Superfan
Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 9:50AM Win it.
Superfan: The Amazing Life of Morris Keston.
Get on this. Cracking read for several reasons. If you don't know who this esteemed Spurs fan is (he's only missed two games in 70 years - beat that) then you've probably never read The Glory Game (shame on you). He's got a chapter to himself in that classic, and now we have the pleasure of reading his stories and anecdotes in this essential publication.
Morris, bless him, befriended Spurs players by following them around, sitting next to them on the bus (the irony being that later on the players chased him around and wanted to befriend him). I've tried that myself, although, obviously Spurs players no longer use buses, and it's a bit difficult to explain to a modern day footballer what you're doing laying across the back seat of their car or welcoming them into their own home whilst sat on their sofa.
There's nothing quaint and innocent about modern day football I'm afraid. What this book illustrates best is a chapter in time when things were a little more accessible. Not that Morris and company didn't know how to party. 60's being the 60's. And to think he even flirted with the position of chairman at WHL.
And if the glory days and the World Cup is not enough for you, add Muhammad Ali and Sinatra to the mix. Yes, Morris Keston. Businessman. Fund-raiser. Spurs fan. Massive personality. Story-teller. Just like our beloved club, never a dull moment.
Damn it, imagine how good his blog would have been had the internet been around back then? But don't fret, this is the next best thing.
So, I'm thinking rather than a caption competition we try 'best footballing anecdote'. Doesn't have to be something related to you having met someone famous within the game, but I'm sure all of you have a story to tell yourselves having gone to the Lane and beyond in your lifetimes.
So post your entry in the comments section below and click here to see the current entries.
COYS.
Superfan published by Vision Sports Publishing on the 3rd May 2010, RRP £12.99.
Morris Keston on Twitter.
Reader Comments (18)
I meet Teddy Sheringham in McDonalds in Waltham Abbey. Offered to buy him a Big Mac. Have no idea why exactly considering the money he has. He laughed and declined. Bastard didn't offer me a Big Mac, the flash bastard.
I saw Benny Assou Ekotto on the tube once. E woz usin is Oyster card innit?
Steve Sedgley on the tube, Oxford Circus when he was a Spurs player. With the wife (tasty if I remember). Lovely bloke. Really down to earth. No real ground-breaker here, other than he was very approachable.
I met the late Sir Bill Nicholson when I was at primary school across the road. Got his autograph and everything
Sorry for the Jewish terminology:
A friend of mine is the son of Len Lazarus who was Paul Gascoigne's lawyer. When he had his bar mitzvah (a Jewish confirmation) he invited Gazza to come to the synagogue on Saturday (the Jewish sabbath). At the end of the service he walked out of the synagogue. A kid was playing football outside and, when he saw Gazza, his eyes nearly popped out. He ran up and asked for Gazza's autograph to which Gazza replied: I can't, it's the sabbath!
One more:
At the end of the 1991 FA cup semi against the goons, we were walking out of Wembley; Spurs fans on one side of the road and gooners on the other side. There was obviously a lot of traffic on the road there. Suddenly, jeremy beadle of candid camera fame and, therefore, hated besides for being a gooner. Bear in mind that that year they won the league and had the chance to win the cup as well.
Anyway I yelled at him: Oy beadle!
As he turned to face me I started singing:
You've lost that double feeling oh that double feeling a la top gun. (well it was 1991!!)
And all the fans joined in. You should have seen his face. He was broken!!
My girlfriend saw Defoe in a petrol garage in Oakwood last week. He gave a score to the big issue seller.
True story. 87-88. Meant to be going to a meeting in Newcastle in midweek. Managed to put it off til the Saturday because Spurs were playing there. 3rd week of January, bloody cold and snowing (with an attendance of 24,600!). Flew up there in the morning, went to the meeting, went to the match and then got back to the airport where I flew back with the team on the plane. I had a Spurs t-shirt on which I took off in the loo and the whole team signed it including Venables. By the way, we lost 2-0 and Gazza scored both - 1 a penalty!
Back when me and my Dad used to have an upper west seaon ticket (I know, I know...) and my old man was a bit of a flash git who was in with a few 'celebs,' we went to the Spurs vs Man United game with a couple of them in the back of his motor. Namely Edith Bowman and none other than Fergie's son Darren Ferguson. On the way there we had to endure the usual arrogance from these two ungrateful b*stards who, if it was me driving, would have been made to get out and walk to the ground. Not so much abuse. More the usual 'I wonder how many we will win by' chat you get from the red half of manchestuh. Being only about 17 at the time I kept my trap shut, secretly seething with rage.
Luckily for me, the match in question was in October 1999 when you may remember Gary Neville notched an OG and Stephan Carrr, my favourite player at the time, scored an absolute screamer from 25 yards. 3-1 Tottenham.
Meeting back at the car afterwards was truly wondrous. The look on young Fergie's face was a sight to behold and it was brilliant to watch him squirm as he congratulated us on the win. It was silence from the back seats all the way home. He didn't say one word as the Capital Gold pundits disected the game over and over again. I've never enjoyed sitting in White Hart Lane traffic so much.
