End of the Affair

Sometimes someone you've loved and cherished for years does something so unforgivable that you are left wondering if your relationship can possibly be repaired. This week, I've been left feeling this way about Tottenham Hotspur. The way the football club I've followed since I was a boy treated its head coach Martin Jol wasn't merely shabby, it was shameful. This is the man who turned around our fortunes, steering us to two consecutive fifth place finishes in the Premiership, fabulous cup runs both in Europe and domestically, and had the team playing some great football into the bargain. Yet this wasn't good enough for our grasping and materialistic board of directors, apparently. No, they wanted to pursue their fantasy of top four finishes and Champions League football. Jol wasn't ambitious enough for them. The disastrous start to this season didn't help. Mind you, the board had done its best to ensure that this would be the case. Not only did they spend £40 million in the Summer buying players Jol didn't need, ignoring his requests for a left-sided midfielder and an experienced central defender, but the season had barely started when they were caught red-handed offering his job to Sevilla's Juande Ramos. Going behind your manager's back like that, coupled with a crippling injury list which the expensive new signings couldn't cover, were hardly conducive to success on the pitch.

The whole affair, with Jol being summarily dismissed (by text, according to some reports) during the Getafe match, just left a bad taste in my mouth. Frankly, I'm ashamed to be a Spurs fan. For his part, Jol has conducted himself with the quiet dignity we've all come to respect and admire. The board have demonstrated that they don't have a fucking clue as to what the average Spurs fan actually wants. We don't give a toss about the top four and the Champions League. As long as we finish high enough to qualify for Europe, we don't care. What we want are exciting cup runs - Spurs reputation is built on winning cup competitions, not the league - and entertaining football. That's why I've always loved Spurs - they're about an idea, a concept; that playing good football is more important than anything else, even winning. Hell, we'd rather lose than play the long-ball game! But this current shower on the board are only interested in maximising profits. They know cock-all about football. Well, they've got their way - Jol is gone and Ramos has been appointed in his place with indecent haste. I remain unconvinced that he's the right man for Spurs. Part of me will always resent him for the manner of his appointment, no matter how successful he might turn out to be.

So, I'm seriously thinking of breaking off with Spurs. Mind you, I can't see myself supporting any other Premiership side. It just wouldn't be the same. Maybe I should try going back to basics and support my local non-league side. Of course, ending the affair does have its advantages. Its like when you break up with a girl - you can finally stop pretending to like Razorlight and go back to playing your Whitesnake CDs in the car. Suddenly you life seems your own again. So it is with Spurs. My Saturday afternoons are my own again. No anxious waits for the results, no feverish checking of teletext every two minutes to see what the score is. No sitting through all those bloody Arsenal and Man Utd games on Match of the Day to catch the Spurs highlights. Yes indeed, my life will be a lot less fraught from now on, I'm sure. It's sad that it had to end this way. But we've had some good times and some great memories. But I'm afraid that it just doesn't feel like the Tottenham I knew and loved so much anymore.