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This preview was written by Brian Judson

Full Cup Record of Spurs -v- Arsenal

FA Cup

Season   Rd   H/A   Result   Scorers

48-49    3     A    0-3
81-82    3     H    1-0      Crooks
90-91   S/F    W    3-1      Gascoigne 
                             Lineker 2 9
92-93   S/F    W    0-1

Lge Cup

68-69   SF/1   A    0-1
68-69   SF/2   H    1-1      Greaves
80-81    4     H    1-0      Ardiles
83-84    3     H    1-2      Hoddle (p)
86-87   SF/1   A    1-0      C Allen
86-87   SF/2   H    1-2(aet) C Allen
86-87   SF/R   H    1-2      C Allen

Tottenham are ninety minutes away from another Cup Final! Memories will stir of past encounters with the Gooners. This preview will look at past encounters between the two sides.

I was only 4-and-a-half when the first encounter happened. Spurs were still in the Second Division, managed by ex-Gooner Joe Hulme. (Rowe did not become manager until 4th May 1949.) On that cold January 8th, 1949, Spurs had a promising side but had been unable to force themselves into the promotion race. Glory was still eight months from its starting blocks. On the other hand, Arsenal were the reigning champions, though they were destined to lose that title to Portsmouth. Spurs were outclassed that day. There was never any doubt as to who would win. Their goals were scored by Ian McPherson, Don Roper and Doug Lishman. Spurs had surprisingly dropped Eddie Baily for this match and played a reserve in the form of Harry Gilberg, who was making only his third appearance in the team.

Spurs had 33 years to wait before they could extract revenge on Arsenal. Ironically, Spurs then profited from an extremely rare mistake by Pat Jennings, who had played for Spurs from 1964 to 1977 before moving to Arsenal. Crooks had twice threatened to score, one shot hitting the bar. This time he completely mis-hit the ball to the groans of the crowd as Jennings saved the shot. Unbelievably, Jennings then lost control of the ball and it bobbled over the goal-line before anyone else could re-act. Spurs were without Steve Archibald that day as he was injured but Mark Falco was able to return to the team after a four month absence through an ankle ligament injury. Stewart Robson was playing his third game for Arsenal.

The two teams did not meet again in the FA Cup until they clashed in a Semi-Final tie at Wembley on April 14th 1991. Spurs stamped their authority on the game from quite an early stage when Gazza thumped home a thirty-five yard free-kick that Seaman never saw until it was too late to do anything about it. It was the hard running Paul Allen who set up Lineker for the second goal with a typically close range prod. Captain Beaky, as Alan Smith was popularly known, reduced the arrears after Edinburgh had made a hash of a clearance to enable Lee Dixon to centre the ball for Smith to head home. But midway through the second half, Spurs ensured it was to be their day. Nayim came on to replace Gazza who had run himself to a standstill after recently having had an operation to relieve a long-standing double hernia problem. Two minutes after the substitution had been effected, Lineker picked up a loose ball, shaped to pass to the hovering Samways, and accelerated past a cumbersome Adams, who was uncharacteristically slow to respond to the threat posed by Lineker. As Lineker fired the ball goalwards, Seaman could only flap at the ball despairingly. Spurs were in the Final and there was nothing Arsenal could do about it. Indeed their fans quickly disappeared from Wembley, knowing the game was up.

Two years later, the two sides were paired at the same stage. But Lineker had retired and Gazza departed for Italy but Spurs were still formidable opposition. But this time the game was a niggling affair with scores to be paid off. Paul Allen was booked for fouling Linighan, Linighan for fouling Sheringham, and then Dixon and Nayim squared up to each other. Incredibly the referee did not book Parlour when he blatantly kicked Edinburgh. Thorstvedt flung himself about to continually deprive Wright of a goal but even Erik could do nothing when Adams soared above everyone else to head home a Merson free-kick. This time, the Spurs fans jammed the exits early. And that was the last time the two sides clashed in the FA Cup.

So to the Football League Cup matches. We should have beaten Arsenal over two matches in the Semi-Final in the 1968-69 competition. We had defied everything that Arsenal could throw at us in the First Leg. But as the referee looked at his watch, John Radford gained the slightest of advantages for Arsenal to take to White Hart Lane.

