2,055 - part six

Three giants of Tottenham Hotspur. 10 questions.

Welcome to part six of our special 2,055 Q&A with Steve Perryman, Gary Mabbutt and Pat Jennings, all-time Spurs greats and our top three appearance makers with 854, 611 and 590 matches respectively, a grand total of 2,055.

Over the course of the 10-part series we’ll talk about the day they signed, walking into the dressing room as youngsters, biggest influences and magic moments over their collective span of 34 years at the Club we all love - 1964-1998. What game would they love to play again? What made them proudest? Over 20 years since the last of the trio retired from playing - Mabbsy in 1998 - what does Spurs mean to them?

These are our heroes, legends whose names are and will be forever indelibly linked with Tottenham Hotspur.

2,055 - part six

If you could turn back time and play one game again, what would it be?

Steve Perryman

Most appearances in Europe for Spurs - 64

“It would be the AC Milan game, the UEFA Cup semi-final in 1972. It was sort of my game, in terms of scoring two goals in a 2-1 win and we recovered the game from being 1-0 down, one of the great Tottenham nights. Whatever went on, I think during that era we weren’t that good in the league, we needed the cup success to give us our credibility, if you like. That was a game that stretched our credibility a bit further and led on to be a saving grace UEFA Cup win against Wolves in the final. To sample the feeling of being a match winner was something unusual for me and one I liked, not enough to keep doing it, unfortunately, but to be a match winner was something new. I wasn’t saving shots like Pat, I wasn’t putting the ball in the net like Greaves, Chiv or Gilly, but all of a sudden, on this night, I did it twice and it was a special feeling. Again, it’s reward for the fans' loyalty and loyalty is a big word with me. I like loyalty. I like people who follow the club up and down the country. There is a couple who live up in Scotland and whether I was playing when I just started or when I ended, or when I went up to Carlisle with Exeter, they were always there. That needs rewarding, as such, and the best way to reward it is to win games, to give your all and that night was one of those.”

Gary Mabbutt

Lifted the FA Cup as skipper in 1991

“The semi-final against Arsenal. They’d won the title, were going for the double and had a fantastic season. We’d had an up and down season and we went into that semi-final and I’ve never seen a team outplayed as we outplayed Arsenal that day. We were totally on top of them. It was an incredible game. I have some wonderful memories of that day. The fans were amazing - it was like we’d won the FA Cup and UEFA Cup all at the same time. That was incredible. But the one moment in my career, walking up the stairs to receive the FA Cup, the Duke and Duchess of Kent were there, Princess Diana and Prince Charles, you go up and see the trophy and that moment when you turn... the FA Cup Final was such a special day for me growing up. Remember, there was hardly any football on TV back then. We’d start watching at nine in the morning. We’d have ‘It’s a Cup Final Knockout’, then ‘how the teams got there’, breakfast with the teams, on the coach with the teams. I used to watch it all day, until the captain lifted the trophy. It dawned on me then ‘I’m actually going to be doing this now’. That moment you turn and lift the trophy to the fans, the noise that hits you, sharing that moment with the fans in the stadium and all over the world, that is a very sweet moment.”

Pat Jennings

Pat won the PFA Player of the Year the following season - 1975/76

“That’s tough - I’m two short of 1,100 first class games! For me, the Leeds game in 1975, when we needed to win our last match of the season on a Monday night (28 April, 1975) to stay in the First Division. I didn’t want to be part of a team that took the great Tottenham Hotspur into the Second Division. That was an unbelievable night. Leeds were reigning champions and playing in the European Cup Final two weeks later. They were a great team. We won 4-2 and it was unbelievable. The High Road after the game was just like us taking the FA Cup back to Tottenham. It was so important for everyone involved. That’s the night Alfie Conn sat on the ball! We were coasting, then all of a sudden Alfie decided to take the micky and we had a war on our hands! We told him to go in and apologise to the Leeds team afterwards, and he did. It was a must-win match... to get to the last match and have to win to stay in the First Division, that’s what we played for that night. Incredible.”

Pat and former Leeds striker Joe Jordan - then our assistant manager - relived this night together back in 2010... 

Next: 2,055 - part seven

The appearances, the trophies, the glory - what are you most proud of?

2,055 - the series

Part one - what do you remember about the day you signed for Spurs?
Part two - what was it like stepping into the dressing room for the first time with all those greats around you?
Part three - at the start of your Spurs career, was there a defining moment when you felt you really belonged?
Part four - Bill Nicholson meant a lot to you all, and played a key role in all of your careers - do you have one abiding memory of the great man?
Part five - who were the biggest influences in your Spurs career?