History of Tottenham Hotspur FC
The club we all love has a rich history dating back to 1882. We are approaching its 140th anniversary, and in that time, Tottenham has been very successful and won many titles both at home and in Europe.
If you know your history, you will already be familiar with the great players who have graced this club and the managers who guided them along the way. However, there is always room for gaps in anyone’s knowledge, so why not take a few minutes to look at our comprehensive Spurs history guide.
Early origins
The history of Tottenham dates back to 1882, when the club was first formed by a group of schoolchildren in the Tottenham region. Initially, Tottenham was referred to as the Hotspur Football Club; name was taken from Shakesperian character the Harry Hotspur. Legend has it that the early meetings were held under lampposts around Northumberland Park and that the club originated from a cricket team simply looking for something to do in winter.
Two years later, in the 1884, the club name was renamed Tottenham Hotspur to recognize the local area, and the competitive matches began in earnest. The first recorded competitive match occurred in 1885 when Tottenham Hotspur faced St Albans in the London FA Cup.
It’s interesting to note that it was mainly a schoolboy team at the time and that many players from those early years of Tottenham’s history were young teenagers. Of course, they would play against teams of their age group, but sometimes they would face the big ones, so those early results were quite mixed.
Progress was steady, and the Spurs were looking to join the existing leagues. Then, in 1895, another breakthrough was achieved when the club decided to turn professional.
Tottenham became a limited company in 1898, and in the same year, Frank Brittle was appointed as the first-ever director. Despite trying to join the Football League, this professional status could not secure a place among the English football elite. Tottenham Hotspur continued to put themselves out of the league, but they were about to announce themselves in a big way.
New century
It is often said that he is lucky for Tottenham when the year ends in one year, and at the start of a new century, the history of Tottenham Hotspur has recorded a feat that is ever to be broken. In 1901, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the first time when they beat Sheffield United after a replay.
The first match was played at the Crystal Palace, and history was made when the 1901 final became first covered by Pathe News so fans could enjoy some black and white footage today. After a 2-2 draw, both teams traveled to Brenden Park in Bolton, where Tottenham won 3-1. Two goals from Sandy Brown secured a tie in the first leg, and Brown was on the scoring list again with the last goal in the replay, after goals from John Cameron and Tom Smith.
Bill Nicholson’s glory years
Bill Nicholson was the one of the most successful manager in Tottenham Hotspur’s history, and under his leadership, the club won a host of trophies. This was also the period when Spurs scored several additional ‘firsts.’
By the time he took over management duties from Jimmy Anderson in 1958, Nicholson was already well known to Spurs supporters as he worked for 17 years as a player from 1938 to 1955. When he entered the hot seat, “Billy Nick” inherited several players – Anderson signed them. – They will be at the center of the great successes that lie in the store.
Mourinho and a look to the future
After a string of poor results at the start of the 2019/20 season, Mauricio Pochettino’s reign as Tottenham Hotspur coach ended in November 2019. It was a sad time for most Tottenham fans who had nothing but happy memories. However, from his time at the club’s helm, it is still difficult for many to move forward.
Mourinho has undoubtedly improved those results on the pitch, but some things will have to be reconstructed when football returned after the sudden hiatus in March 2020.
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