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To say Guy Butters enjoyed early mixed fortunes at Tottenham Hotspur
would be something of an understatement. Drafted into the first team due
to defensive injuries, the former trainee scored an unfortunate own
goal in his first senior outing, a League Cup tie at Blackburn Rovers in
November 1988. In the very next game, his towering header helped to
defeat Wimbledon 3-2 in the league at White Hart Lane. As the sturdy
centre back settled in, his strong tackling and no-nonsense approach
helped to bring solidity to a defence that had leaked goals at an
alarming rate of over two a game up to mid-November. Indeed, Spurs
achieved their first clean sheet of the season in Butters' next league
start, a 2-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday, and a further four clean sheets
followed in the next seven games. Butters kept his place for the rest
of the season, making 28 league appearances as Spurs turned around their
dismal early form to finish 6th.
The team made another poor start in 1989-90, losing three of their
first five games and winning just one. The assuredness Guy had shown in
his first campaign had given way to uncertainty, and a series of costly
errors followed. A nightmarish performance in a 2-0 defeat at Aston
Villa was followed by a 4-1 home mauling by Chelsea and Butters found
himself out of the team. Though he was briefly recalled later in the
season, he continued to look shaky and was again dropped. After only
seven appearances, he spent the rest of the campaign on loan at 4th
division Southend United. Butters had a better time at London Road,
scoring three times in 16 games.
With Steve Sedgley, Terry Fenwick and Gudni Bergsson available as
potential partners for the dependable Gary Mabbutt, it was inevitable
that Butters would fall down the defensive pecking order at White Hart
Lane. As the 1990-91 season got underway, it was clear that he was no
longer part of Terry Venables' plans and on 28 September 1990 he was
transferred to Portsmouth for a fee of £375,000, having made a total of
35 league appearances in Tottenham colours. (Alex Voskou).
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