What’s It Like to Be Tottenham? by Dan Smith
They are a curious bunch those on the other side of North London. They don’t necessarily think how you assume they should. That’s not just a reflection in sport but in life. Never assume everyone else follows your thought process. Principles that matter to you might not adhere to others. Don’t ever assume how you think, no matter how much sense you think it makes, that someone else is not thinking the opposite.
When we faced Aston Villa Spurs were joint on points with our opponents in the race for 4th spot. If we had got any kind of result it would have put Tottenham’s destiny in their own hands in terms of qualification for the Champions League. Of course, a rival doesn’t want to see another one lift a trophy and naturally will enjoy watching them fall flat on their face. That’s banter, part of the fun.
Think back to that week where both clubs from the capital were in the Europa League and Champions League Finals respectively.
For one night only, all Gooners were Liverpool fans because we knew we wouldn’t hear the end of it if our neighbours won the European Cup that has eluded us. Yet I wouldn’t have prioritised that over our fate in Baku.
That’s because I support the Gunners, and first and foremost my priority is what is best for my team. Our welfare takes precedent over bragging rights.
Yet on social media I witnessed Spurs fans jumping up and down, hugging themselves as they witnessed Unai Emery’s men win 2-0 at the Emirates. They were celebrating our fate no longer being in our own hands, but long term it was potentially a more devastating scoreline for those same men and women high fiving each other. The happiest a supporter has been all season is a result that damages your future.
Bizarre right.
I gave them the benefit of the doubt though.
At one point this year there was over an 80 percent chance that 5th place in the Premiership would be enough to participate in UEFA’s premier competition. So, Spurs in 5th didn’t need to mind what Villa were doing. That was on the condition that English representatives did better than Germany’s in Europe. So, when Bayern Munich knocked us out last week (as well as Leverkusen’s success over West Ham) Spurs fans being happy made zero sense. Of course, our fanbase were disappointed to be eliminated but it was a tournament our young squad were never going to lift and one that we will be back in next campaign. In other words, we get over it. For Spurs it has more of a long-lasting impact.
If they swallowed their pride, all they needed was us to beat Bayern Munich and they were almost guaranteed a seat back at the head of UEFA’s table.
That would have been my outlook.
That the Champions League (especially under the new format) guarantees greater revenue which increases the talent you can recruit. Every year you’re away from it the gap between you and the rest grows.
That would mean more to me than any tribalism. Yet there were Spurs fans again not just having a party for a scoreline that now meant 5th was worthless to them but openly admitting that they see the contradiction but if given the choice, rather they too suffer if it means watch us not become Champions.
Again, we don’t all share the same point of view?
I just hope that logic comforts Spurs fans on Thursday nights in the Europa.
It means the atmosphere they will create on Sunday will be dangerous. It’s always difficult when you face a good team away where all the pressure is on you to win, compared to them, who have everything to gain and nothing to lose. That’s even before you consider we won away at Spurs in the League once in the last decade.
Even though a point doesn’t help them catch Villa, Spurs fans will treat a draw like a victory based on what it means for us.
The likes of Son have been at the Lane long enough to know what it would mean to his fans if they put a dent in our hopes. Madisson has the personality where he would revel in putting a pin in our balloon.
The irony is if we win the Derby we then are asking our neighbours for a favour. If we win our remaining 4 fixtures our goal difference means we only need Man City to slip up once. On paper at least City’s biggest banana skin is the same as ours, the Lane!
We really could do with Villa or Man United still being in touching distance by the time Spurs play City, so they have an incentive to win.
Ange Postecoglou is not going to turn his back on the top 4 just to spite us.
We could end up with the odd scenario of Spurs scoring against Man City and the home fans booing.
A curious bunch but that’s what it’s like to be Tottenham, what’s it like to be small.
Dan
I really enjoyed your article Dan
Rivalry is healthy and normal. Look at what the win for Everton meant to them against the old foe, Liverpool. For Everton it was more about maintaining a EPL presence next season with a sprinkling of extra pleasure in who they beat.
Nothing pleases me more than Spurs suffering- but definitely not at Arsenal’s expense
Their judgment is clouded by sheer hatred, they would have love to put up plastic champions league trophies to mock us like the Blues, the problem is they are in the same boat
It’s bizarre when Spurs supporters’ only joy is if Arsenal doesn’t achieve.
