Tottenham’s ill-Fated Venture Into The 1995-96 Intertoto Cup

Tottenham’s ill-fated venture in the 1995 Intertoto Cup came to an end on this day, 22nd July. They played their fourth match of the competition in Germany against a strong Cologne team who proved much too strong for Tottenham’s team of, as goalkeeper Chris Day describes it, “a bunch of 18 and 19-years-olds and some lads who were  coming towards the end of their careers”.

Chris Day – 17 years after the Intertoto Cup playing for Stevenage against Spurs in FA Cup. [Photo: Logan Holmes]

In the summer of 1995 Tottenham agreed reluctantly to enter the Intertoto Cup, having been put under pressure from the footballing authorities. They played weakened teams and suffered three defeats in four matches in a once and only never to be repeated experience with the Cup being abolished in 2009 as it was merged into the early qualifying rounds of the Europa League. Tottenham were one of three English teams who competed in the 1995 Intertoto Cup – the others being Wimbledon and Sheffield Wednesday. That season, according to 90 Minutes journalists Kevin Palmer and Andy Strickland, Wednesday were “the only British team to take the Intertoto Cup seriously”.

UEFA Threat

In May all three clubs had rejected the opportunity to join the competition and it was only after a threat that UEFA would ban all English clubs from participating in each of its three major competitions if the Football Association and Premier League failed to persuade three Premiership teams to enter the much-maligned Inter Toto Cup. European football’s governing body had taken umbrage against the decision of all eligible Premiership clubs to reject an invitation to enter the Intertoto Cup, despite the fact that at the start of the season all but Arsenal and Manchester United had agreed, in principle, to enter though no formal vote was taken.

In early June, though, all three sides agreed to play in the competition, which prevented UEFA from banning English clubs that would be participating in European competitions during the following season. The Premier League said the clubs came forward voluntarily and entered the competition in a positive frame of mind. This, however, contradicted the negative statements made previously by Spurs manager Gerry Francis. Spurs’ reluctance was clear as they extracted certain conditions from the authorities – they would not play at their home ground, they could play weakened teams and could play loan players.

Tottenham were unable to play at White Hart Lane as their ground was in need of repair after being used by the London Monarchs for four American Football games. Spurs arranged to play their matches at Brighton and Hove Albion’s Goldstone Road ground.

Tottenham Intertoto Squad

Tottenham used a squad of loan players and reserve and team players. The ‘guests’ included Alan Pardew, the current Newcastle manager.

Goalkeepers: Simon Brown, Chris Day

Defenders: David Bryne (on loan from St. Mirren), Jamie Clapham, Mark Newsom (on loan from Barnet), Stephen Carr, Owen Coll, Leon Townley

Midfield: Alan Pardew (on loan from Charlton Athletic), Ian Sampson (on loan from Northampton Town), Kevin Watson, Andy Turner, Simon Wormull, Gerry McMahon, Simon Spencer

Striker: Paul Mahorn, Steve Slade, John Hendry, Robbie Simpson

Matches

25th June, 1995

Tottenham 0  Lucerne (Switzerland) 2

Lucerne had finished 6th in the Swiss league and brought a full strength team. In front of less than 2,500 spectators Spurs held out until well into the second half and had two goals disallowed. With twenty one minutes to Lucerne went ahead and secured victory with a second three minutes from time. A report in the Daily Mail picked out Steve Slade who impressed in difficult circumstances for Spurs.

A quote from the report described the Intertoto competition,

"“For this is a tournament to make the Auto Windscreens Shield and the Anglo-Italian Cup look massively popular.”"

Team: Day; Newson, Coll, Sampson, Clapham; Byrne (Spencer), Pardew, Watson, McMahon; Slade, Hendry (Wormull)

1st July, 1995

Rudar Velenje (Slovenia) 1  Tottenham 2

When Spurs played Maribor of Slovenia last season, I said that it was the first time Spurs had played against a team from that country. I was wrong – the first game was the second of the Intertoto matches. Spurs’ makeshift team were a goal down after four minutes but drew level with a goal from Sampson after a quarter of an hour. John Hendry scored the winner with half an hour to play.

