[Indo_Popper]

Keith Burkinshaw: the Quiet Man

The Tottenham club badge 1983-2006Tottenham slipped out of the First Division at the end of the 1976-77 season, and the club installed Keith Burkinshaw as manager in a bid to revitalise their fortunes. They won promotion to the top flight and lifted the FA Cup in 1981 beating Manchester City in a replay, with Ricardo Villa scoring a memorable solo goal. Spurs retained the trophy the following year, beating QPR. Key players in this successful Tottenham side included Steve Archibald, Garth Crooks, Glenn Hoddle, Osvaldo Ardiles, and Steve Perryman who, in seventeen seasons, played 655 league games for Spurs. These players inspired Tottenham to UEFA Cup glory in 1984, but Burkinshaw walked out on the club within days to be succeeded by Peter Shreeves.

In 1982 the club was bought by Monte Carlo-based property tycoon Irving Scholar. He arrived in a boardroom which had seen just one or two directors since 1943. The challenge for Scholar was to reinstate financial stability after the construction of a new West Stand had almost bankrupted the club.


Shreeves and Pleat: the Nearly Men
Peter Shreeves was in charge for two seasons, achieving a third place finish in his first but losing his job after a slump in 1985-86. Luton Town manager David Pleat was appointed the new manager, and for much of 1986-87 it looked as though it would be a very successful season.

Playing with a five man midfield (Hoddle, Ardiles, Hodge, Paul Allen, Waddle) supplying the prolific Clive Allen, Tottenham mounted a serious challenge on all fronts. At one point in March, if they had won their remaining 13 matches, they would have won all domestic honours. As it was, they were defeated in the League Cup semi final by rivals Arsenal. After faltering at the final hurdle in the league, Spurs' hopes hinged on the FA Cup. Spurs had never before lost a domestic cup final while their opponents, Coventry, had never reached a Cup Final before. Spurs were the favourites but suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of John Sillett's team. Pleat quit the following October following allegations that he had been caught kerb-crawling in a red light district[citation needed].