To borrow a line from the immortal Chas and Dave, in 1987 - with David Pleat's eleven, Tottenham Hotspur really were football's connoisseurs. As winter turned to spring that year, Pleat's scintillating side appeared on the cusp of emulating - perhaps even eclipsing - Bill Nicholson's legendary double winners. A League Cup semi-final had been reached against Arsenal. Spurs would soon be on their way to Wembley in the FA Cup. And the free-scoring north Londoners were sufficiently well placed in Division One to elicit serious talk of a first top-flight title since 1961.
That the campaign ended without silverware and in an excruciatingly embarrassing tabloid scandal - precipitating Pleat's departure - will forever be a true Tottenham tragedy.
As a youngster growing up in Nottingham, David Pleat was once heralded as the next Tom Finney by the press, having scored a Wembley wonder goal for England schoolboys. While his playing career failed to live up to that early billing, it was as a manager that he became a household name. In 1982, Pleat guided unfashionable Luton Town - playing glorious attacking football - into the First Division. Even more remarkably, he then kept them there.
By the end of the 1985/86 season, Luton had established themselves in the top ten of English football, finishing above Peter Shreeves' disappointing Spurs. Tottenham's young chairman Irving Scholar, steeped in the club's tradition for swashbuckling football, decided to make a change. Luton were approached about Pleat's availability. It was quickly established that Pleat had an agreement with the Bedfordshire club's board entitling him to speak to any interested party should he so wish. And so it was that Pleat was unveiled as the new Tottenham manager before heading off to Mexico as part of ITV's team of pundits for the World Cup.
Although Luton's chairman David Evans initially said Pleat was leaving with his blessing, he soon began to attack his former manager in the press for disloyalty. Adding to the growing enmity, Pleat made Luton's left-back Mitchell Thomas his first Spurs signing. Intriguingly in his autobiography, Irving Scholar reveals Spurs had already lined up a deal for a player in that position, Wimbledon's Nigel Winterburn, but Pleat insisted on Thomas. Scholar also recollects how Pleat passed up the chance to sign David Rocastle, out of contract at Arsenal and unsure of his future under their new manager George Graham. Scholar remembers passing Pleat Rocastle's phone number to strike a deal. But Pleat declined to make the call, saying he "could never do that to George". It was a decision that would come back to haunt Spurs more than once.
In the wake of the Heysel disaster - which saw English clubs banned from European competition in the mid-1980s - the insular First Division became increasingly dominated by direct, brutal football. David Pleat, by contrast, remained steadfastly an aesthete within the game. He had convinced Tottenham's artist in residence, Glenn Hoddle, to give the club one more season before fulfilling his wish to play abroad. Hoddle had come to believe that only on the continent would his talents be fully appreciated and legs better protected. Pleat, taking inspiration from France's 1984 European Championship winning team, who had just finished third at the summer's World Cup, began moulding Spurs in their image. Hoddle would play as Michel Platini did for Les Bleus, unshackled from any defensive responsibilities and at liberty to create for Tottenham's striker Clive Allen.
Spurs season commenced away at Villa Park. Allen scored a hattrick in a 3-0 win. It was the start of what became a stellar campaign for the striker. He'd struck 20 goals before November was out, including a rare winning goal for Tottenham in the league at Anfield. Liverpool had won the double in 1986, but Pleat's Spurs would beat them home and away. Allen also netted both goals in a 2-0 win over Everton, the team widely tipped as the most likely to dethrone their neighbours in the new season.
Tottenham's League Cup campaign began with a two-legged tie against Barnsley. Allen was just as prolific in that competition, scoring in every fixture as Spurs advanced past the Tykes, Birmingham and Cambridge to set up a quarter-final in January away at West Ham. By then, Allen was playing as a lone striker. The Belgian international forward Nico Claesen, who Pleat had signed on the back of an excellent showing at the World Cup, had picked up an injury. Rather than replace him like for like, Pleat reimagined his side with a five-man midfield supplying Allen, its spearhead. England international Steve Hodge (the man who had left the 1986 World Cup with a prize almost as precious as the trophy - Maradona's shirt) was signed from Aston Villa. Hodge joined a rejuvenated Ossie Ardiles, Paul Allen, Chris Waddle and Glenn Hoddle in a team widely recognised for playing the best football in Britain.
