Club Profile:Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur
Overview
Tottenham Hotspur have been in the Premier League since its inception and have lit the competition up with their flamboyant style of play. With Jurgen Klinsmann and Ilie Dumitrescu, the team was built around goals, but points were harder to come by. Relegation was only narrowly avoided in 1998, but fans' relief was short lived as their next manager was a legend from fierce north London rivals Arsenal - George Graham.

He led the team to a League Cup victory in his first season - Spurs' first trophy since the Premier League began. However, it wasn't until Martin Jol took over in 2004 and started building a team for the future - firmly placing his faith in youth - that Spurs began to climb the table. They only narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification in the 2005/06 season and secured another fifth place finish the following campaign.

But a slow start to the 2007/08 season saw Jol replaced by Juande Ramos. The Spaniard repeated Graham's trick of winning the League Cup in his first season by defeating Chelsea in the final at Wembley Stadium and also lifted the club up to 11th place in the league.

Club Heritage
Boys from Hotspur Cricket Club and the local grammar club formed Hotspur FC in 1882. The name was changed to Tottenham Hotspur in 1884. Three years later, they played their first north London derby, but the match was called off after 15minutes "owing to darkness" - Spurs were beating Arsenal 2-1.

The club turned professional in 1885, but didn't join the football league until 1908. In the meantime, they became the only non-league team to win the FA Cup (in 1901) since the formation of the Football League in 1888.

Spurs became perceived as a big club when Bill Nicholson took over in 1958. He won his first match 10-4 - a sign of what was to come. In his 16 years at the club, Spurs won eight major trophies - becoming the first club in the 20th century to complete the league and cup 'double' in 1961 and the first British team to win a major European competition in 1963.


Further league success eluded Spurs and, following Nicholson's retirement, they even spent a brief stint in the Second Division in 1977/78. Their ethos of playing attacking football continued though - players that wowed the White Hart Lane faithful include Ossie Ardiles, Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker.

Premier League History
1993/94 - Ossie Ardiles becomes manager
1994/95 - Ardiles sacked in September. Replaced by Gerry Francis
1997/98 - Francis replaced by Christian Gross, who re-signs Jurgen Klinsmann
1998/99 - Gross replaced by George Graham. Win League Cup
2000/01 - Glenn Hoddle replaces Graham in April. ENIC complete takeover with Daniel Levy becoming chairman
2003/04 - David Pleat replaces Hoddle in September
2004/05 - Jacques Santini becomes head coach, but quits after just 13 matches. Replaced by Martin Jol
2007/08 - Sign Darren Bent for club record £16.5m from Charlton Athletic
2007/08 - Martin Jol sacked as manager in October
2007/08 - Juande Ramos appointed manager and names Spurs old boy Gus Poyet as assistant
2007/08 - Win League Cup
2008/09 Juande Ramos sacked as manager along with coaches Gus Poyet, Marcos Alvarez and sporting director Damien Comolli. Harry Redknapp leaves Portsmouth to take the reins. Spurs lose the Carling Cup final to Manchester United on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Wembley.