JENNINGS, Patrick Anthony M.B.E. (1964-77 and 1983-86)
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6ft
Weight: 12st 6lbs
Born: Newry, County Down, 12 June, 1945
Signed from Watford, June 1964
Transferred to Arsenal August 1977
Also played for: Newry United, Newry Town, Watford, Arsenal, Northern Ireland
Spurs Record:
Debut: 22 August, 1964 v Sheffield United (FL) (h) won 2-0
Appearances: League 472, FA Cup 43, League 39, Europe 36
Pat Jennings, regarded by many as the best goalkeeper the world has seen, honed his talents in the rough, tough arena of Gaelic football before turning to football. Spotted by former Spurs great, Ron Burgess, the Watford manager, in a youth tournament, Watford paid £6,000 to sign Jennings in May 1963.
Just 18, Jennings was thrown into senior action immediately, playing all Watford’s 52 competitive games in 1963-64, an early sign of the consistency that became a byword to his career. Although raw and with much to learn, Nicholson had no compunction paying £27,000 to bring Jennings to Spurs, confident he had just the man to succeed Double winner, Bill Brown.
Jennings was to prove one of Nicholson’s finest signings, up there alongside Dave Mackay, although he did lack a little bit of confidence in his early days on the big stage. With the Double side breaking up, the high standards set by that outstanding team were not being met. It changed with the arrival of Mike England, the big Welshman instilling confidence in Jennings who in turn inspired the defence.
Jennings gave an immaculate performance in the 1967 FA Cup Final, never putting a foot wrong and showing he had found belief in his own ability when, with Chelsea pressing for a late equaliser, he plucked a dangerous cross from the air with one massive hand, a movement that was to become a trademark.
Jennings blossomed now, taking the goalkeeper’s art to new levels. To his natural height, the strength gained from working in a timber yard before joining Watford and the ability to leap high developed in the Gaelic game, he added a positional sense second to none and the finest judgement, knowing exactly when to come and when to stay on his line. Calm under pressure he dominated his six-yard box, organising his defenders and taking charge of every situation.
The master of angles, Jennings knew just where to position himself to leave the minimum target to aim for and would judge to perfection the moment to plunge forward and whip the ball away or smother a shot. When the orthodox did not work Jennings could call on his fantastic reflexes, whether plunging low to tip the ball round the post or flying across goal to push it over the bar.
His distribution was excellent, either bowling the ball out accurately to his full-backs or launching giant kicks downfield that were so powerful he once stunned himself as the ball bounced on the edge of Manchester United’s penalty area and sailed over Alex Stepney’s head into the net in the 1967 FA Charity Shield.
Over 10 years Jennings reached the peak of his profession, helping us win the League Cup in 1971 and 1973 and the UEFA Cup in 1974. He was voted Football of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association in 1973 and was named Player of the Year by the Professional Footballer’s Association in 1976. He was also honoured with the MBE in 1976, the OBE a decade later and promoted further to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to football and charity. Remarkably consistent, he rarely missed a game, setting a record number of 590 appearances for Spurs which was only surpassed by Steve Perryman and Gary Mabbutt.
Jennings suffered a rare injury during the disastrous 1976-77 season that contributed to our relegation. Barry Daines did well as his stand-in and was considered the better long-term prospect. Jennings joined Arsenal where he played for nine years, continuing to display a master craftsman’s talent and picking up more silverware.
He returned to us in 1985, cover for Ray Clemence but primarily to keep fit for the 1986 World Cup, at the end of which he retired with a then-world record 119 caps to his name, having earlier featured at the 1982 tournament.
Jennings was back at Spurs again in 1993, appointed as a goalkeeping consultant on our coaching staff and, in the intervening years, has worked under a succession of managers and with a whole host of First Team and Academy goalkeepers, passing on the wisdom and experience built up throughout his glorious career.