I started a few posts earlier but deleted each time because the tone just didn't feel right.
Firstly, just a shout out to TFL/Greater Anglia for totally mucking up my journey home by having no trains from Liverpool street, haivng to take a long-winded circuitous route home, and an unplanned £16 cab fare at the end of the journey. Then walking into the pub to be greeted by spam fans welcoming me with a rendition of " we all having a party 'cos Tottenham f*cked it up". (LIke losing 4-1 to swansea gives them anything to boast about). Just the perfect end to the perfect day.
What a disappointment today was. There is not much I can add about the game that hasn't already been said. I don't know what the problem was today. I don't believe for one moment that the players weren't geared up to win today. I don't believe for one moment that they do not want to secure 2nd spot, and especially over Woolwich. I don't believe for one moment they have switched off and gone on holiday. But something was so clearly not right. Maybe the expectation was just too much. Or maybe they thought it would be easier. Maybe they have just given so much that picking them up again after the last couple of games is much harder than we have imagined. We simply looked like we had no idea what to do or how to make things work as the game wore on. I don't like to say that the effort was lacking, but at times it did seem that way. Bar Lamela, everyone else was hit and miss, mostly miss. Mason was getting a lot of stick, but I thought that was unfair - he didn't deserve singling out. Others (mostly all) were just as bad. Substitutions made no impact whatsoever. We need something 'extra' to being off the bench. After the loss to Saudi Sportswashing Machine this has to be the worst I have seen at the Lane this year, but given what was riding on this game, it was probably worse than the Saudi Sportswashing Machine loss.
But, but, but... I have calmed down - a bit. And I have to take today in the context of the whole season, not in isolation, because to do otherwise would be to do the team an injustice. The performance today must be the culmination of the disappointment of the past few games. The team have given so much during this campaign, given so many highs, so many good times, broken so many records, given us so much to hope and believe in, for this season and the next and the next, that I can't possibly say they have let me down or that they have been sp*rsy nor - and this is the worst - that they have bottled it. I have made excuses for Spurs many, many times over the years, when they did not deserve it. This season, I think they DO deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt and for today to be marked down as a bad day, no more. Which we would have done had it happened earlier in the season. Unfortunately with so much depending on the 3 points, every bad thing about today is highlighted.
I do think the crowd could have been better, much better, today - and I am usually the first to defend our support. It was great at the beginning and up until the equaliser. Then the nerves and tension set into the crowd and that must transfer to the players. They may not be aware of individual comments, but the general vibe, the impatience, the stress, must convey itself to them. Second half was just awful. Of course, anyone who was part of the crowd today bears a responsibility for that. I was in a different block to usual (25, compared to 30 or 31 normally) and I was just amazed at how hard it is to get everyone singing. There were a few people trying, and now and again a song would take hold across the whole ground, but I can really see now that without the Park Lane and the Shelf Side corner being on form, the rest of ground is almost silent. Fair play to the Paxton towards the end, they were giving a good rendition of "We are the Tottenham..." but overall we in the crowd let the team down today with our lack of vocal support.
(And apologies now to anyone from the PL who says they were singing throughout, because it did not resonate around the ground. But I remember after the WBA game arguing against those who criticised the lack of support, when it was certainly there where I was, so maybe I am wrong about today).
The lap of honour was great for those who stayed behind, but the shine was definitely taken off it, and you couldn't help feel that they just wanted to do the lap and get back down the tunnel. After the game, as we were being requested to stay in our seats in order to show our appreciation to the players, someone said to me "well maybe if they had won today, they would deserve our appreciation". I find that sort of comment absolutely astounding, and I had to point out that maybe, just maybe, the players deserved our appreciation for the season they have given us, for being 2nd in the table and for exceeding all expectations.
And remember, it's not over yet. COYS!
