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Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 12:41PM by Flav
We: The Yid Army
For many years the atmosphere in modern football has been on a steady decline. Sky Sports took over the broadcast rights of top flight football, the Premier League was formed, and we have seen the type of vocal support, once synonymous with football clubs, suffer ever since. Football had become sterilised, the fan experience less important. The key was money, and making lots of it. Football in England became a commodity, and the fans with it – easily taxable for a chance to see players of ‘world’s most exciting league’ in the flesh. Clubs would hire expensive branding consultants to redesign and re-launch the badge – it should be sleeker, advertiser friendly, free of symbolism that would confuse potential fans from far off lands, the latin slogans translated into English or dropped altogether.
Sky Sports pumped vulgar amounts of cash and launched news channels; the Premier League allowed them to reschedule football matches to make them easier to market. We had Grand Slam Sunday and Monday Night Football. Supporters suffered, while players, club owners, agents, and television stations reaped the reward. And so, fans sick of paying money out only to see their team perform with mediocrity (as they had no doubt always done) would sing and support less, and moan, mutter and boo instead. Winning became all-important, and to many club’s fans, the only thing that mattered.
One part of the reason why I love Tottenham so much is that for years our supporters bucked the trend. We would, win or lose, sing for the shirt and the players within in, loudly and proudly without a moment’s thought. The atmosphere at The Lane was heralded across the land by our own fans and the media alike:
Journalist Kevin Palmer of ESPN once said: Tottenham fans deserve credit for injecting the most electric atmosphere in London football. Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, a***nal's Emirates Stadium and the rest are muted compared to this enclosed bowl.
But eventually, the inevitable happened. You’ll find some Spurs fans that still regard the support we provide the players as something to behold. And in certain games this remains fact. But the more honest of us will admit that over the last few seasons certainly, the volume at the Lane has been somewhat muted.
It’s a difficult thing to remedy. You’re attempting to stir the inner passion of 36,000 people. You’re up against everything that Sky Sports has instilled in your everyday fan. If your team wins they’re amazing, and if they lose they’re nothing. Tradition and love dissolve to nothing when your players have their backs against the ropes.
But then The Fighting Cock had an idea. The Tottenham Ultras. We wanted to find a fixture we knew would be poorly attended. White Hart Lane sells out every home game that the first team plays in. The academy team obviously doesn’t have such a luxury. We decided upon a FA Youth Cup fixture scheduled for 16 February 2012 against Charlton at The Valley.
Forget the word ‘Ultra’. When we decided to use that word we knew exactly what it meant. But we chose it so people instinctively knew what we wanted from those that attended: come along, support the young players who are as much part of the club as Gareth Bale or Luka Modric, and sing as loud and for as long as you can. Show them players, and more importantly, the shirt their wearing, what they mean to us. But the Tottenham Ultras was and is certainly nothing to do with violence. We only harnessed its proper meaning:
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical and elaborate displays of "support". They are predominantly European and followers of football teams. The behavioural tendency of ultras groups includes the use of flares (primarily in tifo choreography), chanting/singing in large groups and the displaying of banners at football stadiums, all of which are designed to create an atmosphere which they believe encourages their own team and intimidates opposing players and supporters.
We thought that 100 would turn up. Actually we desperately hoped that 100 would turn up. On the morning of the game I had images of just 30, and you know what, we would have been happy with that. What we were not expecting is the Yid Army in force. 250 Tottenham Hotspur fans turned up and did not let up, it was a cacophony of noise, it was everything we had hoped it would be, and more. Neigh. It was the one of the best moments of our Tottenham supporting lives. Passion. Pride. Energy. Everything that following football was once about. And it was fiver on the door.
We sung our hearts out. Every minute flew by as the passion carried us through a tight and scrappy affair. Tightly packed in the corner of the stand, in front of a Blue and White Banner that simply stated ‘FOLLOW’, surrounded by cowbells, horns, and flags, we sung. Not even the confiscation of our marching drum – ordered especially from Germany at no small cost – could quell the tide of Tottenham euphoria. It was truly an amazing thing to be involved in, and no doubt bare witness to.
We lost 1-0. A quality free kick in the 94th minute to smash our dreams. But we were defiant. We would not be crushed. And responded with yet more song, louder than before. The final whistle went and the young players were crushed, many of them slumped to the pitch. But we cheered, and slowly they rose, and they came to us, looked at us, and saw the passion in our eyes. For that moment, we were one together. Tottenham Hotspur, player and fan, a unit, the Yid Army.
