The Ghost of White Hart Lane | Vital Football

The Ghost of White Hart Lane

10Hoddle

Vital 1st Team Regular
I moved to Australia from Scotland in 1981 at 15 years of age. I had many aunts, uncles & cousins on both sides, however lost contact for decades.

A few months ago, I learned from my cousin in Scotland, that my uncle, his dad, played football and golf with John White. John was signed by Bill Nicholson in 1959 and was part of the Spurs 60'61' team, winning the both the League and the FA Cup. John played with Spurs until 1964.

His nick name, The Ghost was coined by the Spurs faithful, due to his uncanny ability to appear in the oppositions' box, undetected.

He was killed by a lightening strike at the age of 27 on the golf course.

A little bit of trivia I should've known and thought I'd share.
 
Such a tragic and freak accident. Such a great player, I wonder what he would have been worth in today's game
 
Such a tragic and freak accident. Such a great player, I wonder what he would have been worth in today's game
It was a great nickname . I used to stand in the opposite corner to where the players came out , in the Park Lane end and watch the game by looking through the iron hoops on top of the perimeter wall. If anybody can remember them .
When Tottenham had a corner where I was standing , I could actually touch him as he took it . He often smiled at me as he walked over , and I could never get over his football boots . They were like carpet slippers compared to my ankle high clodhoppers with “nail in” leather studs !
What a wonderful player , and as Lijaboc says , how much would he be worth in today’s market.
 
lol - there was an old guy (called George) that used to come into my local in Berkshire. He was an Arsenal fan and one of those Londoners who, back in the day, used to go to Highbury one weekend and WHL the following weekend. He was also a mad passionate cricket fan as well. I can't remember whether John White was a family connection of his or whether they were just great friends. He was always reminiscing about White though.
 
Yes what a tragedy that was! It was at Crews Hill golf course. I remember as a trainee accountant with offices bang next door to the Spurs car park and offices seeing him from our first floor office with players such as Dave Mackay, Cliff Jones and many others queuing up to collect their wages in cash! I also remember my boss saying that he had been to a dinner at the Cambridge Pub in Edmonton where Billy Nic had said in a talk that he had started to rebuild the side around Johnny White. What might have been!?
 
Wow
Yes what a tragedy that was! It was at Crews Hill golf course. I remember as a trainee accountant with offices bang next door to the Spurs car park and offices seeing him from our first floor office with players such as Dave Mackay, Cliff Jones and many others queuing up to collect their wages in cash! I also remember my boss saying that he had been to a dinner at the Cambridge Pub in Edmonton where Billy Nic had said in a talk that he had started to rebuild the side around Johnny White. What might have been!?
Wow! That’s an amazing post 54 . It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
Back to a time when players were merely blokes that happened to play football and led normal lives in normal surroundings .
What might have been indeed . He was such a small bloke as well . Didn't have any weight on him . Seemed to float around the pitch .
The Ghost of White Hart Lane always seemed quite ironic after what happened .
Amazing player .