Post Past by Sean Joseph Liverpool supporter, Daily Post
WHEN you need to stifle a World Cup star, you tend not to think of former Liverpool full-back David Burrows for the job.
But when Liverpool went to White Hart Lane in the November after Paul Gascoigne had starred for England in Italia 90, Kenny Dalglish decided he was the man to make Gazza cry.
Gascoigne seemed to be a player who would have thrived at Anfield under Dalglish. It was rumoured the Liverpool manager wanted the Geordie, but felt he needed another season at Newcastle to grow up. We now know it has taken almost a lifetime for that to happen, and even now it's not certain it has.
But the tubby Geordie went to the bright lights of London, and Liverpool supporters were keen to make sure he knew he'd made the wrong decision.
And in a stunning 3-1 victory, Burrows, not the England midfielder, was the star. Even managing to break free from his man-to-man marking job to set up one of the goals from a previously unfavoured midfield role.
Gascoigne got plenty of stick from the travelling Kop, and for once he was left to feel distinctly average as Liverpool punctured the Spurs' supposed title charge before it had really got going.
As it always seemed then, Spurs were being tipped for big things under Terry Venables and England's latest prodigy.
But Dalglish won the tactical battle hands down, Gascoigne was anonymous apart from letting his frustrations get the better of him late on, picking up a booking for a foul on Steve Staunton.
Liverpool took the lead seven minutes before the break. Jan Molby playing in Ian Rush, who had broken the offside trap to coolly lift over Spurs keeper Thorstvedt.
Three minutes into the second half it was 2-0 Peter Beardsley, Molby and Burrows linked before Rush applied the finishing touch to the Brummie full-back's low cross.
Spurs pulled one back thanks to Gary Lineker, but normal service was resumed when Beardsley slotted in. Despite carrying a heavy burden throughout the match 'Bugsy' Burrows left the pitch alone. He had finally allowed Gascoigne out of his back pocket.
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