We aren't that bad, but...

[Grays_1890]

It's why I have great admiration for fans of non league teams. Their love is a true love of the game itself, rather than any of the commercially packaged goods laid out ahead of the rest of us.

I will first talk about this point. I am a Grays Athletic fan first and foremost and its hard to describe the reasoning behind the love for the non league game. I would generally say that fans of non league club have their roots deep in the area for which the team represents, I know that is the case of Grays where the fans are still residence or have deep roots in the area. That provides a passion from the start and almost a siege mentality to games, this is a game of our area against yours, us against the world.

There is also a togetherness of the community, we all understand the area and the things that are going wrong in the community and the football club is a release from that, a haven to hide away from the fact that outside the four walls of football the area is now a crap hole.

The open nature of the level is also a huge draw, from Chairman down to players down to fans there is a real openness to whats going on, have a beer together and lets talk the club. It just feels like it is your club and everyone is pulling together even if the prizes pale in comparison to the professional game it does not matter for its all relative.

Now I suppose I link that to how fed up I am of the game in general but also Spurs. I respect Levy I really do, he makes mistakes but I think he has earned the right to given how financially strong the club now is HOWEVER I think the closed door policy of information kills fans enthusiasm, an example: Lamela was a huge huge investment from the club but that's as much as we know about the guy, the fact he has not featured is there for all to see yet there is no communication from the club that addresses him as a player what so ever which I find astonishing, this is a 30m player and it just feels like the situation is being swept under the carpet and that for me filters down to the player.

Another reason I have lost some love, Tim Sherwood. I know there is alot of anti Sherwood vibes on here but I don't have a problem with him per-say, its him getting the job I have a problem with. Tottenham are or were at the start of the season one of the top 4 teams in the country on and off the pitch and they have given one of the biggest jobs in football to a total novice which contradicts everything that Tottenham try to sell to you in terms of planning and vision. For me the manager job at Spurs should have gone on the market and time taken until the best man for the job was found and the job was earned by that man. If that meant Hoddle coming back in the meantime then so be it, could not be any worse than it is now and I also think that is key. There is also this unhealthy obsession with the sack where in my theory the original manager might not have been any worse till the end of the season than the alternative, that's not just reserved for Tottenham but you look at WBA, Fulham, Sunderland etc where the likes of Norwich benefit from continuity, so maybe no harm would have been done keeping AVB till the end of the season? Even if he was the wrong man for the job?

 

[Baleforce]

Interesting read Grays, surely its all relative though, as a Grays Athletic fan you must get frustrated when you feel they are underachieving still surely?

 

[billyiddo]

aren't Grays owned by a notorious West Ham hooligan/gangster?

 

[Klinsmania]

I think it's a culmination of a number of things, repeatedly selling our best players, playing dull football, having several thrashings this season, and after knocking at the door for the last few years and looking like we may be about to make the breakthrough into the big time, we have taken a massive step back and been overtaken by teams like Liverpool, who have been way behind us for the last few years, and teams like Chelsea and Emirates Marketing Project who are way ahead of us due to their financial power. With Man Utd having such a poor season this should have been our year to get in the top four and build, but instead we are back to where we were several years ago and all the optimism generated by our recent (partial) success has dissipated. I just feel thoroughly deflated.

 

[Spursman]

I think it comes down to a few factors.

For me its:

-My age (got more important things to worry about)
-Realising that no matter what we do something gets in the way.
-Realising that even if we did get close we would sell players and it all starts again
-Players showing no passion
-Boring football
-No good players to excite us. Even when we were **** we had the likes of Klinsmann & Ginola. We have always had at least one gem. Now we have no one. Just a bunch of average players
-The way football is generally

I think for me its my third point the most. We have been close to good things but we end up having to sell players. Carrick, Berbatov, Keane, VDV, Modric & Bale.

I have spent a lot of money on Spurs over the years. I refuse to do it any more.

 

[PochettinoPochettinoPochettino]

Then Levy basically sold our soul.

That hurts me that does....

 

[scaramanga]

That hurts me that does....

Clearly a fake. Vertonghen doesn't celebrate. He doesn't even like football, especially not Spurs.

