Tottenham And Queen’s Park Rangers: Six Connections
By Logan Holmes
Managers
Terry Venables
Terry Venables signed for Tottenham from Chelsea in 1966 and was a member of the 1967 FA Cup winning team. He was transferred to Queen’s Park Rangers in 1969 and spent 5 years as a player at Loftus Road. He returned as their manager in 1980 and took the 2nd Division club to the 1982 FA Cup Final where they lost 1 – 0 in a replay to Tottenham.
After leaving to manage Barcelona he returned to England as manager of Spurs in 1987. He led Tottenham to their last FA Cup success in 1991 against the background of serious financial problems. He linked up with Alan Sugar to rescue the club and became Chief Executive. He still had a say in team management but left Tottenham after an acrimonious fall-out with Sugar in 1993.
Gerry Francis
Gerry Francis was also a player and manager at Queen’s Park Rangers. He resigned as manager at Loftus Road in October, 1994 and was appointed at White Hart Lane at the beginning of November. He took over a struggling team which lacked defensive resolve under Ossie Ardiles and turned it into a team which could defend and also benefit from the attacking play of Teddy Sheringham and Jurgen Klinsmann. They reached the FA Cup semi-final but lost to Everton. The departure of Klinsmann the following summer was a loss to the team which never regained the level of consistency and play achieved in that first season under Francis. After three years Francis resigned in November, 1997.
Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp arrived at Tottenham in October, 2008 with the club having only “2 points from 8 games”. He ensured Premier League safety that season and the following year took Spurs to a fourth place finish and an exciting Champions League campaign. Spurs fought consistently for a top-4 finish under Redknapp but due to poor form in the second half of each season, Spurs missed out. In 2012 he was linked to the England post but when Spurs failed to make the Champions League at the end of the season despite finishing fourth, he departed White Hart Lane.
After six months on the sidelines he returned to Premier League football with QPR. They were relegated that season but regained their place through the play-offs last season.
Just to add to the Tottenham and Queen’s Park Rangers connections, Glenn Hoddle has just joined Rangers as a coach working alongside Redknapp and his staff who were also with him at Tottenham.