| When George Graham made Argentine Mauricio Taricco his first signing
as Tottenham manager in December 1998, the fullback was regarded as one
of the best footballers in England outside of the Premiership. Following
in the footsteps of countrymen Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa - both
heroes at White Hart Lane - the £1.75m capture from Ipswich Town arrived
with the equally daunting prospect of filling the club's troublesome
left back slot.
Taricco's neat touch and distribution were allied
to a typically Argentine robustness in the tackle. The 25-year-old made
his debut as a substitute in a 0-0 home draw with Wimbledon on 16th
January 1999 and went on to make 13 league appearances that season,
although he was cup-tied for the club's victorious League Cup campaign.
Despite being comfortable going forward, he looked defensively shaky in
the early days and was over-reliant on his stronger right foot. However,
he had shown enough promise to earn a regular starting role in
1999-2000, with long-term incumbent Justin Edinburgh nearing the end of
his Spurs career and another newly-signed left back, Paolo Tramezzani,
failing to impress. Taricco took the opportunity to establish himself as
first choice, making 29 league appearances.
Injuries
restricted him to only five games in 2000-01, as the role of left back
once again proved a problem position for Spurs. After trying
unsuccessfully to plug the gap with right back Luke Young, midfielder
Stephen Clemence and young centre back Alton Thelwell, Graham paid £5m
for Wimbledon's Ben Thatcher, ensuring that Taricco would have a fight
on his hands once he returned to fitness. Yet it was on the other flank
that Mauricio got back into the side in 2001-02, deputising for
long-term injury victim Stephen Carr. The Argentine's most consistent
period as a Spurs player then followed. He made 30 league appearances
during the campaign and helped the club to their second League Cup final
in four years, although he again missed out on a winner's medal as
Spurs were surprisingly beaten 2-1 by Blackburn Rovers.
Despite
his slight build, Taricco wasn't a player to shy away from
confrontation. He received a five match ban after consecutive sendings
off at Manchester United and Chelsea in March. Although he had stepped
over the line, his involvement in such unsavoury incidents was welcomed
by supporters as a sign of his commitment to the cause and his refusal
to be bullied, traits which had too often been lacking from Spurs teams
of recent years.
Surprisingly for a player known
for his energetic forays into opposition territory, Mauricio didn't
score for Spurs until March 2003, his long range effort slipping through
the fingers of Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek in a 3-2 defeat. His
only other goal for the club came the following August, a rasping
25-yard drive in a 2-1 win against Leeds United. By now an experienced
and reliable member of Tottenham's defence, Taricco made 32 league
appearances in 2003-04, his most in any season at the club. Again,
however, his temperament came into question following spats with
Chelsea's Scott Parker and Damian Duff in April 2004, and Taricco was
banned for the first three matches of 2004-05.
With the summer
arrival of new manager Jacques Santini came fullback Erik Edman, and the
Swede's consistency kept Taricco out of the picture. The Argentine's
prospects didn't improve following the appointment of Martin Jol in
November. Now 31, Mauricio was allowed to leave on a free transfer to
West Ham United that same month. Although he hadn't made the same
spectacular impact on White Hart Lane as his legendary countrymen,
Taricco had proved himself to be a consistent and capable performer in
his 125 league starts for the club. It said much about Mauricio's
commitment as a professional that after tearing a hamstring only minutes
into his West Ham debut, he offered to cancel his contract. The gesture
marked his retirement from professional football. (Alex Voskou)
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