The responsibility to support

Our beloved football club is in serious trouble, stuck in what seems like a spiral towards mid-table mediocrity. Naturally we as fans are on the lookout for somebody to blame. We turn to the traditional targets, the board, the manager and the players. Everybody has an opinion on who is responsible for our fall from Champions League grace. I am going to make a radical and perhaps controversial proposition, maybe its us, the fans.

Unfortunately I do not live in the United Kingdom and therefore I have only had the privilege of being at the Lane on match day twice in my life. On those occasions I had two very different experiences.

The first was unbelievable. It was a cold November night and we destroyed West Ham 3-1, Defoe getting a brace and Bale scoring one of his amazing free kicks. It was one of the best nights of my life without exaggeration. It marked the fruition of a long time dream and the team gave me a night to remember. Another thing I remember was the great atmosphere that day. There was much hope and optimism about the club. That was a special time.

However, my second experience was not the same.

On the back of the experience I just mentioned I saved for another year to buy a flight to London and a ticket to Spurs. Again I sat excited on the train from Liverpool Street to the Lane. However, when I got to my seat and the game started the Lane didn’t feel the same as the time before. Our opponents that day were Newcastle and we lost 0-1.

[linequote]It was a cold November night and we destroyed West Ham 3-1, Defoe getting a brace and Bale scoring one of his amazing free kicks. It was one of the best nights of my life without exaggeration[/linequote]

The team tried their best that day two rescue the game after Remy scored a fortuitous goal. But it was just not possible. Tim Krul had the kind of game players only have against Spurs. The result however was not what upset me.

The atmosphere at the Lane that day felt toxic, especially compared to my first visit. There is no doubt in my mind the players can feel it too. In fact as I’m sure many remember Kyle Walker mentioned it specifically at some point. I know some might feel players are professionals and this should not affect their performances. However, I tend to disagree. The players are human beings and while the fans cannot be blamed for bad performances, the frustrated groans from the stands surely do not help matters.

Much has been made in recent times of the spiralling price of attending football in England. I am very upset by this because one of the reasons I love football is the games working class roots. The idea of being able to escape what can be a tough existence by going to your local football club and watching men being boys forever. It’s almost mythical. That’s why I firmly believe that tickets should be affordable to those same kinds of people.

This brings me to the crux of this article.

In the same way the club has a responsibility to remember its roots so to do we have responsibility to both support the team unconditionally and keep the Lane rocking like it did that night against West Ham.

In South Africa, we believe that you if want a right then you need to accept a responsibility. The reason behind this is simple. We recognize that we are not entitled to anything if we don’t give something in return. We earn and protect our rights by fulfilling our responsibilities. I believe Spurs fans should adopt the same attitude.

We have the right to good football. We have the right to team that does their best for us. We have the right to a board that represents the best footballing interests of the club. We have the right to be able to afford to come into our ground at a fair and reasonable price.

However, we have the responsibility not to boo the team. We have the responsibility not to groan if we haven’t scored in the first 20 minutes. We have the responsibility not to abuse our players on social media. I believe that if we fulfil our end of bargain we should expect the board, the manager and players to do likewise.

[linequote]In South Africa, we believe that you if want a right then you need to accept a responsibility. The reason behind this is simple. We recognize that we are not entitled to anything if we don’t give something in return[/linequote]

Finally, I want to remind you all of a final right. Those who have a long history with the club, be that through a family connection, histories in the Tottenham area or any other long-term commitment to the club, have the right to be at the Lane every week.

However, this group also have to remember they have a special responsibility to make sure the atmosphere at the Lane goes back to the way it was that November night that changed my life. As somebody who only gets to go the Lane once every few years, I appeal to you make it better. I feel only once we get behind the team will the performances on the pitch improve. I can’t do much from here but it hurts just as badly.

You are the guardians of the Lane. Please restore the glory that I felt that night in North London.