Shirts, Shorts and Spurs. Roy Reyland
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‘I have many fond memories of working with Roy, first with the reserves and then the first team. Roy is a true professional and could always be relied upon. We became colleagues in October 1984, and Roy’s knowledge and experience were invaluable to me in those early days as we forged a great working relationship. That quickly became an even greater friendship. Roy is a credit to the club, and one thing is for certain: he is Spurs through and through.’
Doug Livermore
‘The only downside to Roy’s career as kit manager at Spurs was that he threatened my spot in our very able staff team! But seriously, his dedication and loyalty to his club have shown through over the years and his great personality in good and bad times was always appreciated by myself and the rest of the management team.’
Peter Shreeves
‘Roy’s dedication and enthusiasm was always visible and nothing was ever too much trouble for our loyal kit man. When I was a player, he was brilliant, and this always carried on until I became part of the management side of the club. Roy is a credit to his profession.’
Ray Clemence
‘I promoted Roy to the first team, and it was a decision I never regretted. His loyalty to the team and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club was second to none during my time at Spurs. As such, Roy is recognised throughout the game as a true professional.’
David Pleat
‘Roy Reyland has been part of the Tottenham scene almost as long as I can remember. Kit men come and go, but Roy’s loyalty and fantastic attitude has become part of the very fabric of White Hart Lane. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him and, what’s more, I am very proud to be able to call him a friend.’
John Motson
FROM GAZZA TO GINOLA – MY 29 YEARS AS KIT MAN AT THE LANE
SHIRTS SHORTS & SPURS
ROY REYLAND
In memory of my nephew Mark Priddy, who, during the writing of this book, tragically passed away from Huntington’s Chorea aged just 41.
I would firstly like to thank my ghostwriter Jeff Maysh for contacting me out of the blue and convincing me to write this book. I would also like to thank my editor John Wordsworth and everyone at John Blake Publishing for taking a lifetime of stories and committing them to paper.
To Rob Segal, for kindly loaning me his Spurs shirt collection for the photograph you see on the cover, but more importantly for being a special friend for so many years. To Bill Nicholson: a true legend who became both a close friend and mentor to me. And a special thank you to my predecessor, Johnny Wallis, for teaching me how to be the best in the business, and how to cope with all types of players from all around the world.
Also a massive thanks is due to my family, who put up with my moods when we lost. And of course, my daughters Vikki and Abbie: I wish I could have been home more during your childhoods. I hope this story explains where I was all the time. Thank you to all my close friends who are massive Spurs fans and who, for their sins, still travel home and away. And a huge thank you must go to my wife Alison, for all her patience and help while I wrote this book, and for tolerating Jeff Maysh twice a week for six months!
A final, big thank you must go to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club for giving me the opportunity to spend 29 years at the club in a working capacity, and giving me the chance to live my dreams.
Roy Reyland, October 2010.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
FOREWORD BY STEVE PERRYMAN
PREFACE BY TERRY VENABLES
PROLOGUE
1. ‘MR GREAVES, MR GREAVES!’
2. THE GOING GETS TURF
3. LEARNING THE ROPES
4. ‘WHERE’S YOUR HOLSTEN?’
5. GAZZA, GUNS AND GOALS
6. A BITTERSWEET VICTORY
7. SPURS IN… BERMUDA?
8. THESE COLOURS DON’T RUN
9. MANAGERS, MANAGERS, MANAGERS
10. SUPERSTITIONS OF THE STARS
11. EARNING THEIR SPURS
12. LEGENDS AT THE LANE
13. TOUGH GUYS AND HARD MEN
14. CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD
15. SCORING FOR SPURS!
16. IT’S A HARD LIFE
17. FAREWELL, BILL NICHOLSON
18. THE DREAM IS OVER
19. ODD-SHAPED BALLS
Plates
Copyright
BY STEVE PERRYMAN, 2010
Having played 854 games for Tottenham Hotspur, I know more than anyone that there are ups and downs in football. But I also know that Tottenham is a club where everyone is important, from the very bottom of the ladder to the very top. It’s that old cliché you hear about tea ladies, but it’s true: in the good times everyone’s with you, but in football when you go through the rough times you need all those extra people, willing you on.
When the coach pulls out of Tottenham on the way up North to a grim away match, you need to know everyone is right behind you. And that’s why my old friend Roy Reyland was more than just a kit man to Spurs. He brought out the best in the team, win or lose. That’s why I love the club. So-called ‘non-playing staff’ are treated as well as the superstars, and they respond in kind. But mark my words, you’ve still got to be good at your job to survive at Spurs. No one gets along by being a nice fella, and, if there was a pair of boots missing at a big match, Roy would never have lasted his 29 years at the club.
You see, there’s an unwritten trust at Tottenham that everyone is trying their best to achieve: to do their own job to the best of their ability. From the coach driver to the centre half to the physio and kit man, when the shit hits the fan, everyone mucks in. And on a tough day you’d rather see a smiling face than a long face, and Roy would always have a joke in his locker, or a story to tell. Always.
People at Tottenham, backroom staff as well as players, are always being reminded by the fans of their responsibility of wearing that famous lily-white shirt. What that shirt stands for is important, more so than at any other club in the world. Tottenham people are proud of their history, they have a respect for the past and cherish those glorious memories and all that goes with it.
When I first got in the team, I inherited the number 11 shirt, just because it became available, from Roger Morgan, I think. When my place in the team became regular, I took the number 8 shirt from Jimmy Greaves,