WADDLE, Christopher Roland (1985-89)
Position: Forward
Height: 6ft
Weight: 11st 5lbs
Born: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, 14 December 1960
Signed from Newcastle United July 1985
Transferred to Olympique Marseille July 1989
Also played for: Tow Law Town, Newcastle United, Olympique Marseille, Sheffield Wednesday, Falkirk, Bradford City, Sunderland, Burnley, Torquay United, England
Spurs Record:
Debut: 17 August 1985 v Watford (FL) (h) won 4-0
Appearances: League 137(1), FA Cup 14, League Cup 21
Goals: League 33, FA Cup 5, League Cup 4
When Chris Waddle bamboozled Graham Roberts before swerving a perfect shot past Ray Clemence to give Newcastle United the lead at White Hart Lane in December 1984 it was obvious the Geordies had unearthed another special talent. We recovered to win that game but Waddle’s performance was so outstanding that our chairman Irving Scholar decided then and there he was determined to add Waddle to the long list of supreme footballers who have embellished our history.
It was Waddle’s first season of top level football but he had settled to it like a natural and before the season was over had been selected for England. A local lad, he had replaced Kevin Keegan in the hearts of the Toon Army with his scintillating bursts down the wing and his arrival at White Hart Lane was a real coup.
Waddle’s Spurs’ career started in perfect fashion with two goals against Watford and he struck up an immediate rapport with Glenn Hoddle. His ability to beat a man in the most confined of spaces, to skip past lunging challenges, to run with the ball at pace with his unique hunched shoulders style and play the most telling of passes into the danger area were real assets to the team.
He could be devastatingly effective on the wing, a prime example being the way he twisted and turned past the Coventry City defence to set up Clive Allen for the opening goal in the 1987 FA Cup final, and when played as a striker he showed the coolness and eye for a chance of the most clinical finishers.
While he was sometimes inconsistent in his performances, it was the departure of Hoddle for Monaco that gave Waddle the chance to really show the full range of his talents. Unfortunately though, injuries held him back and it wasn’t until the arrival of Paul Gascoigne – signed by Terry Venables – that we saw Chris’ return to form. With Gazza the centre of attention and dominating midfield, Waddle was able to flourish. His natural winger’s talents brought a new dimension to the midfield as he ran at defences from deep, cutting inside or out and bringing his trickery to the most dangerous of areas, the penalty box.
Waddle had won his first England cap in March 1985 and continued to appear regularly for his country, transferring to the international stage the freedom he so enjoyed at White Hart Lane. By the summer of 1989 he was widely regarded as one of the shining lights in the national team, his goal-making and goal-taking talents sure to make him a star of the 1990 World Cup.
Such was his standing that Olympique Marseille offered Spurs £4.5 million for his transfer. It was an enormous fee, surpassed only by those paid for Diego Maradona and Ruud Gullit, and he left us for the opportunity to challenge himself again, helping Marseille win three French titles and reach the European Cup Final.
He returned to England with Sheffield Wednesday in July 1992 – helping them reach both domestic cup finals and named Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year in 1993 – and later had spells with the likes of Falkirk, Bradford City, Sunderland and Burnley.