RANGERS IN LONDON 1960 - 1971
Matches, Memories & Talking Points

From The Reds, Whites and Blues

ETO VISIT A MATCH CLICK ON THE YEAR

é HOMEPAGE é GALLERY 62 é FEEDBACK/CONTACT é LINKS

SPURS V RANGERS

EXTRACTS FROM BACKGROUND

· EXTRACTS FROM A SHORT HISTORY OF SPURS : IT’S NOT CRICKET PART 2 1882 : Like Rangers Dutch opponents Sparta, Spurs roots also laid in the more sedate pastime of leather on willow. A group of teenagers from the local grammar school played Cricket on the land of 2 of their players’ uncle. They called themselves the Hotspur Cricket Club. As autumn arrived, they wanted a winter activity and having the advantage of ‘their own pitch’ they set up a football club under the same name. The choice of Hotspur was based around the significant local history of the Northumberland family who owned much of the local land. The family seat was once based at Northumberland Park, in the marshy district of Tottenham. The most famous Northumberland was Sir Henry Percy from the 14th Century who became known as Harry Hotspur and was immortalised in Shakespeare’s play, Henry IV. He was a fine and famous soldier, (though the least said about his attacks on Scottish raiding parties, the better!) He and his father were crucial in the overthrow of Richard II. His ‘Hotspur’ nickname came about because of his use of spurs when riding.

1886 Lost 1-0 to Caledonians in the East End Cup Final. Club Renamed Tottenham Hotspur Athletic Club’ (Tottenham was originally the village of a man called Totta!)

1899 Moved to their current ground ‘White Hart Lane’ adopted white shirts and blue shorts. The landowner, brewer Charringtons originally wanted to build houses on the site but were persuaded by the landlord of the White Hart Inn (who had run a pub near to Millwall FC) of the matchday profits! Hence, White Hart Lane.

1901 FA CUP WINNERS: THE ONLY NON LEAGUE CLUB TO WIN THE CUP SINCE THE CREATION OF THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

And He Couldn’t Even Get A Game! To give an idea of just how good this Spurs side was, England Centre Forward, Bobby Smith aged 29 (15 England Caps 13 goals) and with a final Spurs record of 317 games 208 goals between 1955 and 1964 was unable to get into the team. It may have been some consolation to the Rangers defence. Smith built like a bull, terrified opposing defences with his aggressive ‘no prisoners taken approach’ and no little skill.

The one word which seems to constantly crop up when reviewing this team is ‘intelligence.’ A team which did not just boast naturally gifted players, but clever players who thought throughout the game, knew where to position themselves and where to play the ball. To an outsider, it may have seemed like good luck, it was not. With the push and run teams of Arthur Rowe, Spurs had built up a reputation for intelligent football. Manager, Bill Nicholson played in Rowe’s victorious teams. Skipper Danny Blanchflower joined Spurs specifically to play under Rowe. And the more Spurs practised, the luckier they got!’ As they developed their brand of football with shrewd tactics, modern training methods and meticulous preparation.

Things Can Only Get Better There was little wrong with Rangers in the early 1960’s. Moreover a crop of exceptional youngsters replaced the older players from 1960. Namely; Jim Baxter, Willie Henderson, John Greig, Ronnie McKinnon and Billie Ritchie. Long serving veterans Ralph Brand and Bobby Shearer were also available for this fixture.

Scot Symon’s signing of the incredibly gifted Jim Baxter transformed Rangers image from a hardworking team into one which had flair and skill. Though Scot Symon still rarely said much in the dressing room, he would now remind his players with the mantra “give the ball to Jim!” He was invaluable in closely contested matches, his passing could open up any defence or he would create space by beating players and then finding an unmarked colleague. He also had a fantastic shot.

Having beaten off 30 top British clubs for his signature (including Spurs) Rangers were delighted with the progress of teenage prodigy Willie Henderson. Standing at just 5’4½, extremely fast and skilful and already capped by Scotland. Despite his abundance of skill, unlike other wingers he did not over elaborate and was very direct. Rangers fans loved his enthusiasm and bravery. Big defenders might floor him but he would keep getting up and tormenting them!

