Do you leave White Hart Lane before the final whistle?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 6:44PM When do you leave?
80th minute?
85th minute?
88th minute?
Or do you stay until you clock how much injury time has been added before deciding to head down the pub/the tube station? If you leave early, do you do so because of the nightmare traffic issues around the ground or because you just want to get ahead of the thousands that pour out of the ground at the final whistle, even if it doesn't make a huge difference to your journey home (give or take 5 minutes, it can't make that much of a difference, can it?).
If you are of this ilk, do you also go to the toilet/get a half-time beer at the 35-40th minute mark, and run the risk of missing a goal? Which one or two managed to miss the other week when Jenas notched one up whilst they twinkled.
Leaving early if you are getting hammered 4-1 at home, is understandable, especially if it's against Newcastle United.
But would you leave on the 60th minute mark of a semi-final, even if you are getting dicked?
One side of the argument is that if your club is one of the last four remaining in the biggest club competition in world football, then surely they deserve some type of credit cometh the final whistle for their achievement? If you've just been outclassed, there's not that much you can do about it. The flip side of it is that very frustration and reality of impending defeat can be soul-destroying and unbearable to watch. That and walking out of the ground is a form of fan protest, according to some. A way of illustrating that empty seats equate to unhappy punters.
Spurs fans, you all remember the 4-4 and the fact that one or two left long before the final whistle. It's a trait that most people (football fans) possess.
But is it an act of petulance and selfishness? Or simply freedom of speech.
'If you can't be bothered...neither can I...'
Reader Comments (27)
Whenever I go to the lane, it takes me a good 3 hours or more to get home, so if Spurs are winning or losing by a few goals with 2 or 3 mins to go then I will leave. However, if there is only a goal in it, then I wont leave until the final whistle, and glory glory tottenham hotspur has started playing.
on the point about the champions league semi final, I would never leave after an hour, not matter how badly spurs were getting stuff. The fact that its the champions league semi's is one thing, and also that id probably have payed alot of money for a ticket.
I guess it is different for spurs fans since we dont regularly compete in the champions league, so we would want to make the most of it whilst we were there.
would you leae after 60 minutes of the Carling cup or FA cup semi final if spurs were getting stuffed at home? seeing as we were in it the year before, and will be in it next year aswell? its a hard one.
Leaving early is the most heinous crime that any supporter can commit. It riles me!
I even stayed to the final whistle at an England friendly not so long ago - much to the displeasure of my companions (and, if I'm being honest, myself too - but its the principle innit?)
This is my pet hate, fucking rude w*nkers the so called fans that leave early - they should have their season tickets taken off them and auctioned for charity - the miserable sods. I have sat through some real horrors (bolton away 6-2, chelsea home 5-1) and always stay till the death no matter who much it hurts. I like to think it's character forming - it makes you appreciate the good times when they eventually happen.
Gooners & Chelssea fans are probably the worse fans in the league when it comes to this - hardly a surprise?
I left the anniversary game with villa when we were 4 - 1 down. As I got to northumberland train st I heard we were back to either 4 - 2 or 4 - 3 and went in the pub next to the st to watch kabouls wonder goal!!
I've never left a match early not even sickening one's, Arsenal fans are a joke. Not only does their stadium feel like a library sometimes, they always leave early and yesterday was a disgrace.
All I've been hearing on the radio in shows is how the dumb Gooners want Wenger out.......What a joke! I really don't know what all the fuss is about, they've got to the semi's of the champions league, that's better than Real Madrid, Liverpool & Bayern who are all bigger clubs.
It's not like they've had 2 points from 8 games.....or dealt with the revolving managers door like we've had to deal with. The fact is the majority of contemporary Arsenal fans aren't really true fans who follow their team home or away, most of them are asylum seekers or unlicensed mini cab drivers and they became Arsenal fans when they started winning under the early Wenger days.
Going to Arsenal is like going to the home office in Croydon!
never,always there to cheer on the spurs
It's funny that standing/sitting for 45 minutes is too much for some people. Get there, have a drink or three before kick-off, then 35mins, disappear to get some drinks in and watch it on the little tv's. WTF? Surely money spent on a ticket should mean you attempt to watch the full 45mins, then use up the 15 inbetween to drink or whatever. Scandalous. Bit like people who get up from their cinema seat and disappear to the bog for 5 minutes in the middle of the movie. GO BEFORE YOU FUCKING IDIOT, BEFORE!
although i disagree with people leaving early even if it's only a minute before the final whistle, it's almost excusable when compared to leaving a full half-hour from the end..
not that i care but Arsenal's players have a good mind to feel abandoned by their 'supporters'... they did it in the 5-1 game too..
