Glory, Glory and Ossie’s Dream – What is the story behind Tottenham’s most famous anthems?
Tottenham have a fiercely loyal and passionate fanbase, despite their supporters not always having a lot to sing about.
Before last season, Tottenham had not won major silverware for 17 years.
Since Daniel Levy and ENIC’s arrival in North London, the Lilywhites have only won two trophies: the League Cup in 2008 and the UEFA Europa League last season.
This has led to a lot of frustration among fans aimed at Levy and the Spurs owners. However, after ending their trophy drought under Ange Postecoglou, fans will be hoping for brighter days ahead.
Thomas Frank is looking to push Spurs up the Premier League table and will be hoping to win a trophy just as his predecessor did.
However, whatever happens this season, fans can expect to hear some of the famous Spurs anthems sung in North London between now and May, as Tottenham News takes a closer look at the story behind some of these iconic chants.
Ossie’s Dream (Spurs Are On Their Way to Wembley)
Should Frank guide Tottenham to a cup final this season, the Dane could expect to hear ‘Spurs are on their way to Wembley’ ring around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In 1981, lifelong Spurs supporters Chas & Dave released ‘Ossie’s Dream’ – a single which commemorated Tottenham reaching the FA Cup final that year.
But why is the song called ‘Ossie’s Dream’?
Former Argentina international and perhaps one of the most popular Tottenham legends of all time, Osvaldo Ardiles, dreamed of playing at Wembley Stadium, hence the title.
Ardiles, who is still often seen at Tottenham working for the club as an ambassador, even sang a line in the song, famously mispronouncing ‘Tottenham’ as ‘Tottingham’.
After Tottenham won the FA Cup that year, the song’s popularity was boosted, and it even reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.
Last season, fans adapted the lyrics to sing ‘Tottenham are on their way to Bilbao’ ahead of the Europa League final, and the Lilywhites will be hoping to sing something similar this year.
- Read More: Why are Tottenham known as ‘the Lilywhites’?
Oh When the Spurs Go Marching In
Perhaps one of the most famous chants at Tottenham and in all of English football, supporters won’t be able to attend a matchday in N17 without hearing ‘Oh when the Spurs go marching in’ boom around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The chant, which is adapted from the traditional American spiritual hymn ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’, isn’t exclusive to Tottenham, with clubs such as Southampton and Liverpool also singing this on matchdays, with Liverpool swapping ‘Saints’ for ‘Reds’.
The song is believed to have first been sung by Spurs fans during the 1960/61 double-winning season under the late great Bill Nicholson.
Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur
Again, this iconic chant, which is an adaptation of the American Civil War-era hymn ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ and uses the tune of ‘John Brown’s Body’, isn’t exclusive to Spurs, with Manchester United fans also singing the same tune at Old Trafford.
However, it is believed that Tottenham were the first English club to use the song. It was first heard in 1960 during a match against Wolves. However, it gained its notoriety in Europe.
After Spurs were described by the Polish press as “no angels” for the team’s aggressive play against Gornik Zabrze in 1961, Tottenham fans arrived dressed as angels for the return leg and sang “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah”.
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