My Hero - Big Chiv

Blogger - Richard Stafford, aka. The Strutting Cockerel - February 2025

In the absence of a KiwiSpurs Member coming forward this month, I thought it a chance to put out there how Spurs became a subject matter so ingrained and under my skin it makes or breaks my mental well being between games, adds to, or kills my swagger down the street after a game, or makes me seek out rivals or hide from other supporters depending on a result. There really is nothing better than feeling you have the God-given right to wear the club crest when things are going well!

I'm from Southampton in UK. Born 1 Jan 1963, into families so associated with the Docks, one of them was either painting a ship, moving a ship, unloading a ship or embargoing a ship for their own means (more later) at any time of day.

My Dad's side were all Merchant Navy, retired from sailing the Seven Seas except for 'Pop' who just couldn't give it up - these were the Staffords - all of whom became learned (unqualified) historians and great story tellers of material they'd read whilst at sea - or in some cases they'd experienced first hand, or genuinely been part of in history, in a small way obviously - they were not the Churchills afterall!

My Mum's side were the Chivers - a renowned family in Southampton, simply because they'd mastered the art of reproducing - without much trouble apparently. Everyone knew a Chivers, and more to the point no one crossed a Chivers! And here's where the relevant bit begins...

If you've ever read or researched Tottenham's past history (that's Hotspur, per Danny Boy's latest diktat!) you will surely have come across Martin Chivers. Big Chiv - My Goals in Life - is his, rather tame and matter-of-fact autobiography on being a footballer. More importantly, he is my mum's cousin - but not some distant twice removed, seen once in a lifetime type cuzzie. No he's someone who grew up in the next street, with 2 other Chivers families housed in between! Martin was the first, that we know of, professional footballer in the 'family'. Chivers was originally a cockney menagerie of dockland stevedore's from London's east end that moved to Southampton for work at the end of the 1920's. There had been several non-professionals in non-league, dog and duck teams in and around Mill Wall, but none that found fame. none.me

In 1962 Martin signed for Southampton. By 1968 he'd signed for Spurs for £125,000 - then a record. In 1970 my dad took me to watch my cuzzie-bro play at the Dell for Spurs vs Saints - amongst the dockers, who made up the majority of the crowd, including Martin's uncles and cousins. Proud? I could have been a cockerel crowing from the roof-tops. From then on (a bit before then truth be told!) I was a Spurs fan through and through.

I remember bunking school a few years later to watch Spurs train on the Friday before a Saturday game at the old Civil Service ground in Southampton - akin to a posh council pitch surrounded by netting so the balls didn't go into resident's gardens - just to watch my idol. And bugger he was a big'un. Each season Martin was at Spurs from 1970 onwards, my dad took me to see him play at the Dell. In his last season (1975) I went with a couple of other Chivers, my uncles Tom and Joe. Both were scouts for Southampton FC - as brazen and hard as any men I've met to this day, both stood 5ft 4", and like 'Weebles' they wobbled but didn't fall down! (some will remember the jingle!). Lovely, lovely football men, infallable family men.

As stevedores of some note, Tom and Joe Chivers, had the power to stop a ship from coming in or leaving Southampton docks if it interfered with football. They were the founder members of Southampton Tyro League - boys club football, that went on to become a blueprint for organised leagues throughout England, USA and parts of Africa. They would rock-up to the dock gates at 7am on a Saturday - sign-in, do an about turn, go and manage their respective boys clubs, return at 12pm - sign-out and get double pay for their trouble! Then Saturday afternoon they'd be at the Dell cheering on the Saints - except when Spurs were in town. Nothing, I mean nothing stopped them from supporting Martin. Woe betide a pointed slur from the crowd in his direction, a derisory remark or expletive about Martin's performance and a left hook (in their case aimed at most men's bollocks) would follow. Luckily, that happened only a few times.

Chivers went on to score 180 goals for Tottenham, was a firm favourite of the WHL faithful, especially in seasons when we won trophies - which was most of them while he was there. And of course he played for England 30-odd times (we'll forget the game against Poland in 1973!). Some liked to stir the pot on his relationship with Bill Nic, Martins's greatest fan and critic - that should read 'Sir Bill Nic' IMO, they latterly became like father and son, and Martin was SBN's guide for the day at his testimonial - which has to be a good thing!

In short, how the hell could I support anyone else??

Let's leave thoughts on results, favourite players, trophies and most memorable games for another blog (if you'll have me. Suffice to say, young George (son) still gets a new Spurs shirt for Xmas - he's only 31! The gods were shining on me when I met Claire (wife), way back when, and she introduced me to her mum and dad, both born and raised in Edmonton - YES there is a GOD! - with fam who were season ticket holders at the Lane - BONUS!.....And now I get to interface with this group.....

With a family idol to worship as a kid, everything else has followed on and fallen into place nicely. I never saw Jimmy Greaves, but would have loved to have been of an age to have appreciated him. I've seen Spurs in a Wembley FA Cup Final - two bucket list items in one there. I saw Gascoigne at his best, Hoddle at his, I witnessed Bale a few times - and was behind the goal at the new stadium when Sonny scored against Burnley from inside our own half. In between, I've spat feathers, invented new expletives, agreed and disagreed with nearly everyone that has a view on Tottenham Hotspur. I try to see the good in what we do - all too often I'm the one who's disappointed. I played professionally for a few seasons, so like to think I know a bit about the game.........but realise the more there is to learn, the more people there exist that talk about it, that make it more complex than the game really is - I don't have a clue where we're headed, I only know where we've come from..... and that we are Tottenham, Tottenham from the Lane!

COYS!