Tottenham Odds

Tottenham Hotspur Odds

As with all Premier League teams, odds on Tottenham are popular with bettors across the globe. 

With Spurs coming close to winning the Premier League in the 2015/2016 season, odds on Tottenham to win the Premier League are a popular choice, particularly in the each-way market. With the Premier League top four race offering value, odds on Tottenham to finish in the top four are another common choice for bettors.

The Tottenham/Arsenal rivalry doesn’t go unnoticed by bookmakers either. With Tottenham starting to perform better with each season, odds on Tottenham to finish above Arsenal are offered by many bookmakers and are also subject to bookmaker offers, such as enhanced odds or money back specials.

With Tottenham’s rich history in European football, odds on Tottenham to qualify for European competitions are widely available. Spurs are challenging to become an established Champions League side, but with Europa League football a possibility for clubs knocked out at the group stage of the competition, odds on Tottenham to win the Europa League are worth considering.

With Tottenham ever improving, and after their third place finish in the 2015/2016 and 2017/2018 seasons, Tottenham to finish third odds have become more common too.

History

Tottenham Hotspur, also known as Spurs, are an English Premier League side based in London. An established Premier League side, they’ve played top flight football consecutively since the 1978/1979 season.

Tottenham Hotspur history begins in 1882, when they were formed as Hotspur F.C. They played in the Southern League until 1908, and their F.A Cup win in 1901 made them the first non-League side since the Football League was founded to win the England’s premier cup competition.

Hotspur F.C were formed by pupils from the All Hallows Church. Like many football clubs founded around that time, these pupils were also part of a cricket team who then went on to form a football team so sport could be played all year round.

In 1884, the club changed its name to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, with another Hotspur F.C also in existence. The origins of the ‘Hotspur’ part of the club’s title are unknown, although it is thought it stems from Henry Percy, Harry Hotspur in William Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1. It’s believed that Percy’s descendants owned the land around the area where the football club was formed.

Tottenham Hotspur turned professional in 1895, after their attempts to join the Southern League were dismissed. After becoming a professional club, they were given admittance to join the league. 

1900 saw the club win the Southern League title, followed by the FA Cup the season after. In 1908, Spurs were given a place in the Second Division, gaining promotion that season after finishing in second place. However, their performances in the First Division left a lot to be desired. When football was suspended in 1915 due to the First World War, Spurs were propping up the table and when football resumed, they found themselves back in the Second Division and replaced by Arsenal, who only finished sixth in the Second Division but due to their financial strength were awarded Tottenham’s First Division place. This led to the start of the huge Arsenal/Tottenham rivalry.

The turn of the 1920’s saw Tottenham regain their First Division place, and in 1921 they added a second FA Cup trophy. However, the rest of the decade saw Spurs struggle once again, and they returned to Second Division football in 1928. Another promotion then another relegation followed before football was suspended again for the duration of the Second World War.

Football resumed, and in the 1949/1950 season, Tottenham gained promotion again. The 1950/51 season saw the club win their first ever First Division title. It was also the first of 27 consecutive seasons in the top flight, in an era that saw Tottenham legend Bill Nicholson take the manager hotseat in 1958, and he went on to be the most successful manager in Tottenham history. Spurs won their second First Division title in 1961 along with another FA Cup the same year. The following season saw Spurs retain the FA Cup and in the 1962/1963 season Tottenham became the first British club to win a European trophy, beating Atletico Madrid in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final.

Another trophy came Spurs’ way that decade in the form of another FA Cup in 1967. The 1970’s also began well, two League Cups in three years alongside the UEFA Cup were added to Tottenham’s trophy cabinet. However, Nicholson resigned shortly after and Spurs again were on the decline. In 1977, Spurs dropped out of the top division and once again were playing Second Division football.

However, it was just a temporary break from top flight football, with Spurs gaining promotion immediately. They’ve remained in the top flight ever since.

The start of the 1980’s was another successful period in Tottenham Hotspur history. Another FA Cup was won in 1981, and the following year they again retained their FA Cup title. 1983 saw another UEFA Cup head to White Hart Lane.

The rest of the 1980’s saw changes in management, but still Spurs competed for the major trophies. However, it wasn’t until the start of the next decade that Spurs won another trophy, coming in the form of their eighth FA Cup. The 1990’s, though, saw a dark time in Spurs history when they were found guilty of making illegal payments to players and after a points deduction was overturned, they were fined £1.5 million. 

The decade saw more changes at boardroom and management level, and in 1998 ex-Arsenal manager George Graham was appointed as Tottenham manager, much to the anger of Spurs fans. He did, however, win the League Cup in his first season in charge, and star man David Ginola won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the Football Writers’ Player of the Year awards.

