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EXCLUSIVE: Spurs legend Micky Hazard recalls UEFA Cup glory nights ahead of Anderlecht clash.

As Tottenham Hotspur welcome old rivals Anderlecht to North London tonight Adam Powley talks to Micky Hazard about a tie that sparks vivid memories of one of the club’s glory-glory nights 31 years ago

Micky Hazard
Micky Hazard


Tottenham Hotspur welcome old rivals Anderlecht to North London tonight, for a tie that sparks vivid memories of one of the club’s glory-glory nights 31 years ago.

Having lost 2-1 in Brussels last month, a youthful Spurs side need to get their current Europa League group-stage campaign back on track. Given the opposition, comparisons are inevitably drawn with the team of today and the youngsters who played in the 1984 final. One man well placed to judge the two generations is feeling positive.

“There are a lot of similarities,” says Micky Hazard. Now 55, he was the expansive talent who made the Tottenham midfield tick in 1984. Having himself made the progression from apprentice to first team, he admires the way Mauricio Pochettino is giving the current youngsters a chance.

“Home-grown talent will give any club its heart and soul. I know the history and traditions of Tottenham because I came through the system. That’s the similarity with today. Those players who have come through the ranks are showing signs of giving the modern team its heart and soul.

“If we can add a couple of really top-drawer players in the next few years, the benefits will be massive. The difference is that the big names in my day were world-class footballers.”

Archibald
Archibald



Recall of those stellar names puts into sharp relief the key difference between the two eras. While Spurs might today be striving for a Champions League place, back in the mid-1980s the club was among the country’s elite and expected to win silverware.

Legends like Glenn Hoddle and World-Cup winner Ossie Ardiles played with inspirational captain Steve Perryman, Ray Clemence, and others with proven talent and experience.

Injuries and suspension meant they were absent from the starting XI for the second leg of the 1984 final. After a first-leg 1-1 draw in Belgium, the pressure on Hazard and his young peers was huge. “We were a fantastic team. We had hard men, pace, skill, creativity, goalscorers. Every avenue was covered. But all of a sudden the five biggest names were out.”

The replacements had to take on an Anderlecht side boasting Enzo Scifo, Frank Arnesen, and Frankie Vercauteren, marshalled by the great Danish skipper, Morten Olsen. But while a fellow Spurs youth graduate, Tony Parks, would grab the headlines for his unforgettable winning save in the penalty shoot-out that ultimately won the trophy, Hazard was arguably the real man of the match.

“People say that. [Manager] Keith Burkinshaw said how well I played. There’s always a hero, and I don’t have any problems with who it is getting the acclaim, but the important thing is Tottenham Hotspur won the UEFA Cup. It didn’t matter who was the hero. There were 15 heroes that night.”

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 23: Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Tony Parks holds a trophy after saving the crucial penalty in the penalty shoot out of the UEFA Cup Final, Second Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Anderlecht at White Hart Lane on May 23, 1984 in London, England, the match finished 1-1, 2-2 on aggregate with Spurs winning 4-3 on penalties. (Photo by Allsport/Getty Images)


Hazard was the dynamic heartbeat of the side even after Spurs went 1-0 down. “Not once did I think we were going to lose. It never entered my head.” Graham Roberts equalised to take the game into a goalless extra time before Park’s made his match-winning contribution, heading off on a celebratory run as a packed White Hart Lane shook to its foundations. “If I hadn’t stopped him, he’d be still running now.”

The triumph was vindication for Hazard, who during his Spurs career had to battle for a place in a midfield packed with supreme talent. It was continental competition that gave him his chance to display his qualities to the full.

“When I played in Europe it was almost like a given that I would never have a bad game. The English game was 100mph, but in Europe I knew I’d be getting loads of the ball.”

Hazard enjoyed a brilliant 1984 campaign, scoring a crucial goal in the semi final, and losing a contact lens amid the celebrations. His finest hours in a Spurs shirt cemented a deep love for what he describes as ‘my club’.

He now combines work as a matchday host at White Hart Lane with unpaid coaching at Spartan South Midlands League side Hadley FC. “It’s a great little club. I know not many people would work four days a week for nothing, but it sort of confirms how much I love the game to do something for nothing.”

Three decades on from the pinnacle of his playing career, Hazard is excited by the possibilities of the new Spurs in the Europa League. He dislikes the meaningless group games and allowances for Champions League losers to join the latter stages, but firmly believes it’s still worth winning.

“The game is about glory and there’s nothing that beats winning a trophy. When we won it was a sense of total, complete joy. It made us find ourselves as sportsmen, to reach deep within your soul and find your very best. In that final, when the pressure was at its greatest, I reached deep and found myself. It was just magical.”