Kevin Mitchell, who stood on the Shelf in the 1970s watching Glenn Hoddle’s emergence, recalls the skills that made the stricken Tottenham star a legend
When Glenn Hoddle collapsed on his 61st birthday in a TV studio in London on Saturday and slipped “close to death”, football held its breath, just as thousands of Tottenham fans did in the 1970s and 80s, whenever he had the ball at feet that were as soft as pillows.
Late on Saturday evening, still conscious in hospital after a heart attack, the television pundit and former England midfielder could be grateful that a BT Sport colleague knew how to use a defibrillator and “kept him breathing until an ambulance arrived”, according to a former teammate in touch with the family, adding: “He was very close to death but, thanks to BT staff, he is still here.”
Written by Kevin Mitchell
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/28/glenn-hoddle-genius-tottenham-fans-hold-their-breath under the title “Glenn Hoddle: the genius who Spurs fans love like no other”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
