That's according to author Gareth Dace, who has just released his latest Tottenham chronicle - 'Hot Shot Tottenham: Spurs in the 80s – Hoddle, Hummel and Hazards'.
With the likes of Glenn Hoddle, Steve Perryman and Ossie Ardiles, Tottenham finished third in that '84/85 season, level on points with Liverpool, but a clear 13 points away from champions Everton,
However, Dace argues - and is backed up by Perryman - that a more cynical Spurs would've won the title that year.
Speaking to Tribalfootball.com, Dace reasoned: "1985 was really the year. They should probably have done it, but Everton were an exceptionally strong side and ultimately had enough points to win the title. When I spoke to Steve Perryman, whose memories run throughout the book, he explained that Keith Burkinshaw was deeply committed to the Spurs DNA — playing the right way, with creativity and panache.
"That philosophy often came at the expense of being ruthless. Perryman said that during his entire time at Spurs, he was never taught to waste time when leading 1–0, never to feign injury, never to run the ball into the corner. It simply wasn’t part of the Spurs psyche in the way it was for Everton or Liverpool — or even Arsenal.
"Spurs had the talent to win the title. Even the team they fielded in the return leg of the UEFA Cup final wasn’t close to their strongest, yet they still won it. That alone shows the depth of quality they had."
Reflecting on Tottenham's progress during the early '80s, Dace says it really was a case of 'what could have been' for the Lilywhites.
He continued, "Another key moment was the 1981 FA Cup win. They finished mid-table in the league that season, but the following year they competed on four fronts. By March, they had a realistic chance of winning all four competitions.
"They were beaten by Liverpool in the League Cup Final — a game Spurs fans still talk about because of Graeme Souness’ challenge on Tony Galvin. With only one substitute allowed at the time, Galvin played on injured. Spurs were leading with three minutes to go before Liverpool equalised, then won in extra time.
"They were then kicked off the pitch by Barcelona in the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final. That Barcelona side bears no resemblance to the tiki-taka era we think of now — their intent that night was simply to neutralise Spurs physically.
"Spurs also beat Arsenal at Highbury that season — something that barely ever happened — and still had games in hand. But true to form, they dropped points at home to Sunderland the following week.
"They limped over the line to win the FA Cup, but that season was full of near misses. They played 66 games with a relatively small squad, and it took a huge physical toll. Galvin missed much of the following season, Perryman too, and Ardiles was unavailable because of the Falklands War.
"That’s why I call the 1982–83 season “Battle Weary”. It took them two or three years to recover physically."
- Hot Shot Tottenham: Spurs in the 80s – Hoddle, Hummel and Hazards, by Gareth Dace is available from Pitch Publishing