Ricky Hazard was at Spurs as a schoolboy youth player from under 9’s level to under 16’s level. The son of Spurs legend Micky Hazard, Ricky was born in Enfield and he joined Spurs in 1994, and would play for the club at schoolboy youth level until 2001, when he wasn’t offered a scholarship by the club. After taking a break from playing football, the midfielder returned and would end up playing for the likes of Sevenoaks Town and Hoddesdon Town in the non-League. I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of speaking to Ricky, as he looked back on his time at Spurs.

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Ricky: it’s not a good one but I would say the 1993 semi-final against Arsenal, and I remember that there was an Arsenal fan holding onto the back of a bus singing “ donkey won the derby ”, because Tony Adams had scored the winner. My mum said to me at the time “ even though you’re only a child you can swear if you like? ” So I think that going to watch Spurs at Wembley in that game, even though we lost, is my earliest memory.

What are your earliest memories of your time at Spurs and how did you come about joining the club?

Ricky: I was scouted by a guy called Robbie Stepney. I had played for Broxbourne Rangers/Somerset Amberry, and Robbie Stepney scouted me and asked to me come to Spurs, and I had always wanted to play for them. And I was about nine or ten when I was scouted at Broxbourne Rangers.

Did you have any footballing heroes/inspirations and if so who were they?

Ricky: I loved Klinsmann when he came to Spurs and also David Ginola was one of my favourite players, so they were who I watched growing up. But I also used to like watching the old videos of my dad’s side with Glenn Hoddle as well. As a kid, seeing Klinsmann and Ginola as the first sort of players that I saw live at Spurs, I thought wow! And I just loved them.

 Could you describe to me what type of player you were and what positions you played in during your time at Spurs?

Ricky: I was skilful and as a youngster I was a dribbler, and I became sort of a goalscoring midfielder. Although as I went on and as my career went on, I sort of dropped deeper, but definitely growing up as a youngster I was a skilful dribbler who would score goals from midfield.

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Ricky: My dad would have to be the main one, from playing and training with me most days as a youngster. He coached me at Spurs from the age of about 12 until 14/15, and so he coached me for about three years. I probably come across as biased, but I’ve never seen a coach like him and I remember when I was younger he would study the Ajax youth Academy videos, and how they would train. He would preach the passing game and his sessions were such an enjoyment, because everyone just liked playing a game really. But you used to enjoy the sessions which he put on and the one touch football and little triangles that we used to do. I’ve never played under a coach that did training sessions like him, and it was a joy to grow up with. It was actually when he left that I started falling out of love with football at around 14/15 really, and I stopped caring a bit as the enjoyment had sort of gone.

Were there any players at Spurs who you would watch closely to try and improve your game or look to learn from?

Ricky: I used to love watching Ginola but as I was growing up I don’t think that we were blessed with great players. But as a youngster I remember I always loved watching Ginola, but again my dad was one who I liked to watch, just to see how he played. He was just a good player to watch and to learn how to improve from, as he was a good dribbler himself.

What was your time at the Lilywhites like on the whole?

Ricky: In the early years I absolutely loved it, but I think because I got to Spurs at the age of nine, it became like a full-time job. I essentially lost out on a childhood, because my dad was quite strict about not going out and going to bed early. I would never get to see games on Match of the Day, because we had games on Sunday and there was training on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. So I’d never get to see Match of the Day as I’d be in bed, and I’d be straight home from school and I’d be going to training and back. By the time that I was 15 I’d sort of fallen out of love with it, and I’d had enough. It became like a chore rather than something that I enjoyed doing. The early years were great but towards the end and at about 15/16 I’d sort of lost interest in it a bit, which is a shame as later in life I realised how much I missed football. 

What prompted you to leave Spurs and could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites?

Ricky: They actually released me anyway, but I had actually spoken to my mum and dad and said that even if I get kept on then this is not for me. I think that it is because I missed out on things, like my friends would go out and I wouldn’t be able to go out and enjoy myself with them, and I maybe just wanted to experience that side of life as I didn’t really enjoy football then. Some of the coaches that followed my dad, I didn’t like the way they played and I didn’t enjoy my football and so I just wanted to give it up and have a life with my friends. But later in life I realised that I could have done both, but I was young and sort of naive at the time. So I was about 16 when they released me and it was only when I was about 23 that I got back into football, and I started trying to play again, but then it’s sort of very hard to get back into. When I returned to football I didn’t play in any of the first teams at Barnet when I went there or Dagenham, as these were like trials. But I played in a lot of their reserve games and also at QPR, but then I ended up signing for Maidenhead in the Conference South, which I think they were in then. They sent me on loan to FC 

Leyton, who I think were folding as a club and they had promoted their youth team and so I was playing with a youth team. We were getting beat like seven or eight – nil every week, so that wasn’t the best loan time, and Maidenhead was a long journey for me, and it used to take two hours to get there and I wasn’t getting paid a lot of money to play there either. 

When I was about 28/29 I went to Sevenoaks and I played a season there before finishing at Hoddesdon. But playing in the seventh tier was actually where I really enjoyed playing my football. 

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career?

Ricky: I scored a goal from the halfway line at Sevenoaks after I had dribbled past four or five players, so I’ll always remember that. But a memory from when I was a youngster playing for Spurs was scoring against Arsenal with my left foot, I was right footed but I sort of became two footed in the end. But at the time I was about 13 and I can remember picking the ball up outside the box and shifting it onto my left foot, and then smashing the ball into the bottom corner against Arsenal, and I didn’t like them! So that is one of those moments that I’ll never forget, and even though it wasn’t for the first team I played for Spurs and scored against Arsenal! So that is one of the memories from my time at Spurs that I’ll always remember.

Who was the greatest player that you have had the pleasure of sharing a pitch with? 

Ricky: I could say my dad because he actually played as player-manager for Sevenoaks, where he actually came on in a game. But when I was at QPR there was a guy called Ákos Buzsáky, and I think that he was there when QPR got promoted to the Premier League, but he was very good. QPR had just sacked Micky Harford, who was the manager who I was sort of training under, and then when the new manager came in he sort of said that we haven’t got time to look at you, and they were also going to bring some other players in. But I remember doing some training and Ákos Buzsáky, who they had brought in was playing, and he was really good and a very tough player to play against, and one that always sort of sticks in my head. But I played with some really good players in my Spurs team as well, such as Paul Burton who was a great midfielder to play alongside, and me and him were the two centre-midfielders. That was when I most enjoyed my time at Spurs as we had quite a good partnership. But during my trial at QPR, I thought that I didn’t look out of place with the Premier League players and I’m doing a good job amongst them, and so I thought that I had a good chance of getting in. But then when the new manager sort of came in he straight away said that he was bringing his own players in, and he had no time to look at me and so he sort of let me go. After that I sort of stopped and it was a real sort of low, and I thought that is this really worth it? 

Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Tottenham youth teams?

Ricky: Scoring that goal at Arsenal would be one, but when we went on a tour to Keele University, Ajax were there. We played them in the final play-off round, and obviously they were famous for having an unbelievable youth team. I think that we recorded a one-one draw with them, but it was an unbelievable game of football that I’ll never forget, and in that tournament we also played against the likes of AC Milan. So playing against those sides as a youngster was amazing, but in another tournament we played a team in the final. But when we got to the final to play this team, we found out that they had been playing overage players (we were 13/14 at the time) and they had been playing 16 year olds and youth team players. So to play against all of them players who were so physically stronger was a great experience, and we sort of held our own against them even though we lost three- nil. But I do remember it because we were more than a match for them for most of the game, and these were players who were two/three years older than us. So I sort of remember those moments, but definitely playing against Ajax and AC Milan always stands out.

Who was the toughest player that you ever came up against?

Ricky: Although I only really played against him once I would probably have to say Ákos Buzsáky. But we played against Arsenal a few times, and they had a midfielder who I loved playing against and it was always a great battle, but I can’t remember his name. It was always a big thing when we played Arsenal, as it was always a battle between me and him in midfield, and I used to love playing in those games as well, and I used to relish it.

Were there any players at Spurs who you were particularly close to?

Ricky: David Kendall was one, as he used to live around the corner from me, and he didn’t get a scholarship, which was staggering as we all thought that he was going to go on and become a captain for England. But also Paul Burton and Dave Hicks were my closest friends I would say, as us three grew up together playing for the same club side (Somerset Amberry) and we all sort of joined Spurs at the same time. Somerset Amberry were a very dominant club side who used to win most things, and so growing up with them they were probably my closest pals at Tottenham.

What would your advice be to the young Spurs players of today as they look to break into the first team?

Ricky: Practice, practice, practice. Never give up and keep trying, as my biggest regret is that my attitude and passion came too late, and so I would say to make sure that you’re passionate and look always to listen and learn. As people are trying to help you.

After all these years how do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites and is Spurs a club who you still hold close to your heart?

Ricky: I look back on it with fond memories as it was great growing up as a youngster to play for Spurs, and I’ll never forget some of the moments it gave me as a youngster. Being able to score against Arsenal at the time for a young and passionate Spurs fan, has given me one of the best memories of my life. I’m still a season ticket holder at Spurs and I still absolutely love them.

Gavin Toussaint was a skilful and technically gifted forward (capable of playing out wide or up front) who played for Spurs as a schoolboy at youth level, having previously played for Chelsea. Toussaint would play up for Spurs’ youth team (under 17 side) on one occasion during the early 2000s, but unfortunately he wasn’t kept on by the club when it came to the time when they gave scholarships out to youth players. Gavin subsequently played for the likes of Grays Athletic and Waltham Forest in the non-League, and I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of talking to him about his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Gavin: My team is Man United and they are the first team that I actually saw play on TV, and they were actually playing Wimbledon. Because Man United won the game I think that I just started to support them, and as I say they were the first club that I saw play on TV, and obviously they’re a worldwide club as well. So that was my very first footballing memory and I’ve supported Man United ever since.

What are your earliest memories of your time at Spurs and how did you come about joining the club?

Gavin: First of all I was actually at Chelsea before I went to Tottenham (I was there for six or seven years), and I obviously wasn’t going to be offered a contract there. So I then went to Spurs, and I was over at Tottenham for two seasons and then for the very first training I was signed on to schoolboy forms, which obviously takes you up to the scholarship stages. I wasn’t really one of the favoured players there and it was a case of me trying to prove myself, which I did time and time again. But what I can say is that I had good experiences at both Chelsea and Tottenham, and I played at all of the stadiums and stuff like that and been on tour in Europe, so I had good experiences of travelling with the team. So I can say that I was there as an Academy player, but I suppose that I was unfortunate in some ways.

Did you have any footballing heroes/inspirations and if so who were they?

Gavin: One of my favourite players is Brazilian Ronaldo and I’ve not seen a better striker than him in my lifetime. Obviously I supported Man United in the era where you had Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Andy Cole and obviously Beckham and Scholes, but I think that Eric Cantona was probably the main one from watching Man United. But then worldwide you had Ronaldo as I said and also Ronaldinho, and now Lionel Messi is my favourite player, but I also like Neymar and Pogba and Martial. So there’s quite a few players that I can kind of relate to and just like their style of play, but Brazilian Ronaldo was the first one. 

 Could you describe to me what type of player you were and what positions you played in during your time at Spurs?

Gavin: I’m left footed and I was a striker and as I got older I played more as a number ten, but because of my height (I’m 5’6/5’7) and because back then there was a shortage of left footed players, so they used to play me out on the left wing. When you’re younger you think well I don’t play there so why am I not being given a chance where I want to play? And I was technical and skilful as a player, and in this country they like players who run a lot and are hard workers and don’t get me wrong everyone has to work hard, but the technical attributes are the main thing. I think that’s what worked against me as Spurs had two strikers at the time, one was called Andy Barcham and the other was called Danny Jones, and so both of those players were not better than me technically but the coach at the time liked them. So I had a very European style of play about me and as I said they played me out on the left wing, and that kind of worked against me in a way because when you’re younger you sulk a bit and think why am I not being given a chance? You also had Charlie Daniels who would later play for Bournemouth, and he was playing behind me at left-back and then when it came to picking the players for the scholarships, that’s when Mark Wright went to left-back, and Charlie Daniels actually moved up to left-midfield. So that was how I got moved out of the team, and in my opinion it was a joke to be honest with you and on ability alone I should have definitely been one of the players who got taken on. I can remember doing work experience and part of that was to practice being a scholar, and so at the time I went to train with the under 17’s and I showed everyday that I worked hard and could get better, and also showed that what I had to offer. 

The then manager of the under 19’s at the time was a guy called Pat Holland and the manager of the under 17’s was Jimmy Neighbour. And when I was doing my work experience we played against the under 19’s, and the under 17 team had players like Owen Price, Michael Malcolm and Joe Watson, and so I was training with them and we played an under 19’s team which had players like Jamie Slabber and a few others. I was only a schoolboy but we (the under 17’s) played the under 19’s one time and I think that we beat them 2-1 and I actually scored one and created one, and I remember Pat Holland speaking to Jimmy Neighbour and saying who’s that? And he obviously said that’s Gavin and he’s come from the under 16’s, and then that was my first chance to play for the older age group because everyone says that if you play for the older age group then basically your going to be taken on. That was my opportunity and we played West Ham, and I started the game and played ok but it was more of a case of I wasn’t one of the favoured players, so it was more like a case of any excuse to kind of take me off. And so from there it was kind of an uphill task to convince them but I got released from the scholarship stages, and the biggest problem which I see in football a lot is the aftercare that I didn’t receive. These clubs build you up to be a professional but then when they don’t think that you’re good enough then they kind of leave you to it, and that’s kind of what happened to me. I had no real fallback option but at the time I had a chance to go to Burnley when they were in the Championship, but nothing really happened and I think that the club didn’t really push anything. Because I knew Mark Wright he got me some trials at Southend United and Rushden & Diamonds, but the problem is that the lower the level you go down the more it’s about the hustle and bustle kind of thing. 

Technically I was good enough but physically I wasn’t really ready yet, and it was a case where a lot of these players that they took on from these trials were all physically ready at the time. From there I just went down the leagues, and now I just play five-a-side football. 

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Gavin: If I’m being honest with you then I probably wouldn’t say anyone, and I think that the only person that gave me encouragement as such was Pat Holland. I didn’t see much of him but he was the only one that kind of took the time and effort to say hi and stuff like that. In terms of players from the team I would probably say Phil Ifil and he obviously played for the first team as well, but because of the background that Phil has and the background that I’ve come from I related with him more than anybody else. But in terms of coaches and players I wouldn’t really say that there were too many great influences on me, to be honest.

Were there any players at Spurs who you would watch closely to try and improve your game or look to learn from?

Gavin: As I say I was a striker and so I looked at some of the players that they rated highly, and someone from the older age group was Michael Malcolm. Obviously when you’re younger you think that he’s a good player because the club are obviously building him up to be that kind of player. But then it was only when I started training with him everyday that I thought that I could reach his level, but in terms of technique I would say that I was ahead of him although he was more advanced than me at his age. So I kind of looked at him as somebody who is a year older to kind of look at to reach their level, because he was obviously taken on and given a pro. But I kind of looked at him and thought that I’ve got to better him, and then you also had Owen Price who was another one who was favoured, and he used to play on the wing which was where I was played. I looked at him and thought what is he doing for them to give him this sort of hype, and he liked to take on players and he was a bit more skilful as well. He was also confident which is what probably allowed him to do what he wanted to do, but as I say Michael Malcolm at the time was someone who I watched as he was favoured. But also there was Mark Yeates who was in the older age group, and I remember watching him play for the under 19’s, and he was a good player who was very good on the ball and also technical as well. So he was someone who I thought was the level that I needed to try and get to and obviously he played for the first team as well, but I would say him more than anyone was one of the top players, from what I saw, along with Michael Malcolm.

What prompted you to leave Spurs and could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites?

Gavin: Well it wasn’t me leaving Spurs as it was basically them leaving me, more than anything. As I said I didn’t get offered my scholarship and luckily I’m a strong-willed person and I kept it together and thought that there is something else that I can do, even though my career had not gone how I had wanted to it. So after leaving I had to start again, and from getting released from Tottenham I went on trial with a couple of clubs such as Cambridge United, Southend and Rushden & Diamonds, but then that didn’t really work out. So then I ended up going to play for Grays Athletic, and then I just went down the leagues and I also played for Waltham Forest as well, but from there I just went down the leagues.

What was your time at the Lilywhites like on the whole?

Gavin: If I was to give it a mark out of ten I would probably give its 3.5, and that’s because of my experience there. There were times when we went on tour and they were good experiences and you obviously do remember those times, but on the whole you could clearly see who were the favoured players and who weren’t. I was playing on the wing and they had Andy Barcham and Danny Jones who ended up playing like every game, but I ended up outscoring them from playing on the left-wing, which is a bit of personal pride for me. I remember when we played MK Dons and back then we used to play like three 20 minute half’s, and the first team that was picked was in their eyes the strongest team. Obviously I wasn’t part of it but they went 1-0 up and one of the strikers scored, and then in the second quarter they swapped the team around which meant that I came on and got to play upfront.  In the first six minutes I scored two goals in the game, and then about a couple of minutes later the coach goes to me and says that I think you’re finding it a bit too easy. I was thinking that didn’t make any sense, but he took me off and I didn’t play that whole second quarter, but then in the third quarter he brought me on for like ten minutes. My dad who is quiet and would just let me get on with playing, he actually spoke to my Spurs coach at the time and said what’s Gavin’s chances of playing up front? And the first thing that he said to my dad was that we’ve got two strikers of England national team recognition, meaning that the club were going to recommend them for England trials at that age, which was basically saying to me that I wasn’t going to be given a chance. Then as I say I had to prove myself, which I did but then when it came to that game where I scored two and the coach took me of I had basically embarrassed him in less than ten minutes. But as I say my time there was probably a 3.5 out of ten.

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career?

Gavin: I’d possibly say when I was at Chelsea when we went to France to play in a tournament, and I think that in the end we got beat in the quarter-finals, but I remember that before we got to the quarter finals we played Marseille and I scored the winner. And I played well and you can tell that you’ve played well when you’re getting praise from the coaches who were saying how well I’d played and stuff like that, and so on a personal level that is something that probably stands out in terms of playing for the pro clubs. 

Who was the greatest player that you have had the pleasure of sharing a pitch with? 

Gavin: There’s been quite a few and when I went to Amsterdam with Tottenham I can remember playing against PSG and I don’t remember the name of this player but he was a good player, and I’m pretty sure that he might have made it as a professional. We also played against Marseille and Samir Nasri played, and he was on another level and just so technical and good on the ball and you could see why he made it as a professional. We took a young team out there which was made up of the younger age group and some of the ones who I didn’t think were favoured. But when I was at Chelsea we went to a place called Keele University which is near Stoke, and all of the best teams in the country would go there and play in the tournament. And I remember playing against Everton and Wayne Rooney was playing and I’ve never seen someone so dominant on the pitch, and he was just too strong, too quick and too technical. I think that they beat us like 4-1 and I think that he definitely scored two and also had a hand in all of the other goals, but he was just someone who could do what he wanted to do, and he was just ridiculously good. I think that I went to barge him in the game and he didn’t even try but I fell on the floor and he was just that physical and good, and you could see then the career path that he was going to have. And based on that game alone I would say that I have never played against someone who was that dominant. There was also a player called Ryan Smith at Arsenal who was quite a good player, but there’s been quite a few players who I’ve played with and against who were good.

Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Tottenham youth teams?

Gavin: I think that the most notable one was when I got chosen to play for the older age group, and that was something that excited me because I had been there for two years and I’d never had the opportunity to play there. I thought that I was just going to be training when I was doing my work experience and then I would just go and play for my normal age group on the Sunday. But Jimmy Neighbour said to me Gav, you’re with us tomorrow (meaning on Saturday), and in my head I was shocked because I didn’t expect it but it was showing the kind of progression that I was having when I was training there full-time. I didn’t look out of place and I was one of the better players in training and obviously in the matches, and I thought to myself that no matter how good I would do, they still chose the other players. But at the end of the training session when the coach said are you with us tomorrow? I was happy because I thought that it was justified because of the work that I put in, in those two weeks.

Who was the toughest player that you ever came up against?

Gavin: Wayne Rooney was one, but I never really played against someone where I thought that I couldn’t get past them or they are just too good, as I never came on the pitch with that sort of mentality. Wayne Rooney was really good to play against but I would probably say Colin Kazim-Richards when I was at Chelsea, as he used to play at right-back and he was known as a tough tackling right-back, and so I was playing against him directly. Because he was a tough tackler you always had to be a bit wary, and he was quite quick as well and also difficult to get past, so I would probably say him.

Were there any players at Spurs who you were particularly close to?

Gavin: The two guys who I was close to were Phil Ifil and Harrison Tait, and the reason that I knew Harrison was because we both played for Redbridge District team. I was there before him but he came to Spurs on trial and got signed on schoolboy forms up until the scholarship, and we built up a bit of a friendship because we weren’t favoured players, and so I would say that the two players that I was close to were Phil Ifil and Harrison Tait. 

What would your advice be to the young Spurs players of today as they look to break into the first team?

Gavin: I actually work as a teacher at a school, and so my advice to any player who is aspiring to be a footballer or aspiring to break into the first team is to basically just have no regrets. Try and do everything that you possibly can to better yourself, and if I had my chance again then I would make different choices and I would just focus on football and nothing else. I believe that if you really want something such as being a footballer, then you’ve got to make sacrifices and try everything possible to make it.

After all these years how do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites and is Spurs a club who you still hold close to your heart?

Gavin: To be honest with you because of my experience there I don’t really have any affiliation with Tottenham, the same as with Chelsea. Chelsea was very similar to Tottenham in terms of my experience, but I would probably say that because I was at Chelsea for longer I have a bit more of a connection than what I have with Spurs. I joined Spurs at a stage where a lot of the players had been there for years and a lot of them were favoured players, so I don’t really look back there with any fonds memories and I don’t really look out for their results every week.

Matt Young was at Spurs from under 9’s level to under 16’s (formerly of Charlton Athletic) before leaving the club in 2010, after not being offered a scholarship by Spurs. A defender by trade, the Romford born player joined Southampton after leaving Spurs, where he played for their under 18 side and also the reserves/under 21’s, and Young would later join Sheffield Wednesday and while he didn’t play for their first team, he did go out on loan with Carlisle United for a spell. The defender has since played for the likes of Woking, Chelmsford City and most recently and as of last season Hampton & Richmond Borough. However, now running his own successful business where he works as a Mental Performance Coach, Matt is currently not involved in football in a playing capacity. I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of interviewing Matt Young about his time at Spurs.

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Matt: My earliest footballing memories were when I was about four or five years old, and my dad used to take me over to the local park which was Harold Wood Park in Romford. He used to take me over there and kick a ball around with me, and I also remember me and him approaching a couple of Sunday league teams about me playing for them.

What are your earliest memories of your time at Spurs and how did you come about joining the club?

Matt: I was at Charlton originally and I spent one year there before I left, and when I left at maybe the age of seven or eight a friend of mine who I played with for my Sunday team had just joined Spurs. When I left Charlton out of my own decision my friends dad got in touch with my dad and said that I’ll put a word in for your son at Spurs, and so he spoke to the Spurs under 9’s manager at the time (Russell Small) and he said bring him in for a trial. I went in for a trial and then away we go, and the training for the youth used to be in a little hall which was attached to White Hart Lane, and so there was a little court in there where we used to train. They were my earliest memories when I used to train in there with Russell Small, and then when I moved up to under 10’s Steve Grenfell was my manager. I used to go there to train every Tuesday and Thursday night, before later playing our games at Spurs Lodge at Chigwell, and then Myddelton House.

Did you have any footballing heroes/inspirations and if so who were they?

Matt: For me I only ever had two, and between the age of five and maybe 12 it was always David Beckham. Then from about 12 or maybe younger I moved position and started playing centre-back before I went to right back, and then it was always John Terry. So David Beckham and John Terry were always my idols.

 Could you describe to me what type of player you were and what positions you played in during your time at Spurs?

Matt: So when I was at Charlton I was a right-midfielder because of David Beckham, but I was always big for my age and I’m actually the same height that I am now since I was 15. So I was always big for my age and so I moved to centre-back at Spurs for the whole time that I was there, from under 9’s to under 16’s. It was only after Spurs when I moved to Southampton that I moved to right-back, so that was always my position, and I was very much a leader and I was very much a captain. I captained most of if not all of the sides that I was in, and I was very vocal and very demanding as a captain and as a leader as well, and so that was my way. I was always about the work ethic side of things and very much high on the attitude and the effort and hard work, and discipline. So that would be how I would characterise myself as a vocal leader.

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Matt: From a playing perspective it was always Michael Dawson and I used to love Michael Dawson, and I used to take parts of his game and put them into my own game. Obviously he was playing in the first team at the time and so from a playing perspective it was always Michael Dawson, but from a coaching perspective I’ve had many great coaches there, but the main coaches who had the most profound effect on me were Steve Palmer and Bradley Allen. Ose Aibangee was also very good with me, and so those three all had a very big effect on me. But when I first started there was a guy called Roger Miller who ran a youth centre when I first started, and he was a massive influence on me.

Were there any players at Spurs who you would watch closely to try and improve your game or look to learn from?