In the League, Rangers usually dominated games so it was imperative to have a goalkeeper with first class anticipation to deal with breakaway attacks. Ritchie’s speciality was dealing with the sort of ‘1 on 1’ situation that often cropped up. His bigger frame than Niven also made it more difficult for ‘physical’ teams to hustle Rangers. However, he would certainly face a full examination against Spurs.

Rangers were also fortunate in having Captain Bobby Shearer (Nicknamed Captain Cutlass by the fans) back to top form. His ability, experience, strength and leadership were an essential ingredient in a team now placing greater emphasis on youth and skill.

EXTRACT FROM PRE MATCH BUILD UP

Given the massive interest once the draw was made, the tie was immediately made ‘all ticket’. Obtaining a prized ticket required either hours of queuing, good connections or plenty of money to buy from a tout.

White Hart Lane held 63,000 spectators with Rangers officially allocated just 3,000 tickets. Spurs initially sold their remaining unreserved seats to Season ticket holders at 20, 25 and 30 shillings.

The 41,000 terrace tickets went on sale on Sunday with the sale officially commencing at 1 pm. These standing or ground tickets were priced at 5 shillings. Although overnight queuing was officially banned, many fans milled around the ground overnight. By the morning an estimated 25,000 formed a queue stretching 1½ -2 miles long. My understanding is that tickets were allocated to a maximum of 2 per person. In reality it stretched a lot further. Many Rangers fans had travelled to London for the ticket sale arriving on Saturday. Some stayed on in London, others went home to return to London for the match.

All 41,000 tickets sold out in just over 2 hours at 19 different turnstiles. Total receipts for the evening were estimated to exceed £25,000.

EXTRACTS FROM MATCHDAY

Brian James of the Daily Mail, who had been covering the game in depth predicted, “Class and Courage to give Spurs a 5-2 lead.”

Having mulled over both teams, his prediction was based on the fact that, “Spurs were tested weekly by better teams than Rangers can meet.”

John Rafferty of the Scotsman also predicted a Spurs victory. On the basis that the Spurs attack had too much pace in Jones and Greaves for the Rangers defence.

What Did The Bookies Predict? 4-7 Spurs, 3-1 Rangers with a best price of 7-2.

· “FOLLOW FOLLOW WE WILL FOLLOW RANGERS, ANYWHERE EVERYWHERE WE WILL FOLLOW ON” (And Even The Scottish Media Were Impressed)

On a dry sunny Autumn morning, Rangers fans arrived en masse in London from dawn onwards. By service trains and football specials, cars, coaches, vans and planes. They congregated en masse at Euston station. It soon became abundantly clear that despite being allocated 3,000 spaces in the ground, Rangers would be bringing many more fans. Bill Brown of the Evening Times was most impressed, “It sounded to these rather deafened ears that there were 30,000 Rangers fans around Euston this morning.” Others estimated lower amounts, but quoted a figure of at least 10,000 fans. At their Euston rendezvous they sported hats, banners, scarves, flags and enjoyed ‘bottled’ liquid refreshments. I rather liked the woollen sweaters worn by a few fans that depicted a Rangers player.

Remarked Brown’s London Cabbie. The cabbie may have been surprised at the level of Rangers support. However, fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers would not. When Rangers travelled to Molineux in 1960-61 for the European Cup Winners’ Cup Semi Final, Rangers fans filled the massive 30,000 capacity, South Bank Terrace.

The Arthur Daily Mirror On the morning of the match, the touts felt good. Over the previous days tickets had been changing hands at the following prices : 5 Shilling Terrace Tickets £5, 15 Shilling Tickets £10 and 30 Shilling (best seats) £60. (Source Arthur ‘Daily’ Mirror). Fans travelling South were given a send off from touts plying their trade at Glasgow Station. As the touts could do without the long journey south to sell their remaining ‘briefs’. The time to get tickets on the cheap was just before the 10am Royal Scot service to London, the last train to arrive in time for the game.

