Which two would you select from Chivers, Peters, Waddle and Sheringham, as those who captured the hearts and imaginations of Tottenham fans for what they did at White Hart Lane?The compilation of the list of 20 Spurs Cult Heroes, for a book out next spring, may have been fairly unscientific at times, but it has drawn on masses of personal opinions and reminiscences. It is not a list of the definitive 20 Spurs heroes – as personal opinions necessarily differ on such a subjective matter – but it is a selection of 20 from a wider pool of candidates.
As we at AANP try to select a good range, and capture fans’ opinions, the topic continues to spark plenty of debate – so the aim today is to gauge where popular opinion lies between Waddle and Sheringham, and stepping back a few decades, between Peters and Chivers. Feel free to leave your arguments for or against these players, all opinions taken on board.
Memories always welcomed on players already featured in Spurs’ Cult Heroes – Jimmy Greaves here, Clive Allen here, Jurgen Klinsmann here, with others to follow…
17 replies on “Spurs’ Cult Heroes – Chivers or Peters? Waddle or Sheringham?”
Waddle over Sherringham any day! Waddle played with flair and a mullet. Sherringham scored goals but moaned at the rest of the team.
Chivers over Peters – number of goals, exciting to watch. Peters was 10 years ahead of his time unfortunately his time wasn’t really at WHL!
Sherringham over Waddle IMHO he was more influential overall.
As for Chivers or Peters I just could not say having never seen either play live, but my dad reckons Chivers.
I’d go with Waddle – reckon Teddy was slightly better player, but the Waddler put a smile on my face.
Plus, Waddle was flogged off, whereas Sheringham chose to leave at his peak because he wanted. He’s entitled to, but it’s not what a hero does.
My dad says chivers too.
Waddle and Sheringham, 2 very different players. Sheringham was not only a very good centre forward but he made his fellow strikers look good. Hell even Chris Armstrong looked half way cometent playing with Teddy and that took some doing! But Waddle at his best as he matured at Spurs was a bit special. To start with he overdid it, would beat the same player 5 times and then fail to get his cross in. But he learnt when to beat a man, when to pass and incidentally became a very good passer of the ball. So Waddle,but an all time top ten player – no.
Chivers was SO bad when he came to Spurs. Worse than , oh I don’t know – Chris Armstrong for instance!! But he ended up SO good. Strong intelligent and his partnership with the great Alan Gilzean was a joy to behold. Peters was a very intelligent and subtle player but not quite a Spurs star to the degree that Chivers was. Would Chiv be in my top 10 though? Probably not!!
Waddle and Sheringham, 2 very different players. Sheringham was not only a very good centre forward but he made his fellow strikers look good. Hell even Chris Armstrong looked half way competent playing with Teddy and that took some doing! But Waddle at his best as he matured at Spurs was a bit special. To start with he overdid it, would beat the same player 5 times and then fail to get his cross in. But he learnt when to beat a man, when to pass and incidentally became a very good passer of the ball. So Waddle,but an all time top ten player – no.
Chivers was SO bad when he came to Spurs. Worse than , oh I don’t know – Chris Armstrong for instance!! But he ended up SO good. Strong intelligent and his partnership with the great Alan Gilzean was a joy to behold. Peters was a very intelligent and subtle player but not quite a Spurs star to the degree that Chivers was. Would Chiv be in my top 10 though? Probably not!!
Cult heroes. Cult as in not necessarily the best player, or the most well known, but one who has made a real impression by being different. Hero as in something extra special, someone to look up and revere, whose exploits will be discussed whenever fans gather to talk about the Spurs….
Rule Peters out right away. He did well for us but nowhere near fitted either of those criteria. To me, he’s West Ham, even though I saw for years at Spurs.
Chivers – definite. After a slow beginning (anyone remember how he was slaughtered when he first played for us), a fantastic player and scorer of remarkable goals, e.g. UEFA Cup away to Wolves, he’s in just for that 30 yarder.
Sheringham – love the man, superb player, genuinely ahead of his time in shaping modern centre forward play. But it has to be Waddle – mercurial, wandering and a mullet. Wonderful on his day, every day was not not always his. I like my cult heroes to have a bit of mystery about them.
Jill mentioned a true cult figure – Alan Gilzean. He was the King of WHL – deft touch, fantastic timing.
if you not old enough to have seen him, ask your Dad or another older Spurs fan.
He’s my all time cult / favourite player. I remember his testimonial, when a fan ran on and kissed his boots. Gilly deserved that!!
