I just don't see it in that kind of capitalistic way. The club is more than a business which they owners can do what they like with. It's a community, a tribe, something we hold dear. It's not the same as Mac Donalds versus Burger King. If Woolwich's "product" is better than ours, then we're not going to go and watch them instead, are we? For me it's more like a love relationship. Spurs moving to Stratford is the equivalent of my girlfriend getting a sex change. Of course I'd still love her but it would be very difficult if not impossible to carry on with the relationship.
We choose to put that emotion into it. We can talk about it being involuntary all we like, but at the fundamental level, we are paying money to watch football matches for our entertainment.
Whoever is in charge of Spurs needs to know they can't fuck us over in that way. And if they try to, we need to be ready to protest, so that they think they will be hit where it hurts (financially).
Levy/ENIC need to treat the fans right because it is the right thing to do.
There is no evidence that they've actually "fucked" anyone over. And as far as treating the fans right, what exactly would that be? There's no consensus among us about what we want out of the club, so exactly who are they supposed to be listening to? You? Me? The Supporter's Trust? They want happy customers. The people within the club are generally fans of it as well, so want to emotionally do the right thing, but exactly what that is depends very much on your particular viewpoint.
To say they can do what they like is the same as saying "rich corporations shouldn't have to pay tax" or "society has no obligation to help people who are dying and who are too poor to afford treatment" or (to take an extreme example) "if I am stronger than you it is my right to overpower you and take your possessions".
No, it isn't. This is a sports team we happen to support. It's not a fundamental pillar of human civilization. If Spurs the club dies, there are plenty of other clubs around, and we're free to start our own new one any time we like. The shareholders who own the club and who are undertaking all the financial risks for the running of the club are the ones who get to make the choices because it's their livelihood on the line, not ours. And by that I don't just mean ENIC, I mean everyone from Levy to the lunch lady. They all have significantly more skin in this game than we do.
No. This may sound over the top but it's true: for many of us THFC is our passion and our lives will be massively affected by the decisions these people make.
Indeed we will. But so will they. Accusing them of having nothing but bad intentions, and foaming at the mouth with accusations based on fear with no basis in actual facts though isn't really going to accomplish very much.
The club aren't going to find it worth their while to dialogue with us when the most intelligent thing we have to say is: "SPENDMOREMONEYLEVYYOUCUNTHOWDAREYOUMOVEUSTOSTRATFORD#NOTOMKYOUHAVENORIGHTTOMAKEANYDECISIONSITSNOTYOURCLUB"
That is about the level of discourse the fans and THST are managing to provide at the moment. I feel the club could do a much better job of explaining the decisions they're making, and in particular the why of the matter, but at the same time I understand how complicated the real world and major business decisions are, and don't expect instant answers, or that the answer will always be yes.
Yes, getting a new stadium is a complicated process. Yes, Haringey were difficult. But that does not excuse a permanent move to Stratford. As long as White Hart Lane is standing or there are other options, there is simply no excuse- ever- for trying to do that.
Yes, there is. It's called the real world, and the dollars and cents of running a business. Because that is what Spurs are. We can surround that with as much rhetoric as we want, but for the last century Tottenham Hotspur have always been a business devoted to getting you to give them money in return for staging football matches for you to watch. That's it. The amounts of money involved have changed, but the crux of the matter has always been that exchange. And if Haringey put up restrictions which make it impossible for Spurs to actually do that, why should they not move elsewhere? In the end, they haven't. And Spurs aren't moving. But the scenario remains.