100 years and counting for the Millers

The Millers celebrated quite a milestone in 2019 - 100 years of supporting Spurs.

It all started back in 1919 when Walter - more familiarly known as ‘Wally’ or ‘Dusty’ - first stepped through the turnstiles at White Hart Lane. Thirty years later, 1949, his son, John, followed in his father’s footsteps and the family tradition continues today with John’s son Ian and granddaughter Laura Diwell - all three regulars at the new stadium.

Speaking to us ahead of a recent match, John explained: “Dad started watching Tottenham in 1919, exactly 100 years ago. So, between all of us, we’ve done 100 years. I’m very proud of that. Ian and Laura have been coming since a very early age. Laura has two daughters now and they have their Spurs kits as well, so the tradition continues.”

What a world of difference Walter would have encountered on this same site 100 years ago. White Hart Lane had a capacity then of 50,000, but this was before the days of the ‘new’ East Stand that took the stadium to another level in 1934. On the pitch, we triumphed spectacularly in the old Second Division in 1919/20 under the leadership of Frank McWilliam. Inspired by deadly attacking duo Bert Bliss and Jimmy Cantrell, we scored 102 goals in winning the title and promotion back to the top flight. A year later, 1921, we lifted the FA Cup.

John also timed his arrival to perfection. He started watching regularly in 1949 when, under the tactical prowess of Arthur Rowe, our ‘push and run’ team won the Second Division title and then our first Division One crown in back-to-back seasons, 1949/50 and 1950/51.

“My dad always harked back to pre-1930s, Fanny Walden, Jimmy Seed,” added John. “The reason he started watching in 1919 was because he was in the navy in the First World War, discharged in 1919. The family lived in Edmonton and it’s one of the questions I never asked, but he probably supported the Club even earlier, but I know he started watching in 1919, he told me that.

“I was 13 when I first came to White Hart Lane, 1949, so I’ve done 70 years. We were in the Second Division then, won the title and gained promotion.

“My dad was very patient. He watched the Spurs when I was watching Leytonstone, as my generation of schoolboys tended to watch a lot of amateur football. He eventually persuaded me to come and I was hooked. We used to stand just in front of The Shelf, great, great times.

“My first game was in the October of 1949. I do know we played Barnsley in that month and it would be nice if it was that game because Laura was a mascot at Barnsley for the FA Cup tie in 1999, the Ginola game (David Ginola scored a wonder goal to win the quarter-final, March, 1999, 50 years later!).

“In those days, there was no segregation and a lot of banter between opposing fans. I remember coming to one match against Newcastle with my dad, we got talking to some away fans and they said, ‘do you always stand here?’ we said ‘yes’ and they said, ‘we’ll meet you here for our next game’. That’s how it worked then. It was wonderful football. We used to cycle here and the houses in Park Lane, for a fee of thruppence (3d - just over 1p), you could park your bikes in their front garden!

“The biggest difference between then and now is the playing surface. We never had playing surfaces like that (pointing out to the pitch at the new stadium). There might have been a bit of grass in the corners, but that was about it!

“One of the things that also stands out is that on European nights, there used to be three men dressed up in white. The Three Wise Men! Those nights were special. Also, we don’t have to come here and queue up around the stadium for tickets anymore!

"Another distinct contrast between the 1950s and life today was due to the fact that my dad was a bus driver. His route 144 bus operated along Angel Road, Edmonton and a familiar passenger was Harry Clarke, the regular centre-half in the Arthur Rowe team, who lived in Highams Park and travelled by bus to and from training, which was at the Lane in those days."

A century and a million miles on from when his father first came to Spurs, 70 years after John joined him, and John was there for the opening of our world-class new stadium this year.

“I was absolutely overwhelmed,” he added. “We’ve set the bar so high in football stadia. The players, we treat them like legends, but Daniel Levy is also a legend of this Club for providing this stadium for us.

“This Club has provided me with some tremendous memories over the years. I had quite a demanding job and to come here on a Saturday afternoon, as it used to be, it was such a tremendous thing to be able to do. We’ve been through good and bad seasons and I’ve always wanted to be here and see the outcome of any game, no matter what I thought it might be!”

Here’s to the next 100 years of the Millers at Spurs...