My View from the Fence – Tottenham Hotspur

Reading Jack Doyle’s excellent article, “Dad, why do I support Tottenham?” inspired me to share my relationship with Spurs. I was born and raised in Grimsby, so naturally I supported Grimsby Town, this is about as far away from football as you can possibly imagine but still, they are my club.

I have always had a soft spot for Tottenham though, as a club they epitomise what it is like to be a football fan. The anticipation, the hope and the oh so close moments.

But it’s not in any shape that Spurs get a pity vote for my affections, far from it.

As a neutral, Tottenham have an exciting brand of football and while trophies have been thin on the ground they have always had amazing players. Ginola, Ledley King, Pat Jennings, Jimmy Greaves, Hoddle, Blanchflower and Dave Mackay are just a few of the greats that have lit up White Hart Lane over the years.

I want to use this article to reminisce about some of the joys that Tottenham have brought to my life as a lover of football. I think you guys have an exciting future ahead but for now, take a trip with me down memory lane as I remember two Spurs legends.

Osvaldo Ardiles

“Spurs are on their way to Wembley, Tottenham’s going to do it again. They can’t stop them, the boys from Tottenham, the boys from White Hart Lane”.

Everyone’s favourite “rockney” duet, Chas & Dave hit number five in the UK charts with Ossie’s Dream, paying homage to the diminutive Argentinian genius.

Ossie was one of the best players I ever saw but it wasn’t just his sublime skills that mesmerised me.

The world was certainly a different place back in the late 70’s, there were very few foreign players in the old Division One so when Tottenham signed Ardiles and Ricardo Villa I was fascinated.

Ardiles and Villa were both World Cup winners with Argentina and I couldn’t believe Spurs had pulled off this astonishing transfer coup.

Ardilies was one of the few players that you would pay the admission fee just to watch him play. Never scared to run at defenders, he was lightning quick and had immense determination. A true legend.

Paul Gascoigne

Where do you start when talking about “Gazza”? The cheeky Geordie was as likely to be on the front page of the newspaper as the back pages. The Gascoigne story has chilling echoes of the fate that transpired with George Best. Both players with out of this world skill but both sadly unable to deal with addiction and mental health issues.

On the pitch, Gascoigne was incredibly creative, he could turn a match in a matter of seconds.

April 14, 1991 and Tottenham were playing Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final. Spurs have a free kick but it’s a long way out. Surely, he’s not going to hit it from there, it’s 35-yard away? A cross perhaps? But no, Gazza unleashes a ferocious shot that beats David Seaman. What a goal!

Of course, Gazza will always be remembered for his stunning solo goal against Scotland at Euro 96. Having the skill to flick the ball past Colin Hendry, he hit a sweet volley past Scotland goalkeeper Andy Goram. It was a wonderful, wonderful goal!

One thing I really do find funny with the Paul Gascoigne story is how he was stolen from under the nose of Sir Alex Fergusson by Spurs. Not many teams have managed to get one over on Fergie, so well played Spurs.

Honourable Mention, Daniel Levy

I don’t know what Spurs fans think of Daniel Levy but from the outside looking in, the guy is a genius and exactly the sort of person that you want fighting your corner.

Levy is one of the hardest negotiators I’ve ever known and with the new stadium it must be reassuring to have someone so financially astute at the helm. I read today that Tottenham’s net spend over the last five years was £1 million, that’s insane. It must make you chuckle that Arsenal have spent £205.89 million in that same period.

Next Seasons Chances?

I must be honest, I didn’t expect Spurs to do well this season. Like many, I expected Tottenham’s performance to drop this season and thought they wouldn’t be able to replicate the great form of the 2015-16 season.

I expected Harry Kane’s form to drop but how wrong was I? I saw on bestbettingsites.uk that the odds for Kane to score at least 260 Premier League goals was 25/1, after his four goals against Leicester it was slashed to 16/1. With Harry grabbing a hat trick in the 7-1 mauling of Hull last weekend, you’ll be lucky to get 10/1 on that bet now!

As Spurs fans, you have a lot to look forward to next year. You have some of the best young players in the Premier League, exciting players such as Dele Ali, Son and of course, Harry Kane. You can see the chemistry in the squad and that they are enjoying playing for the club.

The biggest challenge will be how you fare in your temporary home for next season but you certainly have the players, this seasons tally of 86 points would have won the league by five points last year.

I wish you luck and as a neutral it will be great to see a new name on the Premier League trophy. Keep playing that fearless, fast attacking football that has made Spurs so entertaining to watch.

I mentioned Alex Ferguson earlier in the article, I will finish with a quote from him.

“I don’t think short-termism works, I really don’t. I think that teams can buy all the time and remain successful but on a general theme I don’t think short-termism works. At Tottenham, to me it looks there’s a long termism there. They’re building something that looks good.”