In an exclusive interview with Football Express News, former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts reminisces of his days on the pitch at White Hart Lane and describes how it felt progressing the ranks to every footballer’s ultimate dream of playing for their national team.
If you mention the name Graham Roberts to an older generation Tottenham supporter, he’d be sure to remember the player as a tough tackler, a fearless old-school defender who loved to get stuck in when the going got rough.
Knocks, bloody noses, broken teeth and a bit of general thuggery, summed up simply in the title of Roberts’ autobiography, Hard as Nails.
Roberts spent six years with Tottenham from 1980 to 1986 and enjoyed an era of great success with an all-star side including the likes of midfielder Glenn Hoddle.
The side won the FA Cup twice during that period under former boss Keith Burkinshaw, and the UEFA Cup in 1984 under his successor Peter Shreeves.
“I played for Tottenham during the best time” says Roberts, “we had a fantastic side.
“Players like Glenn Hoddle, Ray Clemence, Ossie Ardelis, Steve Archibald, Garth Crooks, who all played for national teams.
“We won two FA Cups and the UEFA cup, we should have won the league and we were runners up.
“Tottenham was a very difficult side to beat back then,” he explains, “we were regularly in the top three or four.”
Ex-hardman Roberts got his lucky break with Tottenham, who snapped him up from minnow side Weymouth in 1980.
It was thanks to Spurs he was able to take on the challenge of progressing to the highest level in football and reach every player’s ultimate goal – to play for their national team.
“I joined Tottenham in 1980 from Weymouth, and my career really took off after that.
“Not only did I enjoy a successful few years at Tottenham, I got to play for England. I played six times for the senior team and captained the B-side once, so seven times in all.
“I had some great experiences with England” he remembers, “I travelled all around the world.
“I played against Scotland twice, beat them 2-0 at Wembley, that was a great feeling.
“Putting the England shirt on meant a lot, as it does to any English player given the opportunity. It was a great privilege to me.”
Graham Robert’s autobiography Hard as Nails is available to purchase on Amazon, here.