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1882: South Gloucester Spurs In The South Stand

3 min read
by The Fighting Cock
My best mate’s dad Roger, who lives in South Gloucestershire and is a life long Spurs fan, made the long trek to White Hart Lane for our Europa League game against FC Sheriff. Along with his son, Dan (my best mate), they made a round trip of close to 8 hours to taste 1882 for […]

My best mate’s dad Roger, who lives in South Gloucestershire and is a life long Spurs fan, made the long trek to White Hart Lane for our Europa League game against FC Sheriff. Along with his son, Dan (my best mate), they made a round trip of close to 8 hours to taste 1882 for the very first time.

barnet2_zpsd0366b55Neither of them had been to White Hart Lane for a considerable amount of time, in fact not since Timothee Atouba was dashing up the left wing had they been.  However I had made them a vow, that things were very different now, especially when there is 1882 in attendance. I promised them noise, a sore throat  and much more by the end of the night.

I have attended all but two of the 1882 events and my excitement was visible as I frogmarched father and son up the Tottenham High Road towards the Bricklayers. Along the way I serenaded them with songs about Nicola Berti, “Always taking Lamela with you” and “Loving Steffen Freund” making sure they were briefed on the lyrics expected of them since their last visit.

[linequote] I had made them a vow, that things were very different now, especially when there is 1882 in attendance[/linequote]

It proved to be unnecessary. As we shuffled our way through the delightfully dense crowd of people at the pub’s entrance, each song was sung in its entirety numerous times and when Senior and Junior departed for the stadium they were bellowing as loud as anyone else present.

We all know the pleasure of going to watch Tottenham with friends and family. That passion, love or hobby, when shared is a wonderful and joyous thing. It’s like the immediate connection you feel when you meet a fellow Spurs fan on holiday and all preliminary social barriers that normally hinder an introduction melt away and two people can have a natural and emotive conversation.

One of the aspects of 1882 that sometimes gets overlooked is the opportunity to meet and interact with similar like minded people outside the walls of whichever stadia we may be inhabiting that night. An opportunity that Roger and Dan would probably not normally have as they originate from an area rife with Bristol City, Bristol Rovers and, of course, plastic Manchester United fans.

[linequote] One of the aspects of 1882 that sometimes gets overlooked is the opportunity to meet and interact with similar minded people[/linequote]

1882 connects you with people who think about the club the way you do, who have the same football and external ticket vendor morals as you do. Personally, I feel connected with the club in a completely different way and that is something that only a movement such as 1882 can give me.

The ease in which Roger and Dan were able to have like minded conversations about these topics with almost everyone they met on the night only highlights this.

All this and still hadn’t taken our places in block 35 yet!

Once inside, 1882 again delivered everything those who have attended before have come to expect and adore.

They sang without fear, embarrassment or self consciousness. They boomed out their west country twangs into the crisp north London air along with hundreds of other like minded, inhibition free souls to create one of the best atmospheres I have seen 1882 produce.

They took their shoes off, they held their phones up and they Pogo’ed. We all smiled, we all laughed and we all sang for the shirt.

[linequote]They boomed out their west country twangs into the crisp north London air along with hundreds of other like minded, inhibition free souls[/linequote]

Forget the result, the performance. For me, 1882 is about belonging to and supporting a wonderful football club in a way that we enjoy and welcome any other Spurs fan to enjoy with us. You could be Season ticket holder, a bronze member, a tourist , an LA Spur or a 54 year old Gloucestershire Spur it really doesn’t matter.

If you love Tottenham and love to show that through glorious, and some not so glorious songs, then come on down and join the family!

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

3 Comments

  1. Paul
    12/11/2013 @ 12:47 pm

    How do you find out about when the 1882 games/events are?

  2. Gary Fox
    12/11/2013 @ 10:46 pm

    Mesut Ozil …your eyes are offside……..that was the funniest chant I have heard at WHL since “Youre just a shit chas and dave” aimed at Noel Gallagher when Man City played at spurs about 4 years ago. As a 58 year old former Shelf sider who now sits in lower east I have no problems with 1882 …..in fact …….they are distinctly retro and doing a great job of reclaiming the stands as
    OUR space. We want a crowd not an audience!!!!

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