Matt: So as I say Michael Dawson was always my inspiration, but I used to really study players when I was younger. I always used to look at the first team and generally it was Michael Dawson and Ledley King at centre-back, and I played more like Michael Dawson than Ledley King, but I used to really study Michael Dawson a lot. I also used to really like Younes Kaboul as well and I used to really like the way that he played, and he was a bit quicker than me but he was definitely someone that I also used to look at and think how can I put more parts of his game into my game. So they would be the two players I would say. 

What prompted you to leave Spurs and could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites (so far)?

Matt: So I was 16 and going for my scholarship and I was a centre-back, and very basically I was 5’11 and the opinions of the powers that be at the time were that I wasn’t going to be tall enough to be a centre-back at Tottenham Hotspur. So that was it and they let me go for that reason, and I was there for seven years and then that was the end of that. Then leaving there at the age of 16 I signed for Southampton, and pretty early on during my time there they moved me to right-back. I had a two year scholarship and a two year professional contract at Southampton, so I played under Nigel Adkins and Mauricio Pochettino and Alan Pardew, and as I say I have been a right-back ever since that time and after leaving Southampton I went to Sheffield Wednesday where I spent a year. While there I went on loan to Carlisle United, and then I spent a bit of time playing for Dover Athletic and Kidderminster Harriers, and then I spent probably one of my best seasons as a professional at Woking in the National League, which was a really strong time. And since then I moved more into part-time football to play mainly in the National League South.

Having to leave Spurs must have been very difficult for you. How did you find that?

Matt: It’s funny because when I joined Spurs at under 9 level my manager was Russell Small, and he actually let me go after one season. So at under 9’s he let me go and that was very much a shock to me, so I went away and left the club and then when the new manager Steve Grenfell came in at under 10’s, someone got in touch with him and said that maybe I shouldn’t have left. So he actually got in touch and I signed for Spurs again and I stayed there ever since, so that was quite a shock for me. Then it came to under 16’s when they let me go, but I’m a resilient person because of stuff that had went on in my own life up until that point, so I have a resilience, desire and discipline to say ok you’ve let me go and this is upsetting, but let’s go. So I was very driven in that aspect.

What was your time at the Lilywhites like on the whole?

Matt: It was really, really good and I wouldn’t have a bad word to say as the coaching was phenomenal, and the facilities even at Spurs Lodge were really, really good. So I was at one of the most prestigious clubs in the world and I was there for seven years of my life as a young boy, and I was somebody who loved football and wanted to be a professional football player, and so being in that environment I couldn’t have asked for anymore. So on the whole it was absolutely phenomenal.

What was it like to play with Harry Kane for a number of years and from a young age. And what was he like then as a player?

Matt: So Harry was the year above me, but when you moved up into the under 15’s side the under 16’s were also part of the same team. So basically I used to play a lot with Harry as an under 16 when he wasn’t himself stepping up to play for the youth team. So I was a centre-back but Harry used to play as a defensive-midfielder, and he’s gone onto maybe be the Premier League’s greatest ever striker but playing with him as an under 15 and him being a defensive-midfielder he was always quite tall. But honestly he wasn’t the most eye catching at that time and I’m not saying that he wasn’t a great footballer at all, but he wasn’t the Harry Kane that we see today. But he was one of the lads and if I remember correctly he was quite vocal I think, and he was quite vocal on the pitch. But honestly did I see at that time or think at that time that he was going to be the Harry Kane that we see today? I think no. But I also didn’t think that he’d go onto be a number nine in the way that he has, so all credit to him.

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career (so far)?

Matt: Getting my professional contract at Southampton. I was 17 and the club had just been promoted to the Premier League it was a very tense moment because we knew that three weeks previous to that that there were going to be decisions made. So since the age of five that was what my goal to become a professional footballer, so that was definitely my greatest moment.

Who has been the greatest player that you have had the pleasure of sharing a pitch with? 

Matt: Playing with I would say Luke Shaw, as I played with him at Southampton (I also played with some unbelievable players such as James Ward-Prowse and Harry Kane) in many different sides, and he has absolutely everything and if he wants to be the best left-back in the world, then he can be. I played against Adnan Januzaj in a reserve match and he was a tough player to play against, and I played against Jesse Lingard, but I found Adnan Januzaj to be tougher to play against. So Adnan Januzaj is the one that springs to mind, so I’ll say him.

 Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Tottenham youth teams?

Matt: When I was an under 14 player we went to Qatar to play, which was really amazing to play on tour there. Then when I was an under 15 we went to America to play on tour which was amazing as well, and also when I played for the under 10’s I scored a last minute equaliser against Ipswich away, which was quite a big moment. So those are the three memories that spring to mind. 

Who was toughest player that you ever came up against?

Matt: As I said before it would probably be Adnan Januzaj and I came up against him twice, and I found him to be quite a tough player. I’ve played against some really tough players as well, such as international players like Romelu Lukaku who was a very good player to play against, so I would say either Adnan Januzaj or Romelu Lukaku.

Were there any players at Spurs who you were particularly close to?

Matt: From my Spurs days I was always close with Jack Munns and I still am now, and I also recently got back in touch with Kevin Stewart which is quite cool. Growing up I was also quite close with Jack Barthram, and so I was quite close with both Jack Munns and Jack Barthram, and as I say I’ve recently got back in touch with Kevin Stewart. So those are the players who I would say that I was close with. 

What would your advice be to the young Spurs players of today as they look to break into the first team?

Matt: I could go very generic and talk about attitude, but for me I feel that we live in a day and age of everything’s now, now, now. And if you’re not doing it now then you are doing something wrong, and I don’t believe that that is generally the case. I believe that in any youth setup across England that there are some incredible, incredible players and I’ve played against many of them, so I know how great they are. So for me, for any youth player trying to breakthrough I would say two things and one is to look at the team and see what you need to do in terms of what someone is doing in your position, and what you need to model and how you can add more value to that. Then two is to trust the work that you are putting in, and if you know the work that you are putting in is the right work then trust that and go with that, and don’t get swayed and don’t think that you should have it quicker than what you already do. Because as I say I feel that that is very much the day and age that we live in, so they are the two things that I would say to do.

After all these years how do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites and is Spurs a club who you still hold close to your heart?

Matt: Definitely! I naturally always look out for the Spurs results and always have a look, and I actually had the pleasure with my business as a mental performance coach to speak at Spurs, which was an absolute pleasure. So they are always a team that is close to my heart and I spent seven years at Spurs, and so it shaped me into the footballer that I have become. So I’ll always have fond memories of my time there, and of the coaches and the setup, and the platform that it gave me. And as I say it’s always a club that I’m looking out for and cheering on, unless they’re playing West Ham of course!

