Why the Spurs hate?

[spursphil]

The traditional big five of United, Liverpool, Spurs, arse and Everton have always been disliked by sections of the other supporters. United fans seem to get more stick than anyone, arsenal fans dispise them. I have always had a soft spot for united, lets face it if it wasn't for united our banter with arsenal would be much worse to live with.

 

[Riandor]

A sense of entitlement sums it up

Delusions of grandeur

Constant banging on about a history before most of us were born and one in which no one else gives a shit about, I'm already of the opinion that Arsenal's unbeaten perfect season is old news and meaningless today so God knows what other teams think when they hear our fans going on about doubles in 1961

The arrogance of the Spurs fans who were gloating way too early over Arsenal as if the league standings were final in Feb, the mind the gap rubbish that smacked of being small time so bad and ultimately proved so foolish as Arsenal not only closed that gap but created one of their own to finish above us.

To be honest the Spurs fans who go on and on about history and act like we are a big player in the English game above our station even annoy me so I can fully understand why other clubs would look at them and think "who the fuck do they think they are? haven't won anything for years yet think they're top dogs"

THIS!

We portray ourselves badly to the outside world. We get too cocky too quickly. A lot of people on here are very sensible (all be it too quick to fall into doom and gloom ) and new better in Feb than to give it large. But many outside of SC and a few in here too decided that that was it. Spurs were big time again.

People, stop it. Take the paudits when they are deserved but be humble and gracious too. I love my Chelsea supporting buddy and my Arsenal supporting dad. They both praise spurs as a team when we do well and mock when we don't, but it's fun. It's the bitter twisted people who believe that their club is the embodiment of their own life and love only that club and HATE everything else.

That and alas many people i know don't like HR either, though he has softened their opinion of him a little with the job he has done at Spurs.

R.

 

[oohaahedgar]

How do you define 'big'? It's the age old question

Forest won two consecutive European Cups in my lifetime (I'm 32), which is more than we have. Even Villa have won the European Cup in my lifetime. Newcastle have a bigger stadium, pay bigger wages and have been in the Champions League more often in my lifetime, too. What's the measurement?

If it's all on history, Everton have a bigger capacity stadium, have won the league 7 times more than Spurs (twice in my lifetime, which Spurs never have), have been to 4 more FA Cup finals than us. We're just better run at board level than Everton, which makes what Moyes has achieved there even more astounding.

The 'style of play' thing is overstated too. We've had some diabolically crap teams in amongst the gold. Everton have also had some cracking flair players over the years, we just don't count them as they're not ours. Dean, Ball, Nevin, Lawton, Kanchelskis, Hughes, Ratcliffe, Beardsley, Steven, Sheedy, Arteta, Pienaar,, Speed, Cottee, Rooney, Lineker (that one was), even Gascoigne played there

I'm using Everton as an example as I have quite a few Everton-supporting friends. They've very similar to Spurs' fans in their general melancholy and expectations of everything to go wrong. They also don't really like our fans because, as AM says, we've been moaning constantly when we have stuff so good - they'd love to get the breaks we have in terms of finance and organisation, but have had to very much accept their position.

Personally, I've always thought of it like this:

Man Utd & Liverpool - the two biggest British teams internationally in my lifetime and generally historically
Chelsea & Man City - the two nothing teams with no history that have bought success in the modern game, were literally there to make up the numbers for the formative years of my life
Arsenal - fill a little role of their own, annoyingly, in that they've managed sustained second-tier success without the fortunes of the teams above
Spurs, Everton, Aston Villa, Newcastle - the sleeping giants who have the potential to be big with investment
Forest, Leeds - the fallen giants

The fact that in recent years we've 'awoken', so to speak, is why most of the other teams around us and below dislike us, as they think it should be them

What it generally tells you is that most teams have had their time at the top, but that those that were up there when Sky came in have been hard to dislodge because of the massive financial benefit that came with it

Forest are not a sleeping giant. They have never been a big club, a very successful club under one great manager yes. Small fan base even then.

