The last decade and who do you miss?

[Basskadet]

Since 2006 we've seen our beloved Tottenham Hotspur develop leaps and bounds over the previous decade or so. After those heady days in the 1980s and from the start of the Premiership in the early 90s, we Spurs fans kind of got used to mid-table mediocrity but, once Martin Jol lead us to 5th place in 2005-6, we've cemented ourselves as a definitive "top 6" club in the Premier League. Yes, we still enjoyed some truly great players during those miserable days of the 1990s (Sheringham, Ginola, Klinsmann, etc) but, let's be honest, they were the exception and its hard to reminisce over a team that saw 10th place as a successful season!

Since finishing 5th under Jol in 2005-06 we've seen our team finish:

2005/06 - 5th
2006/07 - 5th
2007/08 - 11th (Carling Cup Winners)
2008/09 - 8th
2009/10 - 4th
2010/11 - 5th
2011/12 - 4th
2012/13 - 5th
2013/14 - 6th
2014/15 - 5th
2015/16 - 3rd

Other than that brief blip between 2007 and 2009 where we won silverware but our league form suffered (mainly down to Juande Ramos) we've consistently finished top 5, with just the 1 6th place in 2014. That's pretty impressive if you ask me. What are your favourite moments/memories from this period?

Also, In that time we really have been spoilt for talent down the Lane. Sure, there are the obvious players whom we all miss watching (Ledley King, Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart, Luka Modric, etc) but who are the other players from this period you really miss seeing in Lilywhite?

 

[Yid]

Tried to find the video clip of the cup final when he couldn't watch and celebrated when the fans did... I loved Pascal

The chain smoker not the paddy.....

The catalyst for our best period in my lifetime.

 

[Basskadet]

WHO's THAT COMING OVER THE HILL??

 

[Basskadet]

I still have a real soft spot for Pav. He had some poor performances at Spurs and never cemented a 1st team place, but he scored important goals and, my god, did he score some beauties! I used to love it when he'd sell a dummy and let the ball run thru his legs, turn and run into space to receive the pass and smash it in - yes, that goal v Young Boys!

His volley against Bolton too - I watch it again now and you forget (probably because we still inexplicably lost that game 4-2!) Just what an amazing strike that was! The ball was somewhere up in the clouds, but he keeps his eye on it and never looks to see the goal, he knew where it was and put it right in the corner!!

And, I think 1 of his last goals for Spurs, that incredible free-kick v Rubin Kazan! It was Gazza-esque

He also had such a friendly, likeable face!

 

[Havocc]

Pav for me as well, poor work rate but one of the best finishers I have seen at the club. His goal against Milan is one of my favourite goals ever.

Corluka is another who was always great for us

 

[LakewoodSpur]

Didier Zokora! He was so exciting dashing forward with the ball -- too bad he didn't know what to do with it when he got near goal, BUT, he was exciting nonetheless -- always made me smile. And I think he did score in the PK shootout loss against PSV. I saw something where he's still playing...in India!?

 

[skiathospurs]

I miss BMJ,fell on our feet when fat jacques had a breakdown and Jol stepped up and in.To me he will always be the one who got the ball rolling for where we are now and the swagger we got back in our play.
BMJ you schexymutherfukker

 

[Basskadet]

Another player I miss from the last decade is Niko Kranjcar (I know BrumSpurs is with me on that!)

He also provided 1 of the moments of the last decade . . .


. . . Kranjcar . . . IT'S NINE!



Michael Carrick too, he was brilliant in that 05/06 season.

 

[J.spurs]

STEEEEEEEEEDDDD.....

 

[Basskadet]

 

[Flump]

I agree on Pav. He was an excellent finisher and that was what we paid him for. Also Berba. Would've been good to see Carrick and Modric together too. Difficult to pinpoint the catalyst to the upturn in fortunes regarding league position. Enic were more ambitious than Sugar perhaps? Damien Comolli had a good eye for a player perhaps? I couldn't say. It just happened.

