Another day at the office.....

Losing 2-1 on Saturday wasn't exactly a shock to the system. Just more of ye olde Spurs away form. I didn't go to the game or watch the match on one of the several available Internet streams. Nope, just Gillette Soccer Saturday on in the background telling me what I already knew, even when we went 1-0 up.

I spoke to my uncle that evening. Now, heres a bloke who followed Spurs during the late 60's and through-out the 70's and 80's, going to UEFA Cup finals and seeing some wonderfully gifted players and ones with true grit and leadership. As my opinions haven't changed from last week, I'm just going to tell you what his opinions are instead.


"I'm sick of being humiliated by the club"


Thats basically how he started his rant. He then went on to echo one or two other statements of frustration that ring true with many other Spurs fans (at least the ones that frequent forums and message boards).


"I'm sick and tired of his (Jol) excuses. He shouldn't be such a diplomat in his post-match interviews. He should be more of a bastard, more critical of the ref and decisions and whatever else, because we seem to accept everything on and off the pitch instead of bullying the opposition and questioning decisions"


The above wasn't so much about the Sheff Utd defeat, but a general criticism about how Jol is sometimes too much of a nice guy and doesn't resort to under-handed tactics (though personally, I wouldn't want to see him turn into a Wenger type of character, blind to the truth).


"How can you not start Mido upfront against Arsenal in the semi-final? Look at the difference he made when he came on? Why so negative in that game when we should have taken it to them with so much more force? Graham Roberts hit the nail on the head the other day when he said how in the tunnels before the game, all the players were shaking hands and hugging. Go back 15-20 years, and they would have been spitting and biting each other"


Football in general isn't what it use to be, but yeah....would be nice for these games to be more blood and fucking thunder now and again.


"No way should Jol be sacked, but he has to start learning from his mistakes and learning from his tactical decisions that don't do the business. Losing Carrick is a big deal because of the system we played and the dependency we had based around that one player. Carrick is gone, and Jol has to adapt his formation and team and decide on his strongest eleven. He has to move on and he has to make the most of what he has. And what he has is the best set of players we have had for years and years. Jol has to instill some fight and passion into them, which is a ridiculous thing to want, because they should have that by default. So its his responsibility to make sure they do the club and fans proud"


That boy Carrick.....lest we forget.


"This season could end up being a disaster if we don't make Europe again. Players like Lennon and Huddlestone and King might start getting itchy feet....which is ironic because if we don't make it, its down to the very players who might want to up and leave in the summer. It's Berbs I feel sorry for. So much class and quality. He's probably wondering what the fuck he's doing at Spurs. I can see him being snatched up in the summer for sure, if we continue with this lack of confidence"


I don't think there will be a mass exodus, but imagine if there was, it would shatter the club. Might have to wait for a billionaire to buy us out to have any hope of success.


"Its a fine line between success and failure. Remember how good Gascoigne was at Spurs? And he played with some average players. Imagine Gazza at his best, in the current Tottenham team? He would elevate everyone around him. A proper talisman he was. Christ, we need a player like him. Add a Graham Roberts/Steve Perryman for the leader position and we could be set. We lack too much at the moment. Its blatantly obvious"


Theres nothing in my uncles words that hasn't been said before, but the thing that stuck with me was his response to something I said to him. I told him that sometimes (always - if you ask other fans) we expect too much and have this almost God given right demand for glory. He said answered by basically saying that it has nothing to do with arrogance. He simply stated that his needing for the club to achieve success can only be described as sheer desperation.

And I understand what he means. For a club that has spent so long in the top flight and has only ever flirted with success and silverware, while others have built 'empires' and stacked up their trophy cabinets, as a fan you simply want it to be your turn. You just want your club to push forward to that next stage and get past the countless transitional periods.

When a Tottenham fan is complaining about his club, its not about us thinking we are a big club and therefore we must be top 4. Its just that watching the same mistakes and the same problems over and over again has driven us to the point of insanity. We're just desperate for the alternative. And the alternative is having a team that does everything you expect from a team that can challenge for the top 4. We've never looked like doing it and consolidating it.

It's a bit like chasing the gold at the end of the rainbow....


~Spooky