Tottenham Hotspur Football Club

Tottenham Hotspur FC: A Brief History of the Lillywhites

Tottenham Hotspur FC History and Highlights.

Founded back in 1882, by a group of grammar schoolboys of all things, Tottenham Hotspur are now one of the biggest teams in the country, and some might even argue, in all of Europe.

Nicknamed the Lilywhites, Tottenham Hotspur play their home games at the stunning Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, (which opened in 2019), proudly sporting white as their team colors. Before that, they played at White Hart Lane from 1899 – 2017.

Once known as trophy specialists, Spurs made history by becoming the first British team to win a European trophy. In total, their trophy room consists of 15 trophies, including 4 League Cups, 8 FA Cups, and 2 UEFA Cups.

While silverware has eluded Spurs lately, they have looked stronger in recent seasons. Thanks in part to the fantastic strike partnership between Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the Spurs have certainly come a long way since their grammar school days, that’s for sure.

Shakespearian Origins

In 1882, a group of grammar schoolboys at All Hallows Church, Tottenham, founded a football team. They initially named the team Hotspur Football Club, named after a Shakespearian character by the name of Harry Hotspur from Shakespeare’s play Henry IV.

A couple of years later, as the team grew, the club was renamed Tottenham Hotspur in recognition of the local area of Tottenham, London.

In 1895, the club entered the Southern League and proved to be very popular. They played an attractive style of football that fans loved to watch, so they always drew big crowds whenever they played.

In 1901, Spurs defeated Sheffield United in the FA Cup final to win their first FA Cup of many.

By 1908 they became a member of the English Football League, quickly gaining promotion from the Second Division to the First, the highest league in the country.

Over the next several decades, the Spurs had very mediocre seasons. They won the FA Cup once more in 1921, but other than that, they enjoyed limited success.

From Highs to Lows

Spurs finally won the league in 1951. Then, in 1958, they appointed Tottenham legend Bill Nicholson as manager.

Many Spurs fans consider Bill’s time with the club to be the true Glory Years, and for a good reason, too. He was in charge for 16 years and won 8 cups during his time.

After Bill departed, this had an immediate effect on the club. They struggled to score, lacked confidence in front of the goal, dropped points, and had their fans turned on them. Not surprisingly, the Spurs were soon relegated to Division Two.

The club brought in a new manager named Keith Burkinshaw, who helped them win 2 more FA Cups, a second UEFA Cup, and got them promotion back into the top flight.

The following couple of decades were fairly uneventful for Spurs, who again looked average compared with some of the biggest names in the First Division. They did, however, win yet another FA Cup in 1990.

Life in the Premier League

In 1992, the Premier League was formed in England, though again, Spurs never looked like challenging for the league.

Despite winning two League Cups in 1999 and 2008, silverware eluded them.

During the 2015/16 season, the Spurs really stepped things up, thanks in part to Harry Kane, who scored 25 goals for the club and finished as the top goal scorer for the season. As a result, the Spurs finished 3rd place, which was their best finish in decades.

Having brought in quality managers, including Mauricio Pochettino, and the ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho, the EPL title still proved elusive, so they brought in Antonio Conte. He is still at the helm as of this writing.

They followed it up with a 2nd place finish the following season, and since then, although they have not won the league, they have consistently finished in the upper top half of the table.