 

[The Apprentice]

I don't see any more hate towards us than any other "top" team. I think we're just more sensitive to criticism of our own team.

Most people I know are fairly complimentary about us. Liverpool and Chelsea fans are hated just as badly as ours.

 

[Shanks]

Forest are not a sleeping giant. They have never been a big club, a very successful club under one great manager yes. Small fan base even then.

This made me laugh

 

[guiltyparty]

Forest are not a sleeping giant. They have never been a big club, a very successful club under one great manager yes. Small fan base even then.

Is that really all you had to say to that rather long post?

So it's fan base alone it's judged on then? So Newcastle are bigger than Spurs, yes, just because they're in an area where no other football clubs are?

But fair enough, replace Forest with Sheffield Wednesday if you like, for the sake of argument. Not really the point, it was figurative

 

[dorsetyid]

Down here in Dorset and Hampshire the word Jew, Hebes or Dirty Yids tends to be in the first sentence by anybody trying to have a pop at Spurs. Lets be honest we may have ideas above our station but there is still a very aggressive racist undertone to many of our haters - particularly down here anyway

 

[Shanks]

I've gone around the blocks to have a look through a few fans forums of different teams.

The general consensus is, that the reason for the hate fest, is the fans themselves. Above their station, moaning constantly when they've got it good, claim to be a powerhouse, yet we are not etc etc.

Not sure why it's so hard to grasp for some, but this thread alone embodies the exact reason and answers the thread question perfectly.

 

[oohaahedgar]

Is that really all you had to say to that rather long post?

So it's fan base alone it's judged on then? So Newcastle are bigger than Spurs, yes, just because they're in an area where no other football clubs are?

But fair enough, replace Forest with Sheffield Wednesday if you like, for the sake of argument. Not really the point, it was figurative

I only said that. I didn't write the rest.

 

[oohaahedgar]

I've gone around the blocks to have a look through a few fans forums of different teams.

The general consensus is, that the reason for the hate fest, is the fans themselves. Above their station, moaning constantly when they've got it good, claim to be a powerhouse, yet we are not etc etc.

Not sure why it's so hard to grasp for some, but this thread alone embodies the exact reason and answers the thread question perfectly.

So what are you trying to say? We are all deluded mugs? Fuck off trying to appease other teams fans. Spurs fans are as loyal as any in the country better than most. We are a big club as are 8 or so others. What do you suggest, we should know our place? You are the sort of fan I I have no time for. Prick.

 

[kendoddsdadsdogsdead]

So what are you trying to say? We are all deluded mugs? Fuck off trying to appease other teams fans. Spurs fans are as loyal as any in the country better than most. We are a big club as are 8 or so others. What do you suggest, we should know our place? You are the sort of fan I I have no time for. Prick.

I think this just sums up his point or were you trying to be ironic

 

[cjsimba]

Thanks for your responses guys.

I do agree in thinking that we as Spurs fans can get a little ahead of ourselves at times, and perhaps my reasons for starting this thread in turn highlighted the very reason some fans don't like us! But don't get me wrong, i love everything about football banter and dish it out and can take it as much as the next person. Its what makes football fun. This thread was just a general question as to what makes fans dislike Spurs in particular, and, having asked around, I do think it comes down to the way others see us as fans and how we sometimes act. Whether they are right is certainly up for debate.

However, my one response would be that, for example for those who enjoyed the 'mind the gap' stuff, whilst it may have been hasty, premature and possibly embarrassing, surely it was still understandable given that over the decades we have been inferior and put up with a lot of stick, for example, from arsenal fans with no real plausible response available. Therefore, it was perhaps understandable that some fans wanted to enjoy the moment that we had been waiting for for so long of being the side on top for once, and finally getting our own back (especially given the likelihood that spurs would eventually throw it away, as we did). Yes we should have waited for the end of the season, but that may have meant missing out on our chance. So my point is that I can understand the reasons for some other fans not liking us, but i can also understand why some of us, myself indeed included, went a bit over the top when we were on top. Thanks again for your responses

 

[Shanks]

So what are you trying to say? We are all deluded mugs? Fuck off trying to appease other teams fans. Spurs fans are as loyal as any in the country better than most. We are a big club as are 8 or so others. What do you suggest, we should know our place? You are the sort of fan I I have no time for. Prick.

and thank you for completely making the point for me.

