CUPS WOULD HELP SPURS KEEP STARS

I KNOW that it is common to view qualification for the Champions League as more important than winning the FA Cup. Given the sums of money involved, it’s understandable. What I would ask players and managers who subscribe to that view is to think ahead 20 or 30 years. When you go back to visit your club, what photos will be on the wall? They won’t be photos of you coming off from the last game of the season having secured fourth place. If you’ve won a cup, especially the FA Cup, you can guarantee that they’ll commemorate that and you’ll go down in club history. And that’s true even if you’re at Manchester United. I also believe that silverware breeds more silverware. So an FA Cup win can lay the foundations for a winning team. Winning the FA Cup in 1981 with Tottenham set our team up for a few years of success, going on to win the FA Cup again in 1982 and the Uefa Cup in 1984 and reaching the Uefa Cup quarter-finals, only losing to Real Madrid, in 1985. It was the launchpad for our title challenge in 1984-85. I’ve nothing but admiration for the job Mauricio Pochettino is doing at Tottenham but he has spoken about how the Premier League and the Champions League are the trophies the club should target. And while he is right in the long term, in the short term the FA Cup might be a stepping stone. Spurs need trophies to persuade the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli to stay and be part of the next few years. The euphoria of an FA Cup win can help do that by creating lifetime memories. After all, it’s almost 37 years since Ricky Villa scored for us at Wembley. And we’re still talking about it!