It’s 5am and my cockerel alarm is ringing in my ears, I don’t want to wake and then I remember, it’s match day, the buzz is instant and like a drug pulls me out of my slumber. It’s up, shower, dress, eat and off to meet the lads (and ladies) to descend on our pilgrimage […]
White Hart Drain
It’s 5am and my cockerel alarm is ringing in my ears, I don’t want to wake and then I remember, it’s match day, the buzz is instant and like a drug pulls me out of my slumber. It’s up, shower, dress, eat and off to meet the lads (and ladies) to descend on our pilgrimage to White Hart Lane, the sacred home of THFC.
With a 155 mile trip ahead we are buoyed in the knowledge of what is to come upon arrival. The journey consists of all things Tottenham, painful pre-
match twitter debates, listening to old podcasts and sharing stories and memories with other regular match day attendees.
Will this be the week that we explode in to life and stick four or five past an ever unpredictable Newcastle side? Surely we will score an early goal, White Hart Lane will come alive and any negativity will dissipate in an instant. Surely.
[linequote]With a 155 mile trip ahead we are buoyed in the knowledge of what is to come upon arrival[/linequote]
The coach pulls up and the walk to the pub is full of excitement and adrenaline. Beers will be shared with friends, some known, some recognisable and some new. As the atmosphere builds in the pub throughout the morning, the team is announced and the first rumblings of discontent begin to rear their ugly head.
My personal desire to get in to the ground and cheer on my team is reaching boiling point, it’s nearly midday. Through the turnstiles, up the stairs, South Upper, today is the day, the day that we get behind the team from minute one to minute ninety five and roar them to a thumping victory.
Kick off.
The game is thirty seconds old and I know that the best part of my day is behind me. How can this be right?
I am being drained, and not by what is happening on the field, already all around me is negativity, ‘where is the tempo?’ ‘Why is he passing sideways?’ ‘Where is Lamela?’
All of these are fair questions and worthy of discussion but there’s a game on. We are supporters lets support and save the debrief for the pub afterwards. Pockets of the crowd sound lively during the early part of the game but they are also being drained. The life and soul is being sucked out of every single one of us and in my opinion not by the performance on the field.
[linequote]I am being drained, and not by what is happening on the field, already all around me is negativity[/linequote]
One hundred and one Tim Krul saves later we have somehow been beaten one nil at home.
Unbelievably I hear a few boos, why are you here? I look around; there is approximately 10,000 empty seats, a few players led by Dawson attempt to salute those of us who are left.
A four hour bus journey with a semi hangover awaits me and I have a feeling it will be a long one. Within 30 minutes the post-mortem is complete, people are sleeping around me and I’m replaying every missed chance in my head.
I pop in the headphones and listen to some podcasts, instantly I’m laughing and feeling positive. I pull up the fixture list to see who we are playing next – bloody hell its Man City away.
Finally some good news. We are playing AWAY.
[author name=”Somerset Spur” avatar=”https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000470317037/56f7cbe611f79efe4dee88f1fc5b008c_bigger.jpeg” twitter=”Boggo1″ tag=”SomersetSpur[/linequote]
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7 Comments
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11/11/2013 @ 11:02 pm
Fantastically pragmatic words. Realism has long gone at WHL and we’re now left with a miserable bunch ‘wanting their Tottenham back’ but not knowing just how good they’ve got it.
At least four of the next five are away from the toxic atmosphere of the Lane. Sad words to say….
12/11/2013 @ 12:59 am
I think the manager is failing to learn from mistakes in previous games and the fans are rightfully questioning it. realism would suggest that despite the incredible hype, townsend isn’t a right-winger and sig isn’t a left winger given we cant open teams up and avb has no plan b if we are failing to do so.
11/11/2013 @ 11:09 pm
lost 0-3 to the Pikey phux from Numpty Park, now get bashed by the Geordie phux from some 5hithole north of Watford, and AVB thinks we lost unfairly!!! Get me a phukkin bucket, I wanna chuck up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get Damiao or Suarez Levy or your time is about up as well!!!!! Useless bunch of hopeless to55ers………..I will not be going to Shite Fart Lane anytime soon believe me.
12/11/2013 @ 8:23 am
Maybe with tossers like you not there the atmosphere will be better.
11/11/2013 @ 11:30 pm
This expectance level is getting outb of hand. Is this because the scum are playing well and above us? If they were below us like the last 2 seasons we would be content. Ot willll come good I know it will. Come on now shit happens we are still up there xmas is round the corner teams make or break then or just after. We will make top four and win a cup. Coys!
11/11/2013 @ 11:57 pm
We all seemed drained and despondent, however with stacks of possession that does create stacks of chances and apart from some good keeping with dangling feet, a crossbar and some average finishing this game against the northerners could have easily have been 3 4 or even 5-1…. And this seems to be a common theme…what concerns me the more you play well and draw or lose the more confidence will drain… I do feel if we finish the chances we are creating we will look like a great team if we don’t we look average with all the possession…so a little concerned and confused and one last question why are we not getting down the flanks and producing crosses more than cutting inside nearly all the time and condensing the middle just outside their goal area, surely that should come first with the occasional cutting in?
Coys
12/11/2013 @ 12:56 am
we only started in the second half, after Villas-Clueless finally put our best player on the pitch. I feel terribly sorry for soldado as with sig and Townsend, the team is not set up to deliver much for a penalty-box predator. despite that he has made some wonderful touches to link up play. my biggest concern is that avb fails to have found his best eleven – if he has were are in deep s*** – despite eing eleven games in. I get the optimism but if we fail to make it this year we will again likely lose our top stars – loris, vertongen, maybe even sandro – and this is without doubt the weakest premiership in recent memory. I don’t think the manager has any excuses to not make the cl. I don’t condone the booing at the ground as you are right we should be there to support, but the fact a vast majority are disillusioned doesn’t point to a great start that we are being told we have made. I think he is arrogant and tactically naïve and the fact he has failed to win over the majority speaks volumes to me as they can’t all be the idiots they are painted. I hope for success but can’t see it under this guy – I think levy has been sold a kipper.