“COVENTRY FANS ASK TO KISS MY KNEE – I SAY, ‘OF COURSE YOU CAN’. A LOT OF THEM HAVE DONE IT, TOO”

How did your 1982 move from Bristol Rovers to Spurs come about?

I was in the Third Division, I’d played about 140 matches, and I was out of contract. Back then, you could leave and a tribunal would decide the transfer fee. You could write to anyone and say, “I’m available, do you want me?” I wrote to every First Division club and got two replies. Aston Villa said, “Sorry, we can’t even offer you a trial” and the other was Birmingham. I met them, went home, and the next day my phone rang. It was Bill Nicholson saying, “I think you have the potential to play for Spurs.” He took me to their training ground to meet manager Keith Burkinshaw, who made it clear he didn’t know