Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur’s meeting at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (kickoff 5.30pm) is the Premier League’s standout clash this weekend – and our Fixture in Focus here at FootballFanCast.
There’s no love lost between the two London rivals, typified by their infamous clash at the end of last season that saw twelve yellow cards, countless ruckuses and Eden Hazard end Spurs’ Premier League title hopes with a stunning late equaliser.
Despite the bad blood, however, Chelsea and Spurs share significant sections of their player history – an inevitability for London clubs in close proximity, even if they are bitter rivals.
Of course, we all know the likes of Terry Venables, Jimmy Greaves and Glenn Hoddle plied their trade with both clubs, but what about those floor-crossing stars who slipped your mind?
Here’s Football FanCast’s rundown of seven former stars even the most of die-hard fans will have forgot represented both the Blues and the Lilywhites.
Kerry Dixon
Kerry Dixon is a Chelsea legend, third in the club’s all-time top scorer charts, ninth in the appearance table and twice firing them to promotion from the old second division.
Indeed, a nine-year Stamford Bridge spell was undoubtedly the high point of Dixon’s career, recognised by eight caps (and an impressive four goals) for the Three Lions.
But Dixon’s career actually began at Tottenham, where he trained as an apprentice before ultimately being released.
The 55-year-old instead earned his stripes in non-league with Chesham United, before moving to Oxford, Reading and then Chelsea.
Mark Falco
Mark Falco was a star of Tottenham’s successful 1980s side, winning the UEFA Cup with the Lilywhites in 1984 and scoring 98 goals in 236 games throughout his nine years at the club.
But somewhat unusually, the former striker signed for Chelsea on a two-month loan spell in 1982, where he was issued just three appearances before being sent back to White Hart Lane.
A regular on the London scene, Falco also plied his trade with Watford, Queens Park Rangers and Millwall in the capital.
Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan is best famed for his spells at Wimbledon, Leeds and Tottenham, making 81 appearances across three seasons with the latter club before being overtaken in the pecking order by American Kasey Keller.
But it’s often forgotten the former Scotland shot-stopper made the short trip to west London after leaving White Hart Lane in 2003, managing just eight appearances for Chelsea during his solitary season at Stamford Bridge as he failed to wrestle a starting berth off another Blues-Lilywhites connection – Carlo Cudicini.
Gordon Durie
Gordon Durie is perhaps most famous for scoring Tottenham’s first ever Premier League goal, netting against Crystal Palace all the way back in 1992.
But Durie had previously achieved relative success at Stamford Bridge, netting 51 league goals in six years to help them win a second division title in 1984.
The Scotland international wasn’t quite so prolific for the Lilywhites. He scored just eleven league strikes during two top flight campaigns with the north Londoners.
Micky Hazard
Young Chelsea fans may not be aware Eden wasn’t the first Hazard to represent the Blues.
Indeed, namesake Micky spent five years at Stamford Bridge, notching up nine goals in 81 league appearances, but not before beginning his career at Tottenham Hotspur.
After leaving Chelsea in 1990, the midfielder plied his trade with Portsmouth and Swindon Town – before returning to Tottenham for a second spell that saw him manage just eleven league appearances.
Keith Weller
Keith Weller’s Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur careers were short but sweet, making just 59 league appearances for both clubs combined either side of a 40-goal spell with London rivals Millwall.
Nonetheless, Weller achieved relative success with the Blues – he finished up as top scorer during the 1970/71 campaign and won a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup during his only season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea elected to sell him to Leicester City, where the winger-forward spent eight years and won four England caps.
Weller’s later career saw him move to America, plying his trade with New England Tea Men, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Tulsa Roughnecks and Fort Lauderdale Sun.
Clive Wilson
Clive Wilson joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 1987 and spent three years at Stamford Bridge, making 81 league appearances.
He then made the short trip across west London to QPR, where he met the man who would eventually take him to White Hart Lane – future Tottenham manager Gerry Francis.
Francis converted the midfielder into a left-back after leaving Loftus Road in 1991and brought Wilson with him to north London, where he served four years before seeing out the remainder of his career at Cambridge.