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Reader Comments (19)
Are there any pictures of this mentalness, Flav?
http://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/forum/tottenham-hotspur-f4.html
Couple of threads here. Although the pics/videos don't really do it any justice at all.
When's the next one? I need to be part of this awesome idea. I am definitely an Ultra.
This is what football is about. It frustrates
me how the lane loses its atmosphere in small games and how one goal by the opposing team has the ability to make fans forget about a whole season of success. Coys
keep me posted and I'll be there with my daughter too, all 5.5 months of her dressed in her replica kit! She's begining to find her voice now and has begun to start shouting would love if I could get her 1st sentence to be "Stand up if you hate Arsenal!"
In early November I was lucky enough to go to La Bombonera to see Boca Juniors and the support was unbeleiveable. The songs were not like in England where they are a reaction to the action on the pitch. They were non stop. One stand trying to outsing the other. It is the greatest football experience of my life and if we can get even a fraction of that atmosphere at the Lane it will make watching the team an even more enjoyable experience. I'm all for a Spurs version of "Jugador No. 12"
I'm convinced we would all be singing again at WHL if there were any decent songs. They have all disappeared over time : (
The "Oh when the Spurs go" is great and a stadium favourite. But it is slow to take off. Witness the scenes against Portsmouth where frankly as soon as we tried to sing it Portsmouth destroyed it with their up tempo little ditties.
If the Ultras are going to make this work then they/you all need to be together and come up with some new material.
"Kaboul, Kaboul - he's on fire".....wtf?
Good going with the Ultra's night, was gutted to have missed it.
Fact is as crowds get older and more corporate the noise gets lower, whatever the songs are. The average age at Charlton was a hell of a lot lower than where I sit at the Lane, which is probably mid forties to fifties, and that's allowing for young ones like me in my mid 30s.
A thing i think is screwing up our support in the paxton is the political correctness in football i sit at the paxton,and it has been santinised there big sign up no this ,no that ,cant stand up cant swear and because kids have been introduced ,they use that as a leverage
for this garbage i hate it up there because of this !
The security at tottenham a way over the top cameras etc not so long ago it was sol camball then david badill had a pop and low and behold tilling and her little ad**FS started on our own supporters ,funny how that chav c**T is so quite now
This is partly it why people with no interest in football are security for our club, the stewards that go away are tottenham supporters and luv the club not her or the head of security ,they stop people enjoying themselves notice the lack of flags espicially star of david
ps sorri i missed that nite sounds proper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"The final whistle went and the young players were crushed, many of them slumped to the pitch. But we cheered, and slowly they rose, and they came to us, looked at us, and saw the passion in our eyes. For that moment, we were one together. Tottenham Hotspur, player and fan, a unit, the Yid Army."
Brought an actual tear to my eye. I am, of course, a huge pansy.
Such a awesome post! I like to keep an rss feeds from a lot of blogs supporting whichever team and just scroll through them to get the general feel of the fans. This is the only blog I actually take the time to sit back and read the posts. Not just whining and bitching about could've, would've and whatever extraterrestrial events might still occur in the future; Nah, always an air of rationality and positivity about events. This is actually the best intuitive ever, actually being proactive and spurring on that sense of pride and enthusiasm in other spurs fans. So fucking awesome, wish I could be a part of it. Keep at it.
Well done flav. Well done the Ultras.
Spot on. We need that passion against Wanderers on Sunday. Ruthless, Tottenham, ruthless.
True about the wit and originality in the songs slowly disappearing. The BAE song gets near it. I fondly remember a totally dull 0-0 against Swansea (yeah, first time round) when the entire Shelf sang about the snow which started falling in the second half.
Canadian Spur - count me in as a member of the huge pansy club - brought a lump to my throat. Come on you Lilywhites!
On the subject of the singing dying out. I still thought it was absolute class at home against Newcastle. Loads of relevant songs and there was a 20 minute period where it was just flowing out.
"The final whistle went and the young players were crushed, many of them slumped to the pitch. But we cheered, and slowly they rose, and they came to us, looked at us, and saw the passion in our eyes. For that moment, we were one together. Tottenham Hotspur, player and fan, a unit, the Yid Army."
Turn it in Flav.... you'll have us all weeping (no joke).
"Fact is as crowds get older and more corporate the noise gets lower, whatever the songs are."
Good point Diaz... In fact, a frighteningly good point!!
"Tears to the eyes..lumps to the throat" Get a grip of yourselves ffs! Sound like big babies. You'll be in need of giant nappies soon.
The nappies only come into play when we meet up on Saturday nights.