Clive Allen inevitably opened the scoring in the first half at Upton Park before a Tony Cottee equaliser forced a replay at White Hart Lane. With Arsenal awaiting the winners in the semi-final, Spurs blitzed the Hammers 5-0, Allen completing an eight-minute second-half hattrick to take his tally to 33 goals in 32 matches. The striker's knees were by now red-raw due to repeated performances of his power-slide goal celebration.
And so to what was to become an epic semi-final. The first leg was played at Highbury on a wind-swept Sunday afternoon and shown live on ITV. Arsenal, who, a few weeks earlier, had triumphed 2-1 in the 100th North London league derby, were unbeaten at home. The visitors took the lead in the 39th minute. By now, the identity of the scorer will come as no surprise. Hoddle's corner pinballed around the Arsenal defence before falling to Gary Mabbutt, who blasted the ball goalwards. John Lukic made a brilliant save, but there to convert the rebound was Clive Allen. The raucous travelling fans in the packed Clock End erupted, while David Pleat remained a picture of calm. Spurs dug in, protecting their precious lead. The superb centre-half pairing of Richard Gough and Gary Mabbutt headed and kicked everything that came their way - ball or man. Physio John Sheridan exemplified the faith on the Tottenham bench that the side would see the match through, lighting up a pipe and puffing away during the second half.
Unfortunately, confidence became hubris a few weeks later. Ahead of the second leg, Tottenham's directors had already begun the process of commissioning League Cup final merchandise. Clive Allen's goal to give Spurs a 2-0 aggregate lead in the first half at White Hart Lane only added to the premature triumphalism.
Incredibly at half-time over the stadium tannoy, Ossie's Dream (Spurs Are on Their Way to Wembley) was played. This was then swiftly followed up by an announcement of arrangements for Spurs fans to secure their cup final tickets. Legend has it that upon hearing this from his position in the stand, Perry Groves, the Arsenal reserve midfielder, hurried down to the away dressing room and informed his teammates and George Graham. Whether this is apocryphal or not, Arsenal were transformed in the second half. Goals from Viv Anderson and Nial Quinn took the game into extra time. Following a scoreless thirty minutes and no recourse to a penalty shootout, the tie went to a replay. David Pleat won a coin toss with George Graham to decide the venue, and so just three days later, the two weary sides reconvened at White Hart Lane.
Yet again, Clive Allen opened the scoring, firing home following Gough's knockdown of a long free-kick. But, yet again, Arsenal staged a late rally. Substitute Ian Allinson equalised with seven minutes remaining, beating Ray Clemence with a low shot at his near post. Then with another period of extra time looming, David Rocastle smuggled a soft injury-time winner past the veteran keeper. David Pleat called the result a “stab in the heart for Spurs” but still had the good grace to invite his counterpart, George Graham, back to his office for a cup of tea and sandwich. Such was the camaraderie between the two men, Pleat ended up giving Graham a lift home.
The cup semi-final defeat came amid Tottenham's best run of league form in the season. Villa, Southampton and Leicester City were all beaten - with Spurs racking up 10 goals without conceding. The game immediately following the Arsenal agony saw Spurs extend their winning run in the First Division with a 1-0 win over QPR. The match is remembered less for yet another Clive Allen winning goal and more for the horror tackle on Spurs right-back Danny Thomas by Rangers' Gavin Maguire. The severity of Thomas' injury forced him to retire from football, aged only 26. Thomas would eventually receive £130,000 in damages in an out of court settlement with Maguire.
