Taxi for the haters
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 12:45PM I'm loving it. The amount of despondent rhetoric being aimed at us by the haters warms my cockles cockerels. You can track it all back to last season if you so wished. Constant abuse about how we'd never get fourth spot, not consistent enough, always choke when it matters. Then when we go and do it we're told by everyone how we'd not get past the qualifiers for the Champions League. When we did they wrote it off, lapping up it up when the groups were drawn and we faced Inter which would pave way for humiliation. And now, apparently, we've topped a group with opposing sides that are not very good, sides that have made us look good. Their lack of quality helped us to score two goals per game and eighteen in total, and qualify with a game to spare and finish top to avoid the likes of Barca and Madrid in the next round. Inter, Twente and Bremen - all poor opposition which makes us equally poor for conceding so many goals against them.
We have no style or tactics (pass the ball to Bale, let him run down the flank, cross the ball in, someone gets on the end of it) or substance. We lack depth apparently in terms of being able to progress any further both in Europe and in the Prem because only United, Arsenal and Chelsea can juggle Europe and domestic bread and butter. And City could do it, in theory. And we should also just surrender the emotions we currently possess and ready ourselves for the Europa League next season. Because that's where we belong. Apparently we didn't read the small print, we're an embarrassment to the CL.
We'll be shown up once we play a proper team. Which apparently don't exist in the group stages if Spurs happen to have fluked passage into a group. And if you were wondering, the answer is no. We don't have any players out injured and yes, if we play five or six games and play well and win and then lose a game, we're defined by that single loss. And if we beat someone we're not meant to beat it's not because we've played well. It's luck or the other side have failed to turn up (see last seasons WHL wins over Arsenal and Chelsea and this seasons win at the Emirates and the 3-1 against Inter as prime examples).
You learn something new every day, no? This football lark, it's complicated.
I'm a little lost now exactly how poor and rubbish we're meant to be thanks to the constant moving of goal-posts by our obsessive critics.
No doubt when we do finally get knocked out of the Champions League by a proper team we'd be told we're absolute rubbish with a variety of lolcopters crashing down on our front lawn even though the reality is - no one actually expects us to win the whole damn thing and there is hardly any thing to be ashamed of considering the records of other seasoned competitors and their début seasons in the premier European competition.
But that's neither here or there. We're enjoying the experience, lapping it up, doing it our way and getting away with it. And sure, it's naïve at times and far too open and other teams (in waiting for the knock-outs) will be prepared and might attempt to suffocate possession and bore the game and us into submission when they face us. But then considering how easy we find it to score away from home...nah, let's not dream. Because that's a commodity that is quite simply inexcusable. You got that?
Then again, if we add King, Dawson, Huddlestone, a fit van der Vaart, Modric, a refreshed Defoe and perhaps one or two new players in January, it will make whatever happens on the 17th December positively gleeful.
It's been a roller-coaster. We've shown little fear. Perhaps one or two moments of Keystonesque footwork and trembly knees, but then this whole experience was meant to be nothing more than us experiencing top tier football and adapting to it for when we return to it in the future. Get a taste, let it roll around our mouth and then spit it back out again. We're having a ball. Swallowing every last drop (ooh matron).
This is Spurs. Patched up. Nowhere near full pelt. Winging it. And out of the group at the first time of asking.
Keep on moving those goal posts, keep on hating haters.
Reader Comments (79)
My god, you've just put every single line I've heard about us over the past year into one post. Good effort!
Amazing how they still find excuses for why we're so shit. Even when we achieve everything they tell us we wont. Onwards Yids!
We scored THREE goals on average in the group, not two.
I read a lot of people saying Palacios was useless against birmingham at the weekend, but I thought he was much improved on his previous shocking performances. I also thought that his passing was decent by his standards last night. Don't think people should be getting on his back, particularly after his brother died, which I'm sure has affected him hugely. Give him a chance and he will improve with a run in the team.
You've forgotten to mention that ref from last night. Seriously - wtf?
Agree MalSpurs, I ain't havong none of that slagging off WP. He was great last night and he can TACKLE
Took the words right out of my mouth. Question for the haters who told us we would get embarassed in our group: was our group not that hard after all, or is it just that spurs are much better than you thought?
I still find it hard to believe what a great team we have become.
Avoid AC and Valencia (and possibly Lyon) and we will be fine. I still think we would probably get through whoever we get, I'd just prefer if it was easier. i.e. Copenhagen.
Missed the game last night, but I'll be watching those highlights in half hour...
We are into the knock-out stage now and lets not forget that we are traditionally a cup team. So who knows where this could all end now ?? Do I see a 1 on the end of the year????