 

[Basskadet]

I agree on Pav. He was an excellent finisher and that was what we paid him for. Also Berba. Would've been good to see Carrick and Modric together too. Difficult to pinpoint the catalyst to the upturn in fortunes regarding league position. Enic were more ambitious than Sugar perhaps? Damien Comolli had a good eye for a player perhaps? I couldn't say. It just happened.

Actually, it is starting to become apparent just by looking in this thread. I'll name another player I miss - Sandro.

If we were to do the same for the previous decade, we'd struggle to come up with many names beyond the obvious ones. There'll be those players we struck an affinity for, sure, but they won't be of the calibre mentioned here.

Clearly, we've stepped up several levels in the quality of player we've been bringing into the club, and that really started under Jol when we brought the likes of Carrick and Berbatov to Spurs, players we may've been sad to see go but players who brought in around £50m!! And another player from the last decade we all miss, the great Jermain Defoe (he came in just before in 2004, but was a MASSIVE part of our success in the last 10 years)

When you see the size of funds we were able to get for players after 2006, combined with Enic and Levy's clever financial management, it shows a stark contrast with what had come before. Sugar had taken over the club on the edge of financial oblivion and did little more than 'manage' the situation. It took 10years and the arrival of Enic for us to really build a foundation of financial stability. People say that our healthy finances are irrelevant to what happens on the pitch, harking back to the days when football was not a business, but with Spurs I believe you can see a direct correlation between fiscal stability and footballing fortunes.

 

[Dorset]

WHO's THAT COMING OVER THE HILL??

Paulinho?

 

[Basskadet]

Paulinho?

Lol, Chimbonda you wally!

However, I have a feeling @Yid was actually referring to Do-dodo-dodo-do Didier Zokora!

Pauline tho? I deffo don't miss her

 

[skiathospurs]

WHO's THAT COMING OVER THE HILL??

surely its bill clinton??

 

[Dorset]

I agree with all of the above. I am going to add Bobby Soldado, JD, Azza, Friedel, Daws, Thudd, Billy G, JJ, Mido, as already mentioned Dimi and Robbie ( as a pair ),VDV, Bale, Super Pav - one of them is an impostor and I don't miss him so much, see if you can guess which one.

Pritchard, dunno, I probably would miss him if we had seen enough of him. Benny, I miss his good days and his lols but not his casual days. If Bentley had scored more like THAT goal then I would miss him.

Mason and Chadli - I am missing them already, I thought they had more to give.

 

[Basskadet]

Yeah, I was gutted Mason left, I must admit.

Another I miss is Woody. He was injured a lot, but when fit he was a phenomenal defender. Having the 2 cripples at the back formed 1 of our best CB partnerships of the last decade - King and Woodgate. He played an integral part in 2 of our biggest games and greatest moments in the last decade - Chelsea in the Cup Final and AC Milan in the Champions League

Love this interview for Spurs TV:

 

[skiathospurs]

 

[Flump]

Excuse the negativity but, despite all this nostalgia, still only one trophy.

 

[Basskadet]

Excuse the negativity but, despite all this nostalgia, still only one trophy.

Well, if we listen to Arsene Wenger, we've actually had 4 trophies - the Carling Cup and 3 top 4 finishes (even if we didn't receive the "Wenger Trophy" that one year, despite finishing 4th).

In all seriousness, yes we only managed 1 actual trophy in the last 10 years, we had only managed 1 the previous 10 also. However, I'd rather have 1 trophy in 10 years with 3 top 4 finishes, 8 top 5, than 1 trophy in 10 years whilst perpetually being stuck in the bottom half of the table. We've also had another 2 cup finals.

That said, we'd all like more silverware

 

[Yid]

STEEEEEEEEEDDDD.....

How could I forget.

Think that'd be a yellow now...!!!

 

[skiathospurs]

Lets hope tonight we are not missing Edinburgh,O`Hara and Konchelsky!!

