Eight Tottenham Hotspur Connections With Fulham
By Logan Holmes
Tottenham and Fulham have been rivals since their Southern League days, first meeting in the early 1900s. There are many players and managers connecting the two clubs over the decades.
Thank You Fulham!
1. Alan Mullery
There is one player who has very close connections with both clubs and Tottenham are extremely grateful that he made the move from Craven Cottage to White Hart Lane in the mid-1960s. Alan Mullery is probably the player best loved by both sets of fans. He started his career with Fulham but was transferred to Spurs in March, 1964 for £72,500 as Bill Nicholson endeavoured to rebuild his ‘Double’ winning squad and replace some legendary players. Mullery had the unenviable task of trying to fill the boots of Danny Blanchflower and he found it very difficult in the early days. T
he fans were slow to accept Mullery but in time through his hard work he gradually won them over and was part of the 1967 FA Cup winning time. When Dave Mackay moved on in 1968, Mullery became captain and led Spurs to success in the 1971 League Cup and the 1972 UEFA Cup win.
In season 1971-72 Mullery was out for a lengthy period through injury but when fit he couldn’t displace John Pratt. Mullery asked to go out on loan and returned to Fulham. Unexpectedly, however, he returned to White Hart Lane when Pratt was injured ahead of the UEFA Cup semi-finals. He captained the team in the 1st leg at White Hart Lane against AC Milan which Spurs won 2 – 1 and then led by example in the away game scoring an early goal in a 1 – 1 draw. In the Final against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham brought a one goal advantage to the home game and it was Mullery who headed the goal to increase their lead. In the process, he knocked himself out but battled on as Spurs held on for the draw which saw them lift the trophy. Mullery enjoyed the celebrations around the pitch long after the other players had departed to the changing rooms. As it turned out, it was to be Mullery’s last contribution in a Tottenham shirt as he was transferred to Fulham in the summer for £65,000.
He played for England on 35 occasions but unfortunately became the first England player to be sent off in a full England international in the 1968 European Championships.
He played at Craven Cottage for four years and along with Bobby Moore they reached the FA Cup Final of 1975 with Mullery winning the Football Writers’ Player of the Year award that season.
An inspirational player he went on to become manager at Brighton, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and QPR.
2. Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey
Mousa Dembele has been a major player for Spurs [Photo: Jav The_DoC_66]Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey signed for Tottenham from Fulham last summer and Spurs are thankful for their contribution to the team’s success this season. Dembele made an early impression with a goal on his debut at home to Norwich City and has carried on from there. The team missed him when he was absent due to injury through October and early November. He has brought strength and power to central midfield and had developed a strong partnership with Sandro prior to the latter’s injury. He has made crucial contributions in Spurs last two away matches in Europe – scoring the late equaliser in Lyon and it was from his powerful shot against Inter that Emmanuel Adebayor followed up and score the vital away goal.
Clint Dempsey left Fulham in unusual circumstances last August. He had been expected to sign for Liverpool who had been chasing him for most of the summer. On the last day for transfers he arrived at White Hart Lane. He took time to settle into a new role and find his form but scored the winning goal at Old Trafford and also got the late equaliser against United at White Hart Lane. he has now scored 8 goals.
They Played for Spurs and Fulham
Over the years there have been many other players who have played for both Tottenham and Fulham, serving both clubs with distinction.
3. Cliff Jones
Jones joined Fulham having served Tottenham for over ten years. He was a vital member of the successful Tottenham team of the 1960s making over 400 appearances and scoring 176 goals. In recognition of his service he was allowed to leave for a minimal fee of £5,000 even though he had scored six goals in eight appearances that season. He had cost £35,000 when signed from Swansea town in February, 1958 but broke his leg during pre-season training. He joined Fulham in October, 1968 and played for two seasons at Craven Cottage. A fast, tricky winger who loved to take on his defender and who would courageously dive in where others feared to go. For a small player he could jump to amazing heights and headed numerous goals against taller defenders.
He is a true Tottenham legend who loved playing against Fulham. He is the only Tottenham player to score a hat-trick against the Craven Cottage side, getting it in a 4 – 3 victory at White Hart Lane in February, 1966. He also holds the distinction of being the Spurs player who has scored most goals against Fulham, with 13.
4. Terry Dyson
Both Tottenham wingers from the ‘Double’ team joined Fulham from Spurs. In June, 1965, Terry Dyson, having spent eleven years at Tottenham moved to Craven Cottage. After years of waiting patiently, Dyson came into the Spurs team at the start of season 1960 – 61 and was a regular as Spurs won the League and FA Cup.
He missed out on the following season’s FA Cup triumph but regained his place for the next year’s European Cup Winners’ Cup success when he was one of the heroes, scoring twice in the Final against Atletico Madrid. He spent three years with Fulham before joining Colchester United.
5. Tony Parks
Tottenham’s current goalkeeping coach and hero of the 1984 penalty shoot-out win in the final of the UEFA Cup, also played for Fulham – two games in season 1990 – 91. Fulham and Spurs were two of the 15 clubs for whom Parks signed during his playing career which spanned over 20 years.
Successful Run
6. 1948 – 1964
Fulham won their first League game at White Hart Lane in April, 1948 in a 2nd Division game. From that date on, until 1964, Spurs went on a sequence of 17 matches without defeat. The run started with a 1 – 1 draw at Craven Cottage in December, 1948 in Fulham’s promotion season. The two clubs met up again in the 1st Division when Spurs gained promotion in 1950 and the run stretched to October, 1964 when Spurs recorded a 3 – 0 home win. It was quite a shock the following February when Spurs suffered a 4 – 1 defeat at Craven Cottage.
Managers
7. Martin Jol
Jan Vertonghen played for Martin Jol at Ajax [Photo: Jav The_DoC_66]The former Tottenham manager returned to Premier League football with Fulham in the summer of 2011, having been sacked by Tottenham in October, 2007. He spent a season with Hamburg and then two years in Holland as manger of Ajax where in his first season he missed out on winning the League title by a single point. At Ajax he worked with Totenham’s central defender, Jan Vertonghen.
Martin Jol arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2004 as assistant to Jacques Santini. After the unexpected departure of Santini the following October, Jol became manager and had a great affinity with the club wanting to emulate the success and style achieved by Bill Nicholson. He managed to take the team to fifth place in the Premier League for two successive years, only missing out on fourth and Champions League football on the first occasion on the last day when his team were struck down by sickness and lost at West Ham.
In the summer of 2007, however, the Tottenham board were seen in Spain talking to Juande Ramos. While denying they had approached him to become manager, Jol’s position had been undermined and after a poor start to the season, he lost his position and was replaced by Ramos. It was a very unfortunate situation that Spurs had put themselves in and the removal of their manager was a rather unsavory episode in the club’s history. Jol split the fans, some siding with the Directors who felt he had taken the team as far as he could while others thought he should be given more time. Jol will be looking to his Fulham players to make a footballing statement on his behave as he tries to put one over his former club.
8. Vic Buckingham
Vic Buckingham played for Tottenham before and after the 2nd World War. His Tottenham career started in 1935 and he made over 200 appearances for Spurs before retiring in 1949. He was originally a full back but his versatility allowed him to play in any of the defensive positions. He went into management and had a lengthy career in England and across Europe. He was appointed the Fulham manager in 1965 and spent three years with the club. His other clubs as a manager included Ajax (twice), Barcelona, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday.