Five... stars who shone for Tottenham and the Toon
Thu 20 April 2023, 11:50|
Tottenham Hotspur
Some of the game's great entertainers have starred in the Lilywhite of Spurs and black and white stripes of Newcastle United down the years - ahead of Sunday's meeting in the Premier League at St James' Park (2pm), here are five of the best...
Chris Waddle
191 appearances for Newcastle, 1980-85; 173 for Spurs 1985-89
A fairytale footballing story, Waddle was playing for Tow Law Town and working in a factory when he was snapped up by Newcastle aged 19 in July, 1980. Five years later, he had eight England caps under his belt and was on his way to Spurs. Such a skilful winger, Chris scored twice on his debut against Watford and soon struck up an understanding with Glenn Hoddle - a friendship that later stretched to the pop charts as a duo with 'Diamond Lights' - that propelled the team towards glory on all fronts under David Pleat's 4-5-1 system in 1986/87, Waddle and Hoddle the architects of so many of Clive Allen's record 49 goals that season. Eventually capped 62 times, Waddle moved to Marseille in 1989 - at that time, the third most expensive player in history behind Diego Maradona and Ruud Gullit - where he won three French titles.
Paul Gascoigne
104 appearance for Newcastle, 1984-88; 112 for Spurs, 1988-92
A player who needs no introduction, one of England's all-time great talents, a genius on the football pitch, Gazza came through the ranks at St James' Park and joined us as a 21-year-old for a British transfer record fee in July, 1988. Initially hooking up with fellow Geordie Chris Waddle, Gazza shone in England's run to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, making him a world-wide star, and then delivered a string of top-class performances to lead the team to the 1991 FA Cup Final, including one of the Club's most iconic goals, a 35-yard free-kick on our way to beating Arsenal in the first semi-final to be held at Wembley. Already on his way to Lazio, disaster struck in the final, when a lunging tackle left him with a serious knee injury. He eventually joined Lazio in 1992, then starred for Glasgow Rangers 1995-98, winning two SPL titles, and scored another iconic goal at Wembley, this time against Scotland in Euro 96, as England reached the semi-finals.
David Ginola
75 appearance for Newcastle, 1995-97; 124 for Spurs, 1997-2000
A star in France and title winner with PSG (1993/94), Ginola's flamboyant style was a match made in heaven for Kevin Keegan's entertainers when he arrived at St James' Park in 1995, and he provided the ammunition for the likes of Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer as Keegan's Toon finished runners-up in 1995/96 and 1996/97. Snapped up in the summer of 1997, Ginola's style was always going to see him as an instant hit at the Lane, and so it proved, with so many golden moments and match-winning displays in his three-year stay. League Cup winner in 1999, when we also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, it's worth noting that Ginola's performances took him to a PFA and Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year double in 1998/99, the same season Manchester United won the treble.
Les Ferdinand
84 appearances for Newcastle, 1995-97; 149 for Spurs 1997-2003
Plucked out of non-league football by QPR aged 20 in 1987, 'Sir Les' made a quiet start to life at Loftus Road before hitting 20 goals in the first season of the Premier League, 1992/93. He scored another 40 in the next two seasons, and Newcastle took the plunge in 1995. He responded with 50 goals in 84 appearances over the next two seasons, as Kevin Keegan's Toon twice finished runners-up - Ferdinand and Alan Shearer plundered 41 league goals between them in 1996/97. One of the best headers of the ball the Premier League has seen, Les joined us in the same summer as David Ginola, 1997, but unfortunately, we would never see the absolute best of the striker, as injuries took their toll. A Spurs fan, he's often talked about how frustrating that was for him, but he still weighed in with 39 goals in his 149 appearances and won the League Cup in 1999. Les played on until the age of 39, and later returned as a coach, another six-year stint, 2008-2014. He's now Director of Football at QPR.
Jermaine Jenas
152 appearances for Newcastle, 2001-05; 202 for Spurs, 2005-13
A young star at Forest, PFA Young Player of the Year (2003/04) and Champions League regular at Newcastle, it seems incredible that 'JJ' was still only 22 when we snapped him up from the Toon in the summer of 2005. The definition of a box-to-box midfielder, JJ would glide around the pitch, covering every blade of grass, and played a key role as first we won the League Cup in 2008, and then qualified for the Champions League in 2010. JJ loved the north London derby, and produced arguably his best performance when it mattered most in the League Cup semi-final, second leg against the Gunners in 2008. Already on target in the first leg, a 1-1 draw, JJ scored the opener and provided assists for two of the goals in our famous 5-1 win. He then delivered the free-kick for Jonathan Woodgate's winner in the final against Chelsea. JJ later played for QPR, Villa and Forest, but injury forced his retirement aged 33 in 2016. He's now a popular pundit and TV host.