More Than A Cup Final Ticket “Tickets are fetching more than ever asked at a Cup Final” (Bill Holden of the Mirror). The London spivs were in the ascendency. Like sharks scenting blood, they too descended on Euston. However they soon learnt that many Rangers fans were making their second journey south, having secured tickets at the weekend. Other Rangers fans had asked ‘ex pat’ friends and family in the south to get them tickets. It marked the start of a very long game of bluff….

Shameless Just to show that London touts have no shame! - Rangers reserve Doug Baillie, revealed to the Evening Times that touts even surfaced at the team hotel, waiting outside the front doors. As they heard on the grapevine that some of the Rangers team required extra tickets for family and friends.

Jittery As the day wore on, the touts started to try to clear their stock. A 25 Shilling seat now fetched £16. During late afternoon, fans made their way to the ground with the touts in close attendance. The latter were starting to get jittery as they still held plenty of stock.

As dusk set in, the streetlights came on, the Touts panicked and earnest trading got under way. The Scotsman Newspaper reported that by 5.30 pm, the 5 Shilling terrace tickets were now going for £1. As the evening wore on they were taking ever decreasing amounts. Culminating with, “If you won’t pay £1, how much then.”

The Canny Scotsmen According to The Scotsman, the London touts would have done well to watch the Scottish touts who travelled south. Their counterparts concluded it was not a sellers’ market and sold their tickets earlier in the day at lower prices than their London counterparts.

In the hour before the game, the terrace tickets were going for face value. (Arthur and his chums then retreated back to the Winchester to drown their sorrows, served by a sympathetic Dave

· CAPTAIN CUTLASS AND OTHER PIRATES! With ‘Captain Cutlass’ skippering Rangers, surprise, surprise, the pirates turned up! Spurs was ideal for selling pirate programmes given the long distance between the nearest stations and the ground. Unlike the official programme sellers who were located in and around the stadium, the pirates stole a march on them by going further up the Seven Sisters Road congregating outside Seven Sisters and White Hart Lane Railway stations. The pirate issue was an 8 page effort printed by Starkey of Hammersmith. The fact that the front cover had three lions and a thistle emblem rather than the team emblems should have been a clue for the unwary. It was very thin on information and what little there was, was largely irrelevant. (One page devoted to English Cup Winners since 1921!). However the centre spread featuring both teams formations was rather useful when assessing the tactics each team might use! Like the Rangers v Sparta pirate programme, it’s become quite a collectable.

· THE RANGERS DRESSING ROOM The Rare Team Talk Given Scot Symon’s normally quiet demeanour in the dressing room, I was surprised to learn this from the Rangers Historian, (Volume 6 Number 6). “Manager Scot Symon held his one and only team talk which lasted all of eight minutes consisting of an analysis of how good every individual Tottenham player was!”

EXTRACTS FROM POST MATCH REACTION

SPURS 5 RANGERS 2

Bill Nicholson, “I’m not at all pleased. We can play a lot better than this. But I did think we would need a 3 goal lead for Ibrox and we got it.” His Assistant Manager, Harry Evans was far more satisfied “White and Mackay were magnificent. Who needs foreigners when we have players like these.”

Harold Davis “Spurs are certainly not supermen, just a bunch of ordinary good players. We gave away far too many easy goals.” Willie Henderson, “At 4-2 we really had a great chance. Now we’ll have to go for a quick one at Ibrox.”

Dave Mackay commented “It was hard, but never rough and I was very pleased at the way Rangers chose to play aggressive football.” Harry Evans told him “You can have all your foreign stars. Give me John White every time.” (somewhat amusing as Harry Evans was also his father in law!)

Most revealingly, Brown spoke to Morris Norman who told him that they had practised set pieces specifically for this game.

Elsewhere, It was also revealed that Cliff Jones had sustained an injury to his toes early in the game which explained his slightly below par performance.

Surely we have to hear first from Brian ‘Nostradamus’ or ‘100-1’ James of the Daily Mail.

On Rangers. : “In 90 minutes that left my ears ringing from the din, Rangers proved that the threat of their fervant fans during these waiting weeks has been no idle boast. They play this game with a raw, rough pride and precision that makes easy defeat unthinkable.”

