I was born in 1983 and became a Tottenham fan in or around 1990 as I watched Gazza at Italia90, fell in love with football and fell in love with Spurs. You see that is the story I tell myself as that is my memory however the reality is I was born into being a Spurs fan, I actually had no say. My father, my Grandfather and so on all Tottenham supporters and for me to pick any other club would have been … well it would not have happened.
You see for younger fans, especially those who have only seen us under ENIC, it is hard to explain that through the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s Tottenham were one of the big clubs. Football was very different of course, the money that came in with the Premier League suddenly meant league success gave you massive financial superiority over your rivals and that allowed you to sign the best players, pay the big wages and become bigger whereas other clubs, who maybe sat mid table but lifted cups on a regular basis (our beloved Spurs) were left behind.
So why the boring history lesson? No real reason beyond the fact that I had a sad and sudden realisation today. I am a Tottenham fan for life. My child is a Tottenham fan, my family before me were and that is the problem.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club under ENIC have lifted one League Cup during the 20yr tenure of the two men pictured above (Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy). This has been the least successful period in our history and the 2010’s was the first decade since the 40’s that we won nothing. We are charged the highest ticket prices in Europe yet are not winning trophies or playing entertaining football. We have the highest debt of any club in Europe now. We are about to appoint a new head coach who previously was at Wolves and left by mutually agreeing he had done all he could with them.
Now I have no problem with Nuno, seems a good coach etc however if you have watched Wolves play over the last 12-18 months they were poor. The style of football that he likes is not the “Tottenham way” which Daniel Levy promised us following the sacking of Jose. Appointing Nuno is essence like appointing Jose light. All the same football but only one quarter the salary!!
During this summer we have been linked with a high number of head coaches and to be honest I have found fault with most of them. This has led me to ask myself some questions. Am I just angry at the club so no matter who they pick I will find a fault? Am I generally a hard person to please…. am I just in a permanent bad mood due to the pandemic and all the fun that has brought to my life… I am not sure, maybe a combination. However going back to my original point, the fact is I am a Tottenham fan for life and that is the problem.
Can you think of another industry or business where consumers / customers could be treated as fans of Tottenham are treated and those companies get away with it? They literally signed us up to a breakaway European Super League (your opinion on that aside as that is not the point) which collapsed as quickly as it was started and cost millions, could end up costing even more – however in doing that they were told clearly that fans would be unhappy and the replied by stating… the “legacy” fans would be unhappy, but being in this tournament would bring in new fans.
Daniel Levy literally disregarded every fan who has followed Tottenham at home or made the trips away and branded them all as obsolete… then when it did not pan out he increased ticket prices, leaked stories of Poch returning or Conte joining and once renewals happened those stories vanished faster than the European Super League did.
You see the club are to be blunt taking the piss. However they can. As I am a Tottenham fan for life and that is the problem! They have me. I can talk about being disinterested or bored of it. I can talk about bot going to games or not being a member anymore (which I did cancel). However I know hundreds more will replace me as a member, thousands are waiting on season tickets and all of these fans do it on the basis of hope. The hope is that maybe their eyes will one day see the glory. Maybe this year will be our year.
If you were knew to the club and I told you Audere Est Facere meant “Its the hope that kills you” … you would believe me. Tottenham is built on hope, the hope of the fans that each season will bring something new and each year it ends the same way. What I think has hurt Daniel Levy is that we were close. We as fans for the first time in a long time got to feel the excitement of competing for major honours. Second place in the league, third place in the league, Champions league football and of course actually making the damn final!
We have tasted it and we want to keep it. We want to feel like that every season and better yet we want to go the step beyond just competing we want to win something too. I am not greedy, I am not talking some sort of decade of dominance but a trophy or two every few years… that will do nicely.
In order to try and bring us back to glory Daniel Levy as so say stepped away from football matters and appointed a new director at the club, he starts work officially on the 1st of July and comes to us from Juventus where he is, to be fair, credited with helping that club rebuild back to the dominant force it is today. Could he actually be the man to do it…. there it is again, hope. Stupid hope!
You see no matter who the head coach is, no matter how many players are sold or how poor the rubbish is we sign to replace our outgoing hero (not even saying the name here but you all know) I am still going to be supporting this club. I will be on the Facebook page for Spurs News, writing blogs here on the website, doing a weekly podcast (which is sponsored for next season by the way) talking about all the goings on and I will be on Twitter each day talking views and the latest news with fellow fans.
…… you see ….. its because I am a Tottenham fan for life… and that is the bloody problem!
-Admin SJ