Sometimes, it’s nice to be an underdog, because victories over a bigger and more popular rival are sweeter when you’re like David against Goliath
I bet it’s what Spurs fans have been thinking about their team
Like you said don’t expect everyone to think like you or see things in the same way ,also will like everyone on JA to apply this logic of thought to all article’s on this site so no more name calling and character assassination.
On the issue of Spurs fans just give them till end of season when reality shines bright on them then the full reality of there failure to qualify for Champions league will bite deeper than the short liven Joy.
Come this Sunday hopefully we go show them the blue print with a spanking at the lane
DAN, I definitely agree with your view that it is far more the reaction of any PROPER FAN to much prioritise their own teams success over the demise of a much loathed rival.
However, you seem to be putting all Spurs fans in that one scenario and life is not , frankly, like that at all.
Spurs fans, just likeour own, andall fans of any club anywhere, are NOT all one entity and each clubs fans contain a multitude of different views.
So yes, I DO agree that its strange and odd and NOT the view of a real fan to prefer a rivals demise to their OWN success.
But that is NOT, IN REALITY, the situation with all, let alone even the majority of Spurs fans IMO.
Like our own club, of course all other clubs have their share of unthinking, reactionary idiots too.
But taken overall, I would suggest the percentage of idiots is, broadly, much the same among all clubs fans.
And that leaves a still majority in each club,of PROPER, SENSIBLE THINKING FANS.
Finally , DAN and anyone else reading this post, please bear in mind that fans who use club sites social media are far from typical of ALL fans of any club.
MOST fans simply wish to support their own club with quiet(publicly) but sincere passion and cannot be bothered to spend time on social media , dissing OTHER clubs.
And thank goodness for that too!
I do agree
AFTV for a few years made our fans come across in a certain light
DAN, I would suggest AFTV made only unthinking fansof othe club themselves “think” ourds are ALL like those on AFTV. Plainly we wthinkers ndsthinkes fromothe clubs NEVER thought that for a single moment.
Why not write a piece specifically about that factor of social media inclined fans NOT being at all representative of the WHOLE of ANY clubs entire fanbase.
If you dont wish to however, I might well do so instead.
Though, as you have sich a huge following onJA, naturallly, it would be a good idea coming from you. IMO.
Spot on Jon. I, as you, can remember the very early 60’s when the shoe was on the other foot. I watched Spurs play Benfica in the second leg of the European Cup at WHL when they were knocked out on goal difference. If anything I felt a bit sorry for them so does that diminish my status as an Arsenal supporter? Not in my eyes.
Memory lapse, they lost 4-3!
Exactly right Andrew. I was also there that night when they won the second leg 2-1 but lost overall
They were the victims of poor reffing too and ought, even deserved, to have beaten Benfica. But I thought thy were unlucky, IN TRUTH!
So pleased they did not win.
Pleased back them and still now too!
Andrew that Spurs team led by Danny Blanchflower was great to watch and in 1960/61 completed the first First Division title/FA Cup double of the 20th century, later emulated by Arsenal in 1970/71, as well as winning the European Fairs Cup in 1970.
Jon and Dan, it is unfortunate that both clubs have some fans (not all) that see success not only in their own team, but the misfortune of others.
The pre-match press conferences of both Ange Postecoglou and Mikel Arteta demonstrated their “class”, which is sorely missing in some of their club’s supporters.
I’ve never really had issues with Spurs or their fans, and with me growing up in Highgate they were always present, if not a presence, also one of my best mates was a WHL regular, so I came to accept them as the ‘other’ local team, even though there are actually three league teams in Noth London, (four if you count Watford), and just got on with being a Gooner.
…North London…
Yeah, another good one Dan. Keep ’em coming😉.
JAX a post I can much identify with.
I grew up in Palmers Green next door and lived right next door to a Spurs season ticket holding family.
When aged five I used to go as far as our front gate with a few pennies(from Father) and be given the Saturday sports results paper. If the headline said Spurs andArsenal BOTH win, as sometimes it did, I was happy. By age seven I had learned better an was beginning to attend Highbury regularly but never learned to so caledl “hate” our local rivals whom I secretly envied, esp when they beat us.
I would attebd both Spurs and Arsenal weekly when aged ten onwards and well remember their Double team which I naturally envied and was afraid of . As I got older I learne to want Spurs to lose in games and that remains.
