Opinion Piece: The Media

When I started supporting Spurs the only way you could get any information about your club was the papers or from Match of the Day. There wasn't the wall to wall coverage that there is today. Rumours would start on the terraces about who was being signed, no deadline transfer day back then you could sign anyone you wanted whenever you wanted, and were usually met with a resounding 'Bollocks' or 'That blokes in the know he must be right'.

Your terrace reputation could be enhanced or destroyed within minutes, depending on how good your information was. To us, the fans the reporters of the day were like gods to us. They knew what was going on at our club long before any of us did. We hung on there every word. That all started to change though towards the end of the 80's and the beginning of the 90's due to two major events.

Hillsborough killed the circulation of the Sun newspaper stone dead. This was a huge paper back then selling 2/3 million copies a day and with some very respected journalists. I remember Hillsborough, I remember the pictures and the news footage, but the lies they told on the front of their paper on the Monday after the event, for which they didn't apologise for, for years later, damaged journalism and people started to question what they were reading. No longer trusted, people became sceptical of what was printed. No longer was every word believed and this changed the way people got their news. The second was the creation of the Premier League.

No matter what we think of it now and the distribution of its money, there wasn't a fan in the country that didn't grasp it with open hands when it started. Live football every Sunday and Monday? It was unheard of. You used to get the Big Match on ITV but that wasn't every week. This was. Sky changed the way that people watched football. You had hours of analysis, not stuck with the time constraints of Match of the Day. It made us was want more information than we had ever had, a way to interact with our teams beyond what we were used to. Ex-players talking about the game at length and feeding us inside knowledge, we felt like we were there.

This type of media though needs feeding, constantly. The birth of the Internet and social media now means the bloke that was on the terrace years ago who only had a few followers, now has Twitter and thousands. He can say whatever he likes and people will re tweet it and off it goes. It becomes 'knowledge' within seconds. Because of this fans want instant knowledge and so the press feed of this. They have to constantly have stories to feed the need. 24hr rolling news stories need something to talk about and what's the best of way of doing it? Well they make news where there isn't any.

The press love Jose, Pep, Klopp, Conte and Wenger. The reason for this? Because they give them things to talk about. Jose will constantly moan at the press about the way his teams are being treated, the press will then dissect it for days. Ex-players will talk about it on shows, Wenger will have a melt down and its all over the papers for days. As fans we lap this up because its what we are used to. We point and laugh and re tweet and use it for banter with our mates. After all its been on the TV and its come from the managers mouths. Then there is the exception to the rule and that's us.

Poch doesn't lose his rag with his players in public. He doesn't throw players under the bus. We don't sign players for £90/100 million pound because at the moment we aren't in a position to do so, but also because we don't need to. We don't pay wages of £350,000 a week for the same reasons. So because of this we go against the majority of the Premier League teams and are therefore seen as a target for speculation.

Where we should be getting credit for the way we do our business, we are seen as a feeder club for the 'big boys; because unfortunately in the past this what we have been, From Carrick, to Modric to Bale. Whenever the cash was splashed we sold. It hurt of course it did, but we couldn't compete. Until now. Until we had a manager who goes against the grain and has given us our most sustained period of success in decades. Granted we have yet to win a trophy, but in these modern times to be competing and beating, with the Arab and Russian oil money is an achievement in itself.

The problem is its not 'sexy' it doesn't make headlines, it doesn't feed the media in the way that Sky need it to. Jamie Redknapp slates us constantly, perhaps bitter at the way Harry was treated, who to be honest was courting the England job through the press when he should have been securing us Champions League football, but for me I don't care what he has to say. He comes across as jealous in my opinion and whenever pressed on his opinion changes it!

There are far more ex-players that talk highly of us rather than slate us. We are in a time of unprecedented financial power in football. Its changed from when I was kid, some of it for the better, some of it for the worst. What doesn't change though is that we are seeing the building of a dynasty. Like Shanks with Liverpool, Busby with Man Utd and then Ferguson in the mid 80's Poch is using youth to progress our team to where he wants it to be.

One day we may £300,000 a week wages but its not sustainable because the way that people consume media is changing. The youth of today stream more than ever, but they wont be held to ransom over subscriptions. The TV companies are aware of this and are trying to sell more rights abroad as the UK market is stagnating and will eventually reverse. No one of my dads generation saw the death of newspapers but it happened. TV subscriptions will be the same, not today, perhaps not tomorrow, but one day they will. Then what? Who pays the wages then?

