Are you a geographical Spurs snob?

[chicken_badge]

Even back in the day (mid 60s to early 80s) there were always plenty of groups of foreign Spurs supporters at the Lane, mainly from Scandinavia.

The vast majority of Spurs supporters these days don't come from the Tottenham/Edmonton area, but from further afield in north London & Essex.

"Japanese" fans though are more obvious to, let's say, Londoners who are at least first generation, than Scandinavians or Americans. And some of those people who notice don't like this. (Papercut - I hasten to add, I'm not suggesting this is your sentiment!!)

I think it's a very similar issue within immigration - I think there are some people who wouldn't care is a Swede, South African or French family moved in next door, but would shudder at the thought of an Indian family moving in.

I do find it interesting that we weighing up "non-London" Spurs fans when we are a club renowned for having a fanbase beyond your traditional Anglo Saxon roots. The whole "yid" thing says to me that we have a certain open-mindedness as a collective. Then again, some would say it is evidence of ignorance!

Incidentally, while I'd hate to see people who have been lifelong Spurs fans like most of you on here struggle to get tickets, I have to say that most people I sit next to at WHL are grumpy and unfriendly. I don't expect them to share a dialogue throughout the game, but a simple hello isn't too much to ask. We're on the same team for crying out loud. It's partly that London exterior, and I'm pretty sure there is an issue that theres a 66% chance they are season ticket holders, they don't like seeing someone unfamiliar next to them. So part of me thinks, yeah I'd happily have a stack more tourist fans because travellers are always friendly. And I tell you something else, if they are as nutty as those Indonesian Spurs, we'd be like Dortmund in the stands.

 

[Southcote Spur]

I have never lived in North London, but my Dad was born and raised in the area, which is why I ended up supporting Spurs. Over the years, my visits to WHL have tended to coincide with family and work commitments, so at the moment I am able to attend home and away matches on a regular basis.

I wholeheartedly believe that it is vitally important for us as a club to welcome any supporter to WHL, as it helps the club develop its global brand*. It can also enrich the viewing experience for all when you are sat next to, or nearby a group of 'visitors', who want to really get behind the team, for what could potentially be their one and only visit to the 'Lane. Some of our regular supporters should look at some of these 'visitors' to tap into the excitement and joy that they bring into the ground (and try to remember what their first visits were like!?)

* Didn't I read somewhere that we are slowly becoming the best supported EPL club in North America?

 

[paxtonwolf]

Even back in the day (mid 60s to early 80s) there were always plenty of groups of foreign Spurs supporters at the Lane, mainly from Scandinavia.

The vast majority of Spurs supporters these days don't come from the Tottenham/Edmonton area, but from further afield in north London & Essex.[/QUOTE]


And Lancashire...\o/

I chose to follow Tottenham in my early youth because of a certain Mr P Jennings, he was one of my idols. Once you start supporting a team, you cant stop.
It would have been easy to look 18 miles either way down the M62 and glory-followed the likes of Liverpool or United (and a lot cheaper), but I couldnt do it. Tottenham are, and always will be my team, despite being a Northern monkey from 200 miles away

T T I D

 

[Baleforce]

i have no links to the area at all, i only support spurs because thats who my friends supported when I became interested in football

i don't think it matters at all where someone is from, should you not listen to oasis if you are not from manchester?

maybe its because I moved around a lot as a kid and my family is a combination of english/scottish/welsh but i've never been one for attachment to an area

 

[paxtonwolf]

i have no links to the area at all, i only support spurs because thats who my friends supported when I became interested in football

i don't think it matters at all where someone is from, should you not listen to oasis if you are not from manchester?

maybe its because I moved around a lot as a kid and my family is a combination of english/scottish/welsh but i've never been one for attachment to an area

They're just a sh1t Chas and Dave

 

[Hootnow]

I have never lived in North London, but my Dad was born and raised in the area, which is why I ended up supporting Spurs. Over the years, my visits to WHL have tended to coincide with family and work commitments, so at the moment I am able to attend home and away matches on a regular basis.

I wholeheartedly believe that it is vitally important for us as a club to welcome any supporter to WHL, as it helps the club develop its global brand*. It can also enrich the viewing experience for all when you are sat next to, or nearby a group of 'visitors', who want to really get behind the team, for what could potentially be their one and only visit to the 'Lane. Some of our regular supporters should look at some of these 'visitors' to tap into the excitement and joy that they bring into the ground (and try to remember what their first visits were like!?)