I met Steve Perryman who was doing a promo in a Building Society by my school in Finchley back in late 70's. A Pure Gent. Signed a programme for me. A prized possession still.
A man Living our dream you would need to win the Euro Lottery just to eat in the same restaurant today . My story is in the seventy's when going to a match was like tackling the Taliban. We had got to the Final of the Milk Cup and our opponents was my next door neighbor Liverpool in the Milk Cup.. most of the football shirts round my area where Liverpool Everton Utd City there is quite a few Spurs both in Widnes and Warrington but without Mobiles and internet where passing strangers until Wembley trip comes along . A lad i got to know who supported Spurs told me he had three tickets for the game .My brother in law had the other ticket he supported Liverpool . The day arrived and we set of with the enemy on the train no scarfs or Rosettes to say we where Spurs fans don't forget this was in the Seventy's and triable warfare was rife .We arrived three hours later and set of to Wembley way we where mixed with red scarfs and banners of the enemy . With what seemed like seconds we where caught up in a battle of the fans bottles rained down we where pinned against a wall fighting for survival and at the Mercy of my Spurs. Just in time the Cavalry arrived with batons drawn trying to knock any fans head off who got in the way of there charging Horses. Having survived the the Horses who where far more Dangerous than my fellow Spurs fans . We made our way to the stadium and to our Horror we where all in separate stands down the Liverpool end the day was going from bad to worse .We picked a spot to met up after the game and entered the stadium i made my way down to my seat amongst all the red and white scarfs and flags by this time i had bought a Spurs scarf and Rosette and if looks could kill i would be well dead . Unlike my mate i was fearless when it come to Supporting my Spurs and would shout for our lads in the Eeverton end and Utd when attending matches .The game started and Archiballd scored up went my scarf the only one in the stand and my cry of Joy was only bettered by deadly silence behind me . Two lads next to me who where drunk started telling me to take my scarf of even the women where screaming kill him. When it comes to defending myself i was fearless especially when it concerned my Family and Spurs these two Drunks where brothers and wanted to fight me i stood up and challenged the to two of them they both jumped back to the next seat cowering to this Spurs fan with a north west voice when just in front of me three big lads stood up and said in London voices he is with us now fuck off they had not celebrated because they where also in the wrong end but because i stood up to the scousers they came out of the closets and joined there fellow Cockerel defending our Team the only downside we lost but my little Spurs Army won the battle of the bullies .The three lads where not famous or players but just has welcome to me in my hour of need
Met Chrissy Houghton justfer Levy fired him and Jol in Marks and spensers in Chessunt, really nice guy, had a good old chat with him, told him us fans were sorry about the way the board handled the sackings, he was fine, no hard feelings atall, just said he had to move forward and see what comes up.
Jesus, is there anything worse than trying to read a post by davspurs??? What the fuck does he be going on about???
Whoa Irishspur you gotta love DavSpurs! Ledgend
Doing a Davspurs there - I meant legend!
I played in a team captained by Martin Chivers at WHL, and was marked for the full 90 mins by Gary Mabbutt!
That was back in 2001 when the sports charity Football Aid had just got up and running.
Every Premiership club was hosting a charity match, in which there was a home team and an away team, each captained by a legend - ours being the aforementioned Mabs & Chivy.
For each position in the team there was an auction, except for the coveted No. 9 shirt which was via competition entry.
Positions in the team were available with a starting price of £250 for just 45 mins, and obviously rose as the auction continued.
Now, I couldn't afford to pay for a place so I entered the competition for the No.9 shirt.
About a week before the game was to take place (14th April - my brother's 21st birthday), I got an email saying that I had won the position of No.9 on the away team.
Couldn't believe it!!!!
Important thing to remember here is that I had a game for the team I managed the night before - and I could only just manage 90 mins that night, let alone make it through 90 at WHL. In fact, I so suffered from the night before that the cramp kicked in on the walk from Seven Sisters tube station!!
Got to the stadium with my brother in tow - thinking that I should have let him play as a 21st birthday present, but not willing to give up this once in a lifetime dream.
First came the tour, including a stroll down to the pitch, followed by entering the dressing room. There were the kits all layed out, including names and numbers and we were ready to go.
Out into the pre-match warmup and I do admit it was the only time I found the back of the net, with a header.
It was only at kick-off that I suddenly encountered Gary Mabs as my marker for the full 90 mins.
And I have to say that, old as he was/is, he had me in his pocket for the entire time.
We lost to the home team, but it was an amazing experience to play on that hallowed turf.
One interesting observation - at that time, the visitors bench was actually LOWER than the home one. It was down in a hole and head height was litterally at pitch level. A clever little bit of thinking/ mind games going on there.
I thought Davspurs put in a big effort, punctuation and all :)
I used to work at Stansted Airport so I saw a few faces. Saw the Shakhtar Donetsk team coming through the day after they beat us last year (or whenever it was). Saw Aaron Lennon once, you don't realize till you see him in person, that he has a massive chest.