The game is about glory

“The game is about glory.” We all know this phrase well. From being a headline on adverts for our new kit to being plastered on the walls of White Hart Lane, nothing encompasses the spirit of Tottenham Hotspur – and indeed, football as a wider sport – more than this. “Glory” is, however, an elusive concept. There is only one real way to measure it, and that is in moments. It is the moments that you remember when you look back at seasons gone by through rose-tinted specs. Being only young, I have but a few true moments that Spurs have given me; the 2008 League Cup final, for example, or the glory of the Champions’ League run. But I know that these mean as much to me as the Double-winning season, or the 1984 UEFA Cup, or Gazza or Hoddle, or anything else meant to those who witnessed them. And that is what being a Tottenham fan is truly about.

As I write this article, my Twitter timeline is being invaded by doom and gloom about the United result, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. This season we have had some celestial highs, and those are what will be remembered. We are going to remember that we got to the League Cup final, not that we only beat one Premier League side in getting there. We will remember smashing Arsenal at home in the league, not that Eriksen had a particularly quiet game then. Sure, top 4 is great and all, but only in relation to ourselves. It meant so much in 2010 because it had never happened before; that team had accomplished what none before them had been able to, and that’s why it was special. Teams such as Arsenal and United see it as almost a chore, because they get in it almost every year. Because they take it for granted, it’s always a case of “Oh well, there’s always next year” when they bow out. In our case, however, it was a case of taking a step back and saying “Wow! In our first-ever season here, we dominated the holders, and got to the final eight!”, and that’s how it should be.

[fullquote]“Glory” is, however, an elusive concept. There is only one real way to measure it, and that is in moments.[/fullquote]

It was on a podcast (I forget which, forgive me) in which the tale was told of a Chelsea fan denouncing their recent League Cup win, saying something along the lines of “When you’ve won the Champion’s League, this is nothing in comparison.” I don’t know about you readers, but I would never want to live in a world in which that was my attitude to winning silverware. To not care about the fact that you have triumphed above all opposition. That is what continued, sustained success does to you. It dilutes the glory of any achievement, because it happens so often that you are numb to it. I suppose, then, that this isn’t true success. The reason that, for example, Tottenham fans were so elated when we defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford in AVB’s first season was because it hadn’t happened for the past 26 years. It is the failures that amplify the success.

And that’s what I’m trying to get at, really. This season will not be remembered for the home defeat to Stoke, or Adebayor’s supposed juju curse. It will be remembered for our overwhelming triumphs over fierce rivals, and the eruption of young talent promoted from within our squad. Like every season before it, this season will be remembered for the moments. The glory.