Is Gascoigne Going To Have a Crack? The Spurs Nostalgia Podcast

I was joined by Gerry Francis, our longest serving manager of the 90s, to relive life in the dugout at White Hart Lane. Gerry talks candidly about working with Alan Sugar, his enormous pride at managing Spurs and his role in the incredible 94/95 season.

Gerry discussed the myth that he turned down the chance to sign Dennis Bergkamp as Klinsmann's replacement, signing Ginola and the way that English football was going as the 90s progressed.

Gerry also talks about managing his son's severe OCD.

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Gareth is joined by David Harris (Grumpy Old Spurs podcast) to revisit the 1996/97 season — the year when Spurs’ mediocrity didn’t just begin, it fully took hold.

This was a truly forgettable campaign: a summer so underwhelming we couldn’t even complete the signing of Tony Thomas from Tranmere, followed by a season that opened — and continued — with relentless frustration.

We explore a year defined by:

• Gary Mabbutt’s season‑ending double leg break after 18 minutes of the opening game
• A squad ravaged by injuries: Nethercott, Anderton, Armstrong, Sheringham — all sidelined early
• A team that never won three consecutive games and drifted aimlessly in mid‑table
• The nadir: an eight‑day winter collapse featuring
• last‑minute heartbreak at Highbury
• a 6–1 humiliation at second‑tier Bolton in the League Cup
• the infamous moment when even our own turf turned on us against Liverpool
• A season so thin that Spurs began 1997 with their 6th and 7th choice strikers starting away at Manchester United
• The surreal contrast of moving into a world‑class training ground while the team on the pitch fell apart
• And, incredibly, how David’s early legal career helped set in motion the chain of events that would lead to Sol Campbell’s departure four years later

All of this unfolds against the backdrop of Euro 96 optimism, Britpop fading, Oasis at Knebworth, Trainspotting, Spice Girls, Gazelles, Fred Perrys — and Spurs feeling older and more tired than the country around them.

As ever, we tackle this largely miserable season with the levity, irreverence and gallows humour that 96/97 absolutely deserves.

If you want to explore Spurs’ journey through the 1980s and 1990s, Gareth’s books Hot Shot Tottenham and Is Gascoigne Going To Have a Crack? are available here:

https://90sspursbook.square.site

(and via Amazon in hardback and e‑book formats).

Please follow the podcast and leave a rating — it really helps.

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In this episode, I’m joined by broadcaster and host of The Tottenham Way podcast Marcus Buckland as we continue our journey through Tottenham Hotspur’s 1990s seasons — this time landing on the often‑overlooked 1995/96 campaign.

After the chaos, colour and heartbreak of 94/95 — Klinsmann, Popescu, Barmby, Ossie’s Fab Five — the following season felt far more subdued. Marcus and I dig into why 95/96 struggled to leave a lasting mark on supporters, despite the numbers telling a very different story.

We revisit a campaign full of contradictions: big wins over Arsenal and Manchester United, two strikers hitting 20+ goals, clean sheets, a spell in third place, and two draws against Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle that shaped the title race. Yet it was also a year defined by “nearly” moments — a dramatic FA Cup trilogy with Nottingham Forest ending in Spurs’ first ever penalty shoot‑out defeat, and a final‑day collapse that saw us fall from 5th to 8th within twenty agonising minutes.

Along the way we explore the mood around White Hart Lane: Alan Sugar’s infamous “Carlos Kickaballs” summer, the departures of Klinsmann, Popescu and Barmby, the arrival of Chris Armstrong and Ruel Fox, and the symbolism of swapping Umbro for Pony — a moment that felt like Spurs shrinking just as the rest of the Premier League (Arsenal with Bergkamp, Chelsea with Gullit, Newcastle with Ginola and Ferdinand) was expanding.

Marcus brings sharp insight from both the stands and the BBC Radio London press box, helping us understand what this quieter, transitional season reveals about Spurs’ identity in the 90s — and why even the forgotten years matter in the bigger story of English football.

Read about Spurs’ entire 90s journey in my book Is Gascoigne Going To Have a Crack? — available directly from me here: https://90sspursbook.square.site/

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This week on Is Gascoigne Going To Have a Crack? I’m joined by Match of the Day commentator Steve Wilson, who was part of the era‑defining Capital Gold Sport team throughout the 90s — a golden age of English football nostalgia and the soundtrack to how London followed the game.

Steve talks through his career journey, from volunteering at the newly created Capital Gold Sport, to covering Spurs during one of the most chaotic and memorable periods in 90s football, and eventually becoming one of the most recognisable voices on Match of the Day.

We discuss the cultural phenomenon of Jonathan Pearce, the magic of listening to football on the radio, and Spurs’ place in the wider London football landscape as the decade progressed.

Do you have memories of listening to Steve or Capital Gold Sport? Get in touch via Spotify, Bluesky (@90s90sSpursbooks) or X (@garethdace).

