Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. - Bill Nicholson: Footballs Perfectionist

T his is my twenty-fifth book and in many ways, it has been the most pleasurable. So many people have helped me, mainly because Bill Nicholson was a great manager but also because he was a decent man and loved by so many. He wanted things done the right way and luckily, I had an enormous amount of help from his daughters Jean and her husband Steve and Linda Feldeisen. They checked all the references to the family and supplied all the valued pictures that constitute most of the photograph section of this book.

In March 2009, I spent a very rewarding week in foggy, blowy Scarborough, where Bill grew up, and those who kindly assisted me with their contributions include Paul Nicholson, Derek Megginson, Frank White, Geoff Nellist, Ron Anderson, Steve Drydale, Tony McKenzie, Geoff Hillarby, Doreen Procter, Gordon Jackson, David Duggleby, Jimmy and Beryl Johnson, Tommy Johnson, the editor and staff of the Scarborough Evening News, the South Beds News Agency, who supplied me with a full report of the murder that took place in Keith Burkinshaws former house, and Colin Appleton, captain of Leicester City in the 1961 FA Cup Final.

At Tottenham Hotspur, John Fennelly and Andy Porter pointed me to the best avenues to reach former players and others. Alan Leather and Peter Barnes also had considerable input and I thank everyone for their time.

All the players, managers and colleagues that I spoke to talked admiringly of Bill. They never called him Boss or Gaffer they thought of him as a friend. They include Les Allen, Ossie Ardiles, Jimmy Armfield, Ron Atkinson, Peter Baker, Phil Beal, Ted Buxton, John Barnwell, John Bond, Liam Brady, Norman Burtenshaw, Bobby Campbell, Eddie Clayton, Ralph Coates, Terry Dyson, Olaf Dixon, Hunter Davies, Gerry Francis, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Gould, George Graham, Tony Galvin, Tommy Harmer, Don Howe, Ron Henry, Glenn Hoddle, Pat Jennings, Cliff Jones, Joe Kinnear, Doug Livermore, Dave Mackay, Alan Mullery, Terry Medwin, Paul Miller, Maurice Norman, Steve Perryman, Martin Peters, John Pratt, David Pleat, Sir Bobby Robson, Graham Roberts, Gary Stevens, Peter Shreeves, Jim Smith and Terry Venables. When the book was published, four of Bills finest servants died in the space of 77 days: Bobby Smith, aged 77, Mel Hopkins, 75, Eddie Baily, 85, and Ralph Coates, 84.

Several of my journalist friends were extremely co-operative and they include David Miller of the Daily Telegraph, Brian James, formerly of the Daily Mail, Ken Jones, formerly of the Daily Mirror, and in particular, Laurie Pignon of the Daily Sketch and the Daily Mail.

Two people who made major contributions were Keith Burkinshaw, the manager who had many of the same qualities as Bill, and Eddie Baily, Bills former teammate, coach and friend. He and his wife were married on December 20, 1952 at Clapton Church and, after a quick peck on the cheek, two Tottenham directors gave Eddie a lift to White Hart Lane where he played in the days 2:15 kick-off.

I have read many of the books of that time and the list which I set out below might well be too short but if any others are left out, sincere apologies to the authors concerned: Glory, Glory by Bill Nicholson (Macmillan), And the Spurs Go Marching on by Phil Soar (Hamlyn), Football Managers by Dennis Turner and Alex White (Breedon), The Glory Game by Hunter Davies (Mainstream), The Beatles, Football and Me by Hunter Davies (Headline), Football Players Records 194684 by Barry Hugman (Newnes), The Double and Before, by Danny Blanchflower (Nicholas Kaye), Greavsie by Jimmy Greaves (Time Warner), Clough by Brian Clough (Partridge), A Man for All Seasons by Steve Perryman (Arthur Barker), Pat Jennings An Autobiography (Collins Willow), Right Back to the Beginning by Jimmy Armfield (Headline), Chelsea the Real Story by Brian Mears (Pelham), The Ghost of 66 by Martin Peters (Orion), The Real Mackay by Dave Mackay (Mainstream), Double Bill by Alan Mullery and Paul Trevellion (Mainstream), Yours Sincerely by Ron Greenwood (Collins Willow), Bob Wilson My Autobiography (Hodder and Stoughton), Jimmy Hill Story (Hodder and Stoughton), Tottenham Hotspur Football Book No. 4 edited by Dennis Signy (Stanley Paul), The World Cup 19301990 by Ian Morrison (Breedon), The History of the World Cup by Brian Glanville (Faber), Revelations of a Football Manager by Terry Neill (Sidgwick and Jackson), Portrait of a Footballing Enigma Don Revie by Andrew Mourant (Mainstream), Spurs Supreme by Ralph Finn (Robert Hale), The England Managers by Brian Scovell (Tempus), Football Gentry the Cobbold Brothers by Brian Scovell (Tempus), Whose Side Are You On? by Norman Burtenshaw (Arthur Barker), Time on the Grass by Bobby Robson (Arthur Barker), The First Voice You Will Hear Is by Ted Croker (Collins Willow), Sir Alf by Leo McKinstry (Harper Sport), White Hart Lane Legends by Keith Palmer (Keith Palmer) and many volumes of Rothmans and The News of the World Football Annuals.

Finally, immense thanks to Morris Keston, Tottenhams greatest fan, for checking the manuscript and saving me any embarrassment with facts, like the fact that Dave Mackays second broken leg happened at White Hart Lane, not Shrewsbury FC!