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Great Expectations

6 min read
by Editor
Disillusioned with what he was getting out of football, Nick Croft-Simon decided to re-evaluate his relationship with Spurs.

The impact of expectation on football is truly bizarre. On the one hand, it is responsible for much of the misinformed guff that currently clogs the internet, as we fans try (and fail most of the time) to separate our own partisan dreams from the actual facts. Yet on the other hand, I truly believe that football would be dead without it. Can you imagine a world where a club’s fan base only ever hope to achieve the most likely outcome? What would be the point?

At the start of every season, much to the eventual delight of all my friends, I massively overestimate Spurs’ chances of achieving something; not because I have some sort penchant for being slowly proven wrong over the course of ten months, but because I genuinely believe it. Does it bother me? Not in the slightest. Partly because I like the attention, but also because daring to dream is a huge part of what makes football, and sport in general, so enjoyable.

And yet there is a caveat to all this. Is there a point at which expectations become so lofty that they start to damage your own enjoyment of the beautiful game?

[linequote]Can you imagine a world where a club’s fan base only ever hope to achieve the most likely outcome?[/linequote]

This all came to me during Spurs’ opening fixtures. As I sat there disgruntled, watching us display the exact same weaknesses as last season and witnessing Lamela lose possession for the eight thousandth time, some thoughts crossed my mind.

Firstly, I considered whether Lamela had somehow suffered the same fate as the NBA players in Space Jam, who have their talent sucked out of them by aliens and as a result, start wondering aimlessly around the court losing the ball. I soon realised that this was wholly unrealistic; if aliens from outer space needed the talent of five of the world’s best footballers, they wouldn’t choose Lamela anyway.

I started to feel like Tottenham Hotspur had used up the last vestiges of my patience, and that I should just give up on this season now to avoid the inevitable disappointment. I was not enjoying myself. What is normally the highlight of my week – watching Spurs play – now felt arduous and, crucially, not that much fun. Then, after a good 15 minutes of feeling pleased with myself for coming up with the Lamela Space Jam joke, I started thinking more philosophically. Was I right to be so damning of my team? How can I approach this problem in a way that will allow me to keep on enjoying my beloved Spurs?

I believe the answers lie in how we fans manage our expectations. Somewhere, presumably via a car window, Harry Redknapp once said that a team’s success is 90% down to the playing staff. The best teams have the best players, and this is why one can predict the final standings of the Premier League with a fair degree of accuracy before a ball has been kicked. When I read this, my first thought was, well yeah – a man who is about as tactically astute as Mike Bassett probably would say that (bit unfair on Mike, he at least dabbled with alternative tactics before reverting back to four, four, f***ing two.)

[fullquote]Daring to dream is a huge part of what makes football, and sport in general, so enjoyable.[/fullquote]

Yet recently, I have begun to think that ‘Arry may actually have a point. Let’s assume that he does, and that the calibre of players is at least half the reason a team will end up finishing where it does. Where does this leave my apathy?

At the moment, we are miles apart from the current top four in terms of ability to attract top-class players. To do so, you either need to be firmly established on the world stage as a top club, or have limitless funds. One foray into Europe’s elite competition sadly does not provide either of these things; yet judging by the profound impact that season had on the expectations of our fan base, one would think the opposite. As glorious as that season was, it didn’t really change our prospects.

Football, like life, is a game of probability. It’s about using what you’ve got to maximise the chances of favourable outcomes, and minimise the risk of negative ones. In light of this, Tottenham must either buy good, but not great, players close to their peak, or players who are potential world beaters, but come with a risk of ending up as transfer flops. We simply cannot do what the current top four does – buy world class players at their peak, a practice that obviously comes with the highest chance of success. We have to settle for the next tier down: the Lamelas of this world.

People will now be pointing back to the excellent quality in our squad during the Champions League season. But ask yourself – what did we do then that is any different to what we’ve done since? We scoured the market for players with potential and took risks, and it just so happened that on this occasion, probability handed us a favourable outcome. Players like Lennon, Bale and Modric had a huge impact, we still had one of the greatest players to ever come out of our academy in Ledley King, and we managed to buy an out-of-favour Van Der Vaart in a bit of a freak transfer.

[linequote]At the moment, we are miles apart from the current top four in terms of ability to attract top-class players.[/linequote]

What we have attempted since is no different. Assuming that our scouts know what the hell they’re doing, and did the required research, the rest is essentially down to chance. The fact of the matter is we cannot attract the types of players that are more or less guaranteed to work out, and as such, we have finished in the top four twice in 22 Premier League seasons. Looking at it objectively, thinking that we should consistently outperform the teams at the top of the league has to be seen more as wishful thinking than realistic expectation.

So how did I conclude this rather bleak train of thought? I decided that for now, I am going to enjoy Tottenham for what they are at this point in time. One day, when the new stadium is complete and our revenue streams are booming, maybe we can start to raise the bar of expectation. But for now, let’s enjoy the fact that we are unspoiled by success. Let us not simply accept the fact that unfair expectation has made us apathetic to the club we hold so dear. We must revel in the brief moments of unbridled ecstasy that Spurs can serve us up at times: the 5-3s against Chelsea, the 2-1s against the Arse. We must remember that supporting football should be enjoyable, and that unrealistic expectations are not necessarily conducive to this.

So next time you feel that wave of Lilywhite dejection, do not give in. Ride out and meet it head on. For death and glory. For Tottenham.

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

2 Comments

  1. tonym belfast
    09/09/2015 @ 9:09 am

    Best article i have read anywhere and is absolutely spot on. I came to the same conclusion myself just recently and decided to just enjoy the fact that we have so many young guys out there giving it 110% for the shirt. Paulinho and his like actually soured the whole business of being a supporter and enjoying the game for what it is. Spurs are my club and there can be no other. All i ask is they pull on that shirt and try their best for the fans. Soldado may not have been a success but he tried and never lost the fans. Lamella tries, oh how hard he tries, and maybe someday he will discover his talent again. Townsend tries and tries but i doubt the talent is sufficient. lets hope the new guys can do it with style and flair and show the real tottenham flair we all want to see.

  2. Spursius
    09/09/2015 @ 9:26 am

    Good article. In hindsight, you can tell partly by when the whingers start up that we were very spoilt with some of the football we could play under Redknapp, and with Bale and Modric in our team.

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