The Fighting Cock by Martin Cloake
There are some great independent Spurs blogs and podcasts being produced at the moment and I always try to make my small contribution to raising their profile when I can. Lately I’ve been picking up on The Fighting Cock and the 1882 movement. I’ve followed a couple of the lads involved on Twitter and recognise some names from back in the day on the old TopSpurs message board, and there’s a real energy to what they are doing.
I’m going to sound as old as I feel when I’m listening to the podcast now but it’s really encouraging to hear what sounds like a new generation creating something and questioning the blandification of modern football. The Fighting Cock is above all passionate about Spurs, but there’s a recognition of the bigger picture that chimes with a growing feeling that’s coalescing around the Stand Against Modern Football initiative. Having come from a generation at Spurs that, despite our fanzine experience and efforts with various independent supporter initiatives, has not really made the impression we once thought we could, what’s most encouraging is the can-do spirit that pervades The Fighting Cock crew. They are a reminder of what football supporters are capable of, and of a spirit that is, in one of the great Steve Perryman’s favourite words, “proper”.
What This Season Has Not Been Missing
After 37 league games last season I wrote an article called ‘What This Season Has Been Missing’. Now, due to a technical hitch somewhere along the line the article never saw the light of day, but I’ll briefly summarise: incredible as it was in many ways, the 2011/12 season seemed to be lacking something. Statistically, little or no new ground was broken. Whereas previous years had seen Spurs break hoodoos, break into the top 4 and break the spirits of some of Europe’s finest, last season ultimately saw no improvement in league position or points total, no cup run that […]
Spurs: Close But Not Quite Ready
One thing we as Spurs fans have learnt over the years is that the league table doesn’t lie. After 38 games we find ourselves the 5th best team in the country. Is this a catastrophic disaster? Is it the end of the world? Of course not, we are where we are because that is where after ten months of football, we deserve to be. The summer will be painful, but think back, we have endured worse hours than finishing a mere six points off second. Personally, although the Champions League brings increased revenue, allows us to play our league games […]