The money guys will leave and go and do something else. The people who have bankrolled clubs will walk away. They always do. So what happens to clubs like ours? We thrive that's what! We become stronger, because we competed at this level by doing it the right way now, we will become stronger and stronger. We will have foundations built that will last a generation. I genuinely believe we are one trophy away from greatness. We need to win that one trophy for it all to kick on to another level.

The Premier League is 26 years old, Sky changed the game forever by throwing money at it and made players richer than they could ever have dreamed of being. They sold a dream to billions around the world. Yet when its gone, and it will one be gone, the money, the way its being sold, then the clubs that built a foundation will be the ones that will strive forward and say this is our time, and we will be at the front of that que. You just have to have faith in a Chairman who has spent 17 years developing us, and a manger no one had heard of or thought was any good because he wasn't a big name.

Spurs isn't built to be a rich mans plaything. Spurs is built on the trust and loyalty of the players that play for the badge but more importantly its built by us fans. Of a dream that we believe in, that one day we will sit atop the pile and look down on the others. Then the media will come crawling out of the woodwork saying we are the example to follow, when they've spent years undermining our players and trying to belittle us. They wont bat an eyelid because it will be the story that sells even thought hey have spent years undermining it.

My favourite ever quote about being a fan is as follows:

"What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. Its not the television contracts, get out clauses, marketing contracts or executive boxes. Its the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. Its a small boy clambering up the stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his fathers hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able tom do a thing about it, falling in love" Sir Bobby Robson

I wish I had written that because no matter what the media say about us, no matter what ex-players say about us, no matter who plays for us. Its not about them, its about us. Don't ever forget that the next time you read a headline or see a Sky News Breaking Story. We are bigger and better than all of them. Why? Because without us they don't have football. Never forget that.  Anthony

Fan Interview 2nd March 2018 Chirs Benfields

This week its Chris Benfields turn. So Chris over to you:

AH: Tell us about yourself?

CB:Chris Benfield. 72 . Living in S.W. France.  Scotland 35 yeas . Brought up in N.W. London.  Ex professional photographer. Sport. Many times on touch line White Hart Lane.

AH: When did you start supporting Spurs?

CB: 1958 my father and uncles before that.

AH: Who is your favourite player from every decade you've supported Spurs?

CB: Too many to answer need every 5 years.

AH: If you could ask any player a question what would it be?

CB: Would you support Spurs even if you didn't support them?

AH: What is your favourite ever Spurs goal? 

CB: Glenn Hoddel chip over keeper against Watford, so cool.

AH: What is your most cherished piece of Spurs merchandise?

CB: A World war 2 air raid  rattle painted blue and white  with Spurs written on.

AH: What is the worst piece of Spurs merchandise you've ever been bought or given?

CB: 1958 programme Single page. Still have though plus more.

AH: What has been your best moment supporting Spurs?

CB: Return cup clash Crew Alexandria, we won 13- 2 I was with my Dad . Standing jumping.  I still the have the programme. 64.000 attendance, more than the new stadium .

AH: What has been your worst moment as a Spurs fan?

CB: Going all the way to Southampton and not getting in in the 60s.

AH: If you could go back and change one result from our past what would it be?

CB: The away goal that Benfica scored in the semi final champions league at W.H.L. for us to go to final. 

Thanks for taking part Cliff and sorry it took so long to post. Anthony

Fan Interview 22nd Feb 2018 Cliff Wood

Hi All so after a break Fan interview is back. First off is Cliff Wood so Cliff over to you.

AH: Tell us a little about yourself?

CW:Born in 1961, on the 18^th of March to be precise, FA Cup Semi Final v Burnley. My Dad was a mad keen Spurs fan so he was at the game, we won 3-0. Always a Spurs fan, was a shelf season ticket holder in the 80’s with my Dad and his friends. Was in the Park Lane when Tony Parks saved the penalty to win us the UEFA cup. At Wembley for the Gazza semi against Arsenal. My two daughters are both Spurs fans, my eldest was the mascot in the FA Cup semi final against Newcastle at Old Trafford

AH: When did you start supporting Spurs?

CW: As a boy

AH: Who is your favourite player from every decade you’ve supported Spurs?

CW: 80’s = Probably Ardiles, maybe Hoddle. 90’s = Gazza, followed by Klinsmann, 00’s = Defoe, 10’s = Bale

AH:  If you could ask one of those players a question what would it be and why? 

CW: Gareth when are you coming back?

