Sol Campbell has revealed how his Arsenal teammates reacted to the Tottenham Hotspur fans after he returned to face his former club for the first time in 2001.
24 years have passed since Sol Campbell did the unthinkable and left his position as the captain of Tottenham Hotspur to join their bitter rivals Arsenal.
However, the Spurs fanbase are no closer to forgiving the retired defender than they were all those years ago.
Campbell himself is clearly still bothered by the treatment he was given when he returned to White Hart Lane. After all, barely a month seems to pass by without the most obnoxious man in football bringing up the abuse he suffered at the hands of Tottenham supporters.
Sol Campbell’s teammates helped him prepare for Tottenham reunion
Campbell knew there would be anger directed at him when he lined up against Spurs, but he did not expect it to to reach such extraordinary levels.
He did seek to prepare for the torrents of abuse he would face, thanks to the help of his Arsenal teammates.
Campbell told Four Four Two on behalf of Paddy Power: “It was just the lads mucking around in training, a bit of banter. But yeah, I think they [his Arsenal teammates] were trying to prepare me for what was to come.”
“I actually think the reaction inside the ground shocked a lot of my Arsenal teammates. I’d expected it, of course. And the lads knew I would be booed, but none of them anticipated just how bad it would be.
“After the game started it really hit them. I think that’s when they knew just how much I was going to be dealing with, that day. That’s when they woke up.
“Personally, I don’t think many of them would have been able to take as much abuse as I took during that game. I don’t think they could have. They were strong guys and incredible players. But to take that level of abuse in one game isn’t something everyone can deal with.
“It was a horrible atmosphere, even more so than during normal North London Derbies. It was a level of hatred that lingered in North London for a long time afterwards.”
Spurs must reignite their disdain towards Arsenal
It must be said that there has been behaviour towards Campbell from some Tottenham supporters which crossed a line. Things such as hurling objects are barbaric and have absolutely no place in football, or society in general.
However, Tottenham need to remember what it means to inflict pain on their rivals. In recent years, both the derbies against Arsenal and Chelsea have seen pitiful efforts from the Spurs team as they have often failed to get results.
Likewise, the atmosphere, particularly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, has been anything but intimidating.
Thomas Frank and his players must call to mind what is at stake when they take on the Gunners this Sunday. It is not only an important match in the Premier League, but an intense rivalry which provides the opportunity to hold the bragging rights in North London.
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