Which player leaving broke your heart the most?

[tototoner]

van der Vaart in recent times, before that Hoddle

 

[HotspurFC1950]

No-one leaving but Dave Mackay having his leg broken by a premeditated foul challenge at Old Trafford will remain with me until I take up residence in our new stadium in Spurs heaven.

 

[TaoistMonkey]

Ginola

 

[Shadydan]

Stuart Nethercott.

 

[The Scarecrow]

Van der Vaart for me, because it was so unexpected. With Carrick, Berbatov, Modric and Bale I was well prepared, and had been so for a long time.

 

[fatpiranha]

Campbell felt like a betrayal but I never really liked the guy so it didn't hurt that much.

Klinsmann I adored but I didn't blame him in the least for leaving. We simply didn't deserve him.

Bale hurt because I was a fan while he was still playing for the Southampton youth team and it was great to see us sign him and for him to go on to be such a success but we got a hell of a lot of money for him so that ameliorated the pain a little.

Carrick, VDV and Berbatov were less painful because while I was pleased how well they performed at our club I always felt they were just at the club because we were paying them and they had ambitions elsewhere.

For me, Modric was the real gutter . Again, largely, because I was a fan and had been wanting us to buy him for years before he came. Somehow I had convinced myself that he would be the fulcrum of the team for years to come. At least he didn't go to Chelsea.

 

[cliff jones]

Reading the Gareth Bale interview has made me think about the times players have left us and broke our hearts in the process.

It might sound strange but in recent times, Van Der Vaart leaving was worse than Bale for me because it was so unexpected. Bale going was horrible but I had long accepted that he would be off at some point so I was semi prepared. With Van Der Vaart though it was so out of the blue it really shocked me.

All time though for me it was Sheringham. I was 12 at the time and he was my hero so that one really broke my heart.

Ghoddle my hero by a mile. More recently both Modric and Bale, but by acting up they lost my respect. The unspeakable one goes to the grave with tens of thousands loathing his guts.

 

[ARMASPUR]

Sheringham is the standout for me. Being very angry, and very young at the time, I decided not to support Spurs anymore but it didn't work even back then.

 

[sunnydelight786]

Hoddle without question. Nobody has come close since or ever will for me. I loved Hoddle and he's the reason I support our great club

 

[Gassin's finest]

Teddy.

Campbell just made me angry.

 

[spurs mental]

Ginola was the worst. Our best player still, he didn't want to leave, he loved us and we loved him, and he was forced out by that egotistical gooner **** Graham. I was devastated.

Think we discussed this before, but this is still the one that was the worst. The day my dad told me he was leaving, I was out playing football, with my Ginola jersey on, he came out and told me. I was devastated.

More recently VDV because he was such a favourite and he's the only player I ever remember sticking it to the scum. I think he a goal in every game he played vs them.

Bale and Modric too, but not so much because they deserve to be winning the CL, Cups, etc

 

[SteveH]

None - Its football.

 

[NHAndy]

Jimmy Greaves. I was 10 when he signed for us, and within a year my Dad was taking me to every home game at WHL plus many aways.

JG was my absolute all-time hero, even now I look back and view it as a privilege that for 7 years I witnessed not only the greatest goalscorer in our history, but one of the most naturally gifted players in the history of English football.

It must have been around 1969, early in the season, when we went up to Old Trafford, and we ended up losing 1-3 if I remember correctly. However the thing that stands out in my memory was the 3 times Greavsie was clear through on goal one-on-one with their keeper. The first one he slid past the outside of left post, the second past the outside of the right post and the third he chipped over the bar. Chances that previously he would have put away in his sleep. Right then, right there - unbelievably - I knew his time was coming to end. I honestly thought he'd go on for ever.

In January we were dumped out the cup by Crystal Palace, Jimmy was dropped and the end was near. By March we'd swapped him for Martin Peters, and he was off to West Ham. I was 17 at the time, and it broke my heart - the end of an era, and it marked the end of my youth.

Apologies if this reads like an obituary, but those really were the happiest times.

I remember crying uncontrollably when the deadline day deal took Greavesie from us. I'd have cried a damn sight more if I'd realized that it was just the start of 40 years of pain and disappointment!!

 

[thinktank]

Campbell really cut like a knife...what a despicable xxxx.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

No-one leaving but Dave Mackay having his leg broken by a premeditated foul challenge at Old Trafford will remain with me until I take up residence in our new stadium in Spurs heaven.

I was there when it happened BOTH times. You heard the crack at the reserve game when he made his comeback.

I think in current times it has to be Bale because of his amazing talent but I still miss VDV too. I also missed Steed Malbranque when he left.

Back in the 60s, although he didn't leave in the way this thread intended, the absence of John White through his untimely death hit me hardest of all.

 

[Tottenham_God]

Chimbonda.

 

[sherbornespurs]

No-one leaving but Dave Mackay having his leg broken by a premeditated foul challenge at Old Trafford will remain with me until I take up residence in our new stadium in Spurs heaven.

I was at Cheshunt collecting autographs one morning in 1968, during pre-season. I remember this slim, unremarkable looking fella' in his early forties mooching round for ages - not getting involved, just generally hanging around while the players were going through their routines.

The players finished training and disappeared into the changing pavilion. I noticed the fella' had disappeared too.

After about 30mins the fella' suddenly appears again, this time from the changing area, followed closely by Dave McKay. I thrust whatever picture I wanted signing under Dave's nose and he says "There you go son, my first autograph as a Derby County player". The slim fella' was, of course, Brian Clough.

My own little insignificant moment of Spurs (and Derby's) history!

 

[Gambler]

Has to be Hoddle for me. The things he could do with a football were amazing.

I seem to remember being miffed when Waddle left too as didn't we sign Lineker the same summer?

 

[eddiev14]

The centre back who was our captain in the 90s. Went to that disgusting red team down the road.

I forget his name.

 

[Geyzer Soze]

Alan Hutton