Team: Day, Newson, Coll, Sampson, Clapham; Byrne (Spencer), Pardew, Watson, McMahon; Hendry, Slade

Tottenham v Osters July, 1995 Intertoto programme

16th July, 1995

Tottenham 1  Osters IF (Sweden) 2

The third game of the Intertoto competition saw Spurs’ under-strength team lose by two goals to one against Osters IF of Sweden. No match details are available but the team included Chris Day, Stephen Carr and Mark Newson with the Spurs goal being scored by Gerard McMahon.

22nd July, 1995

Tottenham 0  FC Cologne 8

The Intertoto fiasco finally came to an end with a humiliating defeat to FC Cologne.

The team of reserves and loanees went to Germany and suffered an eight goal defeat.While Spurs didn’t take the competition seriously, Cologne did and gained qualification to the UEFA Cup draw and progressed to the latter stages of the competition. While Spurs other matches attracted crowds of just over 2,000 fans this game drew in 6.100 spectators. Spurs were a goal down after four minutes and had conceded four by half-time. It was no better after the interval as they conceded goals at regular intervals.

While Spurs can claim they did not recognise it as a first team game and they had stated before the competition that they would field a weakened team, a result like this did nothing for the reputation of the Club in Europe and can have done nothing for the confidence of the young players who were asked to take on an impossible task. Furthermore, although Spurs don’t regard it as a first-team fixture, the statistics used by UEFA retain this game as part of Tottenham Hotspur’s record in European competitions. There’s no footnote to explain that it was ‘a young team’ or ‘Tottenham weren’t interested in the competition that year’.

On the same day the first team also lost a friendly in Denmark to Silkeborg by three goals to one.

‘The 8-0 defeat is a funny bit of history’

Tottenham did acknowledge the games in the programme for the FA Cup replay in 2012 against Stevenage. Chris Day was the Stevenage goalkeeper and he and the assistant manager, Mark Newson played for Spurs in all four matches in the Intertoto Cup.

Speaking before the FA Cup 5th Round tie, Chris Day recalled the game against Cologne and was quoted in the Daily Express.

"“I actually had a half-decent game but they were just a class apart. It was Tottenham reserves against World Cup players. I think they had 14 World Cup players….”"

He tells how it was a shock when they arrived in Cologne and he had Bodo Ilgner, the German goalkeeper from the World Cups in 1990 and 1994, telling him that he was warming up at the wrong end. As he says,

"“Tottenham were lambasted for doing the Intertoto. But us youngsters were doing English football a favour just by turning up.”"

Punishment

Tottenham and Wimbledon were banned from European competitions for one season after fielding under-strength sides throughout the Intertoto Cup. The Premier League quickly vetoed the punishment and UEFA scrapped the ban in January 1996.

What happened to the squad?

Chris Day never made a senior competitive appearance for Spurs in domestic football but holds the record of having been the unused substitute goalkeeper on many occasions. The following summer he joined Crystal Palace and has made over 450 career appearances with 8 League clubs and is still with Stevenage.

Simon Brown left Spurs and signed for Colchester United before spending three seasons in Scotland with Hibernian.

Stephen Carr is the only member of that squad to become a regular at Tottenham, winning the Worthington Cup and playing for Ireland before moving on to Newcastle.

Gerard McMahon who made a number of first team appearances and then joined Stoke City also played for Northern Ireland at full international level.

Jamie Clapham, Andy Turner, Kevin Watson, Steven Slade, Paul Mahorn and John Hendry all made first team appearances with Spurs before moving on. Hendry scored 5 goals including two goals against Arsenal at Highbury in the 3 – 1 win in May,1993. Clapham made only one substitute appearance for Spurs but made over 400 league appearances for Ipswich Town, Birmingham City and a number of other clubs.