Tottenham Hotspur Greats – Keith Burkinshaw

By Keir Boxshall
March 24 2005

Following Terry Neill’s dismantling of our squad and subsequent shameless defection to the Woolwich Wanderers Tottenham Hotspur were again looking for a new manager.

Fortunately for us Keith Burkinshaw couldn’t resist the temptation of trying to follow in the illustrious footsteps of the likes of Arthur Rowe and Bill Nicholson. So in that summer of 1976 he stepped up from the assistant position and took the helm. Unfortunately the problems he inherited proved too great and relegation was inexorable. 1976-77 season saw us finish bottom of the table with the highlight of the season a toss up between a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford in Keith’s fifth game in charge and a 1-0 home win against the ‘77 season’s champions, Liverpool. 47,751 were at White Hart Lane for the return of Neill and witnessed a 2-2 draw.

In contrast to the norm today the board showed faith in their appointment despite our first relegation in 42 years and an ignominious one at that, convinced that Burkinshaw was the man to bring us back to glory. The season started with an 8 game unbeaten run in the league, 5 of them wins. Although Glenn Hoddle had received his debuted under Neill it was under Burkinshaw he blossomed and the team was built around his footballing genius. Automatic promotion was secured at Southampton on the final day of the 1977-78 season with our 16th draw of the season. That 0-0 saw both teams along with Bolton Wanderers return to the topflight. Having scored 83 goals and conceded 49 we had the highest goal difference in the division, in fact none of our competitors could live with our goalscoring prowess least of all Bristol Rovers who received a 9-0 thrashing in late October of ’77. 50,097 were in attendance for a home draw with Brighton who we pipped to promotion on goal difference.

Having secured promotion at the first time of asking with Keith went about strengthening the squad with possibly the biggest transfer coup in our history. Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, fresh from winning the world cup with Argentina, arrived in North London ready to grace the hallowed turf and along with the likes of Hoddle we were looking like a seriously potent side once more. Some fans even dared to dream of Rowe-esque promotion followed by the glory of a Division 1 title, alas it was not to be and in the 1978-79 season we managed 11th. Our first game of the season was a 4-1 defeat as it was under Rowe in 50-51 this time to Aston Villa. 51,800 packed into White Hart Lane for our 6th round FA cup tie with Manchester United Ardiles scored our goal in a 1-1 draw, the replay saw the end of that year’s FA cup dream with a 2-0 defeat.

As is so often the case our second season back in the topflight was tougher than the first and come the summer of 1980 we found ourselves in 14th. 53,768 saw us knock Manchester United out of the FA cup having drawn at old Trafford, Ardiles doing the damage with the only goal – a suitable revenge for a home defeat in the league and a 4-3 aggregate defeat in the league cup earlier in the season. Again the FA cup run ended at the 6th round stage this time to Liverpool, who again found themselves in 1st place in the league come the end of the season. Fans walking along the high road were heard to say ‘There’s always next year………….’

The squad was strengthened with two more influential figures in Steve Archibald and Garth Crooks, and with optimism renewed the season of 1980-81 got underway and Nottingham Forest were despatched 2-0 Crooks and Hoddle the scorers. Game of the season would be an 8 goal thriller with Ipswich at the Lane, our scorers a read like a who’s who in Tottenham history Perryman, Ardiles, Archibald, Hoddle and Crooks. Our FA cup run started in January against Queens Park Rangers, 3-1 in the replay, then it was Hull City’s turn, 2-0 will do nicely, Coventry City, 3-1, Exeter City, 2-0, now to the semi final and up against midland giants Wolverhampton Wanderers, 2-2 then 3-0 in the replay and Spurs were on their way to Wembley once more. 196,000 in total watched us and Manchester City battle it out, 1-1 then 5 days later 3-2 and THAT goal. The year ended in 1 and Tottenham won, again! The streets of N17 were buzzing again as were those of Buenos Aires! We finished the league in tenth, but the FA cup was back where it belonged.

1981-82 started with a draw with the soon to be European Champions Aston Villa. It was win or bust in the league and it took us 15 games to register a draw. In the European Cup Winners Cup we were on fire cruising past Ajax 6-1 on aggregate winning home and away, then repeating the feat against Manchester United this time with two 1-0 victories. We were eventually knocked out in front of 80,000 in the Nou Camp at the Semi final stage. Having drawn 1-1 at home Barcelona got the only goal of the game. Having already been beaten in the League Cup final by Liverpool we had made our way to the FA cup final, beating Arsenal, Leeds United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Leicester City on the way to meeting Queens Park Ranger in the final. Again we had to go to a replay Hoddle scored in the 1-1 and got the only goal of the replay 192,000 watched the games in total Tottenham Hotspur had drawn level with Aston Villa at the top of the pile on 7 FA cup wins, all hail King Hoddle and Emperor Burkinshaw. This time we finished 4th in the league, and all in a style Rowe and Nicholson would have been proud of!

Tottenham were going to win the lot in ‘83 surely? Unfortunately not 4th again in the league gave us a UEFA cup spot. Out to Bayern Munich in the Cup Winners Cup 2nd round. Out to Burnley in the League Cup 5th round. Out to Everton in the FA Cup 5th round. 43,642 had the pleasure of watching us put 5 past that lot from N5 at White Hart Lane, but our biggest gate came saw us beat Liverpool 2-0, 44,907. No silverware in ‘83 but not a bad season by any means. Little did we know that Burky’s finest hour had already passed, and soon he would be gone. Still time for one last hurrah though….

At this point Irvin Scholar and Paul Bobroff took Tottenham Hotspur over and floated us on the stock exchange, Keith Burkinshaw did not agree with this move whatsoever and let his feelings be known. He and Archibald fell out as Keith refused to allow his substitution only two games into the new season and they ended up not on speaking terms. Despite these problems and announcing his impending resignation he led us to the final of the UEFA cup beating Drogheda United in the first round. Next up for the chop were Dutch giants Feyenoord Rotterdam winning home and away 4-2 and 2-0 respectively. In the third round we were drawn against Bayern Munich, a spot of revenge was in order for last season’s close but ultimately ill fated Cup Winners Cup games, the first leg was in Munich and ended in a 1-0 victory for the home side, back at the Lane a fortnight later 2-0 to the Lilywhites Archibald and Falco the heroes, revenge is sweet! Austria Vienna 4-2 on aggregate. Hadjuk Split in the semi and again we lost the first leg 2-1 this time but a solitary goal from the underrated Micky Hazard saw us through to the final on away goals. After two 1-1 draws in the two legged final with Anderlecht, Tony Parks was the hero with the clinching penalty shoot out save. Our second Uefa Cup win and Burkinshaw’s 3rd trophy weren’t enough to mend the relationship between him and the club and he left with one of the most famous quotes in football ‘there used to be a football club over there’.

In spite of the sour end to his tenure Keith Burkinshaw had assured his place in Tottenham Hotspur history, not just as one of the 7 trophy winners; John Cameron, Peter McWilliam, Arthur Rowe, Bill Nicholson, Keith Burkinshaw, Terry Venables and George Graham, but second only to the late great Bill Nicholson himself in the size of the haul.