After my week in Spain, I'm back, refreshed (very!) and ready to go with another installment of my Football Programme Memories. Today I'm going back 24 years to 1998 and Tottenham's Premier League fixture against Coventry City played at White Hart Lane with 33,463 in attendance.
Today's programme cover seems to prove that team mates are not always mates as Chris Armstrong appears to be attempting to remove Ramon Vega's head from his shoulders following his goal against Liverpool four weeks earlier. Vega is a fine example of an intelligent footballer, having a degree in banking and finance from Zurich Business School, obtained whilst he was appearing for the Grasshoppers club in Switzerland. Vega was Swiss by birth albeit that he was the son of Spanish immigrant parents. When his playing career ended in 2003, Vega used his contacts and his wits in a number of business ventures and was part of a failed attempt to purchase Portsmouth FC in 2009. Vega has also expressed an interest in standing as a candidate in the FIFA Presidential election although nothing has come of this to date.
Spurs, under Head Coach Christian Gross since the previous November, went into this game desperate for points. They were struggling at the wrong end of the table and were only four points clear of the relegation positions with just six games left to play. It took until mid-way through the second half for Spurs to take the lead with a goal from a corner kick which was headed home by Nicola Berti. Spurs looked to have the game won with that goal but, sadly, with just four minutes remaining. Coventry had the ball in the back of the Spurs net courtesy of a precise finish from the edge of the penalty area by Dion Dublin. During his career, Dublin made 613 League appearances scoring 183 goals for a number of clubs including Cambridge United, Manchester United, Coventry City, Aston Villa, Leicester City, Celtic and Norwich City. Dublin has had a successful TV career since retiring from playing and, in addition to his work on "Homes under the Hammer", he appears regularly on the BBC as a pundit. In addition, Dublin is currently a member of the Board at Cambridge United although it is understood that the Abbey Stadium is not "under the hammer"!
When I first started going to football I would never have imagined that I'd be watching a player called Nicola playing for a men's side but Spurs had one in 1998: Nicola Berti. Berti may not be the first name that springs to mind when you think of top Italian footballers who played in the Premier League but underestimate him at your peril. His career spanned three decades from 1982 until 2002 and he won Serie A and two UEFA Cups in Italy whilst with Inter Milan as well as 39 national caps (scoring 3 goals) and was a key part of the Italy side that reached the World Cup Final in 1994. Whilst at Spurs, Berti also had a League Cup winners medal to show for his efforts although, in total, he made just 21 Premier League appearances for Spurs scoring 3 goals.
Happily Spurs ended the season in 14th place, albeit only four points clear of the relegation positions. Gross was sacked later that year following yet another inauspicious start for Spurs. Coventry finished above Spurs in 1997/8 in 11th position under the management of Gordon Strachan. Christian Gross was a hugely respected figure in his home country and indeed won six Swiss Super League titles and nine (!) Swiss Super League Coach of the Year awards despite the ridicule heaped on him at the time by the xenophobic English media.
CRB Match No. 1150
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