Footballers' Birthdays

[CosmicHotspur]

Ernie Walley is 76 today. He joined Spurs as a junior in May 1951, making five league appearances as a wing half before moving to Middlesbrough in 1958.

After eight appearances there he moved into coaching and was very briefly caretaker manager of Crystal Palace following the departure of Terry Venables in 1980 and was later assistant manager to John Hollins at Chelsea during the mid-1980s. Ernie now lives in retirement on Anglesey. His brother Tom Walley played for Watford and Wales.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Spurs Hall of Famer and legend, Ron Burgess, was born today in 1917 and died on 14 February 2005 in Swansea, aged 87. Born in Monmouthshire, he was capped 32 times for Wales. He first joined Spurs in 1936 as an amateur but it was thought he wouldn't make the grade and he was on the way home to Wales when the team was a man short for a game and he played and his performance in that match changed his fortune and he never got the train home after all.

He turned professional for Spurs in 1938, with his career interrupted by the war, and remained with us as a tireless and talented midfielder, captain from 1949-51 of our successful League title winning "push and run" side. He went on to play for and manage Swansea and then managed Watford.

*****​

Defender Owen Coll is 33 today. He was at the Lane from 1994-96 but never made it into the first team.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Goalie George Clawley was born today in 1875. He joined Tottenham in 1899 but was unable to play during his first season with us due to a broken leg. He was in goal when we won the FA Cup in 1901, Spurs being the only non-league team ever to achieve this, and remained at the Lane until 1903.

He also played for Stoke City, Crewe Alexandra and Southampton during his career and became the landlord of the Wareham Arms Hotel in Southampton when he retired. George died on 16 July 1920, aged only 45.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Chris Fairclough is 45 today. The former central defender was at Tottenham from 1987-89 and had a good first season, his second being blighted by injury.

He now coaches the Notts Forest Under-17s back in his home town.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

John "Jock" Cameron was born today in 1872. A journalist and prison camp internee in the 1st World War, he played for Spurs from 1898 to 1907 as a high-scoring inside forward with 139 goals in 293 appearances. He was also player-manager from 1899-1907, managing and playing in our successful FA Cup winning side of 1901.

Capped once for Scotland, John Cameron died on 20 April 1935, aged 53.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Noe Pamarot is 30 today.

Milija Aleksic is 58.




Nicola Berti is 42.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY today to legend in the making, Aaron "Twinkletoes" Lennon.

An established Spurs legend and a Spurs man through and through, Billy Minter, was born today in 1888. With St Albans, he holds an unusual record - the most goals scored in the FA Cup by a losing side. He scored all seven goals in the cup tie, but St Albans lost the game 7-8 against Dulwich!

He began his professional career at the dreaded Woolwich Arsenal but quickly saw the error of his ways and switched to Spurs in March 1908 and remained at the Lane for the rest of his life, in a career only interrupted by military service for the whole of the 1914-18 war. Playing at inside forward and scoring 101 goals in 334 appearances, he was appointed as team captain on his return, although he hung up his boots in 1920 and then took on firstly the role of trainer at the Lane and became Spurs manager in 1927 for a three year spell, having to resign from the post due to failing health.

He was then appointed club assistant secretary, working in the admin office, until his untimely death in Tottenham on 21 May 1940, aged only 46.

Apologies for poor quality photo, it was all I could find.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

John Chiedozie is 49 today.



Chris Jones is 53 today.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Academy midfielder starlet Paul-Jose Mpuku is sweet 17 today. I've seen his surname spelled Mpoku and Mpoklu but the THFC website has it as Mpuku so I'll stick with that version.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Winger Johnny Gavin was born today in Limerick in 1928 and is best remembered for his two spells with Norwich, where he still holds the record as their highest goal scorer and is in their Hall of Fame.

He joined Norwich in 1948 and transferred to the Lane in 1954, spending 13 months with us, making 31 appearances and scoring 14 goals and becoming a crowd favourite despite his all too short stay with us. He was the first Tottenham player to represent the Republic of Ireland, gaining seven caps. He returned to Norwich as part of an exchange deal for Double team centre half Maurice Norman in 1955.

He also had spells with Watford, Crystal Palace and Cambridge before becoming a publican and later running his own painting and decorating business, having moved from Ponders End to Cambridge, where he died aged 79 on 18 September 2007.

We were playing against Port Vale in this game, in unusual striped kit and Johnny Gavin is the winger with his back to the camera, as Johnny Brooks aims at goal.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Lee Young-Pyo is 32 today.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Gilberto da Silva Melo is 33 today.

Former midfielder Ally Dick, with Tottenham from 1982-85, is 54 today and now lives and works in Edinburgh. Signed as an apprentice, he made 25 appearances for us and had the distinction of being our youngest ever first team player when he made his debut at the age of 16 years, 301 days at home against Manchester City on 20 February 1982, a record since broken by John Bostock.

One of the highlights of Ally's Tottenham career was an appearance as substitute in the 2nd leg of the 1984 UEFA Cup Final at the Lane. Johan Cruijff (with whom he shares his birthday and who is 62 today) signed Ally for Ajax in 1986. He was badly injured in a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup tie against Olympiacos FC but featured again in the following season's European campaign and went on to play in the final of the 1988 European Super Cup final.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Ralph Coates is 63 today.

Chris Perry is 36 today.

Dean Austin is 39 today.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Hall of Fame legend Martin Chivers is 64 today.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Two legends, no longer with us, who both died far too young.

Walter Tull, born today in 1888, who died for his country. The campaign for posthumous recognition and a statue at the Lane is ongoing.



John White would have been 72 today. I've written about him at some length in other threads so will just say I still think about him often and miss him. A truly talented player and a lovely man.

 

[masterblaster80]

Academy midfielder starlet Paul-Jose Mpuku is sweet 17 today. I've seen his surname spelled Mpoku and Mpoklu but the THFC website has it as Mpuku so I'll stick with that version.

looks just like darren bent

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Adam Smith is 18 today.

 

[milkman]

Happy Birthday Adam. :dance:

 

[Kyras]

Academy midfielder starlet Paul-Jose Mpuku is sweet 17 today. I've seen his surname spelled Mpoku and Mpoklu but the THFC website has it as Mpuku so I'll stick with that version.

Is that computer generated? I honestly can't tell.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

Former Spurs goalie Marton Fulop is 26 today.