AH: What is your favourite ever Spurs goal?

CW: Gazza Wembley 1991 Fa Cup Semi Final

AH: What is your most cherished piece of Spurs merchandise?

CW: I have stuff from the Double year from my Dad

AH: What is the  worst piece of Spurs merchandise you’ve ever bought or been given?

CW:Spurs v Coventry City FA Cup scarf

AH: What is  Your best moment supporting Spurs?

CW: So many, I am really enjoying watching the current team

AH: What is has been your worst moment supporting Spurs?

CW: Any time we lose to Arsenal

AH: If you could go back in time and change one result what would it be?

CW: Arsenal winning the league title at WHL

Thanks Cliff for taking part apologies for taking so long to post it. Another one on Saturday.

Fan Interview Friday 15th December 2017 Clint Pearlman

This week its Clint Pearlman so Clint over to you.

AH: Tell us a little about yourself?

CP: I was born and live in North London and I live in a gooners area but support the real north London team not that lot from Woolwich

AH: When did you start supporting Spurs?

CP: I was about 8 years old when I went to White Hart Lane with my dad, I'm 45 now so would have been around 1980.

AH: Who is your favourite player from every decade you’ve supported Spurs?

CP: 80's Glenn Hoddle, 90's Gazza, and then 2000's Ginola for me with Harry Kane now.

AH:  If you could ask one of those players a question what would it be and why?

CP: To Kane do you see yourself playing for either Barcelona or Real Madrid with Poch being your manager of one of those side?s

AH: What is your favourite ever Spurs goal?

CP: Gazza free-kick against arsenal fa cup semi-final 1991.

AH: What is your most cherished piece of Spurs merchandise?

CP: My first spurs kit classic le coq sportif number and my spurs shirt signed by Jurgen Klinsmann.

AH: What is the worst piece of Spurs merchandise you’ve ever bought or been given?

CP: All spurs merchandise is greatly appreciated.

AH: What is your best ever moment supporting Spurs?

CP: Spurs vs anderlecht 84 cup final in the Paxton road end and being a ball boy for the last six home games in 86-87 season

AH: What is your worst ever moment supporting Spurs?

CP: Losing to Coventry in the 87 cup final

AH: If you could go back in time and change one result what would it be?

CP: The above game

AH: What has been your favourite ever Spurs Kit?

CP: Mine would be the hummel 87 shirt worn by Clive Allen and the boys during that great season under David Pleat.

Opinion Piece: Past vs Present

Have you ever had a thought and said to yourself "What a great idea that will be", you know the ones, the ones where you think everyone will love it and it'll be hugely popular but ends up upsetting everyone? The wife for example is a tough person to please, like getting her a new Dyson for your anniversary, and treating yourself to a new PlayStation at the same time? What could possibly be wrong with that? Don't ask, this idiot did that. Well the Favourite Ever Spurs Player has certainly caused some strong arguments from fans of all ages, but the one thing that its highlighted to me is the vast difference in the way that the generations of fans follow our club.

I started supporting Spurs in 1981, there was no Internet, games were random on the TV and if you wanted to know about the history of the club you had to either rely on a relatives memory or read a book. My father is a West Ham fan so getting any sort of history about Spurs from was going to be sketchy at best, as an avid reader as a kid I went to the library and started reading about Spurs and our history. The Double side, Jimmy Greaves, Cliff Jones, Dave MacKay, Pat Jennings, Bill Nicholson, the photos may have been in black and white but it felt like I knew them, I could feel the history and what they had achieved. I felt like I belonged.

The younger fans are different, there will always be fans like me who want to know all about the club and its history, but a lot of fans nowadays want instant gratification. If its not on Wikipedia, YouTube or they cant find it at the touch of a button they aren't interested and this has shown in the results that we have seen in the poll. Fans that have no idea who these players are cant be expected to vote for them. People will vote for what they know and what they are familiar with.

I am not devaluing them or their opinions, after all they are the future of the club and the way that people digest their information now has greatly changed. The other problem is time, and the passing of that time. When I started, the double side was 20 years ago, it still felt fresh as it were, a lot of those players were in their 50's, ancient to a kid of nine, but still reachable. If we take this into consideration then the fans who started supporting Spurs in the late 90's early 00's then to them the players they will mostly bond with are the Gazza's, the Teddy Sherringhams, the David Ginolas and unfortunately when they are paired against the great players of the 60's, the players we hold in such high regards, they don't know who they are and wont vote for them.

