always look on the bright side of life
25.2.2004
| Am
I the only one who’s quite enjoying the current goal fest and total
lack of predictability ? Sacrilege I know and we ought to all be
moaning and miserable, but I love Pleat’s emphasis on going forward,
scoring more goals than the opposition and all the talk about us on the
back pages again. I loved
watching his 1987 team, so unlucky not to have achieved more, and his
then innovative Christmas tree formation with Clive Allen banging in
goals fed by Waddle, Hoddle et al. And this time round he’s at
last taken us out of the sterile negative George Graham mentality that
Glenn sadly couldn’t do in his time as manager. Anyone moaning
about the 28 goals they have seen in the past four games should compare
them to the four consecutive goalless draws we had to endure under
Graham in the name of progress. If you’re struggling to remember
them my point is made, you’re not going to forget this last few weeks
are you ? Tottenham’s
traditional way is to look to score goals and hopefully more than the
opposition. Thank God. I don’t want to watch us 1-0 up
after 20 minutes and play possession football, time waste and bore the
pants of us for the remaining 70. Leave that to the lot up the
road (OK they can play a bit now, but they still “kill” games 1-0 or
2-1 when their ability levels suggest they should be running up cricket
scores). Let’s
get this in perspective. Professional football should be about
entertainment. Otherwise what’s the point? It’s not life or death or
arguably even important really. Of course I do care what happens,
otherwise I wouldn’t have travelled the length and breadth of the
country watching Tottenham, from European triumphs to relegation and I
love it when Spurs are successful, but moaning about a 4-4 draw is a bit
rich. I enjoy going, it’s not a penance. What’s the point of
going and being negative the whole time ? There was so much, good
and bad, to remember from this game and that’s the main thing. I
turned to a fellow supporter at the end of the Leicester match who had
called out “rubbish” and enquired politely if he would rather have
to watch goalless draws or even boring 1-0 wins each week to the 4-4s
and 4-3s. He said he would as it meant we would be more
“professional” and sadly I don’t think he’s alone in that view. Please
let’s all watch the game with a smile on our face. Enjoy the
whole thing – the developing drama, the goals, the great forward play,
the mistakes, it all goes to make the experience. Alan Thatcher |