I know where you’re coming from, I can’t remember the win in Amsterdam without reminding myself of the final and the fact we didn’t turn up for it. It does diminish the memory, but on the other hand I still remember the indescribable joy of that winner and the high we all felt following that game. Going further back, that semi-final in 1991 would still be the same game if we’d lost the final, but the memory just wouldn’t be the same.
On the other hand, I do tell my six year old son about the Ajax game, and the win over Real Madrid in the CL group stages the year before. Great memories, and I want our club to get back to competing with the best on that stage.
Again though, I desperately wish we’d won a cup or two in those years, or that we’d won the League Cup or the Europa League this season. Trophies are of course the benchmark and the ultimate memories really. But I enjoyed those years under Poch, until we did start to unravel, I looked forward to games as never before, I walked tall as a Spurs fan and I knew we could compete with the best; for the previous 15 years it had been quite a drudge at times, League Cup joy notwithstanding.