Barking born ex-footballer Glenn Poole was a talented and determined goalscoring midfield player who would enjoy a very long career in the game. Poole joined Spurs as a 12 year old and he stayed at the club until he was 18, and during that time he played mainly for the Spurs youth teams in the South East Counties League, but he also did play for the reserves on occasions. A youth player at Spurs during the 1990s, Glenn Poole was part of a talented Spurs age group of which included Ledley King and Peter Crouch. After leaving Spurs in the late 1990s Glenn Poole played for a number of clubs, of which includes Yeovil Town, Brentford, AFC Wimbledon and Billericay Town. Now retired from the game, Glenn runs his own soccer school –  the Glenn Poole Soccer Academy. I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of talking to Glenn about his time at Spurs, which was over 20 years ago. 

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Glenn: I remember playing my very first game for a team called Crystal Boys, and I remember playing over at a college in Redbridge. We won 4-2 and I scored two goals, and I can remember the kit and my number which was 11, and that was fitting as that’s what I ended up wearing at Brentford. So that was my first sort of football memory which was when I was about six years old.

What are your earliest memories of your time at Spurs and how did you come about joining the club?

Glenn: My first memory at Spurs was actually going to watch an FA Floodlit quarter-final against Norwich, and we (my mum and dad) just went into the ground (White Hart Lane) and enquired about a soccer school which is like what I do now, and it was a Tottenham in the community one. They told us where the venues were and asked me what my name was and I obviously said Glenn Poole, and they said that that name rings a bell, and they elaborated on it before saying that they’d been watching me. So they asked me if I wanted to train with them until the end of the season and just take it from there, and that’s what I did and luckily at the end of that season I got signed on for a year and it just progressed from there. I remember going into the ball court up at the old stadium and just training with the other players, and being a Tottenham fan as well it was just unbelievable. And never did I think that I’d end up representing the club as an apprentice.

Did you have any footballing heroes/inspirations and if so who were they?

Glenn: When I was young Ryan Giggs was somebody who I looked up to, but from a Tottenham point of view I’m named after Glenn Hoddle and so he was a big inspiration. I saw one of his last games for Spurs against Oxford United, when he dummied Peter Hucker and just slotted it in the goal, and I remember going to that game. We went to two games in that week, and we went to a game against Charlton (my first ever game) just before the FA Cup final in 1987 and we won 1-0, and then my dad took us to a game again the next week as well, and we saw them win 3-1. So Glenn Hoddle was a big influence on me and watching videos of him he was just unbelievable, and he was ahead of his time and just such a gifted footballer. Then growing up and as I was getting older and developing in the game and playing for Tottenham as an apprentice, my favourite player was David Beckham. I totally related to his game as I wasn’t the fastest wide player and I relied on my technique and my crossing ability, rather than getting the ball and dribbling past five players and then crossing a ball. So David Beckham was kind of like myself, as he could play out wide or play as a central midfielder as well, and so he was a big inspiration for me growing up. For me one thing that stood out with him was his work rate and it was unbelievable, and he was also a dead ball specialist and I used to focus on them as well.

Could you describe to me what type of player you were and what positions you played in during your time at Spurs?

Glenn: When I first went to Spurs I actually started off as a left-back, as that was where I played for my Sunday team, district team and school team. I went there essentially as a left-back but then I remember playing a game for an under 15/16 side against a full Wingate & Finchley team (first team). I remember that Bobby Arber sort of called me over and gave me a shirt, and I looked and it was number ten and I thought ok. So he played me in central midfield against a men’s team and I was quite small at that time, but at the end of the game Bobby called my dad over and asked him how tall did he reckon I would grow and how tall are his grandparents, because what he did tonight was fantastic. What he said that he really loved was that the goalkeeper Gavin had the ball between his hands, and I went between the two centre halves to get the ball after Gavin had rolled it out. Bobby was a big believer in me and he was hard at times with me, and I wasn’t a very strong tackler and I wasn’t as physically imposing as some of the other lads, and so he was only hard at times with me looking back, because he rated me. He tried to convert me into a central midfielder but I did play out wide a little bit, and I played out wide in the FA Youth Cup games when I came on, but the majority of the time I was playing in central midfield.

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Glenn: We had some great coaches and Colin Reid was one of the first coaches that I ever had at Spurs, and Colin was technically a fantastic coach and he’s still doing wonders with his coaching career now. Des Bulpin was the youth team manager at the time and he was fantastic with me and he was very, very welcoming to me. Bobby Arber was one who really, really believed in me and like I said he was hard with me at times, and I remember once we were doing a football session and he tackled me really hard, and so I was a bit embarrassed and a bit confused as to why. But then looking back at it now he was doing it to try and toughen me up, because ability wise I was confident in what I could do, but it was just physicality that sort of held me back a little bit. I think that Bobby was trying to get that nasty streak out of me, and eventually it does come out of you as a player when you get older but Bobby was a big inspiration to me. He always showed faith in me, even when I’d been officially released, and I remember that we went to Holland for a postseason tour and I literally hadn’t played all season, and then he said that I was going to play. And I did play for most of the tournament and I did so well, and I remember we played against Celtic and I did so well and we beat Celtic. I also think that we beat Ajax but I definitely remember that we beat Celtic and afterwards one of the Celtic coaches asked Bobby who I was, as I had played quite well. Then at the end of the tournament Bobby said to me in front of all of the squad that I know that you’ve been released but you’re coming back in pre-season. So I was like ok, as I had already been released and went to the exit trials up at Lilleshall, and also had clubs messaging me to see if I’d like to go on trial.

So I thought this was great and so I’d put other clubs like Yeovil off and also Barnet, as I was thinking that I was going back to Spurs. But Bobby Arber was a big, big influence on me and he did believe in me, so I was grateful for that.

Were there any players at Spurs who you would watch closely to try and improve your game or look to learn from?

