Bobby Arber was at Spurs as a coach during the 1990’s, a time at the club which saw him become youth team manager and also manager of the Spurs reserves, and in total Bobby was with Spurs for almost ten years. A former Arsenal youth and reserve team player, Bobby would also play for Leyton Orient as a first team player, before later joining Southend United on loan, for a spell. Arber would later play in South Africa, for Rangers FC, before returning to England, where he played non-League football for a while. He did however, finish his playing career in America. However, I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of interviewing Bobby about his memories of his time with Spurs, as a coach.

How did you come about joining Spurs as their youth team manager/Under 18’s head-coach, before also becoming reserve team manager? And could you talk me through your memories of your time at Spurs?

Bobby: I was very much linked with Pat Holland, and we were big friends outside of the club, and so it seemed like quite a natural progression for me to go to Spurs. In those days we had the South-East Counties League Division One and Two, and so I was in charge of the younger team, which had Peter Crouch and Ledley King, and also Luke Young and Stephen Clemence, and they’re lads who I all still keep in contact with now. Pat Holland would later leave Spurs to go to Leyton Orient, and so I then took the Spurs reserve team for a year, as Chris Hughton had gone up to the first team. Pat returned to the club a year later, and at the time I was still in charge of the reserves, but the then Spurs manager George Graham asked me to watch some overseas matches at that time, but that’s how it all came about. My time at Tottenham was a very, very good time, and they were very good memories. When I first joined Spurs, Terry Venables was the manager, and he attracted loads and loads of good players. John Moncur Senior was the head of recruitment at Spurs at the time, and he helped to get a lot of good players to Spurs, such as Sol Campbell. Although they never really played together, Sol and Ledley King would have been the best. Stephen Carr was another who I coached, who was one of the best alongside Sol Campbell, Ledley King, Luke Young and Peter Crouch.

I was still coaching at Spurs when David Pleat came back to Spurs, and we probably didn’t see eye to eye at times. I met with Liam Brady after he invited me over, and so that’s how I went to Arsenal. There was no we don’t like Spurs, or we don’t like Arsenal, as it was just about focusing on developing players, and on the academy. I found that Arsenal were more intense on beating Spurs in games at that level, than Spurs ever were, when I was there. Pat Holland was all about developing players, which was what we were good at, and a lot of players came through the system at Spurs during our tenure, and who went on to play in the first team. Some had great careers, like Ledley, who should have been the best, but obviously injuries held him back. I remember when Ledley retired, and they were having a presentation for him at Park Lane, and I was asked to go up and give a speech about him, which was nice. However, they were all really good times.

You were in charge of the Spurs youth side that won the 1996 Milk Cup, in Northern Ireland. What are your memories of that successful tournament?

Bobby: The Spurs side was very young compared to some of the other sides at the tournament, and so I played three at the back so that we could have a little bit more security on the pitch. Ledley King was still a schoolboy footballer at that stage, and while I still played the older players from that group of players, I still picked Ledley, because he was just so good. I don’t think that we had the best team at that tournament, but I think that we had the best spirit. We got better as the tournament went on and we went on to beat Blackburn in the final, and they had been the favourites to win the tournament, but we played very well on that day. Now when I say that Ledley was the best player of that group, no one now can really argue otherwise. I can remember picking Ledley for the reserves when he was still a schoolboy footballer, and David Pleat was asking me why I was picking Ledley over the more experienced players, and he wasn’t too happy. But then after the game he said well done, and me and David get on better now than what we ever did at Spurs. But as I said, Ledley was the best, while Peter Crouch was a late developer and Luke Young was someone who gave his all every single time, although I never expected him to play for England. Also, Stephen Clemence was a good player, who had a very, very good career, as well as Jamie Clapham.

Whereas today a lot of youngsters want to go on their computers and play video games, then when I was a coach all they wanted to do was play football. When we used to get back to White Hart Lane, we’d ask Bill Nicholson questions, and the players would always be asking us whether we were ready to play football yet. And so it was a really good time, but from all of my coaching skills I would say that from the actual practices, that Pat Holland showed me them all, from his time at West Ham. And so all of the stuff that we did at Tottenham was West Ham stuff.

During your time at Spurs you would coach many very good players. What was it like to coach such quality players on a day to day basis?

Bobby: It was a pleasure, and every day that we went in was great. We wanted to win at Spurs at youth level, but that wasn’t just it. I remember that when I was in charge of the younger South-East Counties League team, that we were playing against teams like Wimbledon’s under 18 side, whereas our team was basically an under 16 team. So we basically used to make sure that they were organised and that they worked their socks off, but again our team spirit used to get us through. As a club we were always together, first team and academy. I can remember doing a training session, when all of a sudden I felt that someone was standing behind me, and it was Terry Venables. I asked him how long he’d been standing to which he replied long enough! So he’d always be interested and asking you questions of what was going on, and he was just terrific. He used to ask all of the coaches questions of what they were going to do in in game situations. 

What was your time at Spurs like on the whole?

Bobby: I’ve got to say that my time at Spurs was a pleasure, just like it was at Arsenal as well. At Spurs we had a great team, the same at Arsenal, and I think that it’s important not to change staff all of the time, as it doesn’t help the players. So the players knew what we wanted, and I think that they believed that we were saying the right things to them. And the proof is in the pudding, with how many players progressed at Spurs, players who I’d forgotten to mention earlier, like Ian Walker and Nicky Barmby. I remember when Ledley King first came to Spurs, and this is a great story. Anyway, John Moncur Senior had told me that his cousin was coming down to train with Spurs on a Tuesday night, and that he was bringing his mate with him. So his cousin came in, and with him was Ledley. We did some running afterwards and he was miles behind, but Ledley’s ability was so good. I can remember about a week later John asking me how his cousin did, and I told him that he didn’t do bad, but I also said that his mate was different class! And I think that it was Tommy Cunningham (former Spurs youth coach) who was the one who first recommended Ledley to Spurs, as Ledley had been at Leyton Orient before that, like Tommy Cunningham had been. 