* Didn't I read somewhere that we are slowly becoming the best supported EPL club in North America?

Dempsey was doing a very good job for us up there (as was Bale) but both had to be moved on unfortunately.

I've got no problems with it personally, it is always nice to meet people from completely different countries and cultures who have as much of a passion for Spurs as I do. One American fan I know wakes up at unreasonable hours to watch every single Spurs game and goes to pubs/ bars on a regular basis when they're on at reasonable hours to watch with other Spurs fans who do the same.

I have a lot of respect for that.

Plus, moving away from emotion and towards just business, we're not going to get good sponsorships etc (which, after all, is what we need to succeed in modern football) unless we have a global fanbase of some kind.

 

[Jurgen the German]

I was born in Stevenage so Spurs are not my local team. However, my Dad was born in Tottenham and came from a long line of Spurs supporters so I didn't really have a choice, plus Tottenham are the closest "big club"/premier league side to Stevenage with it being less than 25 miles away.

I've noticed a lot of Northerners at away games in the last couple of seasons. Was particularly annoying at Stoke away a couple of years back when I could hear around me was Brummy accents. Brummies aren't Northerners but you get my point.

I don't agree with people supporting teams hundreds of miles away just because they are good and successful ala United and Liverpool fans.

 

[AuroRaman]

Spurs just happened to my local club (well, actually Barnet were but not in the league at that point!), however, I only started supporting them because of Gary Lineker, who was my favourite player when I first started getting into football. I shudder to think what might-have-been if he was playing for another club at the time.

I have no problem with new fans who don't have an affiliation with the area. It's a ****hole, why would anyone want to be affiliated with it I attended games regularly before I moved abroad, and now meet up with the likes of Tommy at stupid o'clock when games are being shown at the Spurs pub in Sydney. Either that or getting up at 3-4am twice a week to swim through a river. I know plenty of people who do the same and I value them as much as I would a 'home-grown' fan. I also think it's childish and arrogant to think of myself as 'better' than these fans just because I have supported the club since I was a kid and they were my local team. If anything, foreign fans immerse themselves into the culture of the club more wholly as they may never have the opportunity to visit The Lane in their lifetime. A lot of these fans probably know more about the history of the club than I do as well!

 

[Ziegler will be back]

I was born in Stevenage so Spurs are not my local team. However, my Dad was born in Tottenham and came from a long line of Spurs supporters so I didn't really have a choice, plus Tottenham are the closest "big club"/premier league side to Stevenage with it being less than 25 miles away.

I've noticed a lot of Northerners at away games in the last couple of seasons. Was particularly annoying at Stoke away a couple of years back when I could hear around me was Brummy accents. Brummies aren't Northerners but you get my point.

I don't agree with people supporting teams hundreds of miles away just because they are good and successful ala United and Liverpool fans.

Well, my family has supported spurs since the 1961 tour in Israel (the double side) we have been flying over to London at least once a year and follow spurs intensely. Does it make me less of a spurs supporter than someone from Chigwell whose support sums up with him coming to the pub on Sunday to watch a match?
We started as a glory hunters back in the days though

btw first post in this board (I was a member on the old GG-chat back in the days)

 

[WestBerkshire]

North London born and bread before anyone mentions my name haha got to admit I find it very strange when fully grown men on the other side of the planet start to follow a team in their adult years cos they've watched em on tv. To me supporting a club starts as a kid through being taken to wath your local team play with your dad or whatever. Maybe I'm just a romantic just don't understand why someone other side of world would neglect their own local team for a team in a location they have no genuine connection with.
Seeing liverpool 'fans' in Nigeria or Thailand fighting united 'fans' or singing songs about one another is possibly one of the cringiest things I have ever seen. What do they know about the rivalry a club has other than what they see on tv and what they are told? If I only watched spurs on tv I doubt id hate Chelsea or arsenal. Reason I hate them is not cos im told to but because I've actually experienced them in the flesh at derby games and at work on a Monday morning.