Glenn: Any chance to watch the first team was great, and as I say I was a Spurs fan and so I was there watching great players, the same players that I had pictures up on my wall of. Jurgen Klinsmann was a massive hero of mine from being at Spurs the first time, and then when he came back there I was cleaning his boots and picking his kit up. David Ginola when I used to watch him was just unbelievable as a player, and also an unbelievable bloke as he dropped us off at the train station a few times. I remember when there was a couple of us on first team duty, and David Ginola was out there practicing free-kicks and then after we had collected all the balls, we were then out there practicing free-kicks as well. And he stayed out with us for another half an hour watching us, and I remember that he said to me that I had fantastic technique, and so that for me was just unbelievable. So David Ginola was one, and watching him in that season in his prime, was incredible. I also remember that at at times I would help out in drills with Rory Allen and Stephen Clemence with Chris Hughton, and I was in goal and I loved it, and I was diving around wearing big Pat Jennings’ gloves. But in terms of influences Stephen Clemence was one, and I remember that when I came on to make my Spurs reserve team debut, Stephen came off. And he gave me a big cuddle as he was going off, and he said go and enjoy it and you’ve got a few extra quid, as you used to get a little bit extra for making a reserve team appearance. Justin Edinburgh was quality as well with us and he actually ended up being my manager at Grays and he was always good with me, and also Les Ferdinand and Ruel Fox and Chris Armstrong were all good lads. When you used to go into the changing room they’d give you a bit of banter and you’d walk in all shy but they’d try and encourage you. 

As a Spurs fan those memories at Spurs are something that I will never ever forget, regardless of went on in my career.

What prompted you to leave Spurs and could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites?

Glenn: I mean you never want to leave but it’s just one of those things, and as I say I went back that summer for pre-season as Bobby had told me to come back, and so I followed the instructions and came back. I was there for two weeks and then Peter Suddaby asked me to come into his office and he said what are you doing here? I was like well Bobby’s told me to come back, but basically he said well Bobby’s not in charge, I am. But I think that Bobby was in charge of the reserve team the year before, when there was a bit of a structure change and it was because of him that I got involved with the reserve team. So I said to Peter Suddaby that’s fine and I’ll go then, and that was when they signed two Italian players, for what they maybe could have offered me, but I ended up leaving. I had spoken to Yeovil and even though I had put them off a little bit they ended up offering me a three year deal, and at the time I was playing some games for Witham Town in the Ryman League just to get games and a bit of money. Anyway a guy had spoken to John Moncur Senior at Spurs, and he said that he was the best technical player that we’ve had at Spurs for a long time, but physically he’s not up to it yet. So anyway I ended up signing for Yeovil for three years when they were in the Conference, and I scored on my debut against Hereford, but I was in and out there for two and a half years really. I went out on loan to Bath City and played one game there before getting injured, and then I came back to Essex to play for Ford United which is now Redbridge. I moved back home when I was 20 and moved into part-time football, and I was working in a hospital when I was playing for Ford United, and thats when my career sort of really picked up motion, and that was when a guy called Craig Edwards (manager of Cheshunt) came in and I just took off. 

The work rate that Craig Edwards instilled in me was just unbelievable, and it was ironic because in his first game he left me out. But then I came in and I scored 22 goals from left-midfield in my first year, and then 30 from left-midfield in the second season, and then the season after that I ended up being transferred to Thurrock. At the end of that season I had another 25 goals before moving to Grays Athletic, who had just been promoted to the Conference, but they were full-time. Obviously being back in full-time football was what I’d always wanted and I didn’t want to be working in a hospital for the rest of my life with all due respect. My career then took off in a different way and I finished top goalscorer in my first year and we came third in the Conference and then lost in the play-offs semi-finals, but we actually won the FA Trophy and I scored in the final. There were a couple of of Football League clubs who came in for me at the end of that season but I ended up staying at Grays, and our manager went to Stevenage and wanted to take a few of us with him, but nothing ever materialised. I then ended up going on loan to Rochdale in League Two for about six weeks and at that point I’d never played in the Football League, and I thought I’ve got a chance to play in the Football League and even if I play one game you can’t take that away from me. So I went up there and played six games but I didn’t do great to be honest and it was a bit bizarre, I was also the only southerner in a northern squad, so I didn’t really settle there to be honest. But they actually wanted to sign me and they offered me a one year deal, and so I’d spoken to Dagenham and Barnet and then Brentford phoned me and the assistant manager had seen me playing in the FA Trophy when I was playing centre-midfield, and it was one of the best games that I’ve ever had. So he’d said to Terry Butcher that we’ve got to get him in, and they offered me a better deal and a bigger signing on fee, and so that’s where I ended up signing.

I signed at Brentford for two years and for 18 months of those two years it was phenomenal and in my first year again I finished top goalscorer from left-midfield. That summer I had interest from some League One clubs such as MK Dons and Leyton Orient and I even read that Leeds were looking at me but nothing ever came of it and my agent never mentioned it, but to be honest I wanted to stay unless a club was offering me unbelievable money. So I said to the Brentford manager that I wanted to stay, and he said give it a little bit of time after the season starts as I’m trying to build a team that will win the league, and then we can talk about a new deal. So I scored seven goals after 21 games and then I found that I wasn’t in the team or the squad at times which was bizarre, but that’s football. I then left Brentford and went back to Grays for a while but that wasn’t the best experience as we were struggling, and I then signed for AFC Wimbledon which is a fantastic club but it was just the wrong time for me as my heart wasn’t in it at the time. I then went to Barnet with Mark Stimson but he then got the sack and Paul Fairclough came in and said that he was going to pay me off or send me out on loan, as I’d been injured. So I thought that there was no point going out on loan so just pay me up so I can go and sign elsewhere, and that’s what I did. I went and signed for Braintree and won the league with them (Conference South) before leaving there and going back to Thurrock for a while, and then signing for Billericay. That was a fantastic time for me and I loved Billericay and it’s still such a great club with great people there, and that’s when I fell in love with football again. I signed for Craig Edwards who always, always got the best out of me along with Mark Stimson. 

We won the league that year as well (Ryman Premier) and went up into the Conference South, and that was fantastic. I stayed there for like two and a half/three years before signing for Canvey Island for a little while, which I enjoyed as the lads were good but I just wanted to go back to Billericay, as it was just such a great place. So I ended up going back there for six months before signing again for Thurrock as player-coach with Mark Stimson, and that year we got promoted (Ryan 1 North) from the play-offs at the first attempt. Then I finished off my career with Grays, going back there as a player-coach but I knew that it was the right time for me to stop because I wasn’t playing as regularly and I was 37 at the time, and the old saying is that when you get to that age you can’t do two games in a week, which I thought was not right. Because the season before at Thurrock I played 48 games as a 36 year old just turning 37, and I said that once I’m in and out of the team then that will be it for me, and I was officially player-coach but never really did any sessions. So I thought that it was just the right time, and I had met my now wife as well and we were talking about starting our own little family and I’ve also got two stepson’s as well, and so it was just the right time. I’m not going to lie I miss the game massively now but for me it was just the right time to finish, and that was nearly three years ago now.

What was your time at Spurs like on the whole?

