Snapshots
If I stick on my tin foil hat and think back to that fateful day in 2006 when zero f**ks were given to Spurs and their illness pre Champions League qualification decider, then I'm likely to go conspiracy mad with the following article and quotes from the Guardian. Not even Dana Scully can hold me back from foaming at the mouth.
“...both clubs are challenging for honours and require the best available preparation time”
Full article - here
I want to believe.
Yes, you read it right, the holders get special dispensation for the cup that is also sponsored by the same company that sits on the front of their shirts. All in the name of making sure England is 'together' and able to compete and protect the coefficient. Don't you worry about viral gastroenteritis, Imma gonna puke up my breakfast in a bag if I keep reading lines like this:
“We want all of our clubs to be part of strong, vibrant domestic competitions"
Seasons back, didn't Spurs play Seville away on a Thursday night and then Chelsea away on the Saturday? Hello? Anyone? Hello? Billy-no-mates over 'ere!
The FA Cup and Champs League in full bending over backwards synchronisation. All of it so blatant that even Oliver Stone sees no point in attempting to prove what we all know already.
Just had a flashback, like I was back in 'Nam, Richard Scudamore having jelly and ice cream at Highbury on the last day of the season, laughing and threatening a points deduction whilst the police said no to a delayed kick-off back in East London. Oh yes, the bitterness is real people. Taste it, the fumes have been potent since 1913.
OH GOD. Another flashback. WBA letting in goals easier than sickly Spurs players releasing lasagne from the depths of their bowels.
In other related news, the FA Premier League will imminently announce confirmation of which game the trophy will be given to winners Arsenal. Open bus parade news to follow soon.
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The Mayor of London approves something to do with the Northumberland Development Project and Spurs move closer to, well, probably another approval that needs rubber stamping. I'm not a hater though. The way I see it is, this stadium is getting built and when it's built it's home for the rest of my days and probably the life spans of my future grandchildren. If ENIC leave that as a legacy regardless of the politics and financial headaches (and delays) that some of us pretend to understand then I ask; what's the problem?
It's taking a while. The Archway business. Naming rights. The flirtations with other potential areas of interest outside of N17. Everyone loves to compare to how the squatters went about their own business but who cares? How is any of it truly comparable to the circumstance of both geographical and political upheaval that is personal to us? Considering how long the football has taken to evolve are we really surprised that post-Scholar this club is still seeking it's first structural metamorphosis? Remind me again what the short cut alternative was? Oh yeah, Stratford.
I always found the enthusiasm to criticise Daniel Levy for dragging his feet with the new build to be a little delicious when the same critics banged the drum for a move to East London. I actually think I'm going to laugh more at some of our own than the opposing fans if we pulled off the nigh impossible and won the league. I'm fairly certain the fact I can't envisage this scenario means that I'm already conditioned to understand that the powers that be won't ever allow me to have such fun. If it did happen, I wonder if the defence of those that persist to disparage will be along the lines of; 'Well, it ain't down to Levy innit, cause, like, he fluked it and nothing was by design, just an accident'.
I've already seen that written by the way. Win the league but still make sure you get your agenda across that it was all unplanned and nothing the owners can take credit for. Yeah, cause football is sooooo easy, so quantifiable, precise and deliberate when aiming to win silverware. Like buying a flat-pack from Ikea and following the instructions. It's more likely to fall apart right towards the end.
Most things are accidental by nature. Like that time your mum held your dad inside her when he really wanted to pull out and shoot over her chest.
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Adam Richman. You either love him or you really hate him. For context, read this over at Talking THFC. He's guilty of, well, I guess of being American. We've seen it a number of times, US TV celebrities or even the likes of a Godly Sports guru like Bill Simmons take up supporting our team. Some do it on a whim, others pick a side to follow that they feel best fits their ethics or traditions (usually comparable to a US based team they follow in another sport that might share the same ilk of history and tradition to our own).
That's an important caveat I mentioned above. They pick. We, most of us, we don't choose who to support. Our club has that honour of dragging us in kicking and screaming. Richman, if anything, is guilty only of over-exuberance and probably doesn't need to prove his loyalty to Spurs as hard as he's hitting in the linked article. All he needs to say is he supports us and **** the rest of everything else.
The juncture where the Man v Food legend (anyone that eats that much meat is deserving of the label) falls flat with a few Spurs fans is that he also pledged semi-allegiance to other clubs. West Ham included. And sure, I'm not naive enough to think that anyone in the public eye wouldn't play on a particular angle that will maximise exposure for his name and brand. I'm not saying there's a cynical ploy at hand but who are we to criticise how someone else goes about supporting a football team? Considering I've been guilty of questioning how some talk about Spurs I think we are all within our rights to throw a punch but we should also soak a few up. Nobody is better than the next in how they claim to belong to this football club. Although there's a fair few that are undeserving of the connection.
Richman's lesson is that we limeys take our football very seriously and casualness is perhaps something that doesn't sit too well with us. I've not meet him but I know a couple of lads that have and he's a decent enough bloke. Utterly harmless. Perhaps too much cheese on his burger. I guess some will persist with the hating. Them, the cows and other meat bearing animals.