I’m as small-minded as the next football fan. No, I’m more small-minded than any other football fan. Following defeat to Swansea, on the back of our feeble performance at Old Trafford, I’ve accepted we won’t be winning the league. That’s fine, I can cope with it. But I just can’t cope with Spurs winning the league.
Witnessing Chelsea and Utd’s success in recent years was a bitter pill to swallow. But my pain at seeing them lift the Premier League trophy will pale into insignificance if Spurs win the league. It would make for a horrible summer. It simply does not bear thinking about. With Pep taking over City and Jose succeeding LVG, winning the league next season will be unlikely. This year was our chance but failure will be made untolerable should that lot win it. Yes, it’s petty and childish, but Spurs throwing away the best chance in living memory to win the big one will ensure my summer won’t be ruined.
I didn’t watch the match yesterday. I feared the worst, and with it being a Saturday lunchtime KO, it would mean the whole weekend would be wrecked. A car crash, leaving me desolated. So I decided to cycle around North London, passing the pubs broadcasting the game and picking up a sense of how the game was developing. I actually was passing the Twelve Pins in Finsbury Park when Ramsay opened the scoring. The primal roar from the pub sent my morale soaring. I really did expect the worse. But of course I knew we couldn’t keep a clean sheet. I just knew we needed to score a second. I checked my phone during the second half, with sinking, fearful apprehension. The sending off, the equalizer and Kane’s wonder strike was utterly predictable. I gave up. I cycled home, knowing I would avoid Sky Sports News, MOTD, the radio phone-ins and the sports pages.
I popped into the betting shop on the home and hadn’t bothered to check my phone for any further updates. There were a few minutes left and I had no hope whatsoever of redemption. The feeling of incredulity, relief and sheer joy washed over me. With the final whistle, I immediately thought of the crushing disappointment felt by the Spurs fans. I hear there was the usual hostile welcome towards the Arsenal fans who were escorted to the ground by the police. This is not a few teenagers who are looking for a quick thrill by taunting opposing fans. This is blokes my age who think it’s a acceptable to throw insults and coins without any fear of reprisals. I hate the sanitised world of modern top flight football, but this is goes beyond any line by some distance. It’s completely repugnant and cowardly. I hope they left the ground feeling utterly dejected and distressed by failing to defeat 10 men.
I was actually happy City and Leicester got results yesterday. I just don’t trust our players to show the mental resolve to perform in these closing months of the season. So I just want Spurs to join us as the biggest losers in this crazy season. See what I mean about being so small minded……