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Gus Poyet became the second signing of Glenn Hoddle's reign as
manager of Tottenham Hotspur when he made the short journey across
London from rivals Chelsea in June 2001, for a fee of £2.25m. The
Uruguayan international had found himself surplus to requirements at
Stamford Bridge as Claudio Ranieri aimed to reduce the average age of
his squad, but fortunately for Poyet, Hoddle was looking to add
experience to his young squad, and having already re-signed Teddy
Sheringham to the club that summer, the 33-year old midfielder fitted
the mould perfectly.
Poyet was a popular signing but made an unpromising
start to his Tottenham career; following his debut in a dire goalless
draw at home to Aston Villa, he was sent off two days later away at
Everton for a lunging tackle on Steve Watson. Despite Hoddle deeming
David Ellery's decision somewhat harsh, Tottenham were unsuccessful in
their appeal to have the red card rescinded so Poyet sat out the next
three games, including what would have been an emotional return to his
old club, Chelsea. Poyet struggled to settle in to his new team after
his suspension, but a change in formation to 3-5-2, accommodating Gus in
his preferred attacking midfield berth sparked a revival in both the
team and player's fortunes. In this role, Poyet rediscovered his goal
scoring form as he netted 6 times in 8 games, including his first
Premiership goal, a spectacular 30-yard chip in a 3-1 win over Derby
County, as well as a last minute equaliser in the North London derby.
The Tottenham faithful anticipated the home game against Arsenal even
more than usual that season as it marked the return of Sol Campbell, who
had famously left Spurs to join Arsenal on a free transfer in the
summer. In possibly the most hostile atmosphere ever experienced at
White Hart Lane, it appeared as if the points would be shared until
Robert Pires broke the deadlock in the 81st minute. With seconds left on
the clock, Sergei Rebrov's cross found Poyet unmarked in the penalty
area, who volleyed goalwards only for Richard Wright in the Arsenal goal
to fumble the ball over the line, sparking jubilant celebrations; Gus
Poyet had secured hero status among the Spurs fans.
At the end of
Poyet's first season, he had scored an impressive 14 goals in 43 games,
the highlight of the season being a 5-1 demolition of Chelsea in the
League Cup semi-final. Despite not being on the score sheet that night,
Poyet was instrumental in the victory as Spurs overcame their
eleven-year hoodoo over their West London rivals to make it to the final
in Cardiff. Unfortunately for Poyet and Tottenham, despite being hot
favourites to win their fourth League Cup, they were unable to overcome a
Brad Friedel inspired Blackburn Rovers as the Lancashire club went on
to win 2-1. In the final two seasons of Poyet's playing career, the
Uruguayan's age became an increasingly important factor as he became
susceptible to injuries and was utilised more as a substitute, but
despite a lack of starts Gus remained an important squad member who
could still make an impact on games; a 4-3 victory over Portsmouth in
February 2004 in which Poyet came off the bench to score a late winner
epitomised this.
On the final day of the 2003-2004 season, Gus Poyet
played his last game for Tottenham in a 1-0 victory over Blackburn
Rovers, signalling an end to a playing career spanning 14 years, but in
2007 he returned to Tottenham in a coaching role as assistant to Juande
Ramos. (Stephen Bradley)
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