On Spurs : “But for class, sheer skill, Spurs were always a move ahead.”

He also agreed with Harry Evans’ assessment that Mackay and White were the best players on the night.

Bill Holden of the Daily Mirror felt that Spurs were fortunate to have a 3 goal advantage but the tie was not beyond Rangers. He nominated Jimmy Greaves as Man of the Match for Spurs and Willie Henderson for Rangers.

Peter Wilson also writing for the Mirror, penned the headline “a fizzing whizbang of a game.” He felt that it was “a great, great occasion, British football at its best that was White Hart Lane last night. Spurs won deservedly considering the second half play although I thought them a trifle lucky to be 4-2 up at half time.” He concluded, “it was a night to prove that all is not decadent in British sport.”

John Rafferty of the Scotsman also enjoyed himself. “This was to be the game of games and indeed it was. It was a monumental contest, a sporting one, a brilliant spectacle of attacking football, but unfortunately for Scotland mostly from Spurs.” Unlike his English colleagues, he felt that 3 goals was too big a deficit to pull back in the second leg.

He noted not just Spurs effectiveness from corners but that, “They (Rangers) fell to the oldest trick in the book – the high cross ball. Against it Ritchie and McKinnon were unsure and every ball swirling high into goal was potential trouble. Yet paradoxically the Rangers defence was otherwise wonderful.” Rafferty was impressed with how Shearer and Caldow defended against the pace and skill in the Spurs attack and was impressed with Davis’ non stop work and running. But felt the Rangers forwards Brand and McMillan were not good enough to exploit Spurs’ biggest weakness their defence. He believed that Henderson was too inexperienced at this level and only Millar was able to menace Spurs.

Made In Britain Bill Brown of the Evening Times believed that the tie was still alive. His star of the evening was Dave Mackay. “Mackay made himself a one man raiding party.” Bill really enjoyed his evening and quoted a French scribe he met at the match who remarked to him, “This was made in Britain.”

What of the great Greaves? In his most recent and detailed autobiography published in 2003, Jimmy Greaves recollects this game. Typically modest, he claims not to have scored. (Jimmy, I’ve got video footage and you did!) and was disappointed with his performance. Despite his creative role, he did not believe his man of the match nomination by some of the scribes was justified. It took Bill Nicholson to lavish some rare praise for his contribution to convince him that he hadn’t played half badly!

“Many older Rangers fans rate the 1960-64 team as one their finest post war sides and the fact that it took a team as good as this Spurs side to defeat them as vindication rather than an argument against this. Spurs were probably one of the best teams in Europe at this time and I would back them against practically any English Champions since. Not only were they great individuals but as a team they were even greater than the sum of their parts. There was fantastic team spirit and unlike today the starting eleven were not as ‘delicate’ as today’s players. Plus tactically, Bill Nicholson could pinpoint any weakness in the opposition. Though in a historical context, one has to remember that Manchester United and the Busby Babes had been tragically decimated not long before.”

EXTRACTS FROM TALKING POINTS

“THE GAME’S ABOUT GLORY. IT’S ABOUT DOING THINGS IN A STYLE, WITH A FLOURISH. IT’S ABOUT GOING OUT AND BEATING THE OTHER LOT, NOT WAITING FOR THEM TO DIE OF BOREDOM.”

When Danny first joined Spurs, he was thrilled to work with Arthur Rowe. However, the nucleus of the 1951 team had grown old and not been adequately replaced. Despite Danny’s influence, Spurs struggled and Rowe resigned at the end of the 1955 season. He was replaced by Jimmy Anderson who favoured a more direct style of play, at odds with Danny’s own preferences. Nevertheless he got on with it and was particularly useful in encouraging and helping the young players brought in to the club. In 1958 Danny won the coveted FA Player of the Year Award in a struggling team. New manager Bill Nicholson recognised the massive contribution he could make to the club.