Have you actually heard all this rhetoric this season? Sounds as if you/we are feeling a little insecure there and maybe even dare I say bitter. Enjoy the ride, let any comments wash over you and do not get wound up by it.
Was it sarcasm?
Expect a call from my lawyer regarding copyright infringement and blatant plagiaris...oh, fuck it, you've put it better than I ever could. Keep on hating, haters.
Love it Ian Chivers. Didn't even realise that.
As a wee postsript, we set a Champions League record last night.
The first EVER team to score two goals in every qualifying group match and..................
the first team EVER to score three goals in five Chamions League games on the trot.
Shiney apples!!!!
At the end of the day, we've gone out there, bollocks out and played the spurs way, no defence, you score 3 goals, we'll score 4 & frankly i've loved every single second of it.
Spooky, we are going all the way so be prepared to write down more excuses given by the haters on how we got there.
GC - Will probably write something up later re: the actual game. But if not, I'll echo your words.
The ref was POOR.
Fantastic post! So true, thats all i have heard from last season up until now, at every stage we have had people saying crap like that. I always felt we would do well, there is just something about us.... kinda feels like something special can happen this season. Were only going to get better from this point on (injurys coming back, transfer window etc) why cant we win it thats what i say! The mememtum is with us and i feel we can do anything. There are no rules, the top four have been the same for som many years we come in and smash up the system, not only that but in style. Breaking records etc. what an achievement, its a shame people hate. After a terrible world cup of negative boring football i think we have done the Premier league and english football proud. There will be a que of top stirkers wanting to play for us with our wingers and our stlye, not to mention Van der Vaart, modric and huddlestone! Bring it on! COYS
Disappointed last nights game didn't end 5-5 if I'm honest.
We have to hope for a full (ish) complement of players available for the restart of the CL. If we get our world class performers on the pitch for those 2 games (VDV, Modders, Bale), along with our very good not quite world classers (Hudd, Daws, Gallas, Lennon), we have every chance of progresing further. Valencia are the ones to avoid. AC and Lyon we can cope with (actually Lyon are useless - I could see that being a cake-walk). If we get Valencia and Inter get Schalke, we'll know life is simply nfair. Schalke are even worse than Lyon!
Personally, I'd love to see Kaboul playing at right back and Bassong at left back. Even if just to convince me that it wont work. Because in my head, a couple of huge, fast fullbacks could paper over a lot of midfield flimsyness cracks. And I simply dont have the nerves to watch BAE playing against good teams: my god is he a liability.
I hope you all got aboard my prediction from yesterday that Werder would wipe the floor with Inter. A very nice little earner that one, although I must confess my rather disloyal bet that Spurs would also lose took a few of those profits away.
The 'haters' can fuck off'. What has happened this season is a lot of people tell me that Tottenham have become their favourite second team simply because they can tune in and watch a decent entertaining game.
The 'haters' will always be that, just as I will always despise the Gooners and Scousers. We're certainly not hated as much as they are!
Well, considering my other allegiances, I'm delighted we're not going to get Barcelona in the next round. I hope we get an easy team and then hammer Real Madrid on our way to the Semi Finals.
As an aside, Harry says we play an open game with 2 wingers which means we are going to ship goals too. Well, I like to think we'll be far more mature and level headed at the back when our 1st choice centrebacks are fit again. It would be lovely to have Woodie, King and Dawson to choose from again. If we had a watertight defence (which is totally possible with the quality I just listed) we could play on the counter attack away against the bigger teams
i guess the hate jus spurs us on! anybody heard abouut the billiornaire Qatari wanting to buy a club? I hope they buy us, we really need that stadium, fuck stratford!!!!!
Haters gonna hate, playas gon' play. And such and such......
I hope they keep on saying all that about us, the welcome to the CL spuds (when 4-0 down to inter) etc... cos then after we then go and destroyed Inter (after they suddenly became crap btw) each time we then go and beat the next team or qualify or whatever it just feels so much sweeter to be ramming their words straight back down their throats and to do so with a smile.. I love it.... This is the Spurs I fell in love with...
Brilliant article. I'm with you, I'm happy for us to keep proving the haters wrong. And IF we win the CL or PL (which we won't) it will still not be good enough for the goalpost movers!
Their hate is tangible, you could pick it up and bounce it down the street......They can't wait to rip the piss out of us, in an effort to rekindle their distorted belief systems. We, apparently , are fcuking delusional, and have been for years. This is like the best game of hold um I've ever played.... The mugs keep going all in, only to see a monster hand!!!
The feelings I banked at the final whistle at the Emirates after that half time 'gloat text bombardment' rivaled nothing........it was out there on it own, on point duty, forging the way ahead.
Max Clifford? representing someone accused of setting up his wife to be murdered? Have we all fallen into one of your wormholes Spook?
