Ralph Coates RIP

Hatch99 · 17-12-2010 1:22pm #1

Former Tottenham and England midfielder Ralph Coates has died at the age of 64 following a stroke.

Coates, who was capped four times by England, scored the winning goal for Spurs in their 1973 League Cup final victory over Norwich.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said: "He was just a great guy. He is still loved here and we have sent condolences to his family."

Coates began his career at Burnley and also played for Leyton Orient.

Clarets chief executive Paul Fletcher, a former team-mate of Coates, told the club's website: "He is still very much one of the sons of Burnley Football Club and someone who came through the revered youth system and went on to bigger and better things.

"He was revered here and it is a very sad day for everyone. He will be very sadly missed."

Coates made 261 appearances for Burnley between 1964-71 scoring 32 goals before he was signed by Tottenham's manager Bill Nicholson.

The fee was £190,000 and Coates told Nicholson when they met in Staffordshire to compete the deal "don't be stupid, no player is worth that".

He helped Spurs win the 1972 Uefa Cup in his first season at White Hart Lane and a year later endeared himself to the club's fans with the winner in the League Cup final at Wembley.

Coates left Tottenham for Leyton Orient in 1978 where he spent two years as a player coach before returning to White Hart Lane where he worked as a match-day host.

WHL · 17-12-2010 1:41pm

Just heard that sad news. Fond memories of that comb-back and listening to that Cup Final against Norwich on a crackly Radio 2 on MW (long before the days of multi-channel TV and Radio 5 Live - there was one live game a season on RTE and that was the Cup Final)