Don't deny him
Spurs News 24/7I got a love that keeps me waiting, I'm a lonely boy, I'm a lonely, I got a love that keeps me waiting. Some Black Keys to accompany my evening rum and coke as I sit here in front of the computer smacking the keyboard with dancing fingers. Pre-internet days I'd be on the living floor or someone else's floor. But alas, my thoughts whilst poisoning my blood with quadruples means you get to read my inner thoughts by way of this blog, as I'm without class-A's and home alone.
Gareth Bale appeared to spark a minor social media meltdown last night categorised into three prominent sections of reaction:
1) Those that wished him well and were happy for his decisive goal
2) Those that didn't care either way
3) Those that really didn't care, so much so they attempted to belittle and moan their disapproval to those that did want him to succeed (on a personal level rather than it being about Real Madrid's La Decima - although obviously both exist because of the other) stating how un-Spursy it is to care about a player representing an opposing side
See apparently, it's high treason to want to wish well to a former son because said son went on strike and forced our chairman into selling him for gone £80M to a club we have a special relationship and how dare we not hold onto our best players. You know, because Rooney didn't just want a new contract and Liverpool laughed off domestic interested at half the amount of money Suarez is worth and so on.
That and showing any ilk of approval to a player for another club is deemed unacceptable - although most of us welcomed back triple winner Teddy Sheringham to the club without a blink of despondency. Selective we are, to suit our mood and opinion - and opinions are personal, so do what you want and say what you want without having to worry about the thought police p*ssing on your parade. I just can't ignore the fact that we can sit and appreciate the skills of players that have zero relations to Spurs yet apparently should display disdain to one that was birthed to super-stardom whilst under our care. Then again, we're Spurs. We can hardly show support to the players we do have playing for us, so what hope for those that left.
Bale was always destined to leave the club. Yeah sure, I wanted to believe we could keep him and that Daniel Levy would fight to do so and if the player had stated to the club 'I want to stay' we'd not be talking about this now. We'd probably be discussing how we'd fair with our automatic inclusion in the Champions League stages for next season. But Bale, bless his brilliance, was going to make that step to the next level and with football being the way it is - aside from the obvious (it's Real Madrid, it's CL, they're just a little more famous than us) there's also the maximum exposure to the portfolio encompassing sponsorship and brand marketing. Some footballers are industries in their right. Commodities that demand to be surrounded by a community strong enough to hold them up for all to see. We embrace hope and romanticised notions of loyalty and for a club that proclaims 'never red' we are left shamefully blushing far too often.
Levy knew this, he knows this. Yeah sure, we love to pretend we can compete and hold onto our best players but as displayed by the White Storm's 10th champions victory, you can claim your dreams far easier than seeking to remain at a club that is forever chasing them. It's life and we're pretenders. How many players of Gareth's ability and stature would have said, 'nah, you're alright, I'll stick it out with Spurs and see if I can become iconic in a far more organic way'. Although some would argue the most natural thing for him was to move on. Either way, Spurs only chance of holding onto the likes of a Bale or a Modric is to shock and awe the world and achieve something before the escape capsule is ready to be sent up into orbit. Not easy in our broken world of football where Financial Fair Play allows a super rich club to sell a player for £50M to another super rich club, as they exchange their riches like you or me buy a overly sized sandwich from Marks during a working lunch break and share it with a mate.
Spurs are a selling club because the hierarchy stipulates it. That and the agents and the footballers and the short termism in the game. Players want the highs as much as we want them as supporters. So good on you Bale. You believed you could get there and that's why you're there. Some fantasise about it, others do it. You done it. You dreamt of playing for them and you got there and in your first season you made history. Even if I still can't shake off the fact that you sometimes look like an anomaly. Not because you are out of place in terms of quality - you're not - but there's this oh so subtle appearance that is reminiscent of a competition winner that gets to stand on the stage with their idol. You're gonna need to pump out that chest some more to take centre.
It's all pretty undeniable stuff.
In the mean time, back on planet earth, I'll continue to fantasise that someone will some day do something similar for the only white shirt that truly matters. The Lilywhite one with the cockerel on it. See as good as Bale's achievement was and as happy as I was to see him smile at the finale, it pales into insignificance to a mere nano-second of joy Spurs can give me, even if that second consists of a snowy day last gasp equaliser or glory of failure on any given last day.
I'll leave it there. I've got another drink that needs drinking.