Glenn: On the whole it was unbelievable and I don’t look back on it with any negativity, because at the end of the day the likelihood of me ever playing in the first team at Spurs was like one in a million. You look at the likes of Ledley King who was in our year, he was always, always going to make it and he was one of the best players who I’ve ever played with. You could tell when he was 14/15 when he came to Spurs just how good he was, also Peter Crouch was the same and in my opinion he was always going to have a great career. I always thought that he would have a good career in the Premier League as he was just fantastic at a young age and he just excelled, and he just got better, and better and better. And also them two were absolutely fantastic lads and even now they are the same down to earth people. But I’ve got no negativity whatsoever about my time at Spurs because it built me up a great footballing education for whatever career I was going to have and what I did have, because the footballing ethics and the professionalism and the way that you conducted yourself was instilled in me from when I first signed there as a 12/13 year old. Just watching those players and the way that they conducted themselves was just great, as well as actually being part of a club which you support and their history. Nobody will probably remember who I was at times but playing with players like John Scales, Les Ferdinand, Chris Armstrong and David Howells in that reserve team was just unbelievable. If you were to say who was Glenn Poole they’d be like who? But to me that was just so, so valuable and there’s no negativity whatsoever, and I’ll always look back on it really well as it was just fantastic. Because I could have been a trainee at like Barnet with all due respects, as that was not for me as being at Spurs was just a great environment to grow up in from when I went there as a 12 year old, to when I left there at 18. 

Me and Dean Harding got on fantastic at Spurs and we just got on really well, and we were two proper technical footballers who weren’t on the big side, and me and Dean just clicked from the first session that we had at Spurs. But there was no negativity from my time at Spurs.

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career?

Glenn: Scoring in the FA Trophy final for Grays (we had a great team) was great, and also at Brentford winning League Two and winning Football League goal of the year for Brentford was also great. Winning leagues at Braintree and Billericay were amazing as well and to have medals on the table is always something to be proud of, and is something that I can show my son and stepsons, and also my grandchildren in the future. Winning trophies was always satisfying for me but probably the most satisfying was winning the FA Trophy final, because we had such a great team and it was a great group of lads, and it was the most enjoyable season collectively that I’ve ever had. Just to top it off I won that in front of loads of friends and family at Upton Park which was local to us, which was just fantastic.

Who was the greatest player that you have had the pleasure of sharing a pitch with? 

Glenn: Ledley King from a teammate point of view was great and he was a teammate for so long in the youth team days, but I ended up playing against him in a friendly for Grays at Spurs Lodge. He was playing that day, and as was Luka Modric and he was just playing at half pace. I also played against Steven Gerrard in the very first FA Under 19 game and he absolutely ran the show, and even then you could tell that he was going to be a player. So from them days I would say those players.

Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Tottenham youth teams?

Glenn: I remember scoring a goal in a South East Counties game on a Saturday against Bristol City at home, and it was a really, really cold day and we were losing 2-1. I remember Bobby Arber sending me on and I remember the ball came to me and I sort of like let it bounce and swivel and then hit a volley, and it went over the goalkeeper and straight into the top corner, and that was one of the games where I thought that that was decent. So that sort of built my confidence up as I was quite shy as a youngster and quiet, but that brought my confidence out. I also remember scoring a penalty against Southampton in one of the FA Youth Cup games and hitting the ball into the top corner. I also remember my first reserve game at White Hart Lane and ironically that was against Southampton as well, and we won 5-0 on a sunny day. There were a few of us younger lads there and we had to be ballboys as well and I was sitting at the Park Lane end, and I was sitting there on my own and thinking I might be getting brought on here, and there were some top players on the pitch for us. I remember Bobby Arber calling me and waving from the dugout, and it was just unbelievable and to play at White Hart Lane even though there was no one there was just something that I’d always wanted to do, and I couldn’t care how many people were there as it was just an achievement for me. And we won 5-0 and that was unbelievable, also playing in the FA Youth Cup games in front of a bit of a crowd was great. I remember coming on in a game against Walsall and I should have scored a goal but I snatched at a shot and it got cleared off the line, but I should have had a touch and slotted it in.

Who was toughest player that you ever came up against?

Glenn: I just remember one game and it was a testimonial game and I don’t really remember anyone who gave me such a hard time, but it was Damien Johnson who played for Blackburn Rovers. I remember playing left-back for Yeovil (I was 19) in this testimonial and they beat us like 10-0, and I was petrified every time that he got the ball and that was the only game in my career that I was embarrassed in, and I can’t really remember anyone else to be honest. 

Were there any players at Spurs who you were particularly close to?

Glenn: Me and Dean Harding were close from 12 up until 16 when he left, and we would always pair up with each other when we did drills. His dad used to speak to my dad as well and me and Dean would always sit next to each other on the coach, then growing up Wayne Vaughan who was the year above me and was the golden boy at Spurs at the time, we were quite close, and as apprentices he used to pick me up and we would drive in. David Lee is a really good lad and I used to play with him at Thurrock and I’d always see him about, also James Dormer was another one who was the year above me. In my year there was Ledley King, Peter Crouch and Gavin Kelly the goalkeeper and we all used to travel home with each other when we were on the train. Mark Arber (Bobby Arber’s son) was another one who I’ve been close to over the years, but whenever I would see someone from Spurs we would always have a chat.

What would your advice be to the young Spurs players of today as they look to break into the first team?

Glenn: Have a fallback plan as you’re not always guaranteed to make it, and you need to work hard and not get sidetracked, also keep your feet on the floor as nothing is guaranteed, never mind a football career. You need to want to learn as I was guilty at times of thinking that I knew it all but you never do, and the book of knowledge is never full. Also don’t take things to heart at times and just have a fallback plan, and if you’re not playing games for Spurs then go out on loan and play games and learn your trade instead of being comfortable sat on decent money. And just enjoy playing because it goes so, so fast.

After all these years how do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites and is Spurs a club who you still hold close to your heart?

Glenn: Like I say the experience that I had at Spurs was invaluable for me as a player, person and as a supporter, because not many Spurs fans would be in my situation. A lot of the lads when I was there supported Chelsea and Arsenal and so it might have not meant as much to them, whereas to me I’ve always been a Spurs fan and I always will be. I was there when Spurs won the Worthington Cup, and to experience that was just unbelievable, and I had so many valuable life experiences at Spurs, and it’s a club that I’ll always support even though they can really frustrate me. I also do think that if the Spurs manager gets the players that he wants in the summer then he will bring success, but as I say Spurs are a club who are still very, very important to me and it’s a club that I love and always will do.