The Beauty Of Delusion

A great deal has been written and said about fans of the beautiful game, in recent times a lot of it not particularly positive. Since the dawn of time, expectation has been a millstone around the neck of the football fan. All we want our team to do is win every week, right? All while playing great football and the players looking like they enjoy it, is this too much to ask? The reality is a world away from this ideal. Our beloved team actually have to face another team who want to win equally as much and won’t just lie back and think of England while we run amok and hand out a beating.

de·lu·sion
Noun:
An idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality,…

The reaction to when results don’t go your way has become an acid test of sorts. Everton, for example, are in good form this far this season, they are perennial slow starters and for a (some might say) welcome change they have really come out of the blocks and put together some good results. However, when things haven’t gone their way, their fans became restless, for example, they were booed off at home against Sunderland because the game was goalless at half-time. They eventually ran out 2-1 winners. Spurs have faced the same earlier on this season against West Brom and Norwich. Much has been written and said about booing but that isn’t what this piece is about, it’s about expectation and others perception of this.The reaction to the aforementioned games can be put down to delusion but should the fans be thankful for what they get? As a team improves, it is all so easy to forget that improvement is never lineal. With improvement comes an occasional reality check, however, it’s easier said than done to be reasonable about “winnable” games where your side doesn’t perform to heightened expectations. Also, I believe this can also be down to how expectations are managed. Harry Redknapp often changed his tone week-to-week, one week we were challenging for the title, the next, we should all be happy with 4th. Personally I felt his need to provide the press a soundbite played a part in his demise.

I remember in years gone by – Spurs weren’t the team they are now – being linked with names like Rivaldo and Morientes. Our fans dared to believe while rival fans mocked and ultimately those moves came to nothing. Back then, our expectations were based on hope, more than entitlement, the hope that we could build a great side and have a level of success not seen in almost two decades. The word delusion gets thrown around an awful lot at fans who dare to expect great things of the team they love. Should they not show any emotion when their beloved teams don’t run amok while the opposition lay back and think of England? Delusion isn’t necessarily a bad quality to have as a fan because without it some of the passion would be lost. The mere mention of Tottenham Hotspur should be enough to make us puff our chests out and be in that number.

Tottenham Hotspur FC, are by far the greatest team the world have ever seen. Now, if a song screams delusion it’s that song right? I beg to differ, in our eyes as fans, our teams are the greatest team the world has ever seen. Because without delusion, what are we left with?

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