This doesn't make their choice wrong but it saddens me that they don't know who these players are. That's were we come in, its up to us to talk about these players and make sure they are not forgotten in anyway shape or form. They are part of our history and should be remembered for what they achieved. The younger fans of today need to embrace that history otherwise they are missing out on great swathes of the club.

An example of this was a few months ago, I have two sons, 11 and 10 and we went to Wembley for the EE charity cup, a mixture of Youtubers and ex-players. I'm sitting there getting excited at seeing David James, Steven Gerrad, Robbie Savage and Robbie Fowler and they couldn't care less. These legends of the game were being ignored because some YouTube bloke with a million followers walked past and waved at them and it struck me then the difference in the way that they use the Internet to interact with people and follow them is completely different than the way I do. So I used YouTube and showed them these players in their prime and they then got a greater appreciation of them. I, unfortunately had to then sit through a load of YouTube videos of blokes Ive never heard of opening boxes but fairs, fair I suppose.

Social media is brilliant for interacting and sharing thoughts and stories with people who want to listen and learn, but its also treated and used differently by both generation's. Have I found some of the voting upsetting? Yep you bet I have but I understand the reasons behind it. The younger ones amongst us are far more tech savvy and use social media far more than us golden oldies do and that's why the voting has gone the way its gone.

Its great for me to 'follow' some of the players I grew up watching and I've been lucky enough to have some fantastic experience's in the past few months where I've met and interviewed them for this very page. Something I never thought would happen, but its through social media that I was able to do this. They are far more approachable to us than ever before and the older players seem to really embrace it. However the down side is the newer generation of players wont be as accessible due to people trying to make a name for themselves as was seen recently with Harry Winks. We cant have it both ways, we either respect their privacy or they will continue to shut themselves away from us.

Getting any type of interaction with the current crop of players is neigh on impossible, we have tried numerous times to get interviews with them but its not going to happen, which makes the ones we have got even more special. We will continue to try but its getting harder and harder to get them.

I aim in the new year to do some blogs on the older players because they don't deserve to be forgotten by the newer fans and hopefully it will spark an interest in them from these young fans that perhaps they didn't have before. No fan voting system is ever going to be 100% fool proof, it will always upset someone, but we have to be respectful towards all the fans of the club whether we agree with them or not.

The younger fans should listen to the older fans and the older fans should share their stories of players they've seen in the past. I used to love listening to people talk about the players they saw when I was growing up and its a real shame that this knowledge, this passion, isn't being used to grow the knowledge and fan base of this great club of ours.

One day the younger fans will be talking about this team now, the Harry Kanes, the Dele's, the Diers as I do about the team of the 80's with Ossie Ardiles, Graham Roberts, Glenn Hoddle and the older generation talk about the Danny Blanchflowers, the Cliff Jones and Dave Mackays. We have such a rich history of exceptional players that to allow them to fade into the annuls of time and be forgotten would be, in my humble opinion, and utter waste. Lets share our stories before its too late. After all without us to talk about them who will?

Fan Interview Saturday 9th December 2017

An international fan this week all the way from Australia so Ryan Schofield over to you,

AH: Tell us a little about yourself?

RS: I’m Ryan from Melbourne, in Australia. Originally from Lancashire in the UK and have been back to England many times. Following us around the country in the mid 90s and early 2000s. 

AH: When did you start supporting Spurs?

RS: 1990, My brother supported Liverpool, and I was also heading that way at a young age, ...until the Lineker/ Gascoigne show of Italia 90, and when I found out they both played for Tottenham the red kit went in the bin, and I’ve never looked back! 

AH: Who is your favourite player from every decade you’ve supported Spurs?

RS: 90s would have to be Lineker. I even bought the same brand of boots he wore and pretended to be him playing junior football. I wore number 10 and had my Quaser Gary Lineker Royale’s.

2000s Teddy Sheringham would have to sneak in as he returned after playing for Man U.  He was close after Lineker for the 90s. Met him at Ewood Park and even stopped his interview to shake my hand and sign his autograph. What a guy. 2010s... have to be the main man up top now eh? One of our own!!! 

AH: If you could ask one of those players a question what would it be and why? 

RS: Harry Kane, who do you think we will beat in the Champions League Final? ..Because I’m this form we’re gonna win it! 

AH: What is your favourite ever Spurs goal? 

RS: Easy, Gascoigne’s Free kick in the 91 semi final. Oh I say!!! Brilliant! That is school boys own stuff! Even Terry Venables couldn’t believe it. 

