Wearing the 90s with pride

I have always worn the late 1990’s and early 2000’s like a badge of honour. Born in the early 90’s, I was raised on a footballing diet of Vega, Berti, Tramezzani and Baardsen.

Tube tickets at press conferences and not actually singing the manager’s name. I knew what the phrase ‘mid-table obscurity’ meant when I was five, because I had heard my Dad say it so many times. I was taught that if we won more than we lost after 38 games, we were going into that summer in relatively good nick. That when you lose at home to Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry City or Ipswich Town you say ‘Ah it happens’ or ‘we’ve been due one of them’.

Although my heroes were Anderton and Ginola, I loved Armstrong, Nielsen, Fox and Carr, and because the football I saw us play at the Lane was seldom as dazzling as it is today, I, like many other Tottenham fans my age, have always worn that era like a badge of honour. The fact that, in comparative terms, we were sh*t, is something I have always been proud of.

[linequote] Because the football I saw us play at the Lane was seldom as dazzling as it is today, I, like many other Tottenham fans my age, have always worn that era like a badge of honour[/linequote]

The fact that my old man, like many Tottenham fans his age, has seen us finish as high as third, lift numerous FA, League and UEFA Cup’s is something I’m fairly jealous of. However, the sanguine disposition that currently emanates from White Hart Lane is not just a new badge of honour for me; it’s my shield and my sword.

For a kid who has watched Stephane Dalmat and Rohan Rickets occupy the respective Tottenham wide positions (in the same game), I cannot and will not contain my excitement about this current group, and I feel that as a collective, we as Tottenham fans have earned it, especially those of us born way after those glory years.

Pride which was born out of our own obscurity has been transformed into a different kind of pride altogether- a group of players who have exceeded our wildest expectations and look infinitely hungry for more.

This Tottenham squad just has something that those before it haven’t had; it’s brimming with youth, confidence and unerring faith in the manager. It has what every football fan wants their team to have. Togetherness, unity, pride, call it what you like, no longer do Generation Y have to wear the 1990’s like a badge of honour. F*ck ‘Spursy’, f*ck ‘soft underbellys’, and f*ck being on the periphery peering at the top of the league table- we are Tottenham Hotspur.

We are coming back from a goal down, we are pressing, harrying and chasing. We are solid and we are looking at every game as if we can win it. We are coming away from Anfield and the Emirates disappointed with only getting a point and we are going to roll the Manchester clubs over when they come to us. Forget ‘Three Points Lane’ and ‘St Totteringhams Day’, things are changing, and not with superficial Russian or Arab money to boot.

[linequote]Having initially doubted Lamela (and with good reason), I feel that he know embodies what it is to be Tottenham; calculated pressure without the ball, quality with it[/linequote]

We’re not a stepping stone club for these players like we have been in the recent past. What Sheringham, Carrick, Modric and Berbatov sought elsewhere can, with the right additions in the summer be found in the coming years at White Hart Lane (and the new stadium).

From Kane to Eriksen, and Lloris to Lamela, these boys just seem to understand what it means to us. Having initially doubted Lamela (and with good reason), I feel that he know embodies what it is to be Tottenham; calculated pressure without the ball, quality with it. The emergence of Danny Rose as England’s preferred left-back for Euros and the fact that it will be a travesty if Kane isn’t England’s number 9 are but two of the testaments to Poch’s project.

To still be in with a shout of winning the league after 33 games is quite a bizarre feeling, even the most ardent Spurs fans would not have foreseen it in August. For me, no matter whether we finish first or second, this is the season that has put an end to us being considered bottle jobs. Moving forward, the experience these boys and the management staff have gained is invaluable.

This season has put an end to many unwanted labels and tags, and it’s rattled a lot of rival fans, especially those from down the road. White Hart Lane is rocking, the Tottenham Millennials are roaring and we are witnessing only the start of something special: Champions League football, a brand new stadium, a state of the art training complex, players who are willing to do anything for the cause and a manager who exudes class whilst getting results on the pitch. God it feels good to be Tottenham.