The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur

by Julie Welch, Gary Mabbutt (Foreword)

New edition of this bestselling title, a warm and evocative history of Tottenham Hotspur that gets to the heart and soul of the famous London football club.

Packed with wonderful stories from the formation of the club to the present day, and the memories of legendary players, managers, supporters and other key figures, The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur brings the rich history of Spurs to life.

First published in 2012, with further editions in 2015 and 2019, this fourth edition brings the story right up to date with and covers Jose Mourinho's time in charge and the arrival of Nuno Esperito Santo.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Soccer, Football, History

417 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 2012

Reviews

[Julia Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because my neighbour got it for me for Christmas and because I am obsessed with Tottenham Hotspur.

This book is a factual account of the history of the world's greatest football club Tottenham Hotspur. The book goes through all the Tottenham teams from the first team in 1882 through to the current team of 2012. Note this book was written in 2012 and does not contain any information about this season or the latter half of last season.

As this is a non-fiction book it didn't have any real characters. It did however have lots of people who could be described as real 'characters'. One of theses was Danny Blanchflower. Danny Blanchflower was the captain of Tottenham when they won the famous League and Cup 'Double' in the 1960-1961 season. He was didn't always agree with the managers and often on the field he made his own tactical changes which really annoyed the managers. He often got the comment' I'm the coach, you're the player so play and let me coach'. He would then reply' well you're not doing your job very well so I was doing both our jobs'. This attitude didn't put him in many coaches good books but none of them could deny he was indeed a tactical genius. But with Bill Nicholson(the manager of Tottenham when they won the double) Danny was allowed to be himself because Bill could understand him. The Danny-Bill combination also worked because Danny respected Bill as a coach which was a rare thing for Danny. After Danny stopped playing and before he started managing he worked as a football pundit. Danny absolutely ruined the pre-match analysis of many matches. One of these was when asked 'who do you think is going to win?' He said 'I don't know whose going to win, that's why they are playing the match'. Another instance was when Danny said 'these teams suck' the producer whispered 'says positive things only' and Danny then said 'these teams positively suck'.

One quote that I really like in this book is this quote from Sidney Wale(the Tottenham chairman in the 1970's) 'Burkinshaw did all the work while Terry(Neill) appeared on TV'. I like this quote because it shows how it's not just the manager that makes the team the team that is. The technical and tactical analysts, the scouts, the fitness and conditioning staff, the nutritionists and the sports science officers all contribute to making the football great not just the manager.

Something I thought more deeply about after reading this book was all the politics involved in football. All the time there are other clubs wanting to swap players for better counterparts. Chairman's of lower league teams wanting to expand leagues so their team can get in a better league so that their best players will stay.


I would recommend this book to people that like football history and Tottenham. I do not recommend this book to any Arsenal fans though. Although I really enjoyed this book, I do understand that many people my age would not enjoy this book as it's simply a matter of reading what you enjoy.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's a grand old team to play for,
It's a grand old team to see,
And if you know your history,
It's enough to make you heart go whoo-oh-oh.

We don't care what the other teams say,
What the hell do we care?
For we only know that there's gonna be a show
And the Tottenham Hotspur will be there..."

[Larkin Tackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two years ago, after reading a 2006 article by Bill Simmons about how to pick an English Premier League Team, we picked Tottenham Hotspur as ours. Among the reasons we chose the Spurs is that their Jewish fan base and Jewish ownership inspired anti-Semitic jeers from rival vans, to which Spurs fans affectionately dubbed themselves the "Yid Army". As a new Tottenham fan, I picked up this book to expand my knowledge, especially since I didn't grow up following the team's ups and downs. Julie Welch's biography closed that gap by helping me appreciate everything from the team's humble, 19th century beginnings in the Tottenham Marshes, to the legendary coach Bill Nicholson, and to standout players Danny Blanchflower, Chris Waddle, and Paul Gascoigne. Where the book lacked sufficient detail to describe the "Spurs Way" of playing soccer, it made up with detailed biographic detail of each owner, manager, and key player of the club's storied history.

[Samuel Mallick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must-read for any Spurs fan: it’s a love letter to the club and it’s supporters, and it’s a remarkably thorough encapsulation of over a century of history. The book is artfully paced, slowing down at moments to describe important matches blow-by-blow, at other times speeding up to summarize less-than-remarkable seasons. There are some shortcomings from a stylistic standpoint: the prose can feel a bit forced, resorting to some cliche phrasing, and it relies on references that newer supporters (such as this reader) may not understand at the start of the book. But this is a book about the idea of Tottenham Hotspur: a club that aims for glory, not just victory, and that idea is conveyed compellingly on every single page. Julie Welch understands the club, and understands why people follow it. And so the newer supporters should shoulder past references that might not be familiar, because the author making them knows why we chose Tottenham (or, perhaps more accurately) why Tottenham chose us, when there were other clubs with better trophy prospects that might have captured our hearts. If you support some other club, this book is probably not for you. It is an openly biased history, albeit in the most wonderful and well-meaning way possible. But if you want to learn the history of this great and glorious club, or perhaps if you want to better understand why you love Spurs, The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur is well worth a read.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, if I'm honest Welch is not a great writer, (the clunky references back and forth between the double winning side and modern day players basically never work) but she makes up for a lot of that with her sheer passion and love for the club. It feels like an incredibly dated edition too becuase the one I read was published at the height of the Poch era and so much water has gone under the bridge since then. As a result the wide eyed wonder at his team, Levy and the sparkly stadium all feel a little odd. Setting that aside it's an in depth coverage that if at times you do feel 'prints the legend' is still a touching tribute to the club I love.

[Nicholas Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all Spurs fans - unlikely to be of interest to gooners (they're from south London anyway). I started going to White Hart Lane in Feb 1966 and to understand better what went before then, and to read Julie's version from then on, was enlightening. It is very well written at a fast pace, and witty in places, much like the team. Fabulous.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has more detail than a casual fan would need, but it's an enjoyable read, full of charm as well as history, and the long read moves quickly.

In case anyone is wondering, this second edition takes us into late summer 2020, with Tottenham winning games and Nuno in charge.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

COYS!!!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Spurs fans, a look at the entire history of the club and all the legends. COYS

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

COYS!

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry and dull.

[Daniel Cudmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible account of the history of the club. Very detailed and in chronological order, including how the club was formed, to how it exists in present day. Absolutely loved it.

[Henning Hj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for proper Spurs-fans. A delight to read.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive review of the long history of this legendary club. It encapsulates the pure pain and joy of supporting this team. COYS!

[Carmello]

Currently still reading this book (and enjoying it), but was surprised when I pulled off the dust jacket and noticed that the printing on the book binding says "The Biography of Totenham Hotspur" hahahaha! Tote-en-ham. I love it. Such a Spurs thing to do. COYS!

[Marc Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great tales I never knew about the team I've supported for 45 years.