Ledley King didn’t know how good he was, as he was like a Rolls Royce, he really was. He could run, he was both footed and he was just so good. I remember speaking to George Graham once, and I spoke to him about this young central defender. He asked me what he was like and if he could head the ball? And I said that I didn’t really know, but after the training session I asked him how he did, and George smiled and told me to never send over a central defender who couldn’t head the ball, as he was different class!

Were there any people at Spurs who you looked up to, during your time with the club as a coach?

Bobby: Pat Holland was definitely someone, because we worked so closely together. After training we used to do formations on the table and also prepare sessions for the evening, because at the time we used to have to coach the Spurs Under 16 side and the other youth sides, not like today where you didn’t have to do that, but we had to work the whole day. So Pat Holland would have been the main person who I looked up to and latched onto every word from, but there was also obviously Terry Venables, because of the authority that he had at the club. He had great charisma, and the players loved him. Spurs were a lesser team without Terry, because of the names of the players that he brought to the club, like Paul Gascoigne, Darren Anderton and Teddy Sheringham. 

Are there any memories from your time at Spurs which really stand out to you?

Bobby: I always liked it when the players that I had coached had made it for the first team. That was what we were all about, yes we wanted to win, but to actually see the players get better and then progress and reach the first team, is what it’s all about. Some make it early like Ledley King and Stephen Carr, and others like Peter Crouch do it a bit later. My son Mark was a substitute for the Spurs first team against Arsenal at Highbury, and so he was warming-up on the sidelines when Spurs were losing 1-0 and Gerry Francis asked Mark to get ready to be substituted on. But Roger Cross had to remind him that Gerry had already put all three of his subs on! So Mark was gutted that he couldn’t make his competitive debut for Spurs in that game. There were players at Spurs like Kevin Maher and Peter Gain who were just not quite at that first team level at the club, but they still had very good careers. Also, there was David Lee, who is now doing very well as a football agent. So I’ve got a lot of very good memories about Spurs and the set-up, and it was just a joy to go into work everyday.

From your time with Spurs as a coach, and particularly as Youth Team manager, looking back which players really stood out to you for their technical ability and talent?

Bobby: One of the most technical players was Peter Crouch, he really was. If I was going to do a session in the afternoon then Peter wouldn’t be taking shots at goal, instead he’d be doing step-overs and things like that. He was very good at volleying and controlling the ball, and so technically he was very good, like Ledley King, Stephen Carr and Nicky Barmby. Also, there was Danny Hill, who was very technical. Unfortunately he was going to make it big or not at all, but he was a very clever player. Sol Campbell wasn’t the best player, but he had great drive. When he came from Spurs to Arsenal, which was massive at the time, he just took it on his shoulders. I’ll tell you a story which I’ve never really broadcast before, and so anyway I once asked Arsène Wenger whether he’d be interested in signing Ledley King, when I was with Arsenal. And Arsène Wenger was up for it, and it never happened because Ledley’s loyalties and also his agents loyalties were with Tottenham. Stephen Carr was another player who was very good for Spurs, and he was someone that I coached.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement/contribution in your time as a coach with Spurs?

Bobby: I think that as I said before, it’s not winning matches and leagues, it’s about developing players. The young players have got to have a winning mentality, but you don’t want them to feel fear when they are playing. So I think that we allowed the players to express themselves and be themselves to the best of their ability, knowing that we were on their sides. And that if something went wrong then they could talk to us off the pitch, and not be afraid to ask you questions. So I think that that is a triumph, as I think that a lot of youth players today find it a bit difficult to talk to someone of authority. I’ll keep going back to Ledley King, as he was really the outstanding player of Tottenham’s youth team along with Sol Campbell and Stephen Carr.

The Spurs Academy/youth team group of the late 1990’s had a very talented group of players. What do you remember of that group of players, and their success as a team?

Bobby: I can remember that Spurs team well, and one day we were playing Arsenal at Highbury, in the final of the Southern Junior Floodlit Cup. Pat Holland had taken the team, but I sat next to him at the game, because we could bounce off each other as we had that good communication between each other. At half-time I asked Peter Crouch whether there was any chance of him winning a header in the game, and after half-time he scored a headed goal after a cross had been whipped into the box, and he just looked at me. So that was a good memory, but Arsenal at the time had the likes of Ashley Cole in their youth side coming through to the first team. But today it doesn’t happen like that, as you only get one every couple of years who makes it at clubs.

What would your advice be to the Spurs Academy players of today, as they look to make it in the game?

Bobby: I think that you should listen to your coach and your parents, but once you cross that line you’ve got to show a great attitude and work as hard as you can, and then your own ability will come with that. If you practice diligently, and work hard and train everyday then you’ve got a chance. Oliver Skipp when he was younger wasn’t a standout in my opinion, but his excellent attitude has been very important to his career. Your attitude is so important.

After all these years how do you look back on your time with Spurs? And are they a club that you still hold close to your heart?

Bobby: I still hold very, very fond memories of my time at Tottenham. I was at Arsenal for nearly 20 years, and I’ve got just as many fond memories of my time at Arsenal as I do at Spurs. So I wish Spurs just as much success as Arsenal, as they are both clubs that I have great memories of being at.