25 years ago today | Jurgen's four goals against Wimbledon
Tue 02 May 2023, 11:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Fans fondly remember Jurgen Klinsmann's two spells at the Club, but it's fair to say there was a stark contrast between 1994/95 and the second half of the 1997/98 campaign which culminated in a famous four-goal haul at Selhurst Park on 2 May, 1998.
The German superstar clicked magnificently with strike partner Teddy Sheringham in his first spell and the pair racked up over 50 goals in all competitions as we chased European qualification and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Jurgen contributed 29 to wide acclaim and went on to be named Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association.
He returned in December, 1998, with us in a spot of bother, well, more than a spot - we were in a relegation scrap and 19th of 20 when he arrived in loan from Sampdoria until the end of the season.
We started to slowly climb up the table but with five matches remaining, we were in 17th place and just one point above the drop zone - we were on 35 points, Barnsley and Bolton on 34 and Palace marooned on 24. A draw at home to Coventry only just improved matters and we then picked up a crucial point at Barnsley on 18 April. Colin Calderwood grabbed a late leveller at Oakwell which meant we stayed out of the bottom three by two points with three matches remaining. Without that goal, Barnsley would have gone above us.
Worries were eased with a key win over Newcastle in game 36 of 38 as Jurgen and Les Ferdinand struck at the Lane on 25 April. Victory in game 37 against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park - at that time, they were sharing with Crystal Palace - would extinguish any remaining fears and Jurgen delivered in magnificent style...
We were trailing 2-1 when Jurgen levelled on 41 minutes - 19 minutes later, were were 5-2 up, Jurgen had four goals to his name and we were safe. A draw on the final game of the season - an emotional last day at Spurs for legends Jurgen, Gary Mabbutt and David Howells - even lifted the team up to a final position of 14th.
Jurgen's memories
Speaking in a special interview almost 10 years ago with his friend and skipper in both spells, Gary Mabbutt, Jurgen recalled rejoining the Club in December, 1997, the second half of that tricky season and that memorable afternoon at Selhurst Park.
"I came from Sampdoria and was at a crucial point in my career because the World Cup was coming up in France and Spurs were in a different spot. We both were! But we managed to get our heads around it, climb up the table and be safe at the end of the season. It was also different personally because I had my boy Jonathan born in 1997 and he was only half-a-year old. I was a father, a family person and it was very different to when I was a batchelor in my first spell, even if I was already together with my wife then. Wimbledon was a special day because until that point I’d struggled myself with form and injuries, I had a broken jaw just prior to the game at Wimbledon. You start to question yourself, ‘are you good enough?’. We had the World Cup coming, we were struggling against relegation and people always have high expectations, so we had to get out there and get the job done. I was thrilled not just with the four goals, which is something different, but also because it wasn’t going to end on a negative note, which would have been a disaster. It was a huge relief for everyone, for Christian Gross, for the players and just to save that season. It was super-important that we made our way up the table, made everyone safe and then I played my last World Cup in France and called it a day. Both experiences (at Spurs) were very emotional because they were always connected with the fans. It wasn’t as exciting as the first spell because we were shooting for Europe and the FA Cup then, but it was still a great few months and a wonderful time."
Spurs v Wimbledon: Walker, Carr, Campbell, Calderwood, Berti, Nielsen, Anderton, Ginola, Fox (Saib), Klinsmann, Ferdinand (Armstrong).