 

[PochettinoPochettinoPochettino]

Clearly a fake. Vertonghen doesn't celebrate. He doesn't even like football, especially not Spurs.

Haha true. Seriously what has happened to our club. This time last year.....

 

[Grays_1890]

Interesting read Grays, surely its all relative though, as a Grays Athletic fan you must get frustrated when you feel they are underachieving still surely?

Not really, its more bearable as there is a realism to it.

Yeh defeats are tough to take but you cherish the highs so much more

 

[Grays_1890]

aren't Grays owned by a notorious West Ham hooligan/gangster?

Well Ex but yeah, Andy Swallows.

To be fair he has been great for the club as we lost our home and he has worked wonders to keep the club going and not only that win league titles and compete

 

[Mulletperm]

Haha true. Seriously what has happened to our club. This time last year.....

Bale left. Without Bale last year I believe I would have felt the way I do now then.

 

[Raziel]

Christ, you guys want to line up for a mass suicide?

Yes, Sport has been commercialized, yes we no longer have players for life (Ledley was the last and more by circumstance of his injuries than choice), yes we have made almost an art form.

But here is the other side, we haven't sold our soul to blood money, the vast majority of our fans were with us when we were ****, we have played in Europe for almost all of the last 7+ years, we are in a great financial position (see Leeds) and we have the pleasure of seeing players of the quality of Bale, VDV, Modric, Berbatov, Carrick and even Lloris, Sandro, Eriksen (believe he will get there) in our colours, in their prime.

The problem is the fans themselves, the classic joke of "first world problems" poor us, we don't have CL every year, we don't win trophies every year, yet from two spots below us every team in the PL begins the season with only survival in mind.

Step back, breathe, remember it is Spurs, enjoy the little moments, hope for the big ones and keep your love for the club if not the game in general

 

[tynesidespur]

Christ, you guys want to line up for a mass suicide?

Yes, Sport has been commercialized, yes we no longer have players for life (Ledley was the last and more by circumstance of his injuries than choice), yes we have made almost an art form.

But here is the other side, we haven't sold our soul to blood money, the vast majority of our fans were with us when we were ****, we have played in Europe for almost all of the last 7+ years, we are in a great financial position (see Leeds) and we have the pleasure of seeing players of the quality of Bale, VDV, Modric, Berbatov, Carrick and even Lloris, Sandro, Eriksen (believe he will get there) in our colours, in their prime.

The problem is the fans themselves, the classic joke of "first world problems" poor us, we don't have CL every year, we don't win trophies every year, yet from two spots below us every team in the PL begins the season with only survival in mind.

Step back, breathe, remember it is Spurs, enjoy the little moments, hope for the big ones and keep your love for the club if not the game in general

You're right of course, but what doesn't help is when that filth from down the road keep lucking out and stealing CL qualification by a single point, or the Chavs winning the CL to take away what was rightfully ours. And now UEFA won't allow that situation to happen again?! I do think the football gods pi$$ on our chips at times. Surely we're due a bit of luck for something to go our way for a change?

 

[Chachaboom]

Since the days of Waddle and Gazza we've always been a selling club so I can't see why people feel so let down by the Bale situation.

If we had had Carrick, Berbatov, Modric, Vdv and Bale in the same team we would've had some major silverware by now. Not going to happen. We are a selling club.

It's the fact that we've been in fifth place purgatory for a few years that has choked our support. Harry gave us a brief glimpse of the potential that we could achieve at this club with our year in the CL but when it really mattered in the quarter final against Real Madrid instead of having Berbatov up front we had Rodney Trotter and we all know how that turned out.

So near yet so far IS the Spurs way.

It's just that right now it feels different. There doesn't seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel despite still being in the top six. Where are the entertainers? What player would you pay good money to watch? Can you see a team emerging? The 'there's always next season' line won't do it anymore.

Mr Levy has to make the right decision in the summer or the apathy that he has helped to create at this club will see us head back toward another decade of mid table mediocrity.

 

[90291Spur]

Haha true. Seriously what has happened to our club. This time last year.....

