NORMAN GILLER’S SPURS ODYSSEY BLOG No 252
Submitted by Norman Giller

There’s nobody who can top Our Harry Kane for timing, whether it’s popping up with crucial goals, leading the Three Lions like a lion, or providing headlines for old hacks like me.

I had planned to make this international break the week when I would reveal the extra special prize for the winner of our popular Spurs Odyssey Quiz League.

Cue Captain Kane at Wembley yesterday, when his man of the match performance lifted England to a Nations League victory over Croatia and made our SOQL prize even more significant.

The added incentive is a framed, personally autographed picture of Our Harry celebrating a goal for Spurs, a photograph that would be like an art treasure for any true Tottenham supporter.

It comes along with a confirmation certificate that the signature is genuine, and has been provided by my old chum Terry Baker, CEO of A1 Sporting Speakers (www.a1sportingspeakers.com). His contacts with football personalities in general and Tottenham legends in particular are unmatchable. If you want anything signed by the likes of Greavsie and Gazza, he’s your man.

This week’s quiz teaser features below, and I hope you feel added motivation to take part. We have more than sixty competitors sharing top place in the table at the moment, but don’t let that put you off.

As our regular contestants will confirm, you can come from behind to win the coveted SOQL championship when, in the final weeks of the season, we test your Spurs opinions and player selection views with a tie-breaker test. That’s when everybody hates me, because I am the sole adjudicator, and I ask some snorters. But, hopefully, it’s good fun.

Mauricio Pochettino will anxiously count back his players after their world-wide international duty, hoping there are no more injury problems as fourth-placed Spurs come into a vital stage of the season. Chelsea, Inter-Milan and Arsenal are the next three opponents, and MoPo will be wanting to have as strong a squad as possible.

He was genuinely delighted with England’s victory yesterday, and not just because the Spurs contingent performed so well. I can tell you that he and Gareth Southgate have become close friends, share the same philosophies about football and often talk tactics.

It will be fascinating to see if Mauricio looks to introduce the long throw tactic that worked so well for England’s first goal. Those of a certain age will recall it was often employed by the Tottenham ‘golden age’ team, when mighty Dave Mackay was the long-throw specialist.

In another life as a chief football writer for the Daily Express in the 1960s I organised a nationwide long-throw competition. It was won by Bobby Woodruff, then at Wolves (42 yards), with Dave Mackay (38 yards) second, and Fulham’s Jim Langley (37 yards) third. Martin Chivers later took on the Mackay throwing role with success.

I am sure it will spur memories of the first goal Jimmy Greaves scored for Tottenham, netting with a scissors kick after Terry Medwin had flicked on a massive throw from Mackay against Blackpool on December 16 1961. Happy days.

Anyway, here goes with this week’s quiz … hope it doesn’t throw you.

Question No 14 in this 2018-19 SOQL season:

Which current England international has Spanish ancestry, and used to wear the No 29 Spurs shirt? Against which London team did he score in his first full Premier League match?

Please email your answer to me at SOQL14@normangillerbooks.com. Deadline: midnight this Friday. I will respond to all who take part.

This year’s prizes for the champion: The framed Harry Kane autographed picture, two books from my Spurs collection with autographs from Jimmy Greaves, Steve Perryman and Dave Mackay, and (most precious of all) a framed certificate announcing the winner as SOQL champion.

Last week I asked: Who started as a youth player with Middlesbrough, played once for Scotland, scored an FA Cup final goal for Spurs, and with which player was he swapped in 1968?

Yes, as most of you knew, this was Jimmy Robertson, the flying Scot who scored the first goal in the 1967 FA Cup final against Chelsea, and the following year was inexplicably swapped for Arsenal’s rather ordinary David Jenkins.

Please keep a check on your scores. I will be trusting you to count your points as I do not have faith in my email server.

Thank you for taking part. See you back here same time, same place next week. Keep the faith. COYS!

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