NORMAN, Maurice (1955-66)
Position: Defender
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 12st 2lbs
Born: Mulbarton, Norfolk, 8 May 1934
Died: 27 November 2022
Signed from Norwich City November 1955
Retired June 1967
Also played for: Mulbarton, Norwich City, England
Spurs Record:
Debut: 5 November,1955 v Cardiff City (FL) (h) drew 1-1
Appearances: League 357, FA Cup 37, Europe 17
Goals: League 16, FA Cup 2, Europe 1
Another player we spotted at an early stage in his career who went on to great things, Maurice Norman had played only 35 League games for Norwich City when we swooped to sign him in November, 1955 at a cost of £18,000 plus winger Johnny Gavin.
For such a big and powerful man, Norman was quite at home out on the flank. His positional sense was excellent, his tackling strong and his speed surprising. He spent the best part of a year developing his game before injury left him on the sidelines for six months. When fit to return he found Peter Baker had made the right-back spot his own and Norman had to settle for a few games at left-back and centre-half.
It was not until a third of the way through the 1957-58 season, as we sat only four places off the bottom, that Norman took over the centre-half role. He immediately injected a strength and sense of resolution in the defence that had been sadly missing. By the end of the season we had climbed to third and Norman had won himself a place in the England squad for the 1958 World Cup finals.
Norman did not play in Sweden but on his return developed into an essential part of the ‘Double’ winning team, the defensive rock around which Bill Nicholson built the greatest team in our history.
To his height Norman added a superb physique, a quiet determination and a footballing ability often overlooked because of the quality of those around him. Strong and resolute in the tackle, his experience at full-back had taught him the art of positional play and the importance of accurate distribution of the ball once he had won it. With two half-backs such as Danny Blanchflower and Dave Mackay forever pushing forward, his great discipline and concentration where needed lest we were caught by a quick counter-attack.
Not that Norman was just a defender. He was one of the first centre-halves to push forward regularly for set-plays and although he did not score many goals himself, his strength in the air and mere presence unsettled opposing defences and created many openings for the likes of Bobby Smith, Les Allen and Jimmy Greaves. He enjoyed the chance to attack and would often emerge from defence with his long, loping stride, seeking the angle to lay the ball off before hurrying back to his defensive station.
Norman missed only one game in the Double season of 1960-61 and, after helping us retain the FA Cup in 1962, at last won his first England cap against Peru in May, 1962, the last warm up game before the World Cup. Displacing Peter Swan and seeing off the challenge of Brian Labone, Norman established himself as England’s first choice in the centre of defence winning a total of 23 full caps until another tall, gangling man mountain in the shape of Jack Charlton appeared.
A European Cup Winners’ Cup winner’s medal was added to Norman’s impressive trophy collection in 1963 and he continued to provide the solid centre to our defence for another two years as Nicholson began to develop a new team to secure more silverware for the trophy cabinet.
With Peter Baker departing and Cyril Knowles needed to replace the veteran Ron Henry, Norman was switched back to the right of defence at the start of the 1965-66 season. With Laurie Brown playing in the centre, the move may have extended Norman’s career but, sadly, he broke his leg in five places in a friendly against a Hungarian Select XI in November 1965. For two years he fought a desperate battle to recover but in the end had to admit defeat and retire.