Match Thread: Watford v Tottenham Hotspur

It is quite unbelievable - I have been watching football for 43 years and playing for even longer and in all those years the Tottenham mantra has never changed "we are the only team who plays football and if you disagree you know nothing about footie" and so it has been reproduced here again. What most Spurs fans seem to miss is that not everyone has to agree that so called "total football" is the only way to play and that there are those like myself who really do find the "passing game" for 90 minutes, boring.

Back in the 80's i lived for a while in Muswell Hill and when I couldn't get to a Watford away match I'd go to White Hart Lane - into the away end and support the opposition - simply because I couldn't stand the tottenham mantra. And I wasn't the only one - there were Arsenal, West Ham and Orient fans doing the same for the same reason. We didn't go to cause trouble - we went to encourage the opposition to beat tottenham. The point is the tottenham mantra was the same then as it is now and there were people from differnet parts of football who were as fed up with it then as we are now. Those other fans never claimed to be the only type of football worth watching or that other teams fans were ignorent if they disagreed - we left that sort of thinking to the hooligans.

I have played football all my life and at 53 still do. In my teens and twenties i played local football to quite a good standard. I played (and still do) in center defence or in central midfield. My game was to stop the opposition forwards from scoring and theirs was to get around me and score. I used (and still do) strength and solid tackles - i have never broken a leg (mine or anyone elses) but i did inflict bruises and had bruises inflicted on me. At the end of the game I'd have a pint with the opposition forward - show him his afternoons work upon my legs and he on mine - we'd laugh and promise each other more when we next met on the pitch - but wished each other luck in the intrim.

When I watch football I don't want to see just mundane passing in mid-field. I want to see solid defences and competative forwards - i want to see passion and excitement - the sort of football implicated in Terry Challis'es cartoon. I don't begrudge tottenham fans wanting their sort of football but I do object to them assuming their team play the only sort of football there should be. It is the same sort of attitude postulated by Linaker and the other MOtD pundits (with the exception of Alan Shearer - who was exactly the sort of forward I want to watch) who have been responsible in my view for damaging the game by moaning about solid defence (not rash challenges - which are a separate thing entirely) to the extent that a decent defender now doesn't dare challenge for fear of trial by a very biased TV jury. To make matters worse the Premiership along with FIFA and the FA are businesses not football organisations and so act to protect the financial assets - i.e. the multi million pound players legs by making the art of defence almost impossible.

There you have it - football knowledge and experience yes -just different from "total tottentam".

 

I will not be watching. On the original thread I explained I am taxi for Little Ak as she has two friends with birthday parties and Frú Ak has a church event which I think I am to attend.

Ensiluokkainen - I write a thread and what is added afterwards is what everyone else decides. I might write something that makes someone unhappy but I do not intend this at the beginning. Sometimes I make errors but I try not to.

Ég skrifa þráð og hvað er bætt á eftir er það sem allir aðrir ákveður. Ég gæti skrifað eitthvað sem gerir einhver óánægður en ég ætla ekki þetta í upphafi. Stundum geri ég villur en ég reyni það ekki.

Superior - Suomen ei ole minun vahva kieli. Kirjoitan lanka ja mitä on lisätty jälkeenpäin on mitä kaikki muutkin tekee. Saatan kirjoittaa jotain, joka tekee joku onneton, mutta en halua tätä alussa. Joskus teen virheitä, mutta yritän olla.

 

your obviously in a minority of ex players,as the ones i've heard all say that Spurs play attactive good to watch football.

 

and .... ?

 

I don't think I've ever come accross anyone so touchy - even the Florists, Weeds, QPHa and Wet Spam take it in good spirit. Get over yourself. Anyway, according to my many Jewish Spurs fans you are the Yids. But we can't call you the Yids can we? If you can muster the imagination to find an alternative nickname for us, please feel free. Here's a few ideas to get you going:

****ford
The Flys
Elton's Bum Boys
The Hermits

 

you can call us the yid because we call ourselves that,but that's the fans nickname not the club yids yes, spuds no

 

Harrow - it's always been the same - apparently its a rule you can't have a different opinion ... or so they'd like to think - but back in the real world ... I don't care how we play as long as we win!!

COME ON YOU 'ORNS

 

If you look back a bit you will find that Spurs did have a fine centre forward in the Shearer mould. Bobby Smith was direct, physical and was an integral piece of the Nicholson side that won the double. With others such as Dave Mackay, definite hard man of the side, who Clough described as the best Spurs player of all time, then you had an efficient powerful unit which was great to watch, but didn't exactly spend all of the time pushing the ball around in mid-field.

 

Well done Ak

Funny the Spurs fans don't like spuds as it is a nickname brought about through jealousy, and to some part affection. Yids, even though it is a term they use, is far more offensive.

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Perhaps not even the biggest Yids in Europe, this is from Ajax Amsterdam

 

Yes you're right oldfrenchhorn - MacKey was a good player and I have always respected Cloughies seniors opinion - but now?

 

i don't see Bale and lennon pushing the ball about in midfield ,they run at defenders and go past them with pace,then cut in and shoot or cross the ball,that's why people like to watch us

 

AK - yon loon wi a chicknie on hes maasie winna oonerstan fat ee jist vrat, he's tee skichent tae fash himsel wi aa aat!

 

I think that must be right.

 

must have lapsed into his native tongue

 

It's not a nickname, it's a insult, and in the context of a cross board thread it's a piece of Wummery.

I'm very sensitive about the proud name of SpuRs, and despise that childish jibe of Spuds.

 

So much for Watford winning being a 'victory for football'.

As I say, a Spurs win will be the victory for football, as I've no doubt we play better football than you, and hopefully we will show that tonight.

 

Well said, and as has been pointed out we don't do that now either. It's quite obvious a lot of the Watford fans on here have never seen us play, and/or talking nonsense through sheer prejudice and ignorance.

 

I'd be happy with the current scoreline, Murray 2-1 up - and even if it ends up 3-2 to Novak

 

who's your main striker,since Graham left?

 

Marvin Sordell, if his head is in the right place.