Throughout my lifetime, Tottenham Hotspur have been always been a club that, whenever they have failed to get a result, I’ve never been particularly surprised. It’s as if that goes with the territory of watching Spurs, they underachieve.
That is not a dig, it is merely that Spurs have regularly flattered to deceive in the last twenty years. Indeed, in another way it could be taken as a compliment, with Spurs supposed ‘underachievement’ outlining what a big club they really are.
3 months before my birth the North London club won theFA Cup 2-1 against Nottingham Forest, 1991 being the year, they also famously dispatched of Arsenal in the semi final with Gazza scoring ‘that goal’.
Yet, only twice since have Spurs tasted glory, both times lifting the League Cup, in 1999 and in 2008. Let’s not kid ourselves; many clubs would be delighted with 3 trophies in twenty years, counting the ’91 triumph. However, we all know that the Spurs fans expect that little bit more, and now, under Harry Redknapp, they may just be set to take that next step.
After all, if you ask the question ‘what is the limit of Spurs potential?’ One might argue that there is no limit for the club.
Firstly, any team that lose their opening two games by an aggregate score of 8-1 can in no way be considered a title contender, can they? In any other season, no, this season, perhaps. Indeed, Manchester United suffered their worst defeat in a generation in their 6-1 home defeat to Manchester City, yet no one would be foolish enough to rule Sir Alex Ferguson’s side out of the running.
However, while it is not impossible for Spurs to win the title this year, it is likely that title ambitions may be a little premature for Harry Redknapp’s side, with the relative strength of City and the experience of United.
For now, Spurs fans should sit back and enjoy the brand of football on show at White Hart Lane. Unlike Andre Villas-Boas attacking brand in South West London, Spurs look solid defensively as well as lethal going forward with Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale providing width, Luka Modric and Rafael Van Der Vaart creation, and Emmanuel Adebayorpenetration.
If Spurs can finish in the top 4 this season, and in doing so prove that qualification in 2010 was no mere fluke, then next summer may be a defining time for the club as quality players are lured to North London through the promise ofChampions League football. The club most certainly already have a platform to build on if they qualify, with the current Spurs side arguably the best in my lifetime.
It seems futile to talk of Tottenham’s future with regards to a potential stadium move, however it seems certain the club will move to a bigger stadium in the future, allowing the club to increase its revenues, this will ensure that the club continue to grow and will help facilitate the clubs challenge for honours in the coming years.
One issue that must be considered is the long term future of boss Harry Redknapp. Redknapp has worked wonders since taking the helm at Spurs a little over 3 years ago, however he is widely tipped to take over as England boss next summer following Euro 2012. If that is to be the case, Spurs must not panic. If they were to find the right successor to Redknapp then the massive strides that the club has made in the last 3 years could long continue.
There is no reason whatsoever that Spurs cannot challenge for titles in years to come. In fact, they are already closer than you might think.
What do you think Spurs can achieve this season and in years to come? Comment and follow me on Twitter@CamHumphries
Written by Cameron Humphries for FootballFanCast.com
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This is a very exciting Spurs crop of players and i would rate them to finish second.Although Harry says there is no need to buy players in January my worry is the loan spell of Adebayor.Spurs are not going to pay him his present wages and he will leave.He will not play in the return game against Man.City. If Spurs are looking to the future they need to buy someone like Leandro.