Why we do what we do

There’s something I need to say. Jose Mourinho is a great manager… a successful career, at multiple big football clubs across Europe and he wins trophies. He is a winner. Pochettino has not won anything at Spurs. He is not a winner. Spurs are not winners. Trophy-less. We would not even win on the free slots at a casino.

That’s right isn’t it? That’s what they say. That’s the narrative that gets force fed to us all.

Perspective. Ask yourself why you bother with football? Buck the trend. Reassess what got you here in the first place.

Jurgen Klinsmann made Spurs great for me, after watching him in USA 94, and then being amazed that he’d joined us. No matter what happened that season, I just wanted to see him play for Spurs, with his flair, swagger and sheer brilliance at playing the game. Ginola followed not so long afterwards, and in more recent times, players like Berbatov, Van der Vaart and Bale continued this.

Today we are especially spoiled by having superstars all over the pitch. (One of) the best striker(s) in the world, the World Cup winner keeping, young talent, solid defenders and a bunch of flair in midfield. And a manager that is perfect for us.

We have someone that means something to us as a person and as a manager. There is a general feeling of this team, this time, these moments meaning more to us than ever before. We have that connection, things are good at the moment.

Across England’s top 4 leagues there’s 92 clubs, all competing to win their respective leagues and then the two major domestic cup competitions. In the premiership there’s just 20, and a top 6 teams that could go on to win the league, even with Man City having so much quality if they turn up consistently it’s theirs anyway. It’s hard to win things, and it’s quite unlikely with how things are now.

Those that lament Levy should remember where we came from not so long ago. We’ve been built up into a well-run, good performing team and we’re not overspending just to maintain it. The playing fields aren’t level now and they never really have been, but these last 10-15 years since the money really came into the game things are further apart than ever.

It’s been mentioned in various places we are being ran in a way that prepares us to be sold. From what you can see and read it’s difficult to disagree that this is definitely a likely route. Great, we get sold to a buyer that wants to invest heavily in the squad. BUT, is this really what we want? We want to be taken over and have money pumped into us? We want success at the expense of all else? We want to be like the others?

We’re happy being soulless, we’re happy to lose the glory?

Now I’m not hating on Mourinho specifically, just that he symbolises pretty well how football is seen today. The FIFA generation supporting teams for their stats in a computer game, the scum fanbase not really sure what they want, yet somehow feeling entitled to eat at the top table. Imagine being like that, it’s peak football fascism. Success should never come from what you are entitled to.

To me, football is about moments and enjoying the journey. Those moments that Jurgen, David, Dimitar, Rafa and Gareth gave us. Identifying with those players and feeling part of things. Give me the choice of the journey at Spurs with Poch or a trophy win with a disillusioned fanbase or manager that has all but lost the dressing room. I’d chose Poch every time.

It’s the moments that stick with you, I still remember how it felt when Crouch scored that bumbled goal at Man City to give us the top four finish despite being out-spent that year as well. A massively over celebrated goal in insolation, but it was about what it meant more than anything. It was about playing in the right way, and overcoming the odds, this was sweeter for me than the league cup win a couple of years before.

Now don’t get me wrong, it would still be great to win something. The near league wins of 15-16 and 16-17 would have been amazing to have been league winning seasons (DAVE). Not winning the league in either of those years won’t stop me from enjoying the great time we had on that journey and to be in with a chance of winning it is what kept the season thrilling and engaging on every level.

Winning a trophy would be the icing on the cake, but not winning a trophy you still have the cake. A nice cake. I love a nice cake, not all of them have icing. So, have your cake and eat it. Try to enjoy it.

Football is not going to stop, it was there long before any of us and will be there long after we’ve gone. It is endless. Why not just enjoy it for what it is – a thrilling emotional roller-coaster ride. And when we do win the league (I mentioned football was endless right?) it will be even more sweet, sweeter to me than even that over-celebrated Crouch goal.

Togetherness, inclusion, cohesiveness, attachment. Call me deluded, but I think Pochettino has those same values in the way he chooses players and the players he favours for Spurs. Maybe that is why they have proved so hard to find.

Keep doing what you do Spurs, keep searching for success. Do it in the right way, and if we do have another bad semi-final defeat, or second placed league finish just think about how much you’d rather have had a Mourinho managing the team when you look back at it.