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Rival schools

4 min read
by Adam Beale
Beale81 stands up and talks about the rivalry between Tottenham and Arsenal. Is it life and death, blood and glory, or is it simply a massive waste of time? Could we save a lot of time and energy by focusing our attention elsewhere?

I have supported Tottenham for over twenty years, but I have a confession to make. Something that I have never told anyone before, something that I feel I need to say. I have never understood the North London rivalry.

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Premier LeagueIn fact, I don’t understand most footballing rivalries. They seem petty and irrelevant at times. At base level they are simply name calling and the chance to shout or, with the advent of social media, type expletives at rival fans, adding a few exclamation marks for emphasis.

I simply can not comprehend the constant hate directed at just one team. I never felt the need to shout abuse at Arsenal fans or get in the faces of the friends I have that support Arsenal, even when we manage a win. It seems to me to be a huge waste of time and energy.

I have of course, in the midst of my fellow Spurs fans at White Hart Lane, always joined in with the anti-Arsenal chants, however, I was young, stupid and driven by mob mentality and the willingness to feel part of the group.

I get rivalries. I get that they add another dimension to the fixture but is this really where we should be channeling our energy?

[linequote]I never felt the need to shout abuse at Arsenal fans or get in the faces of the friends I have that support Arsenal[/linequote]

People often roll out the cliché, “It makes things more interesting” or “It spices up the game”. Anymore so than any other game which is just as important in which we need to secure three points?

When the new season’s fixtures are released, fans immediately search for the North London derby and mark this out as a must win game. Shouldn’t all our games be must win?

Why so much pressure and anticipation for just two games of a 38 game season?

Fans seem to remember where they were when we were beaten by Arsenal season in and season out but fail to register when we are beaten by West Ham three times in a season.

I don’t think it makes you any less of a fan to not get involved in these seemingly meaningless exchanges or to live up to the “famous” North London rivalry by slagging off other fans you have never met.

When I’m streaming a Tottenham game, I always have my Twitter feed open. At times it’s more entertaining than the game, but it also gives me more of a feeling of collective togetherness and that I’m not alone in my suffering or, at times, jubilation.

I enjoy what the kids these days call ‘banter’ between the so called rival clubs and the general mickey taking that goes hand in hand with competitive sport. But what I dislike about Twitter and in particular about following your team and fellow supporters is the repugnant, hate filled, vicious vitriol that filters it’s way in to my timeline.

I am often a passive observer to these tweets, who unfortunately gets to witness some of the utterly pathetic drivel that gets put on Twitter by all fans, Tottenham included. I often see retweets by people who feel the same as me and can’t believe some of the ridiculous things that get said. Others, retweet because they think it’s ‘banter’ and seek to add fuel to the fire or simply rise to the bait.

But what really irks me is the way Arsenal and Tottenham fans regularly target each other in these hate filled ways. I feel ashamed at times when I see the utter senselessness of some of the conversations that take place. Hashtags such as #FOYS, #foreverinourshadow, #northlondonisours and it goes on. Constant slagging matches take place that seem to go on for hours and even days.

Where do these people find the time and energy? But of course this is just an extension of the rivalry but goes some way to highlight just how obsessed either side is with the other.

[linequote]What I dislike about Twitter is the repugnant, hate filled, vicious vitriol that filters it’s way in to my timeline[/linequote]

I am by no means suggesting that the rivalry is dispensed with, and I could never envisage a season without some sort of ‘banter’, but is the hate and anger really necessary? At the end of the day what does it really get us? Bragging rights? A new chant at the next game?

Imagine if we could channel this energy into something more positive and evenly balanced across the season. Placing emphasis equally on all games, getting players and fans to treat all games as derbies, leaving the bitterness and hate aside for other teams to deal with. Using the time and energy normally spent writing poorly worded rebuttals to a rival fan on actually discussing where things went right and wrong.

Think before you tweet. Instead of rising to the bait, take a moment to consider your response. Firstly, is it worth it?