Gilly was a true Spurs great, one of my Dad’s favourites and he watched the Spurs from the mid 20’s into the 90’s. I too loved him as a kid, his partnership with Greaves was magic. I assumed in my innocence that all good forwards could flick a ball with their head like he did, with seeming perfect control. Over the years I discovered that Gilly was unique, I’ve never seen anyone who can do what he did with heading the ball. A true cult hero.
If anyone’s interested my dad’s all time favourite came not from the double team, (about whom he could wax lyrical for hours) but Jimmy Dimmock a tricky winger from the 1921 cup winning team. My dad started going in the mid 20’s but his father was at the 1901 final!!
Spurs have had some fantastic players over the last 50 year from Bobby Smith, John White, Gilzean, Chivers, Gazza, Klinsman & Sherringham etc., etc., unfortunately we just seam to miss out on the league. Once we were the FA Cup top winners and we have had some good runs in Europe.
HR has hit it the nail on the head, balance we always don’t seam to get the balance right. The only one that did was Bill Nicholson and he didn’t go out any buy 10 players every season, like Sir Alex he chose the best.
Yep, Gilzean is on the list – again not one I’ve seen myself, but definitely one who fits the bill of cult hero (plus my Dad would probably disown me if I excluded him). Seen a picture of that fan kissing his boots in his testimonial…
FYI – the full list of 20 for the book is now looking like this: Sandy Brown, Bill Nick, Blanchflower, Mackay, Jones, Greaves, Gilzean, probably Chivers, Jennings, Knowles, Perryman, Hoddle, Ardiles, Mabbutt, Roberts, Clive Allen, Gascoigne, Ginola, Klinsmann and Waddle/Sheringham.
Problem is there are probably another dozen who would merit inclusion, and we’re particularly bothered about the lack of players from the ’21 and ’51 sides – Dimmock, Grimsdell from ’21, and Ditchburn, Baily, Duquemin from ’51, as well as others from the 60s onwards – Smith, England, Coates, Villa, Crooks, Archibald, even Freund has a lot of support for inclusion.
The inclusion of Sandy Brown, goalcorer in every round of 1901 winning Cup run, and Bill Nick, who played in the 51 push-and-run title-winning team, help to balance out the list, and capture some of the club’s history, but the list still weighs rather heavily towards the 60s-80s.
Pretty good list. Personally I wouldn’t include Clive Allen as his time at the Spurs was brief.
Cliff Jones, now there was a player, FANTASTIC and he was past his prime when I saw him.
According to my Dad Ditchburn was every bit as good if not better than Jennings. Which I have to say I found unbelievable.
No Ramsey or Burgess???
Where’s Alfie Conn? If ever there was a cult hero at WHL….
Alfie Conn is a tricky one. The look the showmanship, the hat-trick on debut – he ticks the “Cult Hero” boxes alright, but we also thought that a fairly substantial contribution to the team would be necessary, and he only made 38 appearances in total.
A similar argument could be made against Jimmy Neighbour, who a lot of fans have called for. In a more modern context, Steffen Freund also retains a place in fans’ hearts while maybe not having had such a substantial on-pitch impact. It’s not straightforward, as a lot of people argue that Clive Allen only had one truly good season and is still being included (it was some season, mind).
Ultimately, to repeat what I wrote in the posting: “It is not a list of the definitive 20 Spurs heroes – as personal opinions necessarily differ on such a subjective matter – but it is a selection of 20 from a wider pool of candidates.”
I am so pleased the true King of White Hart Lane is not only in your list but getting support too. Alan Gilzean remains, for all that saw him, the greatest.
Sheringham over Waddle, Chivers and Paters harder to seperate in terms of contribution. When I started supporting Spurs in early 70’s, Chivers was the MAN, so I maybe biased. Agree with earlier posting regards Conn, a cavalier of a footballer if there was ever one. Said alot of nice things about Spurs fans too bless him. Freud was a strange cult hero, never scored and was a work horse but with little flair. But why not he loved the fans and it was reciprocated. Nutter Naylor should be in there (maybe is?) as well as Ian McNab in my oppinion. Great days those seventies, though being a teen helped! Great idea for a book, if it is to be published.
The same as Chris. My first visit to WHL in 1971 we beat Man City 2-1 and Chivers scored both. “Chivers for England” was the cry and boy did we love him. Peters was a little before I knew what was going on, but I’d have to say Waddle was a class above Sheringham and a better servant. And we only got Gazza because of him!
Cant believe that the late great John White is not included in the list, John played in what is argueably without doubt Spurs best ever team in the early 60’s and it goes to show what a player he was if only by the fact that of the fifteen games he missed whilst playing for a great Spurs side they only one once and throughout his career at Spurs they never finished outside of the top four either such was his influence in the side.