Glenn Hoddle was one of the most naturally gifted players of his generation. His range of passing was magnificent and he produced a clutch of Goals of Any Season. But Hoddle’s skills also brought him to the forefront of a debate over the way football should be played. His ‘continental’ style of play did not always fit into the long ball tactics prevalent in the 1970’s and 80’s and his haul of 53 England caps could have been a lot more. But Hoddle rose above the problems to play his natural game and the sight of him spraying inch perfect passes to all parts of the field or curling a shot home from 30 yards will always stir the soul.

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GLENN HODDLE has always had a large personality and following in English Football. He has in the past been one of the more revered and controversial figures in British Football History due to his beliefs and willingness to speak his mind. Now back at the club where he started his playing career, Tottenham Hotspur, this time in a managerial capacity, he is once again the darling of the fans and media alike, although this was not always the case.

Recently named as Tottenham’s greatest ever player, Hoddle won FA Cup and UEFA Cup honours with the North London side, making just under 500 appearances for the club, the fifth highest in the history of the side, (he is also eleventh in the list of goals) between 1975 and 1987. He has since managed to cram a wide spectrum of experience into his relatively short spell as a manager. He has taken a lower league club to the big time with Swindon, re-awoken the sleeping giants of Chelsea, been responsible for the mood of a nation as England manager and transformed the fortunes of one of the Premiership's perennial strugglers, Southampton. Glenn Hoddle was, of course, known as one of England's truly great players.

Glenn Hoddle was born on Sunday 27^th October 1957 into a Spurs supporting family in the town of Hayes in Middlesex. His talent was noticeable from an early age and he was quickly signed up to represent his school at every available level. His family moved to nearby Harlow when he was eight, enabling his all too prevalent abilities to be witnessed by a wider audience. As he displayed his skills for various Harlow and Essex school sides word quickly got around about this special talent emanating north of the capital. Quick off the mark as ever, it wasn’t long before Glenn’s beloved Spurs sent their scouts along to have a look at him with a view to signing him up. He didn’t hang around long the suggestion that he sign up with then came was mooted and signed apprentice forms with the club in January 1974, under Terry Neill.

After a year spent learning his trade with the reserves and training occasionally with the first team Glenn made his debut as an seventeen year old, coming on as a substitute at White Hart Lane in August 1975 in a 2-2 draw against Norwich City. He had to wait a further six months before making his full debut, appearing against Stoke City at the Victoria Ground on February 21^st, 1976. This match provided a taste of things to come as he rifled a long range shot past England legend Peter Shilton. He quickly went on to become a great favourite with the crowd, inspiring countless songs, the most memorable one going (Hod-dle, Hod-dle, Hod-dle, Hod-dle, born is the King of White Hart Lane. This was sung to the tune of the Christmas hymn The First Noel. It didn’t take long for the national side to call him up and he made his senior England debut against Bulgaria in a European Championship qualifying match at Wembley, the first of his many visits to the hallowed turf, scoring the first of his eight international goals in the process.

Glenn’s talents helped influence the performance of the whole of the side and played a part in attracting players such as Argentine World Cup winning duo Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa, Garth Crooks and Steve Archibald. These players, added to talents such as Graham Roberts and the longest serving Spurs of all time Steve Perryman, helped pushed Spurs to the forefront of the annual trophy chase.

It was in 1981 that Glenn collected his first piece of Silverware, scoring twice on the way to the Final and being hugely influential in it as Tottenham beat Manchester City, after a replay, to lift the FA Cup for the sixth time. The following year saw two more cup final appearances at Wembley for Glenn, losing out to Liverpool in the League Cup before scoring in both matches as Spurs beat QPR after a replay to win the FA Cup. A UEFA Cup win over Anderlecht on penalties followed before another FA Cup Final appearance in 1987 ended in a disappointing 3-2 reverse at the hands of Coventry City, a match which proved to be Glenn’s last for the club.

After a colossal 478 appearances for the club, scoring 110 goals, he left the club to seek success overseas in the form of French outfit Monaco. He was signed for £750,000 by up and coming French coach Arsene Wenger. He proved an instant hit at the Monaco, his pairing with fellow international Mark Hateley propelling them to the French league title in his first year there. That summer ended on an ultimately disappointing note for Hoddle and his international team-mates as Bobby Robson’s men crashed out of the European Championships after three successive defeats, the last 3-1 loss against USSR witnessing Glenn win his 53^rd and last cap.

