1993 for his final two playing seasons.

He married model Mandy Smith, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman's ex-wife, in 1993 but the marriage only lasted two years. The last I heard of Pat, he was working as a gardener in South Africa.




Andrew Barcham is 23 today. Born in Basildon, Andy joined our Academy in 2005 and turned professional shortly afterwards, making 19 reserve team appearances. He was top scorer, playing mainly as an attacking right winger, for our Under-18s.

After loan spells at Leyton Orient and Gillingham, he joined Gillingham last July.




Left back Warren Hackett is 39 today. Capped seven times for St Lucia, which sometimes caused controversial fixture clashes with his clubs, he was born in Plaistow and joined Spurs as an apprentice in 1989 but was released after one season and moved on to Leyton Orient for four seasons.

He also played for Doncaster Rovers, Mansfield and Barnet before dropping into non-league football. He is now coaching for the Glen Shields Soccer Club in Ontario, Canada.




Armend Trnava is 25 today. Born in Pristina, Kosova he came to London when he was ten years old and later joined Chelsea's Academy. He later had brief spells with QPR and ourselves and was capped for Albania's Under-21 side. He didn't make any first team appearances for us.

Standing at around 6'4", he now works as a model and physical trainer but I can find nothing further about his footballing career.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Jimmy Robertson is 65 today. Billy Nick brought him to the Lane in 1964 from St Mirren, where his speed and tricky talent on the left wing had already earned him the nickname of "The Flying Scotsman". He played in 181 games and scored 31 goals for us before moving to Arsenal in an exchange deal for David Jenkins in 1968. He is the only player to have scored for both sides in our North London derby matches with Arsenal. Surprisingly, he was only capped once for Scotland, in 1964.

After two seasons at Highbury, he transferred to Ipswich and then played for Stoke from 1972 to 1977 before going to the US for a season with Seattle Sounders. Back in the UK, he had single seasons with Walsall and Crewe before retiring from the game in 1979. He then worked for a computer insurance company in Staffordshire.

I remember him as a quiet man off the pitch and one who excelled on it.



Kevin Scott is 43 today. He began his career with Middlesbrough but was released after one season and was working in a paper mill and playing for Durham City when Jack Charlton spotted him and signed him for Newcastle. He was in the same youth squad that won the FA Youth Cup in 1985 as Paul Gascoigne.

Aften ten years and 227 appearances, he joined Spurs in 1994, an unsettled time with injuries and our changes of manager which meant he made only 18 league appearances, with loan spells at Port Vale, Charlton and Norwich, joining the latter in 1997 and moving on to Darlington in 1999.

He went on to play non-league football before returning to Middlesbrough to coach their Academy players.




Goalie Percy Hooper was born today in 1914 in Lambeth. He played for our nursery club, Northfleet, before joining Tottenham in 1934 and made 108 appearances before leaving in 1939, at the outbreak of WWII, to join the army. He guested for several clubs during the war and then joined Swansea from 1946 to 1948, followed by spells with Chingford Town and Kings Lynn before retiring from the game.

In the 1936 team photo he is the seventh along in the back row.

Percy died in July 1997.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Justin Edinburgh is 40 today. Nicknamed "Musselburgh" because Musselburgh is "just in" Edinburgh, the left back was born in Basildon and began his footballing career with Southend from 1988 to 1990.

After a loan period at the Lane, he was signed permanently and stayed with us for a decade, putting in 213 appearances and winning an FA Cup medal in 1991 and a League Cup medal in 1999, even though he was red carded, because when the footage was checked out after the game it was decided the red card had been given in error.

He transferred to Portsmouth in 2003, after a loan period with the club, and became player-manager at Billericay Town in 2005. He managed Fisher Athletic in 2006 and Grays Athletic for the 2007-8 season and is now manager of Rushden & Diamonds, as well as co-owning two Toni & Guy hairdressing salons.




Walter Bull was born today in 1874. He played for Notts County from 1894 to 1904 and, although primarily a left back, he played in every position on the field including in goal against Spurs in our very first fixture at White Hart Lane, when he donned the goalie's gloves when the County keeper went off injured.

He transferred to Tottenham in 1904 for the princely sum of £300 after a lengthy dispute over the amount of the transfer fee and put in 132 appearances at centre half for us, taking on the captaincy for the 1907-08 season and representing Tottenham on the PFA when it was founded in 1907, before moving on to Heanor Utd in 1910 and then had a spell coaching in Buenos Aires for the 1911-12 season.

He returned to the UK and was player-manager at Northampton Town for the 1912-13 season. Walter died on 21 July 1952.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Herbert "Bert" Middlemiss was born today in 1888. A speedy left winger, he came to Tottenham from Stalybridge Rovers in 1908 and made 261 appearances, scoring 55 goals, until 1919. He had one season with QPR in 1920 to end his playing career.