Anyway that's just my opinion

 

[Jurgen the German]

North London born and bread before anyone mentions my name haha got to admit I find it very strange when fully grown men on the other side of the planet start to follow a team in their adult years cos they've watched em on tv. To me supporting a club starts as a kid through being taken to wath your local team play with your dad or whatever. Maybe I'm just a romantic just don't understand why someone other side of world would neglect their own local team for a team in a location they have no genuine connection with.
Seeing liverpool 'fans' in Nigeria or Thailand fighting united 'fans' or singing songs about one another is possibly one of the cringiest things I have ever seen. What do they know about the rivalry a club has other than what they see on tv and what they are told? If I only watched spurs on tv I doubt id hate Chelsea or arsenal. Reason I hate them is not cos im told to but because I've actually experienced them in the flesh at derby games and at work on a Monday morning.

Anyway that's just my opinion

Good point. The worst thing about losing to scum is the next day back at work listenening to their fans.

I used to work with a ****ney Kopite who would sing LFC songs in a Scouse accent when watching them down the pub, ****ing cringeworthy!

 

[Papercut]

Even back in the day (mid 60s to early 80s) there were always plenty of groups of foreign Spurs supporters at the Lane, mainly from Scandinavia.

The vast majority of Spurs supporters these days don't come from the Tottenham/Edmonton area, but from further afield in north London & Essex.

I think a lot of those that live in the North London suburbs, Enfield, Herts, Essex may have originally had local connections but moved further outfield once the genetic make up of the areas/and or - their economical situations changed. The weight of particular diaspora tends to change in places like Tottenham, etc.

I know a lot of people whose first generation (parents) lived in these areas - the second generation got married and moved further outfield (with these cases, they were in a better financial situation, had the opportunity to get better education than their parents, etc).

 

[Papercut]

"Japanese" fans though are more obvious to, let's say, Londoners who are at least first generation, than Scandinavians or Americans. And some of those people who notice don't like this. (Papercut - I hasten to add, I'm not suggesting this is your sentiment!!)

I think it's a very similar issue within immigration - I think there are some people who wouldn't care is a Swede, South African or French family moved in next door, but would shudder at the thought of an Indian family moving in.

I do find it interesting that we weighing up "non-London" Spurs fans when we are a club renowned for having a fanbase beyond your traditional Anglo Saxon roots. The whole "yid" thing says to me that we have a certain open-mindedness as a collective. Then again, some would say it is evidence of ignorance!

Incidentally, while I'd hate to see people who have been lifelong Spurs fans like most of you on here struggle to get tickets, I have to say that most people I sit next to at WHL are grumpy and unfriendly. I don't expect them to share a dialogue throughout the game, but a simple hello isn't too much to ask. We're on the same team for crying out loud. It's partly that London exterior, and I'm pretty sure there is an issue that theres a 66% chance they are season ticket holders, they don't like seeing someone unfamiliar next to them. So part of me thinks, yeah I'd happily have a stack more tourist fans because travellers are always friendly. And I tell you something else, if they are as nutty as those Indonesian Spurs, we'd be like Dortmund in the stands.

Oh you do notice those who are caucasion tourists too - they have far too much regalia on at the game

In regards your second sentence, I've heard people bemoan Eastern Europeans (Poles, etc) and I bet some would prefer to have Indians (as they have been in this country for many generations). That's a different topic I guess and more about racial bigotry, fear of the unknown, etc.

Glad there's a discussion on this though

 

[billyiddo]

a Spurs supporter is a Spurs supporter regardless of where they are from IMV

i know people from N.Ireland that have Season Tickets and regularly come to WHL and people from Birmingham/Wolverhampton that have barely missed a game home/away/abroad in 20/30 years of supporting us through thick and thin just as i know plenty of London based supporters who i could a get ticket for 99% of the time but who rarely make the effort to ring and ask for one.

 

[halsteadyid]

I was born in Stevenage so Spurs are not my local team. However, my Dad was born in Tottenham and came from a long line of Spurs supporters so I didn't really have a choice, plus Tottenham are the closest "big club"/premier league side to Stevenage with it being less than 25 miles away.

I've noticed a lot of Northerners at away games in the last couple of seasons. Was particularly annoying at Stoke away a couple of years back when I could hear around me was Brummy accents. Brummies aren't Northerners but you get my point.

