TOPSPURS

Jim Duggan's TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR site

In doing my usual guerrilla tactic of putting Spurs monthly in front of its goon counterpart at the local WHSmiths, I opened it to have a quick shoofty and to my dismay, yet again Nicola Berti was featured amongst the 6 worst Spurs players in the fan profile section, this time featured in three of the four. That was the final straw and so for the third CADD in a row, we have an article about a player from the lowest point of our recent history in the late 1990’s.

When you think of some of the clowns, buffoons and donkeys we’ve had, how anyone can look past Fenwick, Tramenzanni, Graham, Neill, Mimms and Dozzell is beyond me, and with the likes of Lacy, Andy Gray, Laurie Brown, Cundy, Jenkins and Kevin Scott bubblin under in the all time nightmare team – you cannot even consider a man with a Serie A championship, European medals and who has played 90 minutes of a World Cup final along Maldini, Baresi and the Baggios!

Sure Berti was past his best when he arrived at Tottenham in January 1998, but he arrived at a club in crisis and in real danger of getting relegated, and was instrumental in saving Spurs from the unthinkable that season. Ok, so he was not the player to take us forward the next season – my last sight of Berti was the soles of his boots resting on the dugout wall for the whole of a second half – but his contribution when it mattered should be properly recognised.

Berti (not even the bloke who insisted on calling all the players by their first names could come to shout encouragement or abuse at a Nicola) signed in early January 1998 from Inter Milan after failing to get back in the first team after being off for a year with an injury. He made his debut at Old Trafford and we finished the day with our usual defeat against the League Leaders in 19th place with 5 wins in 22 matches.

Things did not get better immediately and despite the usual win over West Ham, things took a turn for the worst when Klinsmann broke his jaw and Spurs were dumped out of the cup at Barnsley. Commeth the hour commeth the man and the Saturday after Berti scored the all important first goal and what looked like being the winner at Ewood before a couple of late goals made things safe, and pulled Spurs out of the relegation zone for the first time for ages.

Although Spurs remained unbeaten at home for the rest of the season, results were mixed and the trip to Selhurst at the end of March to face Palace was a real six pointer and a game we had to win after a moment of Vega magic had ensured we took 1 rather than 3 points against Liverpool in the epic 3-3 in the previous match. After a goalless first half, it was a looping header from a corner from Berti that sent us on our way to a 3-1 win and for the first time for ages put daylight between the relegation places and us.

Berti scored one more that season; another header from a corner which should have seen us to another 3 points, although a late defensive lapse meant that it was only one point. Three goals in half a season from a holding midfield player is a good return, especially when you consider that this goal took him level with Jurgen before his final six in the last three matches. I have not forgotten that it was Ginola who saved us that season with a series of heroic performances which everyone at THFC will never forget, but I think it is fair to say Berti deserves his place on the roll of credits for keeping us up that year.

On the strength of his good performances that season, Berti signed a contract extension but carrying a considerable excess at the start of the next season, Berti paid for Spurs poor start to the season and he made his last appearance for Spurs at the Dell in a 1-1 draw in Sept 1998. Berti moved on to Alaves later in the season never having appeared for the Goonersaurus, and if for nothing else, for not getting on with the Goonersaurus should give him some Spurs credits amongst the supporters.

Berti now works for Italian TV and while he may not have been a legend on the pitch, he certainly had one of the best songs, altogether now……….

¯ My name is Nicola Berti
I'm aged around thirty
I come from a team in Milan - Inter!
When I walk down the street
All the people I meet
They say, Hey gorgeous, what's your name
My name's Nicola Berti

(this article first appeared in CADD - Dec 2002)