And in pre season, if you go to the lane, you are more than welcome to share some of those comments to me face fella ;-)

 

[Shanks]

Thanks for your responses guys.

I do agree in thinking that we as Spurs fans can get a little ahead of ourselves at times, and perhaps my reasons for starting this thread in turn highlighted the very reason some fans don't like us! But don't get me wrong, i love everything about football banter and dish it out and can take it as much as the next person. Its what makes football fun. This thread was just a general question as to what makes fans dislike Spurs in particular, and, having asked around, I do think it comes down to the way others see us as fans and how we sometimes act. Whether they are right is certainly up for debate.

However, my one response would be that, for example for those who enjoyed the 'mind the gap' stuff, whilst it may have been hasty, premature and possibly embarrassing, surely it was still understandable given that over the decades we have been inferior and put up with a lot of stick, for example, from arsenal fans with no real plausible response available. Therefore, it was perhaps understandable that some fans wanted to enjoy the moment that we had been waiting for for so long of being the side on top for once, and finally getting our own back (especially given the likelihood that spurs would eventually throw it away, as we did). Yes we should have waited for the end of the season, but that may have meant missing out on our chance. So my point is that I can understand the reasons for some other fans not liking us, but i can also understand why some of us, myself indeed included, went a bit over the top when we were on top. Thanks again for your responses

No one has said that the whole 'Mind the gap' thing wasn't understandable, of course it was.

The biggest issue I had, is that whilst I didn't jump on the bandwagon, those seeing it just put me in the bracket of bragging, thus getting a fair amount of shit back (deservedly I add), my biggest issue is that being a Spurs fan, the ONE thing we have over most clubs is having certain glory's snatched from under our noses right in the thick of it.

To name but a very few in recent times - Man Utd phantom goal that was never given, dodgy lasagne.

Several key moments this year, dissallowed goals, goals given that shouldn't have been, a certain player who escaped a red card then scored the winner shortly after. Lets not even get onto the point about the West Brom's keepers display in the final game.

The poing being, that as Spurs fans, we should know above any others, how cruel it can be, and how idiotic we make ourselves look at times....

Thats nothing to do with the football we play, how big a club we are, or should be, or what kind of players we have, who's fault it is... we fuck things up, a lot

 

[cjsimba]

The Like was for your post Shanks, not the fact that we tend to fuck things up! haha

 

[Shanks]

I wish it wasn't true though.

If we can take of the spurs blinkers and forget about how annoying it is to be dumped from the CL like we did, lets take a look at Man City.

Whilst I completely believe that the successes of the 2 english clubs, is actually a negative on football as a whole (Chelsea's anti football is reminiscinent of Greece's anti football Euro win, and Man City practically bought the title - as did Chelsea), with City, they have really had it fucking tough over the years.

Down to Div 2, promoted, demoted etc etc, finally getting bought by a rich owner and soon to be the worlds footballing powerhouse - a very luck turn of events, as they could have quite easily ended up like Leeds.

We have it fucking great at Spurs in the real sense of the word. Yes the end of the season has been shit, we knew that March was always going to be our toughest month, tied in with the England shit - it seemed from the outside that everything conspired against us.

Chelsea go on some fucking miracoulous run of luck and sheer determination, but at the end of the day we still finished were we targetted at the beginning of the season. Forget the 'how well we could have done' it means fuck all now, we are where we are.

Yeah it hurts, and yeah I'm as fucked off as the next spurs fans, who is also resigned to losing our 2/3 best players, but you know what, not a single pundit had us down to be eanywhere near the top 4, yet we done it, in some style.

