I don’t care that they always let me down

Alan Hansen once famously said something about Man United not winning anything with kids. However, it wasn’t the only pearl of wisdom to flow from his mouth, he also said about our club: “In the end, they’ll always let you down.” At this moment in time it seems he was correct. Football is about results and at the day results matter, but are they “all defining”?

I don’t know.

I hope not.

Yes, it is true that on the surface being a supporter is as simple as loving the shirt and cheering the boys on with the hope that the results come, and to be sure, I do; but, if we are truly honest with ourselves, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Because if results are the only thing that matter about football, then why am I still a Tottenham supporter? Why do I still feel the pulse of the club coursing through my veins in the good times and the bad?

If it’s only about the results, only about what happens on the pitch, there is no explanation for the relief I felt when the three Tottenham supporters who were arrested by the police had the charges against them dropped.

[linequote]If results are the only thing that matter about football, then why am I still a Tottenham supporter?[/linequote]

If it’s results only, why did I feel a bond with those three who were caught up in the political dog and pony show created out of context by opportunists and politicians, carried out by the police?

If results are the only thing that matter, then how am I supposed to explain my pride in belonging to a supporter base that united in the face of spite and anti-Semitism?

That sang “Yid Army” and “We are Tottenham!” to show those that would cut us down that they could not make us abandon our fellow supporters. That we truly were a collective. We were Tottenham then. We are Tottenham now. That Merseyside club loves to sing their pre-game song about solidarity. That’s fine, but give me our solidarity every day of the week.

I happen to believe that the reason I keep coming back every week, the reason I seek out Spurs forums is because it’s about the shared experience. The shared history. And make no mistake, that history is important to me even if I haven’t been around for all of it.

It has to be what keeps supporters’ clubs popping up around the world on a weekly basis: the need to share our love of Spurs, to plug in to that history, to feel connected.

It’s what keeps me coming back, head held high, scarves and badges on display, no matter the weekend’s result. For a crack at a little bit more fun. A chance to create another story.

However, when we fixate on the results only, the times we were let down (and the club does let us down on the pitch and in the boardroom from time to time), we can’t see the forest for the trees. The laughs don’t matter as much. The times you stood shoulder to shoulder with your fellow supporters singing don’t ring as loudly in memory. And that really is a shame.

[linequote] Let’s be more than a weekend or mid-week result. Let’s be Tottenham. Together[/linequote]

Over a year ago I wrote an article for a Spurs site, late at night, while considering what it was that caused me to spend so many hours discussing the club, so many hours hoping for the best. These were the ending lines:

“I have many interests in life, and sometimes I feel guilt over how much I care about Spurs; but, then I usually just have a laugh, realizing that–it seems–I am in good company.”

So, in the face of boardroom comedies and on-field calamities, let’s find our best friend and put our arms around them, share a pint, a story, or a song. Let’s be more than a weekend or mid-week result. Let’s be Tottenham. Together.