His career pretty much petered out after that, leading to his retirement from the game through injury in 1990, at the tender age of 33. It was whilst playing at Monaco, and in particular Arsene Wenger, where Hoddle really became interested in management. The Frenchman suggested he give it a go after his playing career ended and, after taking note of Wenger’s managing skills Glenn really got into the idea. After a brief attempt at a comeback, playing as a non-contract player for Chelsea reserves, Glenn was appointed Manager of Second Division Swindon Town in 1991, replacing former team-mate Ardiles.

After a transitional season, in which Glenn steadied the ship after their close call with relegation the previous season, the team reached the Play-Off Final at Wembley in May 1993, one game away from the newly reformed Premiership. After an early goal by Glenn himself, Swindon let slip a three goal lead to be pegged back to 3-3. But, with six minutes to go Swindon won a penalty. Paul Bodin confidently stepped up and slammed the ball home and Glenn had led Swindon to promotion within his first two years, thus acquiring another set of adoring fans. The euphoria in the Swindon camp was short lived as Hoddle took over the reigns at Chelsea later in the summer. Swindon fans weren't happy to lose their mentor, but the lure of managing a larger Premiership club proved too much for Hoddle He decided to leave the club on a high note and left his assistant John Gorman responsible for Swindon’s debut season in the big league.

He again worked wonders there, leading them to a place he was now becoming familiar with, Wembley, for the FA Cup Final in his first season in charge, Chelsea’s first for twenty-four years. Glenn is widely credited with dragging Chelsea out of their penniless existence. ‘There were no training facilities when I arrived. The players had to get changed on the coach’ he said at the time. Things were depressingly bleak and, along with the late Matthew Harding and Chairman Ken Bates, Hoddle set about turning the club around, at a later to be seen financial loss, although this was in no part attributed to Hoddle’s management. Back to the Cup Final of 1994, and Chelsea had the bad luck to run into a Manchester United side that would set the standard for the rest of the football world for the next decade. A sodden May afternoon saw Chelsea hold their own for the first hour before three goals, the first two Cantona penalties, in nine minutes effectively settled the direction of the Cup. A late fourth by Brain McClair gave a routish look to the score-line, but Hoddle could still be pleased with his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge. The following season saw Chelsea reap the rewards of Manchester United’s dominance, taking their place in the European Cup Winners Cup due to their more precedent involvement in the Champions League. They reached the Semi-Finals before being knocked out by Viktoria Zizkov. Glenn’s illustrious playing career had inevitably attracted numerous admirers across Europe, and he capitalised on his contacts by attracting some top name stars to the club such as Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli, Frank Leboeuf and Brian Laudrup. This predictably raised the playing standard at the Bridge as Chelsea reached previously unscaled heights, with European adventures becoming an expected annual occurrence rather than a once in a lifetime thing. Glenn was the catalyst for this renaissance in West London and had once again improved the fortunes of a club no end.

His impressive feats in club football thus far hadn’t gone unnoticed by the Football Association and after Terry Venables announced his intention to retire after the forthcoming European Championships the FA quickly set about wooing their man. Hoddle again didn’t hang about and took over the ‘poisoned chalice’ after England’s Semi-final exit to Germany, but not before guiding Chelsea to another FA Cup Semi- Final, again falling to Manchester United. His managerial tenure with England began with a World Cup Qualifying campaign, and wins in his first three matches over Moldova, Poland and Georgia reaffirmed the FA’s view that they had got the right man. A solitary defeat to Italy didn’t deter Glenn from his quest for World Cup glory, and in the summer of 1997 he led England to victory in Le Tournoi de France, a pre-World Cup friendly tournament, beating Italy and France before losing to Brazil. (Media) Critics were impressed but simultaneously spelt the message that the real job laid ahead. England victoriously topped their group in typical bullish fashion, holding previous group favourites Italy to a memorably battling goal-less draw in Rome, one of England’s most spirited performances of the decade…