Dream Team Danny revelled in the similar role which he had contributed so much to Northern Ireland. Off the field, Danny’s optimism and jovial personality compensated for Billy Nicholson’s ‘dourness’. Both men shared a vision for clever, modern attacking football and the Cheshunt training ground became an academy for trying out new football ideas.

Danny also acted as a valuable conduit between the players and the Manager. Hugely respected and liked by his teammates and trusted by his Manager, any potential clashes were averted. On the pitch Danny was given licence to use his initiative to make any alterations during matches. More often than not it was simply a case of Danny using his skills to alter the rhythm or pace of the play. Dave Bowler author of the book ‘Danny Blanchflower’ brilliantly summarises the relationship in one sentence. “Nicholson could instruct, teach and advise, whereas Danny could lead, inspire and improvise.”

The Wit Of Danny Blanchflower

· Commentating on a NASL game in the 60’s “The teams can’t play.” Producer tells him to be more positive for the audience. “I’m positive these teams can’t play!”.

· “My football manager doesn’t like the way I write, my sports editor isn’t too satisfied with the way I’m playing football.”

· “The trouble with you is you think you know all the answers.” - Football Club Chairman. “Aah God love you. You don’t even know the questions!” - Smiled Danny.

The New Footballer

Danny was in many respects the first national footballing superstar. Famously invited and then refusing to appear on ‘This is Your Life’ in 1961! In the late 1950’s he was possibly the first footballer to appoint an agent, Bagenal Harvey, to help him supplement his £20/week maximum wage. For a number of years, Danny wrote various football columns, had a lucrative book deal and endorsed various products. Including; energy tablets and football boots.

Danny took great efforts to maintain his fitness and was both a non smoker and teetotal. Whilst most players took 2 pairs of boots to a match, he took 4 as insurance against changing conditions.

“Money can buy success, though it doesn’t always do so…Bristol Rovers have paid out £100,000 in recent years on improving their ground facilities. They seem to know how to use their wealth.”

“The sum quoted for my transfer price is out of proportion to anybody’s ability … desperate acts by certain clubs in the past have pushed the limit so high that negotiations are nowadays conducted by standards which are not logically sound.”

A party of 20 young footballers from ‘The Lower Shankhill Boys’ Club’ were on tour in London and had arranged a tour of White Hart Lane. When they arrived, they were surprised and delighted to be welcomed by Danny. He then took it upon himself to act as their guide, explain his footballing ideas, and answer questions. When the boys had exhausted a long line of questions he insisted on having his picture taken with every single lad.

There were numerous instances of Danny taking youngsters from Northern Ireland on similar tours. One schoolmaster noted his pride in having a party of Belfast youngsters there. Given Danny’s hero status in Northern Ireland, one can only imagine how special this was for the young visitors.

Moreover, Danny was just as keen that local youngsters should be encouraged in their football. He invited young players to train at White Hart Lane and gave them tips and advice on playing the game. He explained why he was happy to devote time to this cause in his autobiography. “These kids are wonderful young people who spend their leisure hours pursuing something they love. What better for a boy than hero worship and something wonderful to believe in? What better for a boy than a romance with the great game? It’s heroes are men of deed and action – real champions; not phoney images on some celluloid screen…They become the fans the people upon whom the game really depends.”

(How many of today’s players try to put back just a little of what they have taken out? On the rare instances they do, it’s at a sponsor’s behest under a glare of cameras and corporate logos.)

ETO VISIT A MATCH CLICK ON THE YEAR

é HOMEPAGE é GALLERY 62 é FEEDBACK/CONTACT é LINKS

SPURS V RANGERS

EXTRACTS FROM BACKGROUND

EXTRACT FROM PRE MATCH BUILD UP

EXTRACTS FROM MATCHDAY

· “FOLLOW FOLLOW WE WILL FOLLOW RANGERS, ANYWHERE EVERYWHERE WE WILL FOLLOW ON” (And Even The Scottish Media Were Impressed)

EXTRACTS FROM POST MATCH REACTION

SPURS 5 RANGERS 2

EXTRACTS FROM TALKING POINTS

The Wit Of Danny Blanchflower

The New Footballer