frequently asked questions
Author Ken Ferris and Editor Wyart Lane answer some of the common questions asked about the club.
If there is something about the club you want to know, just e-mail in and ask by clicking here.
What is the Spurs Motto and what does it mean ? |
The Spurs motto is "Audere est Facere", which means "To Dare is To Do". |
How did the club get it's name "Tottenham Hotspur" ? |
The club was formed by a group of cricketers in 1882 as Hotspur FC and the prefix Tottenham was adopted three years later to avoid confusion with a team called London Hotspur. Tottenham, based in the district of Haringey, was originally the village of a man called Totta. The name Hotspur was chosen because of the fiery reputation of Shakespeare's Harry Hotspur, a character in his play "Henry IV Part 1". Harry was based on a 14th century ancestor called Sir Henry Percy of the aristocratic Northumberland family who owned large tracts of land in the Tottenham area in the 1880s and after whom the nearby Northumberland Avenue is named. The family were believed to have lived close to the ground in Percy House. Henry is reported to have been killed in battle in Shrewsbury in 1403. He acquired his surname because of his frequent use of spurs when riding. |
Why do Tottenham Hotspur have a cockerel in their logo ? |
The Tottenham's ball and cockerel crest is related to Harry Hotspur's riding spurs, since fighting cocks were once fitted out with miniature spurs (the old crest clearly showed the spurs on the cockerel's ankles). The cockerel first appeared on the Tottenham Hotspur shirt in 1921. |
What is Tottenham's nickname ? |
"Spurs", "Lilywhites"
and among the fans "Yids" or "Yiddos" ... "Spurs" comes from Harry Hotspur. "Lilywhites" is based on the colour of the team's home shirts. The kit was chosen to replicate Preston North End, who had gone through a whole season (1888-1889) unbeaten in all competitions to win the first Football League and FA Cup double. "Yids" or "Yiddos" began to be used in the 1980s, mainly by rival Arsenal fans towards Tottenham fans as a term of abuse because of the large Jewish population in the Haringey/Stamford Hill area. The Spurs fans made the nickname a badge of honour by calling themselves the "Yids" or "Yiddos". |
What is the term "Yids" and what has it got to do with Tottenham Hotspur ? |
The term Yids derives from the Jewish supportership of THFC. Coming from the language Yiddish, it is a slang term for a Jew. There is a large Jewish population near to the area Spurs play in and they have traditionally followed Tottenham although now quite a lot support Arsenal too (their chairman and some of their directors are Jewish also). Having had this thrown at Spurs as a derogatory term, the supporters of the club adopted it as an unofficial nickname and also so that it would not have the same effect if other clubs shouted it in an anti-Semitic manner. Therefore, Spurs fans chant "Yids" and "Yid Army !" to deflect the racist attacks of other clubs. |
How did Tottenham come to play at White Hart Lane ? |
The ground was originally a neglected nursery across the road from Northumberland Park complete with greenhouses and sheds. Charringtons, who owned the land behind the White Hart Inn on Tottenham High Road, intended to build houses there. However, the pub's landlord wanted a football club on his doorstep, because his previous establishment was close to Millwall's ground and he knew the profits large crowds could bring. The Spurs directors heard of his preference and approached Charringtons, who rented them the ground that was then named after the pub. |
What do the elements of the Spurs crest mean ? |
Tottenham's ball and cockerel crest is related to Harry Hotspur's riding spurs since fighting cocks were once fitted out with miniature spurs. The seven trees on the club crest are the Seven Sisters, which were elm trees that stood in Tottenham at Page Green. They were originally planted by the seven sisters of a local family and were recorded in the Dorset Survey of 1619. They were replanted in 1852, 1886, 1955 and 1996. The castle that appears is Bruce Castle, which is off Bruce Grove, a couple of miles from the ground, which now houses the local Council's museum. The two lions holding the THFC shield are from the Northumberland family crest. |
What are the origins to the Spurs anthem "Glory Glory Hallelujah" ? |
I am reliably informed that the main gist of the "Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur" song was first sung coming out of Wolverhampton in April, 1960 having won 3-1 there and prevented Wolves doing the double. It carried over from there, with the names of the players only being added when the song was committed to vinyl during the late 60's and early 70's. No update of player names has taken place since then as far as I am aware. The original tune is The Battle Hymn of the Republic, also known as John Brown's Body. "While the Spurs go Marching On" first appeared in a cartoon featured in the club programme over Christmas, 1950, showing Arthur Rowe dreaming of the Double ! (Thanks to Andy Porter - THFC Historian) The fans started singing it as their anthem during the European campaigns of the early 1960s and there is a specific reference to the song in Ralph Finn's book Spurs Go Marching On. (Thanks to Ken Ferris) |
What are the words to the Spurs song "McNamara's band" ? |
Oh, me name is McNamara
or, alternatively, from the 1950s ...
We are the Spurs Supporters and we love
to watch them play
Or ... as is played at games today ...
Oh, me name is McNamara Oh the
whistle blows the cockerel crows, and now we're in the game, |
What is "The Shelf" ? |
The Old East Stand (prior to the new one
being built in 1989) contained two tiers of terracing with one tier of
seating above. |
Did Spurs have a parrot as a gift from an early tour to South America ? |
On leaving South America
after the club's first overseas tour of 1919, the team won a fancy dress
competition on the ship home as Robinson Crusoe and Man Friday, with the
parrot used taken back to White Hart Lane as a memento of the trip by
the cook on the liner, who had obtained it in Santos, Brazil. He lived happily at the club for 10 years until the day that Arsenal suspiciously got voted into the First Division in 1919 at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur, when he died. |
Can you tell us of some recent games where programmes were not printed ? |
The following away games did not
have official programmes printed ...
Rapid Bucharest (UEFA Cup) 15th December
1971 |
Who were the "Famous Five" ? |
Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton, Nick Barmby and new signings Ilie Dumitrescu and Jurgen Klinsmann made up the "Famous Five". These were the attacking players Ossie Ardiles fielded in his team to take the game to opponents in an entertaining team designed to score goals. |
Was there a railway engine named after the club ? |
Yes, there was. The
name plate from the locomotive was place in the tunnel leading to the
pitch in the 1960s, but now resides in the reception of the West Stand
of White Hart Lane. In May 1937, a LNER B17 class locomotive
called Manchester City was renamed Tottenham Hotspur. |
What is Tottenham Cake ? |
It is a slab sponge cake or
scone like base with thick pink icing on top, cut into cubes. It was originally sold by the baker Henry Chalkley (who was a Friend or Quaker) at the price of 1 old penny, with smaller mis-shaped pieces sold for 1/2 an old penny. The cake was given away free to local children in the area near the ground in 1901 to commemorate Tottenham Hotspur winning the FA Cup for the first time. Still given away by Tottenham Friends meetings with cakes baked by Peter Brown. The pink colouring was then made with mulberries from the burial ground. [From Lord Ted Willis' autobiography - as
heard on the Robert Elms Show on BBC London 04.02.2009 The cake is still sold today in bakers shops such as Greggs and was a staple for school dinners dessert up to the 1980s. |
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