Hoddle’s private life had begun to appear more and more interesting as his career grew, and his admission of adultery and subsequent divorce from wife Anne, in January 1998, was manna to the Press. Anne had only previously been viewed on an ill-fated Shredded Wheat commercial that Glenn subjected his family to earlier in the decade but now the press had something to get their teeth into regarding his private life. Another bat used by the media to hit him was his unfailing way with words and willingness to speak his mind. March of 1998, in the run-up to the World Cup, England’s first for eight years, saw him declare Liverpool striker Michael Owen as ‘not a natural goalscorer’. This further distanced himself from the Press, who worshipped at the Liverpool striker’s feet. His disclosure of his close personal and business relationship with Faith Healer Eileen Drewery led to his portrayal as a bible-basher, a cheap shot, and his subsequent exclusion of former media darling Paul Gascoigne from the World Cup twenty-two, for, he claimed, excessive boozing and being pictured out at all hours (one famous Mirror front page pictured him staggering along the street with a Kebab in hand), didn’t exactly help his relationship with the press. They had now taken to labelling him arrogant and called into question his man-management skills and team selection. Further meat for the press to chew on arrived in the form of Squad Member Teddy Sheringham. After he was pictured smoking, drinking and cavorting in an Algarve nightclub, further doubts were cast upon Glenn’s authority and the amount of respect afforded him by the players. Hoddle’s decision to keep Sheringham in the squad, a direct opposite to his treatment of Gascoigne, was highlighted as inconsistency and Hoddle World Cup campaign began under utmost pressure. Sheringham started in the first World Cup match against Tunisia, despite growing calls for wonderboy Owen to take his place alongside Captain Alan Shearer. Concurrent exclusion of David Beckham also met with baffled press reaction. England were knocked out of the World Cup in the Second Round, losing on penalties to Argentina, England’s battling performances giving Hoddle a little bit more breathing space.

His decision to release a diary of his and England’s World Cup experiences was met with more vitriol, as he revealed the secrets of the England dressing room and openly criticised and revealed unflattering details about some of his players. He also stated his biggest regret being he had not taken his long-time faith healer, Eileen Drewery, believing she would have made a significant difference. Under increasing pressure to step down from the media, he refuses to resign. The start of the qualifying campaign for the 2000 European Championships started badly for England, a 2-1 Stockholm defeat to Sweden despite a first minute free kick from Shearer. A V-Sign directed at the England bench from the sent off Paul Ince hardly helps matters. After being booed off the pitch in a goalless second match, at Wembley against unfancied Bulgaria, and being called a ‘coward’ by disgruntled striker Andy Cole, after he was left to find out on teletext that he had been left out of the squad for a friendly against the Czech Republic, Hoddle finally talked himself out of the job in February 1999.

It started innocently enough, with the Chief Football Correspondent of The Times, Matt Dickinson, carrying out a routine interview with Hoddle as he prepared to announce his squad for the forthcoming friendly with World Champions France. The interview, to be published on Saturday, January 30, was drawing to a close as Dickinson tried to prompt Hoddle for comments and/or reaction to the recent tabloid criticism regarding his belief in the reincarnation theorem. ‘I almost apologetically raised the issue’, said Dickinson at the time. ‘I expected blunt denials of such a provocative stance. Instead I was given a long explanation. ‘’You and I have physically been given two hands and two legs and half-decent brains. Some people have not been born like that for a reason. The karma is working from another lifetime. I have nothing to hide about that. It is not only people with disabilities. What you sow, you have to reap'’, he said. He was surprised that I should find his remarks at all startling. He clearly thought his views were legitimate." Needless to say, his comments caused anger amongst Disability groups and such a furore that high-society figures and important political types like Tony Banks, the government's sports minister, had their say. ’’(Hoddle's) remarks have been so embarrassing that it would be best if Glenn just walked.’’

Even Prime Minister Tony Blair weighed in, saying that if Hoddle had been quoted accurately, "it would be very difficult for him to stay (in his job)’’, whilst being interviewed on ITV talk-show This Morning.

His comments and the subsequent reaction reached foreign shores, even meriting a mention in the notoriously football hating US; a ‘serious error of judgement’ that had caused ‘misunderstanding and pain to a number of people’ was how the New York Times covered the story. It appeared that this time the outrage, and subsequent media criticism, would force him out of his job.

"I made a big, big mistake in taking a journalist into my confidence. I let my guard down in talking about my personal beliefs and letting the interview stray from football matters. I do believe in reincarnation, but to say that I think the disabled are being punished could not be further from the truth. I am frustrated that my job is hanging in the balance because of the way an interview I gave was totally misconstrued and misunderstood." Hoddle said. Hoddle never made a secret of his religious views, including a belief in reincarnation and spiritual healing. He was sacked him three days after the offending article appeared. "The situation had become increasingly untenable," David Davies, the acting executive director of the Football Association, the governing body for English soccer, said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon announcing the decision. "After more than 24 hours of meetings and discussions, it became apparent to all those concerned that this was the right decision for English football."

