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Our darkest hour

90sSpursBook

90sSpursBook

Erik Edman
No that we are enjoying relative success it is easier to reflect on how bad things had got. Looking back to my lifetime as a Spurs fan since 1988 things were pretty good for the first 3 years under Venables culminating in the FA Cup win in '91 (which is still my favourite Spurs memory). I've listed a few of the bleakest (not neccessarilly the most disappointing) memories below:

1. Going 10 games without a league win in 1994 when Teddy was injured and plummeting towards the relegation zone. The period also included a catastrophic 3-0 defeat in the FA Cup at Ipswich and we signed Ronny Rosenthal and Kevin Scott on transfer deadline day to try and 'improve us'.

2. Klinsmann and Barmby leaving within weeks of eachother in May 1995 when we looked to be going places.

3. The horror week in Nov '96 when we lost 3-1 at Arsenal, 6-1 at Bolton in League Cup and 0-2 to Liverpool (when ball bobbled over Ian Walker).

4. The 1-6 home defeat to Chelsea in Gross' first home game followed by 4-0 defeat at Coventry the following week.

5. Being knocked out of all the cup competitions (FA v Saudi Sportswashing Machine 1-6, League Cup 1-3 @ Fulham and UEFA Cup 0-2 @ Kaiserslautern) by Christmas in 1999-2000 season.

6. Waiting until February to win an away game in 2000/01 season.

7. Campbell joining Arsenal in July 2001.

8. Losing 4-0 @ Southampton in FA Cup 3rd round in Jan 2003.

9. Losing 4-0 at home to Blackburn on last day of 2003 season.

10. Hoddle being sacked and replaced by Pleat in Sept 2003 with all the uncertainty of who the new manager would be for the entire season whilst we flirted with relegation and regularly fielded defences made up of Keller, Gardner and Doherty.

11. The 4-3 defeat to City having been 3-0 up and playing against 10 men at half-time. (I know part of point 10 but worthy of its own entry!)

I know there were some bleak moments after 2004 but since Arnesen and Jol arrived we've been on an upward curve with a few blips. The above were kind of a norm during a prolonged and concentrated period of mediocrity.

Feel free to add any more.
 
Relegation in the late 70's trumps just about everything for me.

Jennings to Arsenal comes next.

Nicholson resigning was devastating also.

Losing against Coventry in 1987 was a real gut shot, but with that idiot in charge I was far from shocked. But we had won all our other FA Cup finals up to that point so it was very hard to take.

In the Premiership era the two saddest things for me were that Ardiles and Hoddle were never a success. I still believe that with the right backing Hoddle could have been, but we were a club in political turmoil at the time.

The manner in which Jol went was disgusting and a permanent blot on the reputation of all those concerned and that was a low point too.

And of course finishing 4th and not qualifying for the Champion's League after Chelsea fluked their way through a QF, SF and then fluking the final, still sometimes feels like a very bad nightmare that I'll wake up from any day now........
 
For me it was the overall crash since the 91 cup win with just dog **** that seemed to last an eternity. So glad its all over with. The whole points deduction/fine/fa cup ban incident although it was largely revoked was very disturbing at the time as we could quite easily have been relegated.
 
Jumpers said:
And of course finishing 4th and not qualifying for the Champion's League after Chelsea fluked their way through a QF, SF and then fluking the final, still sometimes feels like a very bad nightmare that I'll wake up from any day now........
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This one. Lots of good suggestions above, but they were mainly football setbacks. This was different.

Watching the Champions League final was like watching an inevitable car crash. We'd seen Messi miss a penalty in the semi-final. Then Robben misses one in the final. Even when Munich scored it felt like a cruel stirring of hope because the end was inevitable. Then watching the penalty shoot-out, the English players scoring and the most German sounding German of them all missing. Absolutely numbing.
 
GPRD81 said:
No that we are enjoying relative success it is easier to reflect on how bad things had got. Looking back to my lifetime as a Spurs fan since 1988 things were pretty good for the first 3 years under Venables culminating in the FA Cup win in '91 (which is still my favourite Spurs memory). I've listed a few of the bleakest (not neccessarilly the most disappointing) memories below:

1. Going 10 games without a league win in 1994 when Teddy was injured and plummeting towards the relegation zone. The period also included a catastrophic 3-0 defeat in the FA Cup at Ipswich and we signed Ronny Rosenthal and Kevin Scott on transfer deadline day to try and 'improve us'.