However I never had and still do NOT have any actual antipathy towards Spurs or their fans.
Chelsea however were and remain my bette noire and I CANNOT EVER STAND THEM.
I may possibly be the only Gooner who can name both Bert Bliss and Jimmy Dimmock who both played in the 1921 Spurs cup winning teams(courtesy of Mr Chapman, the Spurs fan who lived next door and with whom I used to spend hours discussing football, him mostly speaking and myself mostly listening.)
AND I can recite without a moments hesitation their 1961 double winning team.
Back to Chelsea though, imagine my double delight this week when it was THEM, we simply murdered.
I have intensely personal and private reasons for REALLY LOATHING CHELSEA, which date back decades before Abramovitch took them over.
👍 My late second cousin, who I stayed with in Hornchurch, Essex on my visits to London was a lifelong Spurs fan. When my visits coincided with the start of the season, we watched the televised match together.
Good article Dan.
What I find amusing is that we think that following The Arsenal, is, somehow, more logical than following ANY team, let alone the spuds!!
There is no logic whatsoever in supporting a club through thick and thin – having said support ruling your life (at a younger age in my case) – spending enormous amounts of money, knowing that only despair and disappointment probably awaits you – arguing with fellow fans over opinions – it’s a crazy world!!
I’m just happy that The Arsenal chose me and admire the fans, like those from the spuds, who show the same unwavering support, despite winning nothing for so long.
Hahahaha this cracked me up, love it! So true but I’m hoping Man City’s last few games have started looking like mountains, everyone is fighting for points now, by any means. I find results are harder to predict at the beginning and at the end of seasons, example being what happened to Liverpool today at West Ham. This season is not over.
“We could end up with the odd scenario of Spurs scoring against Man City and the home fans booing.”
Would be fun to see that!
It wont happen, PROVIDED that Spurs still need to win to make top four and the CL. However,if Spurs are assured of fifth anddefinitely only fifth, BEFORE the City match, in THAT scenario there will be SOME IDIOTS, like all clubs have , who might boo but who will claim afterwards, falsely however,that they were only bantering.
Idiots are idiots for their whole life and live and die that way!
jon, it’s like idiots on JA stating that Spurs would throw the game against Manchester City to stop Arsenal winning the EPL. If that was forced on Ange Postecoglou he would resign as manager of Spurs.
It is like saying that Arsenal tanked the game against Aston Villa to stop Spurs making top 4!
Nothing better than beating spurs than beating them on their ground and at the same time celebrating A win giving us St Titeringham Day! Coyg
. Tit or Tot.. Anyway, whats an odd tit or two between friends!
Kiieron. please post a photo of the St Totteringham’s Day trophy on JA.
I don’t go back as far into the sepia past as some of your posters, but I was lucky to become a Spurs supporter in the golden 1960s (when we were top dogs in England, not just London) courtesy of being born into a Spurs family in a solidly Spurs area.
Arsenal in those days were a joke, with no trophies in my young lifetime, humiliations like the League Cup defeat to Swindon, and the shame of the Metropolitan Police Band playing at half-time in the often embarrassingly empty Highbury Stadium.
Well, times have certainly changed, but I don’t hate Arsenal today any more than I did sixty years ago, and I wish Spurs had had the imagination to appoint a transformative coach like Wenger when both clubs were in the doldrums under Rioch and Francis in the ’90s. Wenger was as important as Chapman in Arsenal’s history, and his success in his first ten years elevated the N5 lot to a level which the N17 lot have struggled to come close to, let alone match.
Under those circumstances, it’s not surprising that Spurs fans are reduced to wishing failure on Arsenal (as I did in 2006, when I remember thinking that Spurs not qualifying for the CL would be worth it, so long as Arsenal lost the CL Final – which they duly did!), but to pretend that Arsenal fans are above such things is ridiculous – what’s ‘St Totteringham’s Day’ all about, FFS?
I respect and even admire the professional way in which Arsenal is run, especially when contrasted with ENIC’s performance at Tottenham, but inter-club rivalries are part and parcel of being fans, and only those of totally dominant clubs like PSG or Bayern Munich (until this year!) are likely to be above such pettiness – the proverbial gap isn’t quite that wide, even though it’s probably going to get wider under a pair like Levy and Postecoglu.