I don't agree with people supporting teams hundreds of miles away just because they are good and successful ala United and Liverpool fans.

we ve had northern support for donkeys years infact as far back as when i started doing away game in 1972.. Plus i will have to inform mates who have season tickets who come from brum / hartlepool / Saudi Sportswashing Machine / stoke / bradford / leeds / cumbria / wolverhampton / dublin /cork etc that and the 2 belgian lads i met up yesterday with not welcome at spurs away games .. ps forgot to add they more then likely do more games then u JTG l

 

[Spur of the moment]

Lived and worked close to the ground and often played Sunday morning footy at Bruce Castle park, but became a fan prior to that because back in the fifties Tottenham regularly gave free admission to kids from the orphanage I was at in Mill Hill.

(Assumed this thread was about Tottenham as a ****hole, but if that's what it is, all the more reason to be proud of Tottenham's sparkling reputation for attractive, attacking football.)

 

[Spur of the moment]

we ve had northern support for donkeys years infact as far back as when i started doing away game in 1972.. Plus i will have to inform mates who have season tickets who come from brum / hartlepool / Saudi Sportswashing Machine / stoke / bradford / leeds / cumbria / wolverhampton / dublin /cork etc that and the 2 belgian lads i met up yesterday with not welcome at spurs away games .. ps forgot to add they more then likely do more games then u JTG l

From a thread on Planet Spurs three seasons back. Wonder what JTG makes of it?

[h=2]Tottenham Hotspur among 5 most popular British clubs in Europe according to Sport + Markt Football Top 20 reportRate Topic: [/h][h=3]#1Guest_Stephan_*[/h]

• Group:​
  Guests

Posted 09 September 2010 - 05:15 PM
German research and consultancy agency Sport + Markt has performed a study into the popularity of football clubs in Europe. It's an interesting read!

QUOTE
The "Football Top 20" study analyses the popularity of domestic and international top football clubs in 17 European countries (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Russia). Over 10,200 football fans aged 16 – 69 years were interviewed for the third edition of the report.
Source: Sport+Markt official website

Barcelona is by far the most popular club in Europe with 57.8 million fans. Almost twice as much as the number two, their arch rival Real Madrid.

The most interesting I found in the report is that Tottenham Hotspur is currently among the top 5 most popular British football clubs in Europe! In total there are 3.5 million fans in Europe that will be cheering for Spurs in the Champions League this year.

We have significantly less supporters than the traditional top 4 Premier League sides but still it's quite an achievement. Personally I would've thought Celtic might have a bigger fan base than us.

Another funny thing I noticed was that Chelsea is ranked 4th on overall popularity in Europe, but only has a 6% market share among English football fans, making them the ultimate tourist club. I guess we were right all along

The abstract of the report can be viewed or downloaded as PDF here.
​

http://www.planetspurs.com/forums/i...among-5-most-popular-british-clubs-in-europe/

 

[billyiddo]

we ve had northern support for donkeys years infact as far back as when i started doing away game in 1972.. Plus i will have to inform mates who have season tickets who come from brum / hartlepool / Saudi Sportswashing Machine / stoke / bradford / leeds / cumbria / wolverhampton / dublin /cork etc that and the 2 belgian lads i met up yesterday with not welcome at spurs away games .. ps forgot to add they more then likely do more games then u JTG l

id say outside of Liverpool and United that we possibly have the most widespread 'active' fan base in the country - in terms of areas which are staunch Spurs there are probably few compared to our rivals but we make that up across the whole country where we draw supporters from all corners.

 

[indospurs]

So, which category do I fall into then ?

 

[jpp]

I don't live in London, never have and never will. I live an hour north, in a lovely small town, surrounded by beautiful countryside. I have been Spurs for 34 of my 44 years. My Dad is a true country bumbkin, a farmer who began supporting Tottenham in the mid fifties, going on the train after school. He would never live in London, he finds it a ridiculous place.

So should we stay at home, not come so the Norf Landan locals can get a ticket? When we've been season ticket holders for over 20 years? When we've sat there and watched players like Nielson and Iverson and all the **** of the 90's? Seen the lads in the second division, been away in Europe and Manchester, let alone Luton and Ipswich. No way, we are Tottenham to our bones and my son is too, right to the core.

I am Tottenham and everyone knows it and I have no association with the area. Stop being ridiculous and embrace the fact that people from far and wide identify with this great club.