Hoddle: A visionary whose genius transcends tribal loyalties and generations

GLENN IS AN ENGLISH LEGEND, NO WONDER SO MANY ARE PRAYING FOR HIM

GLENN HODDLE is an iconic figure in English football.

That is why, when news of his collapse in a TV studio broke, it was not just Tottenham fans praying for his recovery.

Hoddle, 61, was a genius as a player, a visionary as a manager, and, most recently, a brilliant TV pundit because he can see things in a game beyond the rest of us.

Tottenham legend Hoddle is one of those rare figures in football who transcends club rivalries – his talent means he is appreciated far beyond fans who used to worship him.

And if you needed proof of his standing within the game, just look at the pictures of Hoddle holding court with the England players after a game during the World Cup (left).

Former England boss Hoddle, working as a TV pundit in Russia, was offering advice to Harry Maguire and John Stones and, such is their respect for one of English football’s greats, they were hanging on every word.

Football came easy to Hoddle and it was a reflection of the failings of English football that he won only 53 international caps, England managers regarding him as a luxury player.

England legend Gary Lineker once claimed Hoddle (with Three Lions team-mate Terry Butcher after beating Sotland to win the Rous Cup in 1986, below, centre) was the best passer of the ball he ever played with, and there is so much affection from other former team-mates like Ossie Ardiles and Steve Perryman.

Hoddle’s most memorable moments as a player came for Spurs. His turn and chip for a wonder goal in a win at Watford in September 1983 was something most players could not even imagine, let alone execute.

His jinking run past the entire Oxford United team in 1987, before putting the keeper on his backside with a brilliant dummy, just about summed up his career. Sheer genius.

Hoddle (after the 1981 FA Cup triumph, below left) typified the Spurs philosophy of winning with style.

He went away and worked with, among others, Arsene Wenger, and then put his experience to good use as a coach, working his way up from player/manager with Swindon Town to Chelsea and then, in 1996, England.

His time with England was exciting, he got the nation believing, and yet his tenure ended in controversy after remarks about the disabled.

It was then that a love-hate relationship with parts of the media was established but no fair-minded journalist would ever deny his brilliance. A year after his England exit he became Southampton boss before an emotional return to Tottenham. But what should have been a match made in heaven failed simply because the club was in turmoil and the partnership lasted barely two years.

But when Tottenham were saying goodbye to their old stadium, no player got a bigger reception than Hoddle (with Steve Archibald after the 1982 FA Cup triumph, below right) when he walked on to the pitch among the other legends.

When the clips were played on TV after news of his collapse broke, it genuinely brought a lump to the throat to see Hoddle welcomed back as the returning hero.

A Spurs legend, an iconic figure in football, one of the best players of the last 50 years – no wonder so many are praying for his recovery.