1986/87: Clive Allen

As Erling Haaland threatens to break every goal scoring record that exists, a few questions hang in the air. Can he score over 40 league goals in the season? How many hat-tricks will he score? Will he surpass Dixie Dean's mark of 60 league goals scored in the 1927/28 season? Is he a robot? 

Surely even Haaland cannot break Dean's record? But it would not be a complete surprise if the Norwegian manages to exceed the exploits of a notable season in the career of Clive Allen. The 1986/87 campaign would see the Tottenham forward score 49 goals in all competitions, as the club under the new management of David Pleat chased a domestic treble.

"Clive Allen. Would you believe it?" John Motson's words at the start of the 1987 FA Cup final could possibly have been applied to Allen's season as a whole. There was no doubting the goal-poaching abilities of the striker. But his previous couple of seasons at Tottenham did not suggest he was about to break a 34-year record at the club as the 1986/87 campaign started.

Playing in two spells at QPR, Allen lasted a season at Crystal Palace, and also signed for Arsenal - although he never played a competitive match for the club - with his tour of London clubs continuing in 1984, when he arrived at White Hart Lane, following in the footsteps of his dad Les who won the double with Tottenham in 1960/61.

Allen did manage to score twice on his league debut in a 4-1 win at Everton, yet the first two years at Tottenham was blighted by injuries. But the arrival of Pleat would coincide with a reversal in Allen's fortunes. "A strong squad and Pleat may help them land a trophy," the Daily Express 1986/87 season preview stated regarding Tottenham. Allen would do his best to lead that pursuit.

A sign of things to come arrived on the opening day of the season. A hat-trick at Aston Villa gave Tottenham an impressive 3-0 win, although the home team would later suffer relegation. "That's Clive - a goal poacher," goalkeeper Ray Clemence enthused. "When he gets one his confidence flies and he's immediately chasing more."

When Allen scored a brace in a 2-1 win at Leicester, he had managed to bag seven of Tottenham's eight goals in their first seven matches. "I'm pleased to be scoring so many goals and it doesn't worry me that nobody else is at the moment," Allen said. "I know the others will join in sooner or later."

Tottenham's reliance on their form player showed no signs of receding as autumn approached. A last minute Allen free kick gave Tottenham a 3-2 win at Barnsley in the League Cup; two strikes against Everton saw Tottenham gain a crucial 2-0 win; Allen netted the winner at Anfield; two goals against Birmingham in the League Cup took Allen's total to 15 in the first 14 matches.

What was the secret to his success? Allen merely stated it was being in the right place at the right time, yet Pleat also recognised that a fitter and sharper Allen was a big reason behind his flying start. A striker confident in his ability and body was benefitting Tottenham and their new manager.

Another Allen strike in a 1-0 win over Coventry was his 12th league goal in Tottenham's first 15 matches, with only three league goals coming from other players. Initially partnered by new signing Nico Claesen, Allen continued his fine form as the new year arrived. By the end of 1986 he had scored 28 goals in the season so far.

His form in November and December was something else. Two goals in a 4-2 win over Oxford; two more despite Tottenham losing 3-2 to Nottingham Forest; a goal that resulted in a broken nose in the entertaining 3-3 draw at Old Trafford in a live BBC match; two goals at Stamford Bridge and a brace in a 4-0 win over West Ham; two against Coventry albeit in a crazy 4-3 defeat.

"It is instinct more than anything," Allen revealed. "You can't teach people when and where to go in the penalty area. They are falling for me at the moment and I am tucking them away." Pleat, who had brought Mitchell Thomas and Richard Gough to the club in the summer, was about to add another piece to the jigsaw.

When Steve Hodge arrived in December it would eventually lead to Pleat deploying a five-man midfield behind Allen, consisting of Glenn Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles, Chris Waddle, Hodge, and Allen's cousin Paul. As Tottenham chased an unlikely domestic treble, the goals flowed. The team would score in 26 consecutive matches between November and May.

Allen had his only real dry spell at the start of 1987, going a full four matches without a goal. But a crucial goal at West Ham in the League Cup quarter final set up a replay at White Hart Lane. Allen's hat-trick in the return match handed Tottenham the mouth-watering prospect of a north London derby against Arsenal in the two-legged semi-finals.

It appeared as if Allen and Tottenham would not be stopped by George Graham's young team. A winner at Highbury - accompanied by a spine-shattering celebration - and another strike in the first half of the second leg gave Tottenham a 2-0 aggregate lead. But in a season of personal triumph for Allen, he was about to experience crushing disappointment.

Missing a number of glorious opportunities to kill the tie, Allen looked on as Arsenal fought back to win 2-1. Allen scored again as Tottenham took the lead in the replay, but they simply could not shake off Arsenal. A third 2-1 win for Arsenal at White Hart Lane in 1987 - to go with the league match in January - thwarted Tottenham's treble chances.

There was still hope in the league, as Allen scored his 40th goal in the season in a 1-0 win over QPR three days after the Arsenal disappointment. In March, Tottenham were 14 points behind leaders Liverpool with five games in hand. But eventually the team ran out of fuel and had to be content with a third-place finish.

Allen experienced highs and lows in April. Scoring his third and final hat-trick of the season in a win over Norwich, a day later he was named as PFA Player of the Year. "He hasn't got the pace of Ian Rush or the power in the air of Mick Harford," Pleat admitted. "But I don't think anyone had got cleaner feet when it comes to getting the ball round the goalkeeper."

Earning an England recall, Allen was looking to break his international duck, having failed to score in his previous three appearances. But a disallowed goal in the 0-0 draw against Turkey left Allen frustrated. His final cap would come in February 1988 in another goalless draw in Israel.

At least Allen had the consolation of reaching the FA Cup final. His goal in the semi-final against Watford saw him break Jimmy Greaves' Tottenham record of 44 goals in a season, set back in 1962/63. Tottenham were firm favourites against Coventry, yet there would be no silver lining come the end of a classic final.

Allen headed home his 49th of the season in the second minute, but the 3-2 defeat left Tottenham without silverware to show for their memorable season. Allen scored 33 league goals, 4 FA Cup and 12 League Cup goals, won the PFA and the FWA Footballer of the Year. But team success proved elusive.

Still, the future did look bright. But Tottenham failed to build on the foundations of the 1986/87 season. Gough and Hoddle departed, Pleat would be sacked in October following newspaper allegations about his private life, and by March 1988 Allen transferred to Bordeaux. 

"I'd love to see Tottenham win a trophy rather than my name on the scoresheet," Allen stated during his memorable campaign. You can't always get what you want. Well, maybe Erling Haaland can. It would not be surprising if Haaland beats Allen's 49-goal domestic tally. Yet it would be stunning if City ended up without silverware come the end of this season.