Gareth Bale. Frank Worrall
had not joined United – and predicting he would be a major success in the Premier League. Giggsy said of his fellow Welshman, ‘He has talent, temperament and should not have any problems. My advice for Gareth is to just carry on with what he is doing, that is why clubs have been interested in him.
‘It has been totally his own decision where he goes, he has plenty of advice I am sure. But a talent like that deserves to be in the Premiership…he has all the attributes to be a top player. He has a good attitude, good behaviour and the way he conducts himself suggests he is also mature.’
Giggsy, a Welsh national team-mate of Gareth, was also convinced he would be a success in the Premier League. He said, ‘Gareth’s a great talent. When he first came into the Welsh squad he took to it like a duck to water and just watching him in training and his previous games for us you can tell he is a fantastic player.
‘It’s a tough jump from the Championship to the Premiership but I’m sure he will relish it because he’s just world class and he would have the best stage in the world to show off his talents.’
Gareth was given the No. 37 shirt on his arrival at White Hart Lane and settled in quickly, making his debut in the pre-season friendly against Irish side St Patrick’s. There was a certain amount of panic on the Spurs bench when he limped off towards the end of a 1-0 win with what was initially diagnosed as a thigh problem, but later appeared to have been simply a dead leg.
He was certainly fit and raring to go for his competitive first start – and it didn’t come much bigger than Manchester United away in the opening match of the new 2007/08 Premier League season. Gareth’s mum and dad Frank and Debbie sat proudly in the Old Trafford stands as their son finally began his career in the big-time.
But their pride and Gareth’s own joy would be tinged not only by the 1-0 defeat but also, as time went by, the unpalatable fact that it was the first game in what would become known as ‘the Bale jinx’. It was the beginning of the longest run of games by any Premier League player without being on the winning side – 24 appearances, over more than two seasons – and would even lead to United boss Alex Ferguson jokily suggesting to his eventual Spurs counterpart Harry Redknapp that he should flog Gareth if he planned on winning many games! Tottenham had not beaten United in 18 years prior to that opening match of the season in 2007, so it was no real shock that Gareth’s competitive debut should end in defeat (courtesy of a goal from Luis Nani). But he did enough on the left flank – setting up Ricardo Rocha for a free header from one of his free kicks – to suggest that here was a young man on the brink of something wonderful. Gareth told friends it had been a ‘great experience’ and that he had enjoyed himself, apart from the result of course.
It was what he had always dreamed of and aimed towards from those days with his local youth team and on through the academy ranks at Saints. All the hard work and sacrifice had been worthwhile: Gareth Bale was now heading only one way. To the very top.
But there would still be agonising twists and turns on the journey – in particular the injuries that would bedevil his progress and the instability at Tottenham that saw Martin Jol and his successor Juande Ramos hit the rocks before the era of Redknapp finally dawned in October 2008.
After his side’s defeat at United 14 months earlier, on August 26 2007, Jol claimed he was not under pressure and applauded Gareth and his team-mates’ efforts. Jol said, ‘I am bitterly disappointed because we absolutely deserved something from this game - maybe even the win. We just needed a bit of luck or a decision to go our way. I’m not under pressure. The chairman’s backing me and you can see today how the players are desperate to play for this team so there is no problem.’
But there was a problem as his team struggled for results. They were away again in their next Premier League clash, exiting Craven Cottage with a 3-3 draw against Fulham – a match many pundits expected them to win. For Gareth, there was consolation as he grabbed his first goal for the club, taking a pass from Robbie Keane and leaving the Cottagers’ backline for dead as he crashed the ball home on the hour. He would later tell friends it was one of the best moments of his life – but, being the perfectionist he is, was also just as disappointed they allowed the hosts to sneak a point through a last-minute equaliser by Diomansy Kamara.
Gareth was on the scoresheet again in the next Premier League encounter – but again it ended in agony. This time the grief was much worse and the pressure on Jol much greater as Spurs lost 3-1 at home to local rivals Arsenal in the middle of September 2007.
Gareth had put Spurs ahead with a fine free kick after 15 minutes but a brace from Emmanuel Adebayor and another from Cesc Fabregas condemned the Welsh wonder boy, his team-mates and the fans to a miserable weekend. It couldn’t have been worse? It was – the win also lifted the Gunners to the top of the league. The visiting Arsenal fans rubbed salt in the wounds by taunting under-pressure Jol with chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’.
He wouldn’t – but the end was not that far off. The Spurs boss conceded he was ‘very pleased’ with Gareth’s cool-headed goal, but added that he was disappointed that his men had not been able to convert other chances. Gareth himself was ‘as sick as anyone’ that Arsenal had once again secured local bragging rights.
There would be temporary relief with the 6-1 thrashing of Cypriot minnows Anorthosis Famugusta in the first round of the UEFA Cup five days later and the 2-0 dispatching of Middlesbrough in the third round of the League Cup six days after that. Gareth celebrated his third goal for the club in the win over Boro, grabbing the opener with much confidence. He was released on goal by Robbie Keane, beat one defender and then ran the ball into the net past hapless keeper Brad Jones. Tom Huddlestone wrapped up the win with a headed goal three minutes later.
Afterwards Jol tried to relieve the growing pressure on himself by pointing out that he had achieved fifth-placed finishes in his first full Premier League seasons – and claiming he could win silverware in a competition like the League Cup. He said: ‘I am in a very good position here, and that is what I deserve; I gave them a bit of success over the last couple of years – no-one could have done better.’
They were defiant words but the instability continued for the Dutchman, Gareth and the other Spurs staff as it emerged club officials had flown to Spain to sound out Seville manager Ramos about taking over. The uncertainty appeared to be taking its toll in the league campaign as Tottenham now drew 4-4 at home with Aston Villa, 2-2 at Liverpool and then crashed 3-1 at Newcastle. Gareth was injured in the clash at St James’s Park and would be sidelined for a month. It had been feared he had broken a bone in his foot after a rash challenge by Newcastle’s Geremi – but a relieved Jol said after the match, ‘We’ve scanned the injury several times and nothing is broken. There is significant bruising, it is still painful and we’ll know more once the bruising has gone down. I feel he will be fine though and will only be out for a week to 10 days.’
The Dutchman was wrong on that score…Gareth would need a month to recover, but at least it wasn’t another long-term injury. The first match he missed turned out to be Jol’s farewell after a three-year stint as boss as Spurs lost 2-1 at home to Getafe in the opening match of the UEFA Cup group stage. It was a low moment at the Lane; many fans were disturbed by the way the club had dismissed a man who was a favourite on the terraces. I am told Gareth himself was ‘saddened’ that the man who had brought him to the club was now gone.
‘I shall never forget the Spurs fans,’ Jol said as he packed his bags. Well, they would never forget him and the new man had a hard act to follow. He would have to prove himself – and quickly. Ramos was certainly not slow to move into the job…the day after Jol was sacked he resigned as coach of Seville and 24 hours later became Tottenham Hotspur manager on a four-year deal, worth £5 million a year, making him one of the top paid managers in the Premier League.
Gareth Bale would play just three games for the Spaniard in what was both men’s debut campaign at the Lane and in the Premier League. He started at left-back in the 1-1 draw at West Ham in the league on November 25, 2007, and the 3-2 win over Danish outfit Aalborg in the UEFA Cup group clash four days later. But calamity struck and despair followed hot on its heels on December 2 as Gareth was injured in the 3-2