Things aren't as bad as they seem, honestly - we could be Rangers or Pompey ;-)

 

[oohaahedgar]

No one has said that the whole 'Mind the gap' thing wasn't understandable, of course it was.

The biggest issue I had, is that whilst I didn't jump on the bandwagon, those seeing it just put me in the bracket of bragging, thus getting a fair amount of shit back (deservedly I add), my biggest issue is that being a Spurs fan, the ONE thing we have over most clubs is having certain glory's snatched from under our noses right in the thick of it.

To name but a very few in recent times - Man Utd phantom goal that was never given, dodgy lasagne.

Several key moments this year, dissallowed goals, goals given that shouldn't have been, a certain player who escaped a red card then scored the winner shortly after. Lets not even get onto the point about the West Brom's keepers display in the final game.

The poing being, that as Spurs fans, we should know above any others, how cruel it can be, and how idiotic we make ourselves look at times....

Thats nothing to do with the football we play, how big a club we are, or should be, or what kind of players we have, who's fault it is... we fuck things up, a lot

I wasn't aware that it was the fans( that's you too) fault in any of the things you state above. Lets just not cheer to loudly next time we beat Arsenal or Chelsea because they will still win more and come higher than us come the end of the season. For the record I am probably the most pessimistic fan you could meet as i have seen it all unravel too many times before. I just don't get the self flagellation of our fans.
When speaking to other fans of the so called big 10 clubs in england they seem at least as cocky as our fans. Because we are disliked we make excuses. There are reasons for the hatred from other fans, here is a few. The Jewish connection, big fan base, under achievement , a firm that has been probably the worst or best( depending on your view) in the last 15 years, local rivals, our hate for their teams ( arsenal and chelsea) , the run down part of town, our fascination with glory ( playing the right way). All these things wouldn't be bad on their own but we offend other clubs for different reasons.
These things all mean different things to our different rivals but it all adds up. As several posters have mentioned we don't have a rivalry with Man UTD but City don't like us because they think we are flash cockney bastards. Chelsea hate us because we have battered them for 12 years off the pitch. Arsenal hate us because , well they're our neighbours, West Ham because they're jealous, Villa because they're envious and so on. It's mainly because anywhere in the UK and around the world there are lots of Spurs fans.
Learn to enjoy it. Stop acting like we need to change our attitude and conform. I actually think we are the best fans. Certainly the most intelligent , non racist, good looking fans around. COYS

 

[cjsimba]

For me personally, i think that this season we have received far more than our fair share of bad moments (either through bad luck or our own self-implosion). Every team suffers bad moments and unjustness at times, and yes for some it was for more damaging than it has been to us, but lets face it we at spurs this year really did get a hell of a lot of it didn't we! At times you can only look back and laugh. To lose out on the champions league that way, and the lasagnegate way, would not have happened to any other club lets face it But in a weird way (a very weird way some may say), every single bit of bad luck, unjustness etc. can be seen on as a positive because its just going to make the moment when we do finally have our Glory moments all the more sweeter!! Hell, this is an amazing time to be a Spurs fan and 10 years ago i couldn't of dreamed the magnificent position we find ourselves in now. But the amazing thing is its eventually going to get even better, and when that happens, every tear shed, every TV smashed D) will have been worth it. Fuck I love Spurs!

 

[NP4_Yid]

living in wrexham im surounded by liverpool, everton and yanited fans so I never get to see this loathing.nearly all the people I speak to like spurs and hate the arse and the chavs probably because as said earlier in the thread they have posed them a greater threat over recent history.

Pretty much the same in South Wales.
The only fans around here (armchair or actively supporting) who seem to hate us are West Ham....and I find their hatred quite amusing!

 

[RickyVilla]

One thing that surprised me this season was the hatred from QPR fans. I don't know that many, even though I do live near their manor and they had a real hard on for us.