2. Klinsmann and Barmby leaving within weeks of eachother in May 1995 when we looked to be going places.

3. The horror week in Nov '96 when we lost 3-1 at Arsenal, 6-1 at Bolton in League Cup and 0-2 to Liverpool (when ball bobbled over Ian Walker).

4. The 1-6 home defeat to Chelsea in Gross' first home game followed by 4-0 defeat at Coventry the following week.

5. Being knocked out of all the cup competitions (FA v Saudi Sportswashing Machine 1-6, League Cup 1-3 @ Fulham and UEFA Cup 0-2 @ Kaiserslautern) by Christmas in 1999-2000 season.

6. Waiting until February to win an away game in 2000/01 season.

7. Campbell joining Arsenal in July 2001.

8. Losing 4-0 @ Southampton in FA Cup 3rd round in Jan 2003.

9. Losing 4-0 at home to Blackburn on last day of 2003 season.

10. Hoddle being sacked and replaced by Pleat in Sept 2003 with all the uncertainty of who the new manager would be for the entire season whilst we flirted with relegation and regularly fielded defences made up of Keller, Gardner and Doherty.

11. The 4-3 defeat to City having been 3-0 up and playing against 10 men at half-time. (I know part of point 10 but worthy of its own entry!)

I know there were some bleak moments after 2004 but since Arnesen and Jol arrived we've been on an upward curve with a few blips. The above were kind of a norm during a prolonged and concentrated period of mediocrity.

Feel free to add any more.
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Arsenal winning the title at WHL

Those 2 goals in 2 minutes by Arsenal at the Emirates a few years ago, almost puked.

8-1 at St. James Park

United winning 3-5 at WHL

edit: add to that list Benayouns celebrations when he scored at Lasagnagate
 
I've supported Spurs since 1995 so everything between then and 2004 would be considered but whilst it maybe a bit off topic I'd say some of our darkest hours have been since the bad days.

Anyway, Top five White Hart Pain.

1. A certain day in April 2004 when a certain team won the league. Doesn't matter what else has happened, your arch rivals winning the league on your patch for a second time, just to rub even more salt into the wound, is the ultimate insult. Depsite the fact I have never seen us finish above them (supported Spurs since June 1995) and all the other sh!te they have gotten away with it is that I still want revenge for i.e win it at the Emirates or beat them in the CL final.

2. Chelsea winning the CL and getting massively f@cked over. I actually felt numb after Drogba's pen, honestly.

3. Lasagne Gate. Took our captain on a free, won the league at our place and then this sh!it, sums up their fracking luck against which really has got to run out sooner or later.

4. Tottenham Hotspur 3-4 Emirates Marketing Project. Listened to whole thing on the radio and cried.....when they equalised, it really worse that bad. Worse team we had in the Prem personally but guess that whole season was worth it in the end, finally made us wake up and smell the coffee, both as a club and fans.

5. All FA Cup semi-final defeats. Saudi Sportswashing Machine 1999, Arseanal 2001, Portsmouth 2010 and the horror show that was Chelsea 2012. I still can't believe that we've failed to win a FA Cup S/F in 6 attempts. Why can't we win one? :(

On top of that we've never ever once won a penalty shootout whilst I've been a fan, Basel made us the bearers of a horrible record, longest sequence of penalty shootout defeats by a English/British club seven in total.
 
07-May-77 . Stood on the terraces at Maine Rd having seen us battered 5-0 by City, thus conforming our relegation from the top flight.
 
GERMANY_SOCCER_CHA_1088313f.jpg


Drogba 88'

Heartbreaking.
 
91/92 when we nearly went bankrupt and had to sell Gascoigne and Lineker to save the club.

Coming so close to our greatest moment of the past 25 years (91 FA cup win), they were really dark days.
 
Losing our Top Flight status at the start of the 1919-20 season, as Woolwich Arsenal had bribed their way in at our expense.

