Sunday, January 22, 2012

English Leagues in the 60s : Tottenham Leicester FA Cup 1960 1961

6 May 1961
Wembley Stadium,
London
Referee J. Kelly
Attendance 100,000
  
  When Bill Nicholson died in 2004, there were genuine and heartfelt tributes at White Hart Lane. Tottenham are now regarded as a club starved of success since they have gone without a major trophy since 1991. A similar view prevailed in 1960-1961. A league triumph in 1951 seemed distant; Spurs had become nearly men, adept at reaching semi-finals and, occasionally, the upper reaches of the table, but never bringing home the bacon. During the 1958-1959 season Bill Nicholson was appointed as manager. A dour, almost curmudgeonly figure, Nicholson was a great talent-spotter and a great nurturer of that talent. Within three years he had built a formidable side: good enough to end the previous season on a high b: beating Wolves in their last league game and denying them the opportunity to win the Double. Spurs themselves had finished a point behind in third place. The captain and fulcrum of the team was Danny Blanchflower. Blanchflower was one of those mysterious players; not apparently blessed with amazing talent, he always seemed to take the right option, never wasting the ball and able to play the game at the pace he wanted. If Blanchflower was the head, the heart was Dave Mackay. The most uncompromising of players, he was a manager's dream; a totally committed player who could put the fear of God into opponents but could play as well. With a powerful centre forward in Bobby Smith and good wingers, Tottenham were a threat to everyone.

By the time the FA Cup started Tottenham were sprinting clear at the top of the league. They had lost only one game (to Sheffield Wednesday) and were scoring for fun. Division Two Charlton put up a good fight in the third round, only going down by the odd goal in five. Crewe were thumped 5-1 in the next round, carved up by Spurs' five different goal-scorers, but at least the Railwaymen had improved on their 13-2 thrashing of the previous season. An excellent Tottenham performance at Villa Park saw them outclass their hosts and win 2-0 but a trip to Sunderland proved more demanding. When Spurs went 1-0 up early on, it looked like another routine win but Second Division Sunderland proved tenacious opponent and Spurs made the mistake of relaxing. A deserve equaliser earned Sunderland a replay at White Hart Lane but Tottenham had learnt their lesson. They notched up five again in the replay with four different scorers this time. Their semi-final against reigning champions Burnley should have been a classic. The omens, however, were against Spurs as their allotted venue was Villa Park where they had lost three semi-finals since the war. All the pre-match promise of an absorbing encounter was misplaced as the teams scrapped it out in a poor game in tough conditions, which Spurs comfortably won 3-0. After Cliff Jones' opener, Tottenham survived a few squeaky moments as Burnley pressed hard but two second half goals from Bobby Smith put Spurs totally in control.

With six weeks to go to the final, Tottenham concentrated their efforts back on the league where a minor recent wobble had seen their lead cut. A run of three wins put them back on track and the title was eventually clinched with a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday, their nearest rivals. Their Cup final opponents were Leicester, an honest but unspectacular First Division side. They were well-organised and hard-working with a young Frank McLintock at half-back and a genius, Gordon Banks, in goal.They had needed replays to get through the last three rounds, and only finished off Sheffield United in the third match after two goalless draws. Goals from Jimmy Walsh and Ken Leek settled it. Leek's goals had been instrumental in the Cup run but Leicester would miss him in the final. Tottenham were a better side than Leicester, and may well have won the final in any circumstances despite the weight of expectation and consequent nerves. Yet again, any judgment on the final must take account of a crucial injury, and, with no substitutes, the handicap  that  placed  on  one  team. Leicester's right back Len Chalmers was this year's victim; after a collision with Les Allen, Chalmers spent the match a limping passenger on the wing, and left the field for good after seventy minutes. His colleagues defended stoutly but when Bobby Smith gave Spurs the lead, the game was over. Terry Dyson added a second soon after and Tottenham had their Double.



Codec H264, Mkv
Bitrate 1200
Sound 128 kbps
English Comments
Pass : 

Dead Links
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R24WW3O9
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5EGHO0DQ












 TOTTENHAM Brown, Baker, Henry, Blancnflower , Norman, Mackay, Jones, White, Smith , Allen, Dyson
LEICESTER Banks, Chalmers, Norman, McLintock, King, Appleton, Riley, Walsh , Mcllmoyle, Keyworth, Cheesebrough

Tottenham Hotspur
Round 3 Tottenham Hotspur 3–2 Charlton Athletic (Allen 2, Jones)
Round 4 Tottenham Hotspur 5–1 Crewe Alexandra (Mackay, Jones, Smith, Allen, Dyson)
Round 5 Aston Villa 0–2 Tottenham Hotspur (Jones, Neil o.g.)
Round 6 Sunderland 1–1 Tottenham Hotspur ( Jones)
Replay Tottenham Hotspur 5–0 Sunderland (Mackay, Smith, Allen, Dyson 2)
Semi-final Tottenham Hotspur 3–0 Burnley (Jones, Smith 2) (at Villa Park)

Leicester City
Round 3 Leicester City 3–1 Oxford United (Walsh, Ken Leek, Riley) SL
Round 4 Leicester City 5–1 Bristol City (Will, Leek 2, Walsh 2) Div 3 (First game abandoned after water logged pitch)
Round 5 Birmingham City 1–1 Leicester City (Riley)
Replay Leicester City 2–1 Birmingham City (Leek 2)
Round 6 Leicester City 0–0 Barnsley Div 3
Replay Barnsley 1–2 Leicester City a.e.t. (Riley, Leek)
Semi-final Leicester City 0–0 Sheffield United (at Elland Road) Div 2
Replay Leicester City 0–0 Sheffield United a.e.t. (at the City Ground , Nottingham)
2nd Replay Leicester City 2–0 Sheffield United a.e.t. (Walsh, Leek) (at St Andrews)  

Caps










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