‘Never winning the league was my biggest regret’

Martin Chivers

Spurs career 1968–1976; Appearances 369; Honours League Cup 1971 and 1973, Uefa Cup 1972; Best league finish third in 1970-71

The one big disappointment was that we had a team that could beat anyone but could not maintain the league challenge. We were a very good cup team, got to the last four of many competitions and maybe that took its toll. We had a top goalkeeper in Pat Jennings and so does this team. They have two centre backs who know each other inside out. Eric Dier is so strong and Moussa Dembélé has been transformed. I am also a fan of Érik Lamela. He has still to win over the crowd but has more to offer: he has pace, never stops running, enthusiasm, a great touch. Harry Kane works like a Trojan and always looks to shoot. He’s lethal. When he has been double-marked, other people have come into it. He could hold the ball up a little better. Being a big man myself I could probably do it a little easier than he can. I don’t talk about winning the title. My dream is that we reach the Champions League for a couple of years and move into a new stadium.

Ossie Ardiles

Spurs career 1978-1988; Appearances 314; Honours FA Cup 1981, Uefa Cup 1984; Best league finish third in 1984-85 and 1986-87

It means a lot when they sing Ossie’s Dream about the FA Cup in 1981. It was a really special time and now there is another Argentinian there. Mauricio Pochettino is a little unknown in Argentina as he left when very young and maybe that fits in with his style. He doesn’t want to talk about himself and is not interested in people talking about him. In Argentina they are taken with what he has done. We have a lot of things in common and I am the natural person for him to talk to about football. I told him how difficult the job was of managing Tottenham. He got rid of a lot of players he did not like, finished fifth, and completed that task this season. I go to every game. The team has a sense of purpose and confidence. The atmosphere is brilliant. I am very proud of having him as a manager and he has done an extraordinary job. In 1987 we had a wonderful team with a lot of flair. Everton had that extra knowhow and maybe were more physical. We have been waiting a long time; the title is the ultimate prize.

Ardiles goes to every game. “The team has a sense of purpose and confidence. The atmosphere is brilliant,” he says

DUNCAN RABAN/GETTY IMAGES

Gary Mabbutt

Spurs career 1982–1998; Appearances 587; Tottenham honours FA Cup 1991, Uefa Cup 1984; Best League finish third in 1984-1985, 1986-87, 1989-90

Success is geared to what you achieve at the end of the season, but this group of players has the potential to be a strong force over years. When the team has changed, through injury or rotation, there has been little difference. We had belief in my time but we never had a sustained challenge. We played a very high energy game in 1987, reached the FA Cup final, semi-final of the League Cup and finished third in the league. There are similarities in the group of players. I had my best defensive partnership with Richard Gough. Toby Alderweireld was an inspired signing alongside Jan Vertonghen and they have been the best partnership in the league.

Clive Allen

Spurs career 1984–1988; Appearances 141; Tottenham honours none; Best league finish third in 1984-85 and 1986-87

André Villa-Boas wanted the team to drop off and play on the counterattack, this side are on the front foot and have no fear. They are confident in their ability, press high and play a physically demanding game. The team pretty much picks itself but Mauricio has been very confident in rotating players. They are very incisive in the final third.

We had a shot at the title in 1985 and 1987 and in the latter we played a revolutionary five-man midfield and I scored 49 goals but we didn’t have the depth of squad. There could be comparisons between Harry Kane and me. He is a taker of chances and leads the line well. I just wondered what the effect would have been of bringing in what you would describe as a winner, with a Premier League medal, just to give an insight about how to make that giant step over the line. Winning breeds success. The components are coming together, there is a new training ground and soon the new stadium. They can be a power in the league in the next ten years.

Jürgen Klinsmann

Spurs career 1994–1995 and 1997–1998; Appearances 68; Tottenham honours none; Best league finish seventh in 1994-95

I love the way that they work for each other. Everyone is on board for helping out when somebody makes a mistake. The tempo and tactical discipline is impressive. I love to watch Harry Kane perform and I’m amazed how controlled and mature he is already at such a very young age. He shows leadership even if he is not supposed to lead as one of the younger players in the squad.

It seems from the outside that they have a great chemistry and the team interests come ahead of individual interests. The key now is to keep the hunger burning to the end. They have to push each other beyond what they ever did before. They can do it, but they need to be able to suffer and to always stay positive. Their manager is a wonderful example of positive leadership. The fans need to support them in every single game especially when they go through a bad moment such as being a goal or two down in a game. With three months to go, it’s all mental now. I hope the manager will be rewarded, he deserves it.

I was part of the last Tottenham side to finish above Arsenal, in 1995. It was a tremendous learning experience for me to see how much it mattered to the Spurs fans. It is one of the most fascinating club rivalries in world football.

Ginola, second right, says Pochettino has made talents play for one entity — Spurs

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, MARC ASPLAND

David Ginola

Spurs career 1997–2000; Appearances 127; Honours League Cup 1999; Best league finish tenth in 1999-2000

When I signed they told me about the history and players like Glenn Hoddle, Klinsmann, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker. You want to play under a manager keen to give you freedom. Pochettino does that. Sometimes talented players do their part but do not play as a team. Pochettino has made talents play for one entity — Spurs.

Being able to play great football with kids from the academy is wonderful. You can see they are playing for the shirt and that represents so much. They are proud, want to do their best. It is what Barcelona did under Joan Laporta, with Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué all coming from the academy.

Tottenham have always been associated with flair. There was Gareth Bale in the past and now Dele Alli. He is skilful with great vision and looks so easy with the ball. Kane scored 21 league goals last season and when he didn’t score at the start of this season, the press were asking questions. He has dealt with that pressure.

During my time we had a team to challenge only for the cup. I had five managers in three years. How can you talk about stability when you change so often? I told Lord Sugar I wanted to end my career at the club but apparently that was not the decision of George Graham. Every time I go back to White Hart Lane I feel passion and love around me.

Ledley King

Spurs career 1999–2012; Appearances 291; Tottenham honours League Cup 2008; Best league finish fourth in 2009-10 and 2011-12

I was lucky enough to play in the 2002 League Cup final aged 21 and at the time I thought finals would come around pretty often. I had to wait a while and by then I was desperate not to fail again. A similar thing happened with these young players: they reached their first final last season and it ended in defeat. Next time they will be stronger and have more of an understanding of what it takes to win. They have quality individuals but the biggest thing about this team is the team. It is well balanced with no prima donnas. No players came through the youth team for a few years and fans didn’t really have that point of contact until the likes of Kane, Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason. It is always a bit different if the player has been at the club from a young age. He knows what it is about to play for Tottenham.

I played under captains like Teddy Sheringham and Jamie Redknapp, good characters who worked hard on the training pitch. They had no hidden agendas and what you saw is what you got. I tried to take the best things as long as my own strengths also came through.

Maybe there are similarities with Lloris. We are both quite quiet but do our jobs well and have a determination within us to perform and try to set standards and get everyone to follow. Hugo doesn’t have an attitude, no feeling that he is a superstar even though he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He brings confidence. People like Alli and Kane look up to Hugo.

There was a big sense of an achievement when we qualified for the Champions League in 2010 and were desperate to do it again. We lost a lot of players and went into a rebuilding phase. Challenging for the title was always the aim and unfortunately we didn’t. My injuries played a part in that, I believe.

Maybe I would have expected this team to challenge in the next two or three years but they are in position now.