The turn of the millennium saw a change in owner. Alan Sugar sold his controlling stake to ENIC Sports, a company run by Daniel Levy who remains chairman to this day.

The first few years of this new era at Tottenham were not successful in terms of trophies until the 2007/2008 season when they won their fourth League Cup. However, to date this is the last trophy they’ve won.

Spurs qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history in 2010. They performed well, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition before being knocked out by Real Madrid. They did gain a Champions League qualifying spot in the 2011/2012 season by finishing fourth in the Premier League table, but this spot was given to Chelsea after the Blues won the Champions League that year but only finished sixth in the EPL.

In the 2015/2016 season, Spurs came the closest they had to winning the top flight title since 1961 but a bad run of form towards the end of the season saw them eventually finish third. This, however, gave them a guaranteed Champions League spot for the first time in six years. Spurs have finished in the top four for the last three seasons, with Champions League football now a regular occurance.

Crest

The Tottenham crest history begins in 1921. The famous Tottenham cockerel made its first appearance on a Tottenham jersey in the 1921. The inspiration behind the cockerel is said to come from the character Harry Hotspur, who wore spurs along with his fighting cockerels. This image has gone on to be a major part in Tottenham identity.

In 1956, a new design was implemented. This new crest still contained the image of the cockerel, but this time it was in a shield surrounded by trees representing the Seven Sisters and an image of Bruce Castle. It also contained the Spurs motto Audere Est Facere, meaning To Dare Is To Do.

This Tottenham F.C crest stayed until 1983, when a new badge was designed. This new design featured the cockerel with two red lions on either side. 

In 2006 another badge was designed. The old Tottenham crest provided the inspiration, with this new design featuring a similar cockerel stood atop a football, but the new Tottenham crest features the words ‘Tottenham Hotspur’ underneath. Tottenham’s cockerel history has been part of the club from the beginning to the present day.

Colours

Tottenham Hotspur colours have remained the same for over 100 years, but when the club was formed the team wore a variety of colours and styles. 

The first Tottenham kit consisted of dark blue shirts and shorts, but this was changed in 1884 to a quartered kit. This then changed to a kit consisting of red shirts and blue shorts and when Spurs turned professional a chocolate brown and gold shirt was introduced.

The end of the 1890’s saw Tottenham wear their famous white shirts and dark blue shorts they are known for today. It is said that the Tottenham hierarchy chose these colours as a nod towards Preston North End, the country’s most successful side at that time.

The typical Tottenham kit consists of a white shirt, dark blue shorts and either dark blue or white socks. This has been the standard kit since 1898, but there have been changes made for certain seasons. Their European campaigns of the 1950’s and 1960’s saw Tottenham wear all white kits, and all white kits have been worn in recent Premier League seasons also. 

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Tottenham Marshes was the first location for Tottenham matches. The club played here for six years until 1898 when they moved to Northumberland Park. 

With the increased number of fans going to watch Spurs play, Northumberland Park was no longer suitable for Tottenham’s needs. After only one year there, Tottenham moved to a site on the Tottenham High Road, behind a pub on land owned by Charringtons brewery. This was White Hart Lane, and remains the home of Tottenham Hotspur football club.

From 1905 onwards, new stands and terraces were added to the Lane. By 1938, White Hart Lane had a stadium capacity of around 80,000.

The 1950’s saw more renovations to the White Hart Lane stadium. The bronze cockerel was moved to the top of the East Stand, and floodlights were installed. 

In 1992, it was advised in the Taylor Report that all Premier League clubs had to have all-seater stadiums and Tottenham converted their terraces to seating area over the next two seasons. The current capacity of White Hart Lane stands at 36,284.

Over the last decade, there have been plans for Tottenham to either extend their current ground, build a new ground or move into an existing stadium. Tottenham Hotspur Olympic Stadium plans were short lived as the Olympic Games Legacy Committee ruled that West Ham United were to be given the London 2012 stadium, and the Hammers moved in in 2016.

There is, however, a new Tottenham Hotspur stadium plan. The Northumberland Development Project is underway and will see White Hart Lane completely redeveloped and a new state-of-the-art football stadium will take its place. The project is said to cost around £400 million and will have a capacity of around 61,000. The new Tottenham stadium should've been opened in time for the 2018/2019 season, however a delay in construction means Spurs playing their home games at Wembley Stadium for the foreseeable future.

Supporters

Tottenham Hotspur are one of the best supported clubs in England. They rank eleventh in the list of Premier League attendances, though this is mainly because of the relatively low capacity White Hart Lane has compared to some other Premier League grounds. In their recent Champions League group game against Monaco, held at Wembley Stadium, there was a crowd of over 85,000 spectators. 