While Thomas lay in hospital recovering from surgery, Spurs prepared for an FA Cup quarter-final against Wimbledon without him. Dave Bassett had taken his belligerent Dons to Spain in the build-up to the game. Several journalists went with them. Quotes soon began to appear in the English red-tops attributed to Wimbledon players, outlining how they intended to ruthlessly neuter Tottenham's creative pair of Hoddle and Waddle. Or to give them their stage name, Glenn and Chris - the duo would release their top 40 hit-single Diamond Lights a few weeks after the game was played.
Wimbledon battered Spurs throughout the match with long punts from goalkeeper Dave Beasant aimed towards the pugnacious John Fashanu. But again, Gough and Mabbutt were imperious at the heart of David Pleat's defence. With the game locked at 0-0, a replay looked inevitable. Then Chris Waddle tore down the right side of the Wimbledon box, shaping to shoot before dropping his shoulder to make for the byline. Expecting a cross, Beasant had fatally advanced two steps from his line. Waddle lashed the ball in at the near post to give Spurs the lead. Any chance of a Wimbledon revival was killed minutes later when the ebullient Waddle skipped past three challenges before being chopped down by Andy Thorn. Glenn Hoddle lined up the 30-yard free-kick, waving away protestations from his teammates that he should play the ball into the corner to see out time. Hoddle hammered an outrageous shot into the top corner to send Spurs through to a semi-final with Watford. Asked about the goal by Martin Tyler in the post-match interview, Hoddle explained his thinking; "Funny enough Chrissy said don't shoot ... But I said no, I'll have a twat!" Tottenham's number 10 also remembered his stricken teammate. "If Danny Thomas is watching, that one's for you, Dan."
The flourishing Waddle scored again a week later in a home win over league leaders Liverpool. The result meant that if Spurs now won all their games in hand, they would supplant the Merseysiders at the top of the table. The difficulty for Pleat's squad was that their extended cup runs left them five games behind the Reds in the First Division. And with another cup tie to come in the FA Cup semi-final, the relentless fixture list became overwhelming. A heavy away defeat at Luton was particularly damaging, made worse by David Pleat and Spurs being subjected to appalling antisemitic chanting from sections of the home support. Tottenham rebounded with a 3-0 win over Norwich - courtesy of another Clive Allen treble - but momentum in the tilt for the title had been lost.
In the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park, however, Spurs were supreme. Watford came into the game with both their recognised goalkeepers, Tony Coton and Steve Sherwood, injured. This meant the Hornets had to make an emergency signing for the biggest game of their season. After a less than exhaustive search, the club's chief executive Eddie Plumley suggested his son Gary could fill in. Plumley junior was playing non-league football in South Wales while running a wine bar. The semi-final would be his only appearance for Watford, and he would famously use his match fee to buy a new fridge.
Early on, the understandably nervous stand-in keeper spilled an Allen shot, which allowed Hodge to tap in the opener. Two minutes later, encouraged by Plumley's frailty, Allen hit another speculative shot goalwards. A cruel deflection off McClelland left the keeper powerless to prevent Tottenham from doubling their lead. It was 3-0 by half-time as Paul Allen fired past the frazzled goalkeeper from an acute angle. Following a flowing move started by Ardiles, Hodge added a fourth with a sweet curler. Watford pulled one back late on, but this time Spurs really were on their way to Wembley.
Chas and Dave immediately set to work penning 'Hotshot Tottenham', which reached number 18 in the singles chart. The squad were even invited on to the popular children's television programme Blue Peter to 'sing' it live.
Tottenham's league form tailed off badly after the semi-final. They won only three of their final nine matches to finish the season third in the table. The campaign's last two home games served only to illustrate what might have been. Oxford were beaten 3-1 in a match that saw Glenn Hoddle score his final goal in a Tottenham shirt: a splendid saunter from the halfway line rounded off with a delicious dummy on the keeper.
By then, it was an open secret that Tottenham's arguably greatest ever player would be leaving the club for France. His final match at White Hart Lane was a 4-0 thumping of Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in which Mitchell Thomas scored twice from left-back with Clive and cousin Paul netting the others.
