Trust Carlo says Gray
SPURS record goalscorer Clive Allen has confessed that he could never have envisaged a young Harry Kane ever threatening his amazing haul. Allen struck 49 goals in the 1986-87 season which helped him land the PFA and FWA Footballer of the Year awards, and he coached a teenage Kane when he was the Tottenham development coach.
Kane struggled to make an impression and was loaned out to Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester – and Allen revealed: “To be honest, you’d never have predicted what he has achieved.
“As a development coach at Spurs I had a keen eye on what was happening in the youth team, which included Harry.what he had was this great desire, similar to what I had at his age.
“He ended up improving every aspect of his game. He worked tirelessly – he was good to work with as he had that desire to do well.”
Now Allen (below) believes Kane can threaten his all-time Spurs record. He recalls a conversation with another Tottenham goalscoring legend, Jimmy Greaves en route to his 49-goal bonanza.
“Ten games into that season, the legendary
Jimmy Greaves, the striker I grew up with my dad Les who was in the
1960-61 Doublewinning Spurs side, telling me he was the best
FORMER Everton striker Andy Gray says boss Carlo Ancelotti will get their transfer strategy back on track.thetoffees have spent lavishly over the last few years – and Gray, a title winner with Everton in 1985, said: “The spending hasn’t been good enough and I don’t think anyone can argue with that.there’s been a host of players who have not been up to it. But Ancelotti has managed all over Europe and he will have a transfer list he’s already given to Everton.” goalscorer ever. Jimmy interviewed me on his famous Saint & Greavsie TV show. I’d scored 10 goals in the first 10 games and at the end of the interview he said: ‘Hey son you can go on and break my record.’ His record then was 44 goals. I said he must be joking, there was absolutely no way that was going to happen.
“But I was very fortunate in scoring 49 goals – so I now hold the record and I’m very proud of it. “But if Harry or anybody else breaks it, I’d be the first one to shake their hand because they would have deserved it – and it will be an incredible feat.”
A modest Allen, now 58, insists his most successful season was down to the service provided by outstanding talent like Glenn Hoddle and Chriswaddle. “Everybody said I played up front on my own as the striker but that wasn’t the case. David Pleat, the manager, looked at the players he had, came up with what we know today as a five man midfield.
“Glenn was devoid of all defensive responsibilities.we had the extra man in the midfield area and so Glenn was able to do what he did best in possession of the ball.teams didn’t know how to deal with us – and so for me it was just heaven, great.
“There were chances galore and I got off to a great start at the beginning of the season – and the chances kept coming and the goals kept coming.”