Famous Spurs supporters songs include Glory Glory Hallelujah, first heard during the 1961/1962 season and still is sung by the Tottenham crowd today.

Tottenham Hotspur season tickets are expensive compared to the majority of the Premier League, with recent figures showing that Spurs are just behind neighbours Arsenal in terms of season ticket prices. 

Tottenham have a number of supporters clubs worldwide. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club have close ties to Tottenham Hotspur F.C, with the THSC relaying fan issues directly with the club.

Tottenham Hotspur merchandise is among the biggest sellers worldwide, and have the fifth highest merchandise sales in the Premier League.

Ownership

The majority shareholders of Tottenham Hotspur are ENIC International Ltd, run by Daniel Levy who also holds the role of chairman.

ENIC bought shares from then owner Alan Sugar in 2001. Alan Sugar had bought the club during the 1990/1991 season after the chairman Irving Scholar was threatened with bankruptcy. Sugar launched a takeover bid and paid of the £20 million debt accrued by the club in the previous years.

Financial reports in 2010 showed that ENIC held the equivalent of over 85% of shared capital.

Stats

Steve Perryman played 854 games for Spurs from 1969 to 1986, making him Tottenham’s all-time leading appearance maker. Spurs’ all-time leading goalscorer is Jimmy Greaves, who notched 266 goals in 379 appearances for the club.

Tottenham Hotspur stats show that Tottenham also hold a number of British records, some wanted and others not so. The wanted records include being the first non-league team to win the FA Cup; the first club to ‘do the double’ in the 20th century by winning the top flight title and the FA Cup in the same season; the first British club to appear in European competition; the first English club to win a European competition; and became the first team to score two or more goals in every Champions League group game.

They also hold the record for the fastest ever Premier League goal, when captain Ledley King scored against Bradford City after just 9.7 seconds in 2000.

They do have the unfortunate record however of being the first Premier League club to concede 1,000 goals.

78 players have played for England whilst plying their club trade with Spurs, the highest number from any club in England. The England records continue with the stat that Tottenham players playing for England have scored over 200 goals, the second most in the country. Striker Harry Kane is currently the England captain.

Tottenham Hotspur Players

Tottenham have a rich history of some of the world’s best players appearing in Spurs shirts. They shocked the world in 1978 when they signed Argentina’s Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa in a move that wasn’t common at all in English football at the time.

Tottenham player transfers have been some of the most exciting in modern times, with the club bringing in some of the world’s best talent over the last few decades. The signing of Jurgen Klinsmann in the 1990’s was debated by English football fans, but he went on to become a Spurs legend and over 150,000 Tottenham Hotspur shirts bearing his name were sold.

They also received the highest world transfer fee in the history of football. Since been broken, nevertheless the club received over £85 million pound for Gareth Bale from Real Madrid in 2013, making Bale the most expensive player in the world and the highest ever transfer received.

The Tottenham players list currently stands at a squad of 24 players, not including Academy players who are yet to make a first-team appearance. 

Jan Vertonghen is the current Tottenham Player of the Year. No Tottenham player has won successive Player of the Year awards since Stephen Carr achieved the feat in 1999 and again in 2000.

Tottenham players wages have also been a hot topic of debate amongst football fans. Chairman Daniel Levy is known for his frugality, and the Spurs players are rumoured to be amongst the lowest paid in the top six of the Premier League.

Tottenham also have a Ladies team. Tottenham Hotspur Ladies were founded in 1985 and currently play their football in the FA Women’s Southern Premier League.

Tottenham Manager

The current Tottenham manager is Mauricio Pochettino. Pochettino is the 36th man to take charge of Spurs, including caretaker managers, and the sixth in the last seven years.

The Tottenham manager’s job seemed to be like a poisoned chalice in the 21st century. David Pleat took control as caretaker boss on two occasions when Spurs were inbetween managers, as did Clive Allen and Alex Inglethorpe. Jacques Santini, Juande Ramos and Andres Villas-Boas all lasted for just a season and meant that Spurs manager gossip was all over the back pages of the national press. Odds on the next Spurs manager were amongst the most popular of manager odds, but Pochettino, who joined the club from Southampton, might be at the club for many seasons to come.

Honours

The Tottenham Honours list domestically stands at two top flight titles (both First Division titles, Spurs have yet to win the top flight since the Premier League was formed in 1992) in 1950/1951 and 1960/1961; eight FA Cups (1901,1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1982 and 1991); four League Cups (1971, 1973, 1999, 2008);and seven Charity Shields.

Tottenham’s European trophies are one European Cup Winners’ Cup, won in 1963, and two UEFA Cups, won in 1972 and 1984.