Secondly, make your response measured and well thought out. It doesn’t need to be filled with expletives and jibes at the other team. If that team deserved the win, say so. Even go as far as to compliment them on the way they performed. The other person will either spontaneously combust through confusion at the refusal to sink to their depths or they will become pacified and actually repay the compliment. Try it, you might like it.

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.

Adam Beale

At the tender age of seven I was forced by my dad to pick a team to support after endless arguments with my brother. He laid out a series of team photos we had collected, closed the door and said that the team we left with were the team we had to stick with. Since then I have never looked back. Tottenham all the way. 

11 Comments

  1. afc
    15/07/2014 @ 12:12 pm

    tottenham are shit

    • Keith Harman
      15/07/2014 @ 12:28 pm

      At last someone who thinks the same as me.
      I have supported my beloved Spurs for over 50 years, but stopped visiting WHL long ago due to the foul mouthed vitriole dispensed by my fellow supporters.
      Why cant you just appreciate good football from whover produces it, and why on earth do you enjoy being part of a baying mob? (the last mindless response says it all).
      I have to say that this is often fuelled by some of the popular ‘sports’ media.

      Ever the optimist, heres to a successful season…
      COYS.

    • trev
      15/07/2014 @ 12:54 pm

      go away you sad little mug!

    • DubaiSpurs
      16/07/2014 @ 8:02 pm

      Little afc…. why are you here? F*ck off back to woolwich !!

  2. Mattspurs
    15/07/2014 @ 12:59 pm

    It’s a funny one. You look at rugby, a confusing and mostly rubbish sport where opposition fans can happily sit side by side whilst drinking beer in full view of the game. The ‘competitive’ atmosphere at football is undeniably better and the game more exciting yet the viciousness of fans can make it a no go area for kids/families and can leave an undertone of nastiness.
    The fact that the attitude/language of the players is also better in rugby is no coincidence, though I’m not sure which came first the bad behaviour on the pitch or in the stands. Maybe if the players cleaned up their act the fans would follow, though as you say maybe the media are stoking the fire…

  3. jellybean
    15/07/2014 @ 11:47 pm

    tottenham mad all my life over 30 years. my son my seed my first born is a gooner. derby day is a tasty affair in my household i can tell ya.

  4. Friendly gooner
    16/07/2014 @ 11:33 am

    Completely agree with this. I went to my first NLD derby last season (FA cup) and was amazed with the level of abuse from some of the fans, from both sides. I understand that it is people’s passion getting the better of them, and it even got me more excited for the match, but if I had had kids with me it would just be completely inappropriate. It’s supposed to be an event for families but when tempers are so flared it just isn’t viable to take kids to matches.

  5. DubaiSpurs
    16/07/2014 @ 8:00 pm

    A sensible article and it makes sense. But boll*cks to all that….. I support Spurs and I hate arse*al. That’s how it is, always has been and always will be….. and I LOVE it. COYS :)

  6. Robbie
    17/07/2014 @ 1:18 am

    I agree with you entirely, and want to thank you for saying this. Whenever I have said anything of the sort, I get told that I’m not a real Spurs supporter. But fuck that. I feel what I feel and won’t lie about it.

    Dispassion is better than hatred. Arsenal can win the league this year or get relegated, and it won’t make a difference to my emotions. I love Spurs, and that’s that.

  7. Dan EighteenEightyTwo
    17/07/2014 @ 10:26 am

    Look at the history. If they hadn’t decided to move in next door and bribe their way into the top devision at our expense we would almost certainly be one of the elite teams in Europe with a gigantic fan base in North London.

  8. Paul Lagdon
    19/07/2014 @ 12:53 pm

    Perhaps you have to have grown up in North London to understand this rivalry, you where either White or Red (in the days before glory hunters). I hate Arsenal with a passion , always have done always will do, and get almost as much joy out of their defeats as I do our victories. Over the years my hatred has deepened as ‘the great divide’ has occurred and the Woolwich nomads have pulled away from us, and my firepower has been reduced in any argument. So I hang onto anything I can use against them (our new stadium at our ancestral home being the newest) and will never back down in an argument or indeed never acknowledge that anything that Arsenal do or achieve is worthy of any praise.

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