Teddy's Lions Tale

Paul Miles speaks to former Spurs and Millwall favourite Teddy Sheringham and digs a little deeper into the early days of one of our greats.

- Paul Miles

Mention Teddy Sheringham and what do you think of?

All those 124 goals for Spurs, of course, including winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot in 1992-93. His partnerships with Jurgen Klinsmann here and then Alan Shearer for England. Euro 96 and the celebration after Gazza’s goal against Scotland followed by the assist against Holland. Winning the treble at Manchester United in 1999. His PFA/Football Writers double in 2001. Returning to Spurs. Playing on until he was 42.

That’s the Teddy Sheringham the world knows. The thing is, Teddy had a footballing fairytale before all of that.

One of the great England strikers, Teddy helped take Millwall from the old Division Three (now League One) into the top-flight of Division One for the first time in the club’s history back in 1988. He spent nine years at Cold Blow Lane (or the old ‘Den’) and scored 111 goals in 262 appearances before moving to Forest in 1991 and then here to Spurs in 1992.

Teddy’s story certainly reads like a something out of Boy’s Own or Roy of the Rovers, from being plucked from local football aged 16 to playing in three major tournaments for England.

And it all started with the daily routine of an arduous commute to Millwall…

“In the early 1980s I was playing in the youth team for Leytonstone & Ilford,” recalled Teddy. “We played against Millwall, won 2-0 and I scored both goals. Then they asked me to have a six-game trial.

“Bob Pearson, the chief scout, was watching the game with Roger Cross. After four games of that trial they offered me an apprenticeship. I was 15 and a half, just coming up to leaving school. I was delighted because most kids were already signed up by that age and knew what they were going to be doing so I was a late developer.