The team 1960 – 1961
Back row l to r: Bill Brown, Peter Baker, Ron Henry, Danny Blanchflower, Maurice Norman, Dave Mackay
Front row l to r: Cliff Jones, John White, Bobby Smith, Les Allen, Terry Dyson
Bill Brown – Goalkeeper
Born Arbroath Oct 8 1934. Signed from Dundee in June 1959.Full Scottish international. Done the simple things well and is up there with Jennings and Clemence as perhaps the best seen in Spurs goal.
d. 30 November 2004
Peter Baker – Right Back
Born 10 December 1931, Hampstead, London. Not the classiest full back but was steady and given the quality of wingers in those days was rarely embarrassed. Compered speaking tours by Jimmy Greaves.
d. 27.1.2016
Ron Henry – Left back
Born 17 August 1934. Sound, fast and a good tackler. Won a single England cap but lost out to Ray Wilson. As with so many of this generation would have won more caps had a squad system been in place. Stayed on with the club as coach. d. 27.12. 2014
Danny Blanchflower – Right Half
Born 10 February 1926. Incomparable. No one could control a game like Blanchflower. Never missed a penalty. Danny made this side great. Signed from Aston Villa in December 1954 and went on to captain Northern Ireland. Took up a career in journalism and died on 9 December 1993.
The story of the supporters who cleaned and restored Danny Blanchflower’s headstone
Maurice Norman – Centre Half
Born 8 May 1934. Powerful and commanding figure in defence. Signed from Norwich in November 1955. Should have been England’s regular centre half but had to wait for Billy Wright to collect 105 caps and retire. Then his career was cut short when he broke his leg in a friendly. d.27.11.2022
Dave Mackay – Left Half
Born 14 November 1934. No one earned the right to be called ‘great’ more than Dave Mackay. A one man team. Always gave one hundred per cent even when the others believed the game was already won. Bill Nick believed him to be the heart of the team. A regular for Scotland and would have continued for more years had he not broke his leg twice. Signed from Hearts in March 1959. d. 2 March 2015
Cliff Jones – Outside Right
Born 7 February 1935. Signed from Swansea in February 1958. Rated faster than the legendary ‘Hento’ of Real Madrid, was a superb crosser of a ball and scored goals with bullet like accuracy from flying headers. ‘Jonah’ was a Welsh International regular.
John White- Inside Right
Born 28 April 1937. Perhaps the most skilful player ever to wear a Spurs shirt (including Hoddle and Ginola). Signed from Falkirk in October 1959 and was a Scottish International. Nicknamed ‘the Ghost’, could pinpoint a cross and stop any ball dead. Bill Nick was grooming him to replace Blanchflower but he was killed in a freak lightning strike whilst playing golf on 21 July 1964.
Read about John White’s son searching for this father’s history on the BBC – Chasing the Ghost.
Bobby Smith – Centre Forward
Born 22 February 1933. Oh for the return of forwards like big, bustling Bobby Smith. A big man but was deceptively skilful and scored goals like shelling peas with foot or head. Signed from Chelsea in 1955 he won 15 England caps and scored 13 goals! d. September 18 2010
Les Allen – Inside Left
Born 4 September 1937. Always in the shadow of Bobby Smith he nevertheless scored 119 goals in his Spurs career from 1959 – 1965. He realised he would be the one to go the next season when Jimmy Greaves arrived. These days he would be an important and essential member of any first team squad. Two sons and two nephews also played on professional terms.
Terry Dyson – Outside Left
Born 29 November 1934 in Yorkshire. After scoring a typical wingers goal in the Cup Winners Cup Final against Athletico Madrid in 1963 Bobby Smith told him to retire whilst he was ahead. Terry was a short, snappy winger who could cross a ball – a good, honest players player. One of the few members of this side not to have won any International honours.
Bill Nicholson – Manager
William Edward ‘Bill’ Nicholson OBE. Born 26 January 1919. A member of the famous ‘Push and Run’ side of the fifties Bill Nick was the architect of the Double Side. It was his belief that football should be played in a certain way that created such a footballing club and tradition. Spurs fans still believe that it is not just the winning that is important, it is in the way that you do it. (see quotes below). This is why Bill Nick will remain the greatest. Bill Nick died on 23 Oct 2004.
The fixtures and results from the Spurs Double Year plus photographs and programme from the game against Sheffield Wednesday when the League was won is on the Double Year page.
Reserve players: John Hollowbread (Goal) d.7.12.2007, Mel Hopkins (Full Back) d. 18.10.2010, Tony Marchi (half back) d.15.3.2022, Eddie Clayton (half back), Terry Medwin (winger) d. 1.5.2024, Eddie Bailey (Assistant Manager) d.13.10.2010, Cecil Poynton (trainer – with the famous bucket of cold water and magic sponge) d.12.1.1983.
Here is a video showing the 1961 FA Cup Final vs Leicester. It is in colour and although short, does show the two goals going in from Bobby Smith and Terry Dyson.
In 1961 they bought Jimmy Greaves. Les Allen knew it would be him that would have to make way. Greaves could only add to any team for who he played. Now in 2015 he is suffering from ill health so to remind everyone of his genius here is a clip from Spurs vs Manchester United on 16 October 1965 .
Kenneth Wolstenholme called it the goal of the season. It could be the goal of any season. Enjoy.
It was announced today 19 September 2021 that sadly Jimmy passed away. The above clip is a reminder for all time what a goal scoring genius he was; one that will never grace a Spurs team again.
This book is a must for all Spurs fans and the perfect birthday or Christmas gift for a dedicated supporter you may know.
It is called The Spurs Shirt and describes the history of Tottenham Hotspur through the many different shirts that have been worn including League, Cup and European campaigns. It has a foreward by Ledley King.
The Daily Mail started a petition to get the Government to award Jimmy a gong whilst there is still time to do so. It has been announced that he has been awarded an MBE in the 2021 New Years Honours List. I was lucky or blessed to have watched Jimmy in his prime and if you need any proof of his genius then watch the video clip above.
Thank you to all those people who added their names to the Daily Mail petition by following the link on this page.
To sum up Spurs these are a few quotes from Bill Nicholson.
It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.
We must always consider our supporters, for without them there would be no professional football. It would be better to have more fans watching football the way they like it played, rather than have a few fans watching football the way we would like it played.
It’s no use just winning, we’ve got to win well.
When it is played at its best football remains the greatest game of all. And Tottenham, so close to my heart, is still to me the greatest club.
My personal memories of White Hart Lane now that Spurs will be using Wembley for 2017 – 2018 season and the new stadium is possibly going to be re-named.
The complete fixture list from season 1960/61.
Back to the Double Year page: the night that the League was won.