I live in Cheshunt, I usually leave on 89 minutes and am home in 25 minutes. When i occasionally leave after the final whistle, it take me an hour and a half minimum.
So sorry if that is upsetting for anyone, but I'm not sitting in traffic unnecessarily for no one.
T, you are a disgrace mate and I'm writing to my local politician to request your immediate ban from all football stadia for anti-social behaviour.
been a season ticket holder for 11 years and stayed till the end when we lost 1-6 to chelski and other such games. I have only ever left one game early, we beat cardiff 1-0 in the cup about 6 or 7 years ago and i only left early because i genuinely feared for my life, the riot police that i had do walk though mad me feel justified in my decision.
i pay £35ish a game i watching as much of the game as i can!!
I've only ever left Spurs early once during an awful game against Ipswich where we were losing 2-0. We ended up drawing and I obviously missed two goals. So for that reason and the fact that it costs a fortune to go these days, I will never leave.
Though if I was watching Arsenal I'd want to be leaving after 60 minutes... or is that 60 seconds.
Spooky, you've absolutely hit the nail on the head. I'd say a greater percentage of Goonads will leave the ground early if things are going against their team. While some Spurs fans will do it, I'd say it's a smaller percentage. I can understand it if you're travelled two or three hours and have the same ride back, but otherwise it's a sign of yer typical plastic fan. Personally I've never left WHL before the final whistle, win or lose. That's not boasting, that's just the way it should be. But looking at those Goonads streaming out, I can only assume they had a long drive around the North Circular to get back to Surrey or the Cotswolds.
PS Two things I've really enjoyed this week: Wenger's face when Ronaldo's free kick beat Almunia at his near post (he looked like he'd swallowed a pint of Ferguson's piss), and the delicous way those cnuts at Chelski went out at the last gasp, having stifled Barca home and away with their shitty defensive bollocks football.
I never ever leave early. Even if we've been battered I stay to give them a hard stare and a disdainful shake of the head.
I would like to set up snipers on the opposite corners of the ground and shoot the early birds in the arse as they leave with rubber bullets. They would think twice about doing the off early wouldn't they?
Shame about chelshit tonite - the way they play reminds me of bolton.
It makes me conpletely sick when the plastic fans leave early. I live and breath tottenham, win lose or draw. Remember our boys good or bad are doing their best for the club we love and when people don't have the respect,passion or love for the club to stay to the end and show their appreciation for the effort then as far as I'm concerned they can f**k off to the emirates and leave early with the rest of the glory hunters over there.I have a long journey to and from the Lane and half hour extra really doesn't matter, giving my wholhearted support to our club means everything. COYS
I find some of the 'I never leave early, I'm a real fan' comments risible.
Do what you like.
Unfortunately my old man took me along to the games in the mid 70's and he was such a moany old fucker we'd more often than not leave way before the final whistle. Not to beat the traffic and get home early - we lived off the Seven Sisters Road - but so he could get in the Bell & Hare earlier, get the beers in early and continue to tell his miserable mates how shit we were.
..... I followed in his footsteps when I saw Bent's missed chance against Pompey this season.
My mate was clearly seen leaving the slumirates last night. Caught blatantly on ITV cameras, I have recorded it for prosperity. Ha. never leave before at least 85 minutes. and only then if it is game over. on another note well played young Spurs for winning the league tonight COYS!
Well done indeed. Will we ever see these local lads make the step up?
they leave early so they can say that they havent seen it.
Had a mate who left the champ league final in 99,(Manure fan) with 3 mins to go and the red scum 1- nil down as he exited the stadium the legend teddy scored the equaliser but they wouldnt let him back in the stadium. He thort he d run into town and watch extra time in a bar but of couse Ole scored the winner as he was 100 yrads from the stadium and he didnt even get to a bar to see them lift the trophy. What a turd. It costs me close on 100 quid to go and see spurs travel, tckts etc. I never leave early although sometimes i wish i had.
I've only ever left the lane early once....when we were getting stuffed 4-0 by 'Boro. I only left that day because its the worst I've ever seen the mighty Spurs play!!! Plus, I had a 3 hour drive home....worst thing was, when I got back to my car, some littfle F*CKers had smashed my window and stole my stereo, 4-0, no tunes and no window (i was freezing)..now that was the longest drive home ever. That'll teach me for leaving early!!!
always looks bad when seeing supporters turn their backs and walk away
Adebayor and Fabrigarse left well before the 60th minute
I always stay to the end, either to cheer the players or hurl abuse at the ref (sometime both if I'm having a good day)
It takes me 2 - 2.5 hours to get home from the Lane whatever time I leave, so why not stay till the end.
I'm so used to us losing that I'm not leaving the Lane even when we are 5-0 down.