Let’s see what happens tomorrow, and which set of fans prove to be magnanimous whichever way it goes – neither, is my guess.
Cheshunt boy, great post from a obvious true supporter – I applaud you for your loyalty through thick and thin.
Your memories of our history is true enough to a point 🙁 as I can verify from personal experience) but I do take issue with you regarding us being in the doldrums under Rioch, as he was only with us for twelve months and before that we had George Graham winning the league, the two domestic cups in the same season, just one game away from having his own Invincibles and winning a European trophy…. so the difference between the success of the two clubs started long before Arsene Wenger came along to dominate North London for just under two decades.
Whatever happens tomorrow, the rivalry will continue as long as both clubs exist and the most satisfying thing about that, is it’s all about football and nothing else.
👍 ken, George Graham should never be forgotten, plus Rioch (and Dean) brought us the incomparable Dennis Bergkamp.
Ozzie, it wasn’t even that good for Rioch, as he had nothing to do with Bergkamp coming in. This was all Dein’s doing without even consulting Rioch.
Ozzie, I have to correct myself, as I’ve discovered that Dein did consult with Rioch after being offered Bergkamp by his agent, following the breakdown of his move to Chelsea.
Cheshuntboy, excellent post from a true supporter
Spurs may have appointed a “transformational coach” now in Ange Postecoglou.
If supported by Levy and the Board with the income now being generated by Spurs stadium, Spurs will be more than competitive and a real threat to Arsenal et al.
You only have to look at the transformation in style of play thus far, after only 2 transfer windows, despite the loss of Harry Kane.
Cheshuntboy. Nobody seems to know the origin of St Totts day, but when that milestone is passed we usually give it the old banter. Probably later today I think.
When I first started to follow British football and supporting The Arsenal, and without knowing the extent of the tribalism between two clubs, there were moments when the shoe was definitely on the other foot and I’m certain that I wasn’t the only Arsenal fan who envied Spurs for having the likes of Greaves, Gilzean, Mullary and Peters while we only had George Graham and Charlie George to make us dream. The double changed all that, however over the years our rivals have had class players such as Hoddle, Villa, Ardilles and Gascoign to make me drool with envy while all Arsenals hopes were placed on the Irish trio of Brady, O Leary and Stapleton. The rest of our players were mostly pedestrian. Thankfully that all changed significantly after the amazing night in Liverpool when even a biased hack journalist like Tony Parsons changed his allegiance from The Lane to Highbury. After that of course we were blessed with the Wegner revolution and the bragging rights that came with it. Long may that continue.
“I don’t think you honestly believe that. I attended school in Crouch End during the era you mentioned, and Arsenal had many quality players who I would include in the Arsenal team before the Tottenham players you mentioned. Frankly, I think it’s a bit insulting to the players who wore the Arsenal shirt during that time period. I’ve never envied Tottenham players, club, or fans in all my years of following British football. Tottenham have always been and will always remain in our shadows, and I am confident Tottenham fans who have lived through our time know that.”
Perhaps it was all too civilised to be true on here, but Spurs fans from the ’60s didn’t feel even slightly inferior to their Arsenal counterparts.
We signed Jimmy Greaves and you signed Joe Baker; we signed Mike England and you signed Ian Ure – even in your 1971 Double season, former Arsenal player Bernard Joy (who became a journalist on the old Evening Standard) could only find room for six Arsenal players in his best of both teams eleven by choosing Bob Wilson over Pat Jennings (and Bob – who I admire enormously as thoroughly decent man – has never hidden his belief that Pat was in a different class to him).
As I write, Arsenal have just gone two up, so I don’t think today’s result is in any doubt, but please don’t re-write the past – we did have our moments, even if you’ve got to be my age to remember them!
On a different note, now that Liverpool are pretty much out of the title race, if there are not some fans who feature regularly on this site, who would be satisfied with second place since we are the only remaining club with a “soul” to challenge City with their financial machinations. The idea that it is no disgrace to come second to a team that wins at all cost and doesn’t abide by the rules. Certainly it is no disgrace however it should never be used as an excuse. Arsenal have had opportunities to put serious pressure on City but these were not taken and now we need to remain perfect but also require major help from the other clubs yet to face our rivals, who look set to win by a head down the straight. Hope they stumble, however.
👍Joe.S