Tottenham travelled to Wembley as overwhelming favourites against unfancied Coventry. This despite the fact the Sky Blues had won 4-3 at Highfield Road in December when the sides had last met. Spurs, however, had been victorious in all seven of their previous FA Cup finals. Coventry were seeking the first major silverware of their 104-year history. Following the national anthem, the Tottenham players removed their tracksuit tops. Only then did right-back Chris Hughton notice something odd about Gary Mabbutt's shirt. It transpired that on five of the specially commissioned new Cup Final Hummel kits, the HOLSTEN logo was missing.
Despite this hiccup, Spurs looked destined to become the first team to win the FA Cup eight times when Clive Allen headed home from a Waddle cross inside two minutes. It was the striker's 49th strike of a magnificent season, setting a new club record along the way.
The lead lasted only seven minutes. Keith Houchen used his aerial prowess to knock down a cross for Dave Bennett, who manoeuvred past Clemence before firing in from close range. The game was becoming an instant classic. Chances came and went at both ends. But it was Spurs who edged ahead again four minutes before half-time.
Hoddle flighted a free kick into the Coventry area, which eluded three defenders before falling to Gary Mabbutt. The Spurs man appeared to just get the decisive touch ahead of Coventry skipper Brian Kilcline. Coventry, however, would not be cowed and started the second-half on the front foot. Houchen was proving a menace. Gough and Mabbutt, who had played so well all season, could not cope. Just after the hour, Bennett escaped down the right flank and teased a low centre across the face of goal. Houchen had the run-on Gough and plunged to send a diving header beyond Clemence. 2-2. It remains one of the most iconic FA Cup Final goals.
Neither side could find a winner in what remained of the match. And so Tottenham's Homeric season was extended by a further 30 minutes.
Coventry manager John Sillett would later say that he knew his side would win in extra time. Spurs had run out of puff. Their football which had flowed so beautifully for nine months now ran dry. Six minutes into the first half of extra-time, a stray Spurs pass presented possession to Rodger. He, in turn, worked the ball to McGrath on the right wing, who drove into the area and flashed a ball across goal. Mabbutt, guarding the near post, tried to cut it out but could only look on aghast as the ball deflected off his knee before looping agonisingly beyond Clemence.
There was to be no way back for Spurs. A season that promised so much would end with nothing. The recriminations began immediately on the Wembley pitch. Glenn Hoddle lamented, "it's a lot harder to paint a picture than it is to destroy one." While a tearful Richard Gough was overheard by his manager saying it was impossible to win trophies playing such quixotic football.
After the formalities, the players were bussed back to White Hart Lane. A giant canopy had been erected on the pitch with a stage. The anticipated victory party transformed into a wake. Gough and Pleat engaged in an open row, which ended abruptly when the defender stormed out. The next day the team were required to participate in an excruciating open-top bus parade before attending a reception at Harringay Town Hall.
For David Pleat, the torture was unrelenting, and about to get worse. In June, The Sun newspaper ran a front-page headline that read: SPURS BOSS IS CAUGHT KERB CRAWLING.
The accompanying article detailed how, during his time at Luton, Pleat had been cautioned twice by police in three days for odd behaviour in a car park. However, with the support of chairman Irving Scholar, Pleat rode out the initial storm. Adapting to life without Hoddle and Richard Gough, who had forced his way out of the club to join Rangers, Tottenham still managed to make a promising start to the 1987/88 season.
Going into October’s North London Derby at White Hart Lane, Spurs had set a new club record of 14 consecutive home wins. Inevitably, Arsenal were to end that run in a match shown live on television, coming from behind to win 2-1. Many Arsenal fans in attendance that afternoon wore newly printed tee-shirts emblazoned with The Sun's front page about Pleat. At one point, several blow-up sex dolls were released from the away end, which a mischievous gust of wind carried around the pitch until stewards were able to arrest them.
The timing of this reminder of Pleat's indiscretion could hardly have been worse. Five days later, The Sun burned Pleat for a second time: SPURS BOSS IN VICE SWOOP AGAIN. Following a crisis meeting on the 23rd of October 1987, David Pleat resigned as Tottenham Hotspur manager. Paradise had been lost.