Looking for some Spurs reading this summer? My books are here — https://90sspursbook.square.site/

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Chris Slegg is back as we continue the story of the incredible 94/95 season.

In Part Two we discuss Gerry Francis' arrival, the introduction of Terror Tuesdays, a very unusually Spurs phenomenon of keeping clean sheets (while continuing to score goals) and the bittersweet end to the season that saw FA Cup heartbreak and Klinsmann's departure.

What makes 94/95 the most fun of all Spurs seasons? Chris is best placed to discuss this.

You can buy his book The Team That Dared To Do - kindle version is available here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Team-That-Dared-Do-Tottenham-ebook/dp/B08HB5SG2X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3229ZUVANWBNE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4l1Q4FmoJ7F5PjaO9OQccg.Swv11PyRb_dPe_2rn9NNuEd4yztKaB_h-go6jyL6Fwo&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+team+that+dared+to+do&qid=1777492222&sprefix=the+team+that+dared+to+do%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1

Buy my book that covers the 94/95 season here - https://90sspursbook.square.site/

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94/95 might just be the most fun season in Spurs' entire history let alone the 90s. It was an absolute rollercoaster but remembered so fondly by fans and players alike.

I was joined by Chris Slegg who co-wrote the 2017 book 'The Team That Dared To Do' alongside Gerry Francis that serialises this incredible season. It was so incredible and incident packed that we've broken it into two parts.

In this episode Chris and I talk through the pre-season excitement of Klinsmann and the Famous Five and the early part of the season that saw Spurs suddenly considered as genuine title challengers (despite starting on -6 points!) and playing the most scintillating brand of football seen in N17 since the Push and Run side of the 50s. However, in true Spurs style it was short lived and following a crushing 3-0 loss to 2nd tier Notts County in the League Cup 3rd round Ossie Ardiles was sacked.

We'll reflect on Ossie's period as manager and the position Spurs found themselves in as we approach winter. Part Two, out next week, will pick up the story from there.

Buy the Kindle version of Chris' book here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Team-That-Dared-Do-Tottenham-ebook/dp/B08HB5SG2X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3229ZUVANWBNE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4l1Q4FmoJ7F5PjaO9OQccg.Swv11PyRb_dPe_2rn9NNuEd4yztKaB_h-go6jyL6Fwo&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+team+that+dared+to+do&qid=1777492222&sprefix=the+team+that+dared+to+do%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1

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The Summer of 1994 was as dramatic and turbulent as the near-disaster of the season we'd just endured. Theo Delaney and Milo both returned to the podcast to discuss:

• Our extraordinary punishment from the FA that saw us deducted 12 points, thrown out the FA Cup and fined a record amount.
• The 1994 Summer World Cup
• The audacious signing of Jurgen Klinsmann on Alan Sugar's yacht.

The rollercoaster ride that was Tottenham Hotspur in the 1990s didn't stop when the season ended as this episode explores.

Read all about Spurs' mayhem (plus the magic and mediocrity) in the 90s in my book. Buy directly from me here - https://90sspursbook.square.site/

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Joining me this week is former Spurs player Jason Dozzell who spent four years with us between 1993 - 1997.

Jason talked candidly about:

• His affection for Spurs growing up.
• Why he left his boyhood club Ipswich to join us in Summer 93.
• His strained relationship with Spurs fans...but why he was so proud to wear lilywhite
• The pressures of playing at White Hart Lane

Buy Jason's book here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Follow-Thunder-Jason-Dozzell-Story/dp/1801509190/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LOQYR7UPOA5O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Pf94SdHHh7Ac0NODzs_5AP_O_JN-Blu7TGryHZmlTJjGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.OOIf02jrPGxE8TuRwpTK3MnahGtoT3PgDYBRuaRgfYc&dib_tag=se&keywords=jason+dozzell&qid=1777482373&sprefix=jason+dozzell%2Caps%2C318&sr=8-1

Read about Jason and all 109 players to have appeared for Spurs in the 90s in my book here - https://90sspursbook.square.site/

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We kick Season 2 off with a season review of the near disaster that was 93/94.

Vass Koni of Dr Tottenham podcast shares his memories of a traumatic campaign that started well but descended into chaos amid a severe injury crisis. We spiralled into a death spin that was just a miraculous win at Oldham away from relegation.

what do you remember about this season? Share your memories on Spotify or find me and Vass on Bluesky.

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Season 2 is finally here! Landing after the trauma and near-disaster of the 25/26 season Season 2 of Is Gascoigne Going To Have a Crack? will take you through what was previously considered as one of the most difficult times to support Spurs with relegation haunted campaigns in 1994 and 1998.

In this trailer episode I talk you through the 10 episodes that will land with you through Summer 2026 and there are some audio clips to whet your appetite. Episodes will drop on Tuesday mornings..

As discussed - do make sure you listen back to the recent episode with Rob Fletcher who helps to set the wider context in English football during the mid-90s - https://pod.fo/e/404e17

Buy my Spurs books here - https://90sspursbook.square.site/

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