Off The Shelf | Gary Mabbutt |The Making Of - now available on all podcast platforms

Gary Mabbutt's story is one of the most extraordinary in football, and he tells all in the latest episode of our all-new official podcast Off The Shelf, now available on all platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google and SPURSPLAY.

Captain for 11 years, 611 appearances - second only all-time to Steve Perryman - UEFA Cup winner in 1984, FA Cup winning captain in 1991 and over 40 years devoted to Spurs, awarded the MBE in 1994, Mabbsy's story is impossible to tell in one episode.

In 'The Making Of...', Mabbsy' talks about the conversations that changed his life, on and off the pitch, including arguably the biggest of all, when he was told his football career was over after being diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic in his early days at Bristol Rovers. Then, in 1982, Bill Nicholson's telephone call to say that the mighty Spurs were interested in his services.

Speaking to host and fellow former centre-back and captain, Michael Dawson, alongside Senior Club Journalist, Paul Miles, Mabbsy took us back to the day he was told he was a diabetic, a seismic, life-changing moment over 40 years ago.

"I hadn't been feeling too well... I went to see the club doctor, and within 10 minutes he said, 'Gary, you're a diabetic', I said, 'what's that?', no-one knew much about it. I went to hospital, doctors told me I'd be on injections for the rest of my life, that I'd have to do testing for the rest of my life and that my career as a footballer was unfortunately over."

Gary was told it would be 'impossible' to continue and combat diabetes with all the demands of the professional game - he tells us how he overcame those odds to complete a 20-year career and play for England. He continues to take seven injections daily, including one at 3am.

Then, in the summer of 1982, Mabbsy received that call from Bill, our legendary former manager who was then part of Keith Burkinshaw's scouting team. "Bill told me he'd seen me play for Bristol Rovers, seen me play for the England youth and Under-21 teams, and he thought I'd have the potential to be a Spurs player. Did I want to come and have a chat?

"I drove into London... I can remember turning into White Hart Lane, through those old huge wrought black iron gates, the West Stand had just been built, and as I drove through those gates, I thought, 'this is where I want to be'..."

You might say he was right!

All episodes of Off The Shelf will appear first and exclusively on SPURSPLAY. After that, they will be available on all your usual podcast platforms including Apple, Amazon Music, Spotify and Google.

Introducing... Off The Shelf

We are delighted to launch our all-new, official podcast, Off The Shelf.

Off The Shelf will bring you even closer to our great Club, telling often untold stories from the current playing squad to the legends who went before them, the staff who keep everything ticking over behind the scenes and, of course, our fans, the heartbeat of Spurs.

In our first series of six podcasts, we'll speak to legendary former skippers and Club Ambassadors Ledley King and Jenna Schillaci; our esteemed captain and World Cup winner Hugo Lloris; another goalkeeping legend, Heurelho Gomes; Academy graduate Oliver Skipp and from Spurs Women, defender Molly Bartrip, who has a compelling story to tell.

Each podcast is dedicated to its subject, shining a light on their careers, and the stories that define them. How did Ledley feel when he was told he’d have to retire? What has it meant for Hugo to captain our Club for almost 10 years?How did Jenna react when she was told she couldn’t play football as a young girl? How did Skippy climb through the ranks from Academy to first team? How did Molly overcome serious health issues to reach the top of the women’s game? What was the one thing Gomes wished for when he left home in Brazil to pursue his dream in Europe? Hoe did Gary Mabbutt cope when he was told being diagnosed as a diabetic was the end of his career? You’ll hear those answers and more...

And who better to present our podcast than one of our modern-day greats and fans' favourite, Michael Dawson! 'Daws' joined us in January, 2005 and spent nine years at the Club, making 324 appearances in all competitions for us until departing in the summer of 2014.

Michael finally retired after 20 seasons as a professional for Forest, Spurs and Hull City in August, 2021, and stepped straight into new roles as our Club Ambassador and as a panellist on Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports. A true leader, Daws radiates enthusiasm - his love for the Club shines through.

Joining Daws is our Senior Club Journalist, Paul Miles. 'Milesy' has been at the Club since 2000, interviewing our players and managers for 23 years - including every game of Daws' Spurs career! You may have seen him in the last couple of years as part of our N17 Live matchday team.

All episodes of Off The Shelf will appear first and exclusively on SPURSPLAY.

After that, they will be available on all your usual podcast platforms including Apple, Amazon Music, Spotify and Google.

Off The Shelf | Ledley King

Off The Shelf | Jenna Schillaci

Off The Shelf | Oliver Skipp

Off The Shelf | Heurelho Gomes

Off The Shelf | Molly Bartrip