With the end of the decade nigh, The Spoiler thought it worth looking back at some of the great teams that saw us into the Millenium. Starting with Tottenham - at home to Man City tonight - here are a few names that you might remember.
So, close your eyes, cast your mind back. Then probably open your eyes again, because below is the team that went down 1-0 to Liverpool at White Hart Lane on 3rd January, 2000…
Goalkeeper, Ian Walker
Ian Walker enjoyed over ten years at White Hart Lane, and was married to a former Page Three girl. At the time, that was somewhat revolutionary, making Walker quite the forward thinker. He went on to enjoy a stint at Leicester, before pretty much vanishing without so much as a “cheerio then”. Thanks a lot Ian.
Right Back, Stephen Carr
Signed by Ossie Ardiles in 1993, Carr gave Spurs some of the best years of his life. He then gave Newcastle some of the less good years of his life. Then he retired. Then he unretired himself, and can now be found - almost completely bald - lolloping up the right hand side for Birmingham City.
Centre Back, Sol Campbell
Back in 2000, Sol was already a Tottenham legend, and for the right reasons. But fast forward a year-and-a-bit to when he moved to Arsenal, and some fans couldn’t even utter his name without weeping and slamming their fists into the nearest face. Now basically loathed, which is a shame. He was great for them.
Despite openly proclaiming that he was a cheat who dived to win penalties, David Ginola was a much-loved cult figure of the Premier League during the 1990s. The skillful Frenchman, however, may soon face time in the slammer, as he has failed to use any of his L’Oréal commercial money to service child maintenance payments for a love child he had with a mistress. The Times report:
The case was brought by Joelle Pinquier, who says she had an affair with the footballer-turned-actor in the early 1990s and gave birth to Joy, his daughter, now aged 17.
Ginola, 42, who denies the allegations, faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros if found guilty. He is accused of failing to pay the full child maintenance of 450 euros a month set by a French court in 2006.
The trial has been postponed until December so that Madame Pinquier can submit evidence proving his paternity. Ginola’s lawyer dismissed the proceedings as “hot air”, probably while nonchalantly shrugging.
Croat-Brazilian has outraged Scotland with his naughty play acting
Since the days of watching David Ginola throw himself around the pitch as if he only possessed limited command of his limbs, The Spoiler has held a disgust diving, and those who think they can get away with it.
Hence, we weren’t overly pleased last night to see Eduardo’s successful attempt at cheating Arsenal into a lead; something that changed a game in which Celtic were enjoying a reasonable amount of possession and control.
It seems that Celtic were equally displeased, with Massimo Donati calling for a two match ban following the simulation antics. SFA head honcho Gordon Smith has also waded into the argument, suggesting the Arsenal star should be punished:
‘[…] Last night [Eduardo] showed disrespect to the game by his actions in winning a penalty against Celtic.
‘Since I came into this post, I have raised the issue of simulation time and time again - both here in Scotland and with FIFA and UEFA.
‘I don’t think that I have received enough support in my efforts to eradicate what I believe to be one of the most serious threats to the integrity of football. Last night showed exactly why we must take this issue seriously.
The SFA have set a precedent for banning players for play acting in the case of former Hearts forward Saulius Mikoliunas, who missed two matches after he feigned being headbutted by an Aberdeen player in May.
So, should Eduardo be punished, or should we accept that diving is part of the modern game? Votes below, please…
Football has spawned three amazing actors - Pele, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona. And now you can add another name to that list - David Ginola. Having spent the last few years silently staring into a mirror as his hair slowly greys, he’s managed to peel himself off the floor to star in The Young and The Restless - America’s number one daytime soap opera. Playing the part of a modern day fashion photographer based in Paris, the above picture finds him talking to his stunt double whilst coming to terms with a gigantic camera. Might this be the beginning of a glorious Hollywood career? We hope so.
After the break, enjoy David in his Tottenham days…
The striker in this video goes down with the kind of theatrical flair that David Ginola used to pull off every single week. The well-coiffed Frenchman, however, never had this kind of freakish luck when he hit the deck.
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