The next year saw Hoddle spend the majority of it out of work except for a few stints as a summariser on various television and radio football shows. It was almost a full year before he finally decided to take one of the many managerial jobs that had been offered him in his year out of work. As their previous manager Dave Jones required time off to fight Child Abuse cases in a court case, Glenn agreed to step into the breech to become Southampton Manager primarily on a temporary basis. His position later became permanent as Jones was paid off by the South Coast club, even though he was found not guilty of all charges relating to him. Hoddle proved an instant success at Southampton, turning them away from their annual relegation battle and pointing them towards European aspirations. However, unlike his previous managerial bout with Chelsea, Hoddle left the club before getting them into Europe. After seven straight clean sheets and five straight wins, which saw Southampton reach a high of seventh position in the Premiership, Hoddle couldn’t resist the lure of returning to boyhood heroes and former club Tottenham, themselves without a manager since their sacking of George Graham.

After officially quitting his post at the Dell on March 27, three intense days of negotiations followed, with Saints chairman Rupert Lowe resistant to the last, before Hoddle could finally be unveiled late on the Friday night, March 30. He was to take over the following Monday, April 2, with a week to prepare his new troops for their forthcoming FA Cup Semi Final against Arsenal. Glenn had remained a fans favourite throughout his absence (from the North London outfit) and was always at the forefront of the managerial race every time the job became available throughout the nineties. Hoddle had always described Tottenham as his spiritual home.

Despite a loss in that FA Cup Semi, Glenn retained the full backing of the board, fans and players alike as he set about attempting to return the fallen giants to glories akin to their, and his, illustrious past.

That summer, notwithstanding the loss of Sol Campbell to hated rivals Arsenal, Hoddle started planning for his first season in charge, signing proven internationals as a matter of policy, with talents such as former Chelsea compatriot Gustavo Poyet, German wingback Christian Ziege, and much loved old-boy (and former England associate) Teddy Sheringham. He also later brought Dean Richards to the club, after a prolonged battle with his former employers.

After initial success, with Hoddle winning the Manager of the Month Award for October 2001, and Spurs continuing their famous good record in the cups, Glenn’s boys lost their way a little, with many media hacks calling the team Glenn’s OAPs. After a disappointing Christmas and New Year period they never really recovered, finishing the season in ninth position. This substandard league showing was not mirrored in their cup campaigns however, as Glenn steered them to the League Cup Final, an excellent showing in his first full season. His first season was ultimately seen as a relative success, with the club seen to be moving forward, despite the 2-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers in that Final, and the 4-0 demolition at the hands of perennial bogey team Chelsea in the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup.

His second full season saw the addition of a few more stars, Jamie Redknapp and Robbie Keane. After a fortunate early start the end of August saw Hoddle’s Tottenham leading the table, as well as Hoddle grabbing the first, and his second, Barclaycard Manager of the Month award. Subsequently poor league form as seen his side slip to their current position of seventh (as of December 4), and they have already disappointingly exited the Worthington Cup, one of Hoddle’s main routes into Europe, at the hands of First Division Burnley. The club’s stuttering league form has seen the first rumours of calls for change at the top of the club, and for the first time in both his eras at the club, Hoddle is under pressure to deliver, and soon. The success-starved fans have recently started to doubt his managerial capabilities and nous for the first time and this Christmas period and the following New Year transfer window will be crucial to the future of Glenn Hoddle and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

(sung to the tune of "The First Noel")

(with thanks to www.topspurs.com) 

HODDLE FACTFILE

1957: Born Oct 27, Middlesex.

1974: Signed as apprentice at Tottenham.

1975: Turns professional, making debut at 18 as substitute against Norwich.

1979: Scores on England senior debut against Bulgaria.

1981: Wins FA Cup with Spurs.

1982: Collects League Cup runners-up medal and second FA Cup winner's medal.

1984: Collects UEFA Cup winner's medal.

1987: Moves to Monaco for £750,000.

1988: Wins French title with Monaco.

Wins last of 53 England caps in 3-1 defeat by the USSR.

1990: Retires from playing due to injury.

1991: Appointed Swindon player-manager.

1993: Takes over as Chelsea manager, after leading Swindon to Premiership.

1994: Takes Chelsea to FA Cup final.

1996: Leads Chelsea to FA Cup semi-finals. Appointed England manager.

1997: Steers England to victory in Tournoi de.
1998: Sued for divorce by wife Anne after admitting to adultery.

Discloses close relationship with Eileen Drewery, a faith healer.

Leaves Paul Gascoigne out of squad for World Cup.

England bow out of World Cup in Second Round, losing to Argentina on penalties.

Publishes controversial World Cup diary.

1999: Makes controversial comments regarding disabled people in newspaper interview, subsequently sacked by the FA.

2000: Replaces Dave Jones as Southampton manager.

2001: Quits Southampton to return to former club Tottenham

2002: Reaches League Cup Final

JAMES MARINER