The Warm Up
I’ve been following Spurs since my mum introduced me to the team for Spursiest of Cup finals in 1987. She obviously thought a comfortable win over Coventry was the perfect way to ease me into the beautiful game <sigh>.
I was so young that it took a great deal of explaining as to why we’d lost the match when our captain had scored the winning (!) goal. I guess the concept of putting the ball in the wrong net is lost on you when you’re five….
Despite that less-than-ideal introduction I’ve been hooked ever since, despite the protests of my mainly Chelsea-supporting family (I know). I was lucky enough to combine my passion with work as a sports journalist for companies like Sky, Yahoo and Reuters before moving into sports comms/PR with the International Paralympic Committee.
My current job has seen me relocate to Germany where I’ve held on to my season ticket and do my best to get back for as many games as I can. Colleagues regularly question my sanity, especially a recent humiliating trip to Burnley, but I’ll carry on for as long as I can afford it (which based on Levy’s hiking of prices in the new stadium may not be THAT much longer).
As a youngster, who was your Spurs hero?Â
Gary Lineker was the first player that I really fell in love with as a kid, although he had stiff competition from Gazza after THAT freekick. When I first starting going to games in the early nineties I also developed an unhealthy obsession with Darren Anderton. I even had one of those knock off t-shirts from one of the stalls on the High Road with his picture on the front and a fake number nine on the back!
Who is your favourite player from the current Squad?Â
It’s hard to look past Harry really – his passion for the club and the way he has developed into the world-class striker he is over the past few years has just been an unbelievable joy to watch. Sonny is fast racing up the ranks though (have you ever seen a player so happy to play for us?!), and special mention to Eric Dier, who anyone following me on Twitter will know I have more than a soft spot for……
From world football, who would you most like to see in a Spurs shirt?
I’m going to buck the Messi trend and go for Kylian Mbappe or Jadon Sancho. I’ve been lucky enough to see a lot of Sancho this season in the Bundesliga (with a Dortmund-supporting boyfriend I don’t have much choice!) and he really is something special.
What is your favourite piece of Spurs memorabilia?Â
I’m not a huge one for memorabilia I must admit, but I still have the first Spurs shirt I ever owned. It’s the Holsten-Adidas combo from the mid-nineties and is absolutely giant on me even now, as it was before football shirts were made for girls so I had to settle for a junior men’s one. Putting it on for the first time was one of the greatest moments of my life.
Where in the world have you watched Spurs live other than UK?
I’ve been really lucky with my European trips; Milan x3, Madrid x2, Barcelona, Eindhoven x2, Dortmund x3. Although not live I also have to mention watching games in the pub with Australia Spurs when I lived in Sydney – you’ve never known real pain until you watch us lose 5-0 at 4am on a Monday morning. Oh and also watching from South Korea last season when I was working at the Winter Paralympics – Korean TV actually has a little countdown clock in the top corner ahead of the game with Sonny’s face on it – they are THAT obsessed with him!
Which former player would you love to see in the current squad?Â
That’s really really tough, Bale, Modric and van der Vaart all spring to mind, or maybe Klinsmann to form a deadly partnership with Harry.
Most memorable Spurs moment?Â
Again there are so many to pick from that it’s really hard. If we’re going for games that I was actually at it’s probably the 3-1 win over Inter at the Lane. I still have never heard anything like that night for atmosphere and the performance was just something out of dreamland. The 5-1 Cup semi-final win over the scum is a very close second! Also the last game at the Lane was absolutely unforgettable – making it onto the pitch at full time was the most crazy emotional moment for me (as the photo probably demonstrates!)
Who was your most disappointing Spurs signing?Â
I had such high hopes for Paulinho! And given what he went on to do for Barca I still can’t work out what happened….
Which Spurs players (3) would you chose to join you if you were on ‘Come Dine With Me?
I know he’s not a player but can I please have Poch? Along with Sonny and Jan.
Past players/managers Crouchy, Lineker and Harry Redknapp
Who would be in you all time Spurs XI (4,4,2 formation)?
It’s from my lifetime rather than overall – I think it’d be a disaster as a formation but there are some sentimental picks in there so I’m squeezing everyone in!
Lloris
Walker Mabbutt Ledley Vertonghen
Ginola Hoddle Gazza Bale
Kane Lineker