Back to the OP,Lennon and Daws,so close to testamonials,much maligned by some fans but great servants.

 

[Basskadet]

Lets hope tonight we are not missing Edinburgh,O`Hara and Konchelsky!!

Back to the OP,Lennon and Daws,so close to testamonials,much maligned by some fans but great servants.

I must admit, I don't really miss Justin Edinburgh as a player (he's very much a member of that previous decade of misery at Spurs) but as a person and a proper Yiddo, I love him.

As for Azza and Daws, both frustrated at times, particularly Azza, but I doubt there are too many Spurs fans who aren't appreciative of just how much they have given to us.

They're 2 players who are absolutely engrained in the memory of the last decade and both have made their mark in some of my fondest memories from that time - Daws and Azza being instrumental in our 1st victory over Chelsea in years, beating Mourinho's title winners 2-1 down the Lane, Daws getting the equaliser before Azza nicking that winner!


They also both were absolutely fundamental in knocking the great AC Milan out of the Champions League - Azza breaking away from Milan and just flying past their ageing defenders before sliding to Crouch to get the winner! And Daws, in both legs, was a man mountain in our defence, shutting out Milan and the brilliant Ibrahimovic could not find a way past him in 180min!

 

[Dorset]

To be honest I miss most of the players who have moved one, except Paulinho of course.

I don't go in for the totally dumb post-Spurs career slagging some wankers seem to enjoy, and I enjoy following our old-boys careers, unless that slagging is aimed at that nancy boy Paulinho or the shirt thrower of course, goes without saying that dunnit?

 

[boo]

 

[Basskadet]

To be honest I miss most of the players who have moved one, except Paulinho of course.

I don't go in for the totally dumb post-Spurs career slagging some wankers seem to enjoy, and I enjoy following our old-boys careers, unless that slagging is aimed at that nancy boy Paulinho or the shirt thrower of course, goes without saying that dunnit?

Yeah, I kind of agree, although there are definitely lots of ex-Spurs I don't miss much at all to be honest.

I mean, there are plenty who I'm pleased We sold because they were useless (Darren Bent, Gio Dos Santos, Gilberto. . . DEFINITELY Gilberto!) and there are those I'm particularly pleased to be rid of because they were useless and they didn't care (Vlad and certainly Pauline). Adebayor is a tough one as I miss the Adebayor from Redknapp's days, but I definitely don't miss the Adebayor from AVB.

Then there are those I've erased from my memory for their disrespect to the club I love (the shirt-thrower and the Judas for example).

However, there are lots of guys who weren't particularly good but did their best and wore the shirt with pride and I wouldn't say I "miss" them but I will always have time for them and have a soft spot for them. The likes of Paul Stalteri, Gomes (I may go as far as to say I miss him, but then I remember those howlers, lol),Townsend,etc.

 

[J.spurs]

To be honest I miss most of the players who have moved one, except Paulinho of course.

I don't go in for the totally dumb post-Spurs career slagging some wankers seem to enjoy, and I enjoy following our old-boys careers, unless that slagging is aimed at that nancy boy Paulinho or the shirt thrower of course, goes without saying that dunnit?

Agree, but I'd add the utterly incompetent Gilberto to your very short list.

EDIT: Bass beat me to it, lol.

 

[Yid]

How the fuck have we all missed this one.....?

 

[Basskadet]

How the fuck have we all missed this one.....?

I did mention JD already, but in the middle of several pages of waffle on something else, so it was easily missed, lol.

To be honest, in the OP I think I said that we need not mention "the obvious ones", like King, Bale, VdV, Modric, etc. I didn't mention JD there but, in my head at least, that's where I consider him, as an "obvious one".

Signed 1st time in 2004, just before the start of the last decade, and again in 2009. Over 100 goals over 350 appearances.

Jermain Defoe

He is a Yiddo

Legend

 

[Dorset]

How the fuck have we all missed this one.....?

I didn't miss him either - well, I DO miss him, but I didn't miss him from my missed list.