Brilliant read. Sad thing is that some of the doubters are our own fans.
@Ian Chivers
Go on....... I dare you.......say it!
Defoe finding the net and Bale not over exerting himself were highlights for me with Chelsea in mind. Palacios (when not passing the ball) looked decent if still miles behind his destroyer mindset of a season or so ago.
The haters are like Ian Wright's gloating mug at half-time in the NLD... Our satisfaction is seeing him at full-time and watching El Tel wind him up.
Bring on whoever, we'll score 14 more than you on aggregate.
i thought the ref had a nice tan
Adrian Durham is a whining ginger know-it-all twat.
am slowly turning my hammers supporting wife into a spurs fan i bought her a sweatshirt at the young boys game and she knows the names of all our players and cant name a hammer. she now says we play the best football and will sit and watch a spurs game getting excited . loving it
Stand by for 'hate mail' Spooks.
It's like the 'Yids' thing: take your opponents' bile and venom, roll it round your mouth and gob it straight back in their faces.
Or as Danny Blanchflower once suggested: 'Equalise before your opponents' score',
retaliate first, make a pre-emptive strike.
Or just let our football do the talking, or singing in this case.
I've got that prickly feeling in both of my typing fingers which means a blog's coming on.
Haters? I can't find any. I'm searching high and low. Can't even smell them.
Ah cool the Jets. I think generally the neutrals are very positive. We are without doubt the team to watch at the moment. Great entertainment value. Harry's interview was priceless post game too! We're playing without fear and not only have we discarded our shells we're flaunting it left right and centre (well mostly left).
I think the doubters/haters are predominantly goons which is to be expected and the odd scouse weeping into his home brew dreaming of what could have been this season while wondering if next year might just be their year. Other than that I think most fans are happy to see another (different) English team do it on the big stage. We've broken the monotony of the big 4 and provided a bit of hope for the rest of the league and the best part is we have done it breaking records and scoring shed loads of goals. I also think Utd and Chelsea don't quite see us as rivals as of yet and if I'm honest we are still an actual striker short of that. Top notch striker (Llorente maybe?) in January and there might be a few more haters chipping in if/when this sucess continues to the business end of the season!
COYS
It's not like we're even gloating. It's not like we made promises to anyone to declarations of intent and such. We just turned up and turned a few teams over. I think the media has been fairly pro-Spurs mainly because it suits Sky Sports to hype us up for viewing figures (and then they can laugh at us when we get beat proving we are still infants of the 'top tier').
Other fans (Arse, City, West Ham) can not wait for us to lose. It's great.
Ian Chivers....
The year doesn't end in just one 1.... theres two of the bleeders !
Woooo-hoooo !
Hey anybody who watched sky last night would have heard Alan Parry raving about how well we have done in our debut CL season.... Also Ray Wilkinns saying how spurs are his favourite team to watch at the moment from an attacking point of view.... not everybody are haters.
The dream final: Barcelona-Spurs
Would wipe the floor with Barca.
That being wiping our own blood off the floor.
We written, my god Im even hearing this drivel from spurs fans.
Try that again in clear and precise English.
This article is nailed on and I can't really say anymore than what has already been said apart from I love my club! We may not be there next season but I can guarantee we will still be talked about and if it is Man City in our place they will be in our shadows and any results will be compared to ours. On the game last night that referee was piss poor and how he was picked to officiate a CL game I will never know the longest day I live. COYS!
Gloating is more than acceptable because we never shouted out and drowned the opinions of others at the start claiming we'd do this or do that to the other teams in our groups. I guess that's just us we never expect the world but we always want it so when we get it we like to smile about it. COYS.
Lets not be like other teams and run down our own support (few comments here). Nothing like taking a peek on a goon board to see the infighting between the "in Arsene we trust" and "Arsene we Rust" groups.
Were playing the Tottenham way - its all we have ever tried to do even when we didnt have the players to do it.
Great article. Its brilliant to see Tottenham swat away every cliche thrown at them in the last year.
Great piece, up the yids
Has been an incredible 2010 and yet arguably we've not achieved any thing other than progress. But at least we're moving up a few levels.
Took Arsenal three attempts to get out of the group stages.
Oopsy daisy.
The Belgian tv pundit (heavily supporting Twente because of the Belgian presence there) said : Tottenham Hotspur is a team that you admire , respect and even love because of what they represent. They play a fresh attacking type of football and should be applauded. They have history , fanbase and promote a type of football that we deemed lost , less cynical, clinical or arrogant then the so called big clubs. There is no doubt about the fact that they will get overclassed at one time in this competition because of the forementioned qualities, but football fans around the world should enjoy their run while it lasts.
I Love your chocolate too belgian spur!!