AH: What is your most cherished piece of Spurs merchandise? 

RS: My autographed book signed by the players as they boarded their coach at Ewood, we lost 2-1 but meeting them all made my day and was my first Spurs game. 95/96 season. 

AH: What is the worst piece of Spurs merchandise you’ve ever bought or been given? 

RS: Maybe my top with Rebrov on the back. Don’t really wear that one.

AH: What is your best  ever moment supporting Spurs?

RS: Meeting Teddy Sheringham was massive! And taking my son to see Tottenham at the MCG in Melbourne pre season. Proud moment.. 

AH: What is your worst ever moment supporting Spurs? 

RS: Arsenal winning the league at the Lane. 

AH: If you could go back in time and change one result what would it be?

RS: The game that saw Leicester City win the league. Should have been us. Ah well it was a fairytale for them I guess. 

Thanks to Ryan for taking part another Fan Interview next Saturday.

Fan Interview Saturday 2nd December 2017

This week is an international fan, Ihab Kamel so Ihab over to you and thanks for taking part.

AH:  Tell me a little about yourself?

IK: I'm a 21 year old Egyptian fanatical Spurs fan. I think the fanatical part is the most important. 

AH:  When did you start supporting Spurs?

IK: It was in 2001 and Ossie Ardiles, Ricky Villa, and Dave Mackay played a critical role in my decision. I was 5 years old and I was tagging a long with my Dad while he was visiting an old friend at his shop and as they were talking Tottenham were playing Fulham on the TV. The game finished 4-0 to the my mighty Spurs and I was mas captivated by the football ( I think Glenn Hoddle was the manager then) so when I got back home I started asking my father question and as avid Premiere League fan for years he started telling me about the club's history etc at which point the 2 Argentine magicians entered the conversation (my father is a passionate Argentina fan) so he started regaling me with tales about their prowess, the Ricky Villa Fa Cup goal for example. Also, my dad loved Dave Mackay from his Derby days, I soon learned that he was part of the famous double wining side and a Tottenham great so I was very much enamoured with spurs after these revelations.  

AH: Who is your favourite player from every decade you’ve supported Spurs?

IK: I have been a Spurs fan from around 16 years so I will sneak in 2 players Paul Robinson and Micheal Dawson.  I was really upset when Dawson left for Hull and Poch made Kaboul captain for an interim period ( He quickly rectified that by making Hugo captain) I really admired his passion and committeemen to the cause. Robinson was an inspiration as I used to play as a goal keeper at school and kept trying to replicate his goal.

AH:  If you could ask one of those players a question what would it be and why?

IK:  would like ask Paul Robinson if he ever tried to score a goal like that again because every time he would take a goal kick I kept screaming at the TV for him to have a go. 

AH: What is your favourite ever Spurs goal?

IK: Another tough one. Luka Modric goal vs Liverpool in the 2011/2012 season.

AH: What is your most cherished piece of Spurs merchandise?

IK: That would be my first ever Spurs Shirt. It was hard to find Spurs shirts back then, the vast majority were United, Real Madrid, Barcelona etc, when Mido joined Spurs shirts Spurs stared appearing  in Egypt.  

AH: What is the worst piece of Spurs merchandise you’ve ever bought or been given?

IK: Such a thing does not exist.

AH: What was been your best moment supporting Spurs?

IK: This is an incredibly difficult question to answer as there have been quite a few even in my short time supporting Spurs. The 5-1 win over Arsenal in the Carling Cup, the Woodgate winner in the final against Chelsea, the Bale show against Inter Milan, the 4-4 comeback against Arsenal or the 9-1 over Wigan. But, the game for me was the 3-2 win over the Gooners at the library stadium after we were 2-0 down because the following Monday my teacher happened to be an Arsenal supporter and I walked into the classroom singing "When the Spurs go marching in". 

AH: What has been your worst moment supporting Spurs?

IK: The 5-1 defeat to Newcastle, that game hurt and having to hear all the pundits tear into Spurs about the team's mentality and the celebrations of the Arsenal fans was a bit much to take for about a month. No previous defeat ever felt like that even the hammerings of AVB/Sherwood period.

AH: If you could go back in time and change one result what would it be?

IK: While it wouldn't have changed that much I would go for the above mentioned 5-1 defeat to Newcastle.

Thanks to Ihab Kamel for taking part next Saturday is the turn of  Clint Pearmin