We were getting ready to choke and lose out on CL football by the slimmest of margins. This year we got our disappointment in early. Very early.

 

[Ryan]

This season has been completely soul sucking. I grew up tolerating Spurs being ****, I can handle that easily.

The most disheartening thing for me is that we made so many changes to our squad that I don't have any real affinity towards any of our players now. I still think there's enough talent for us to flourish, given time, but I'm just so 'meh' about us

And we have a ****ing gooner in charge.

 

[billyiddo]

Since the days of Waddle and Gazza we've always been a selling club so I can't see why people feel so let down by the Bale situation.

If we had had Carrick, Berbatov, Modric, Vdv and Bale in the same team we would've had some major silverware by now. Not going to happen. We are a selling club.

It's the fact that we've been in fifth place purgatory for a few years that has choked our support. Harry gave us a brief glimpse of the potential that we could achieve at this club with our year in the CL but when it really mattered in the quarter final against Real Madrid instead of having Berbatov up front we had Rodney Trotter and we all know how that turned out.

So near yet so far IS the Spurs way.

It's just that right now it feels different. There doesn't seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel despite still being in the top six. Where are the entertainers? What player would you pay good money to watch? Can you see a team emerging? The 'there's always next season' line won't do it anymore.

Mr Levy has to make the right decision in the summer or the apathy that he has helped to create at this club will see us head back toward another decade of mid table mediocrity.

^ this is the first season for a long time without a 'great entertainer' tbf and let's not forget we have a 30mil signing yet to have a fair crack at it.

What's really giving me the hump atm is there seems to be no sense of perspective from a lot of people, is one season finishing 6th that bad? We are the 6th biggest club in the league afterall so i don't think we should be grumbling all that much about one season off the pace of the CL places - it's how we move on from this season that's important.

 

[Jordinho]

^ this is the first season for a long time without a 'great entertainer' tbf and let's not forget we have a 30mil signing yet to have a fair crack at it.

What's really giving me the hump atm is there seems to be no sense of perspective from a lot of people, is one season finishing 6th that bad? We are the 6th biggest club in the league afterall so i don't think we should be grumbling all that much about one season off the pace of the CL places - it's how we move on from this season that's important.

For some reason everything we do is considered a failure, as if we're entitled to so much more. Yes, we've been ridiculously close and some of the bad luck borders on impossible, but that doesn't mean we haven't achieved anything.

Coming off over a decade of finishing between 7th and 15th (since the inception of the Premier League), 5-5-11-8-4-5-4-5 is pretty good, especially considering how much harder it is to compete at the top now that money has ****ed up everything.

That said, my enthusiasm started dying around 2007. I remember leaving the pub at half time when we played Villa in the 125th anniversary game. That was first time ever I didn't sit through the full 90 minutes, but far from the last, and it keeps happening more and more often. I have lost count for this season.

 

[monkeybarry]

^ this is the first season for a long time without a 'great entertainer' tbf and let's not forget we have a 30mil signing yet to have a fair crack at it.

What's really giving me the hump atm is there seems to be no sense of perspective from a lot of people, is one season finishing 6th that bad? We are the 6th biggest club in the league afterall so i don't think we should be grumbling all that much about one season off the pace of the CL places - it's how we move on from this season that's important.

6th work s for me, I would say it's the right position.
I said when we got cl it was too early and5 yyears of solidifying 5th would be good after a decade of 7-14th.
CL qualification warped expectations

 

[billyiddo]

6th work s for me, I would say it's the right position.
I said when we got cl it was too early and5 yyears of solidifying 5th would be good after a decade of 7-14th.
CL qualification warped expectations

i don't think it was ever too early - it is possible to build a team good enough to get in to the top 4 positions despite being at a financial disadvantage, we proved it possible on two occasions and on one of those we could have had a title challenge, also Liverpool/Everton look like doing it this year (although unlikely in Evertons case tbf).

for me the aim is to build the best teams/squads we can and then see how we fair against those with more resources, there's no reason why we can't build teams better than those above, although it should not be expected - the trick is to make the most of the teams that we build and making sure that any time our opponents are at less than their best we are there to over take them.