FanPost

Why I Love Tottenham Hostpur Football Club - Even If Jose is Manager

Mauricio or Mourinho, hell or high water, this club holds a special place in my heart. With regards to the seismic events that have happened over the last few days, I thought now would be as good a time as any to share this story with you all.

The story of my becoming a fan of Tottenham Hotspur is a peculiar one. Two of my closest friends growing up were Gooners. I almost followed.

In March of 2013, my family and I went to visit my grandparents in Florida. I got sick on the first day down there, and the next day was diagnosed with pneumonia. Very on-brand for me. Bedridden, I was resigned to spending my time sick and on the couch.

A few days in, I noticed that my grandparents cable package somehow included Sky Sports, so I spent a good amount of time tuning in to soccer news. I had played soccer most of my life and had been looking to root for a team in the EPL, since no one in my family watched soccer. In order to not get berated for being a bandwagon fan, I wanted to pick a team that was not a dominant force but one that would be able to challenge for occasional glory and have room to grow from where they were currently. That next Saturday was March 3rd, 2013 – the day of a critical North London Derby.

Let me give some quick context and say that I grew up in a family of diehard Pittsburgh sports fans, following all of the major three Pittsburgh sports teams. I’m no stranger to historic sports clubs and fierce rivalries.

But this just had a different feel. These two clubs had such a passion for beating their rival that fed off one another in ways that I had never experienced before. I admit that I knew little of the rivalry between Arsenal and Spurs beyond that they were, in fact, local rivals. I had almost no knowledge of the balance of power in North London, the history of the respective clubs, or the nature of the two fanbases. I just knew that neither of the teams were named Manchester United, and therefore the winner of the game would be a fair choice for me to support long term.

My decision to let the result of the game decide didn’t even last the first half – it only lasted 37 minutes, to be exact. Gareth Bale headed the ball down to Gylfi Sigurdsson, who with a chest control and a few touches threaded a perfectly weighted through ball back to Bale. With Per Mertesacker keeping him onside, Bale gleefully finished with the outside of his left boot, ran to the camera, brandished his trademark ‘heart’ celebration, and screamed into and shook the camera.

"There is no stopping the boy from Wales, 20 goals this season," came from the TV as I sat there feeling a strong rush of emotions.

Nothing more was needed; I was sold. I was a proud supporter of Tottenham Hotspur from that second on. The open, flowing, beautiful play. The goal scored with flair by the rising superstar. The reaction and celebration, so emotional and visceral.

And then Aaron Lennon scored a carbon copy goal about 2 minutes later. Madness ensued. To quote Sir Alex: "Football, bloody hell."

Thus began late nights of me googling the history of Tottenham Hotspur and how it intertwined with that of other clubs. Of searching for highlights from important, landmark games and goals in the club’s history (Bale’s hattrick at the San Siro, anyone?) I was hooked.

What I experienced during that fateful game tugged at some deep emotion inside of me. It didn’t matter who won or lost that particular game, that Tottenham finished outside of the top 4, or that Bale (my new favorite player) was sold just months later. I was Tottenham til I die.

This football club has been incredibly special to me for a variety of reasons, but by far the most significant is the deeper relationship that it has helped me foster with my dad. I grew up watching various Pittsburgh sports with him on the TV and listening to games on the radio, so this was certainly a part of our life. But when I started waking up exceedingly early (for a high-school kid) on Saturday mornings to watch soccer, my dad was curious. I would bring up Spurs almost every day in some shape or form, and eventually, my dad came downstairs with me to begin watching some of these Spurs games with me. The first match we watched together was Tim Sherwood’s first permanent game as head coach on Boxing Day 2013.

Side note: I often joke with him that for a while, his only experience of Spurs (and European club football as a whole) was Tim Sherwood-led Tottenham. No wonder he was so confused by club football for so long. What a time that was.

These game watching adventures started a long series in conversations in which I tried to explain the complicated and convoluted beast that is European football. Trying to explain to someone who had only ever watched American sports what the EPL, League Cup, FA Cup, Europa League, Champions League, other European domestic leagues/competitions, and whatever the heck a transfer window is was tough work. But the conversations and quality time spent with my dad is something I cherish to this day.

Even though I went out of state for college and later, for work, we’ve found a way to keep that bond. We’ve witnessed many incredible games and goals together – Harry Kane’s masterclass in the 5-3 win over Chelsea, THAT Dele Alli goal against Palace, watching Dele score those two headers against Chelsea, being on the phone with each other while Lucas Moura completed the Miracle at Amsterdam. It’s moments like those that I’ve gotten to share with him that make the club all the more special.

A brief word on Mauricio Pochettino and moving on, as if enough hasn’t been said already. He had his shortcomings (pretty much all of which have been documented on this site), but he was the perfect man for this period in Tottenham’s history. While I am pretty upset still that it won’t be him, but instead Jose Mourinho, who will hopefully win some silverware for the club, it is undeniable that Poch has put the club on the cusp of greatness. I only hope that his legacy will be remembered with the massive significance that it should be, and that the groundwork that he laid will be built upon successfully.

Noz Ahmed (@NozAhmed on Twitter) said it best, and I'll sum it up for you:

Mauricio, you truly have taught us to be able to dream. To dare, even. Now Mourinho must teach us to do.

COYS.

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