Bert died in 1941.




Striker Radwan Hamed, said to be good in the air and once hailed as a good future prospect at Tottenham, was born exactly a century later than Bert Middlemiss, so is 21 today.

He played for our Under-18s and in the reserve side. He collapsed during the Under-18s 2005-06 pre-season tour of Belgium but made a good recovery and had a brief loan period at Swindon. He was released from Tottenham in the summer of 2008. I have no idea where he is now.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Left winger Les Dicker was born on this day in 1926 and may still be with us. If so, he's 83 today.

Born in Stockwell, he began his careeer with Hornchuch and joined Chelmsford in 1948. He was spotted and signed by Spurs in 1951 and made ten first team appearances for us, scoring two goals but mainly played for our reserves.

He transferred to Southend in 1953 for two seasons and returned Chelmsford City where he ended his playing career.

***​

David Galbraith is 26 today. The left-sided midfielder joined Spurs as a trainee in 2003 and then spent a season with Northampton Town in 2004. He also had spells with Boston Utd, Kettering and Kings Lynn before joining St Albans City this season.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Spurs legend Steve Perryman MBE is 58 today. The midfielder was at Tottenham from 1969 to 1986 and holds the club record of 854 appearances, making his League debut with us aged only 17 and taking on the captaincy when he was only 20.

He was voted Footballer of the Year in 1982 and won medals for the UEFA Cup in 1972 and 1984, FA Cup winners medals in 1981 and 1982 and League Cup winners in 1971 and 1973. He was capped only once for England, coming on as a sub.

He became player-manager at Oxford in 1987 and held the same position with Brentford from 1987 to 1990 to end his playing career. He then went to Norway to manage IK Start, followed by management spells in Japan with Shimizu S-Pulse and Kashiwa Reysol before returning to England to manage Exeter in 2003, where he is now Director of Football.

He lent his name to a brand of sports stores in West London which use the Spurs cockerel as their emblem A store in Bergen, Norway was also opened in the early 1980s.

I remember Steve well as a youth team player escalated to the first team and proving just how useful and talented a player and captain he was. Players of his calibre don't come along very often.

I also remember one bitterly cold winter when I was learning to drive (I never persevered) and my instructor, who was a grouchy old git, got behind the wheel to get me home quickly so he could get to his next appointment and the car slid out of control on the ice in Paxton Road and went into the back of the car in front. I'm so glad I wasn't driving as it was Steve Perryman in that car! No real damage done luckily.




Former inside forward Jimmy Collins is 72 today. I remember him well - he was the wild Scottish boy that all we girls fancied like mad. He liked his drink and he liked a brawl and got himself into trouble at times which was a pity, as he was actually a very talented footballer.

A regular reserve, he was with us in the 1961-62 season and made two first team appearances and then transferred to Brighton & Hove Albion which saddened we girls who missed seeing him around and flirting with him. In 1967, he went to Wimbledon where he ended his playing career.

He still lives in the Brighton area, now a much-reformed character and a happily married family man so I hear.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Striker Randolph Septimus Galloway was born today in 1896 in Sunderland and played for Sunderland Tramways, Derby County, Notts Forest, Luton Town and Coventry City before joining Tottenham in 1928. He made three appearances for us, scoring twice, before an injury kept him out of the side and he left at the end of the season for a brief spell with Grantham Town before retiring from playing.

He then ventured abroad and managed clubs in Spain, Italy and Portugal until 1955, when he retired. Those clubs were Sporting de Gijon, Valencia, Racing Santander, CA Penarol, Juventus, Sporting CP and a final season with Vitoria SC.

The photo is from his time managing Sporting CP in Portugal from 1950 to 1953 and the club won the League title in the 1952-53 season.

Randolph died in Mapperley, Notts on 10 April 1964.




Full back John "Jack" Reddish was born today in 1904 in Nottingham and played for non-League club Boots Athletic before being spotted and signed for Spurs in 1929. He made only seven first team appearances and left for Lincoln City in 1933 for a season and then played for Notts County and Dundee before hanging up his boots.

He's third from the right in the bottom row in this 1928 photo.

Jack died in 1989.




Winger Rohan Ricketts is 27 today. He was at Highbury for the 2001-2002 season and then switched to Spurs for three seasons, making 30 appearances for us with loan periods at Coventry City and Wolves, for whom he signed in 2005.

In 2007, he transferred to Barnsley after a brief loan spell with QPR and joined Toronto FC the following season. He is currently without a club although he has had some trials back in the UK which have not led to a signing.