FA Cup 1986 1987 Finale Coventry Tottenham resume

 

 

16 May 1987

Wembley Stadium, London

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"Seven times we've won the Cup, and number eight is coming up". The bold statement penned by Chas and Dave, and sung by the Tottenham squad in their No18 hit Hot Shot Tottenham! may have seemed cocky, but the general consensus was that their proclamation would come true on Cup final day on May 16. Tottenham were heavy favourites to defeat Coventry City, a club appearing in their first major final in their 104-year history. But the underdogs were used to proving the doubters wrong during their 1987 Cup run. Their Go For It single was an appropriately titled anthem for all that had gone before and what was to follow.  

 

 

You could see why Tottenham were overwhelming favourites to lift the FA Cup for a record eighth time. Of their 13-man squad, only Mitchell Thomas had not been capped by his country; they possessed a striker in Clive Allen who was enjoying a stunning season containing 48 goals; and their squad contained a vast wealth of experience on the big stage. Spurs goalkeeper Ray Clemence was appearing in his 42nd match at Wembley, but only four of Coventry's team - David Phillips, Nick Pickering, Dave Bennett and Cyrille Regis – had ever played at the famous old stadium, and only Phillips was a current international player. The lead-up to the final was littered with constant references to the perceived differences between the two sides: "a pit pony v the Derby favourite"; "artisans v artists"; "rank outsiders v red-hot favourites"; "journeymen v pedigree". Fortunately, the Cup final would be played on the lush Wembley turf and not on paper, as, if the majority of the press were to be believed, Coventry were already a goal down before the match had begun.

 

 

Tottenham should have seen the warning signs. There had been talk of Spurs winning the double after their semi-final win over Watford, when they were 10 points behind leaders Everton with two games in hand and a trip to Goodison Park to come. But these hopes were well and truly quashed – four defeats in the final seven matches left Tottenham with a third-placed finish.

Conversely, Coventry were flying. They were unbeaten in the seven matches leading up to the final and were improving under the managerial pairing of John Sillett and George Curtis, who had taken over at the end of the previous season. For Sillett, the transformation was marked. In 1984 he had been sacked as youth team manager by Bobby Gould, but his time out of the game taught him a valuable lesson: the next time he was given a management role he would rather die on his feet rather than live on his knees. Sillett's team would play very much in the image of their manager: relaxed, confident, and passionate.

 

 

Sillett was not the only manager gaining plaudits before the final. David Pleat's work at Luton and his fine first season at Tottenham – as well as their strong league position, the club also reached the Littlewoods Cup semi-final – had even seen his name mentioned by the Mirror's Harry Harris as a possible successor for Bobby Robson's England post after the 1990 World Cup. Pleat's work in the transfer market – bringing in players such as Richard Gough, Steve Hodge, Nico Claesen and Mitchell Thomas – and his successful switch to a 4-5-1 formation had earned gushing praise from press, players and fans. There was a big cloud looming on the horizon for Pleat, however. The FA Cup final would be Glenn Hoddle's last for the club before a move to the continent, although Brian Clough writing in his Mirror column insisted that Pleat should not pick the England midfielder. Clough believed player power was getting out of hand: "It sticks in my craw that Glenn can coolly nominate Wembley for his farewell appearance." The Hoddle issue was a problem that could wait for the distant future though, with Pleat hopeful the player could bow out in fine style during the Wembley showpiece.

 

 

"Of course it's a lovely way to leave the club at Wembley, but I'll be frightened just in case we lose," said Hoddle after the semi-final. He had been linked with Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven and Bayer Leverkusen after announcing that he would be leaving Tottenham. His final match would be a far from joyous occasion though, the main man responsible for Hoddle's ineffectual display living up to his pre-match promises that he would keep the England man quiet. Lloyd McGrath may have been a shy character off the pitch, but in the run-up to the final the 22-year-old midfielder was far from quiet in regards to Hoddle. "I'm going to destroy him, stop him from playing. I want to spoil his big day and make sure it's me who comes off the pitch smiling at the end and him who's feeling sick," said McGrath, who did just that. A combative midfielder whose bite was definitely worse than his bark, McGrath was a key component of Coventry's success. Unhappy players, contract negotiations and injuries were the other dominant factors as the countdown to the final began in earnest. Nico Claesen issued an unwise threat to Pleat along the lines of pick me or let me go, but Pleat was hardly likely to mess with his trusty formation for the final. Ossie Ardiles had been linked with a player-manager position at the recently relegated Manchester City, but signed a new deal with Tottenham. And Gary Mabbutt's contract was running down, with Manchester United, Everton and even Arsenal reportedly sniffing around the England defender.

 

 

As well as his contract concerns, Mabbutt was also contending with injury problems. Having broken his rib against Northern Ireland in April, Mabbutt was playing with painkilling injections and was also suffering from a circulation problem, resulting in him playing matches with a numb feeling in his foot. Numbness was something that Mabbutt would certainly be feeling come the final whistle at Wembley.

Coventry's Cyrille Regis was also involved in contract talks as the final neared. Reportedly wanted by Johan Cruyff as a replacement for the Milan-bound Marco van Basten, Regis' form during the season (barring a poor semi-final display) had seen his name repeatedly discussed when England squads were announced. Coventry were understandably eager to tie down one of their star players and there were big sighs of relief when Regis signed a four-year deal, his subsequent FA Cup final performance proof of how important he was to the Sky Blues.

One man who looked destined to depart was Micky Gynn. Unhappy at being a bit-part player, Gynn had made noises about leaving in the summer and was not hopeful of a starting berth, even though he had finished the season strongly with three goals in seven games. But just one week before the final came a moment of misfortune for Brian Borrows which would change the landscape for both him and Gynn.

Borrows strained knee ligaments in the final league match against Southampton and faced a race against time to prove his fitness. The injury was treated three times a day at the team hotel in Bournemouth, with Sillett giving regular medical updates to the press, and at one point there did appear to be hope for Borrows.

 

 

Sadly, Borrows had to admit defeat on the Friday, his admission to hospital for an operation meaning that he couldn't even attend Wembley on what was supposed to be the biggest day of his career. In Borrows' absence Dave Phillips was switched to right-back, allowing Gynn to make the starting team. Gynn had his wish, but not in the manner he would have preferred. Tottenham's only selection headache also revolved around the right-back position. Both Gary Stevens and Chris Hughton had struggled with injuries throughout the campaign and Pleat eventually opting for Hughton, allowing him the flexibility of utility man Stevens on the bench. It would be the left-back position that would be under close scrutiny though, with many opining that Coventry's Dave Bennett had the beating of Mitchell Thomas. The Times' David Miller wrote in his preview: "The man who could turn the game for Coventry is Bennett," arguing that he had the ability to "torment Thomas" and provide the ammunition for the likes of Regis and Houchen. The rest of Miller's preview was typical of the pre-match predictions made by journalists and pundits on the morning of the final: Coventry would have to play above themselves and Tottenham below their best if we were to witness a shock. In Sir Alf Ramsey's team ratings, Tottenham came out on top 96-93; Steve Curry of the Express predicted that Spurs would win 3-1; and Alan Ball, Howard Kendall and Bobby Robson all picked Tottenham as the likely winner.

Of the few that went for Coventry, Billy Bremner and Graham Taylor could look back with smugness at their forecasts, although neither of them could touch the Express' James Lawton when it came to his analysis: "Coventry really shouldn't live with Spurs. But I think they will ... even to the point of nicking it, perhaps by the odd goal in five."