The match at White Hart Lane was a disgrace to both sides. Knowles was booked for a foul on Radford and England, playing as a striker, for a foul on Wilson. Greaves levelled the aggregate after 68 minutes when he scored from a chip by Pearce. Radford headed home the equaliser to send Arsenal to Wembley (where they lost to Swindon Town, 3-1!) in the 87th minute.

Spurs next met Arsenal in November 1980. Postponed from its original date due to international calls on Arsenal's Stapleton and Spurs' Chris Hughton, the two sides knew that West Ham were waiting for them in the next round. Neither side were at full strength. Arsenal had George Wood in goal and Walford, a former Spurs defender, replaced the injured O'Leary. The only goal of the game came in the 26th minute. Wood could only parry a shot from Crooks. The ball ran loose to Ardiles, who carefully picked his spot to score.

Arsenal had their revenge in November 1983 when they won 2-1. Charlie Nicholas put Arsenal ahead in the 34th minute when an error by Clemence left the Scot with an open goal. Woodcock scored the second after Gary Stevens failed to clear a loose ball from Sunderland. Woodcock ran for 30 yards before he let fly. Immediately from the re-start, Spurs won a corner which Hoddle took. An Arsenal defender handled the ball and Hoddle took the resulting penalty to reduce the arrears. But it was not enough to prevent Arsenal winning.

The last time these two clubs clashed in this competition was in 1986-87 and it required three matches to separate them. Clive Allen scored the only goal of the first match at Highbury. Allen had forced Lukic to concede a corner by tipping the ball over the bar. Davis tried to clear the ball but Gough and Mabbutt both fired shots at Lukic before Allen forced the ball home.

At Tottenham, extra time failed to separate the two teams after two hours. Allen increased Tottenham's aggregate lead early on when Lukic flapped at a ball from a free-kick under pressure from Mabbutt and Allen forced the ball home. But Arsenal fought back and reduced the aggregate when Anderson headed the ball home. They were level when Quinn forced the ball home from a Rocastle centre.

The replay at Tottenham saw Arsenal finally emerge as victors. Allen broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute when he got on the end of a flicked on ball from Gough to force Spurs ahead. But Allinson equalised in the 83rd minute and a very young David Rocastle snatched a very late winner to break Tottenham's hearts as extra time loomed.

As to who will win THIS Semi-Final, I hesitate to venture any predictions. My only hope is that it is a clean game as too many games at this stage can become niggly affairs, especially if there are old scores to be paid off. Spurs will be the under-dogs as they will not be expected to win. I suspect this is how they will prefer it to be as they will probably feel less uptight about the outcome of the match. Whoever wins, I expect the goal that settles it to come very, very, very late in the game.

Cheers, Brian

Whilst Spurs play their old enemy at Old Trafford, members of the Jewish Faith will be commemorating Passover, which occurs this week-end. Ivan Cohen writes the following significant piece about what we all hope will be historic week!

This weekend sees many events, some of which recall the momentous, others which we hope to recall as momentous in years to come.

On Saturday evening the Jewish festival of Passover begins with the traditional Seder meal (the "Last Supper" was one of these!). Passover then lasts for 8 days (7 in Israel, for reasons I won't bore you with here) during which time Jewish folk are meant to eschew the eating and possession of any foodstuffs which are leavened (ie which rise). This usually gives rise to a variety of digestive problems from too many matzot (unleavened bread). And all this in the name of a festival which celebrates the exodus from Egypt and slavery of the Jewish people many thousands of years ago.

On Sunday we hope to see a similar exodus from the wilderness which has been Spurs' cache for more than a decade. This has seen the true "chosen people" of football (Spurs-kin) under the yoke of oppression of the tyrannical and unethical gooners-scum. The return of the prodigal son (if that's not too much of a mixed Biblical metaphor...), Hoddle, from his several years sojourn in the wilderness will hopefully see him lead his people out of the slavery of "football of affliction" which we have endured for too long and restore us to our true place atop the Mount Sinai of football, i.e. winners of the F A Challenge Cup. May the Almighty see that this restoration of his people ("the Yids") to their rightful place comes to be before the football season is finished.

Wishing all our Jewish subscribers a pesach kasher v'sameach--happy Passover--and any Christians a pleasant and springlike Easter the following weekend (Eastern Orthodox excepted). I know not of any Muslim festivals in the offing. May peace and good football from Spurs be all of your lot forever.

Ivan

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