Nothing even comes close.
 
see the Chelsea/Bayern final wasn't as disappointing as the months which preceded it for me - as soon as it was out of our hands i knew it was over so the final itself was nothing more than a formality.



for me, the darkest moment supporting Spurs was Campbell signing for Arsenal :evil:
 
Wow depressing thread.

Pretty much all of the 90s and early 00's bar the Klinsmann year. Added to that we had to watch scum win trophy after trophy including one of them at our own ****ing ground was hard to take.

Judas going to scum. I was in holiday in Florida at the time, Dad came down to the beach with an English paper to tell me "Campbell's gone to Arsenal". Completely out of the blue as well. Always thought he would leave but I assumed it would be United/Barca/Juve, which I would have been Ok with.

Losing 4-1 at home to Saudi Sportswashing Machine under Ramos.

Some truly terrible away defeats; Southampton 1-0, Leceister 2-1 Muzzy Isset, United 5-2 Webb ****ed us, Wolves 1-0, Bolton 4-2.

Losing the Worthington Cup final to Blackburn.

Losing to Emirates Marketing Project with Balotelli who shouldn't have even been on the pitch winning the penalty and scoring it.

Chelsea fluking the CL tops them all. Another holiday almost ruined. Flew out to Orlando on the day of the final not knowing our fate only to land and receive a flood of texts saying Chelsea won on penalties.
 
parklane1 said:
07-May-77 . Stood on the terraces at Maine Rd having seen us battered 5-0 by City, thus conforming our relegation from the top flight.
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Makes me realise how fast things can change. We had such a great team in the beginning of the 70's. At least we bounced back after one season, but we made hard work of that too. I have little sympathy for Leeds fans, but imagine how they must feel!
 
Jumpers said:
Relegation in the late 70's trumps just about everything for me.

Jennings to Arsenal comes next.

Nicholson resigning was devastating also.

Losing against Coventry in 1987 was a real gut shot, but with that idiot in charge I was far from shocked. But we had won all our other FA Cup finals up to that point so it was very hard to take.

In the Premiership era the two saddest things for me were that Ardiles and Hoddle were never a success. I still believe that with the right backing Hoddle could have been, but we were a club in political turmoil at the time.

The manner in which Jol went was disgusting and a permanent blot on the reputation of all those concerned and that was a low point too.

And of course finishing 4th and not qualifying for the Champion's League after Chelsea fluked their way through a QF, SF and then fluking the final, still sometimes feels like a very bad nightmare that I'll wake up from any day now........
Click to expand...

Interesting you should say that because my recollection is that towards the end of the season, once the inevitability of relegation had been accepted, there was a very upbeat spirit both within the club and amongst the fans. Keith Burkenshaw had replaced that dreary ex-Gooner Terry Neil at the start of the season and the fans had taken to him despite results. By the end of the season, harnessing the flair of a young Glenn Hoddle and crowd-pleasing skills of Peter Taylor, the exciting runs of a gawkish Gerry Armstrong, the zeal of Stevie Perryman and energy of an admittedly limited Johnny Pratt, he had begun to re-establish some vestige of the Spurs way.

As a result there was plenty of optimism we'd bounce straight back and that Burkenshaw would in time bring back the good times, so for some of us at least it all helped make the drop that much more bearable.
 
Spur of the moment said:
Interesting you should say that because my recollection is that towards the end of the season, once the inevitability of relegation had been accepted, there was a very upbeat spirit both within the club and amongst the fans. Keith Burkenshaw had replaced that dreary ex-Gooner Terry Neil at the start of the season and the fans had taken to him despite results. By the end of the season, harnessing the flair of a young Glenn Hoddle and crowd-pleasing skills of Peter Taylor, the exciting runs of a gawkish Gerry Armstrong, the zeal of Stevie Perryman and energy of an admittedly limited Johnny Pratt, he had begun to re-establish some vestige of the Spurs way.

As a result there was plenty of optimism we'd bounce straight back and that Burkenshaw would in time bring back the good times, so for some of us at least it all helped make the drop that much more bearable.
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I wasn't in the country when it happened, and read it about it when I finally got a copy of an English paper a couple of days later. I knew it was inevitable but it still hurt a lot. For me Burkinshaw was an unknown quantity and our stuttering promotion campaign from Division 2 didn't exactly calm my concerns. The signings of Ossie and Villa did though :)
 
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