A Manager for All Seasons: The First Year at Spurs

by Gerry Francis

Gerry Francis is arguably the shrewdest of all British football managers. A deep thinker who went to business school at night in his 20s while his teammates at Queens Park Rangers played snooker. At the age of 23 he was appointed England captain by Don Revie and in recent months he has been heralded as a potential successor to Terry Venables as England manager. Hired to manage Tottenham Hotspur by chairman, Alan Sugar, he refused to sign a lucrative long-term contract because without it he has more freedom and ability to decide his own destiny. In his short time at Tottenham he has had great success. When he arrived in November 1994, the once illustrious club was in the relegation zone. By the end of the season, they were 7th in the Premier League and had reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. This is doubly remarkable because Francis spent no money and, therefore, acquired no new players. This account covers Francis's analytical football brain, his much-reported understanding of the needs and potential of his individual players and the events that took place during his first year at Spurs. It tells the full story of his first year at Spurs in detail, from boardroom to training ground, from Goodison Park to the hospital where his small son was seriously ill during the Cup semi-final with Everton, from the pre-season friendlies to dinner with Jurgen Klinsmann.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996