To boo or not to boo?

In the aftermath of what, I think we can all agree, was a very disappointing result on Saturday against Norwich at White Hart Lane, a series of arguments broke out across the social networking matrix between different Spurs fans. The bickering mainly centred on the team being booed at the final whistle but also spanned out on a wider scope to some fans calling for AVB’s head. Today I’d like to address the different sides of these arguments and stress my immense disappointment at the attitudes of some of our “fans” toward the team and manager.

To begin with the booing I’m afraid I take a different stance to the majority of Spurs fans on Twitter, Facebook etc in that I think those in attendance were completely within their rights to voice their displeasure. We all know that a trip to White Hart Lane can be quite expense and the line I take on this issue is that if a fan has paid their money for a match ticket and watched the game live, they can chant, boo, hiss or sing at whatever they like. It’s ok for some keyboard gangster in a different time zone who has never been to White Hart Lane to condemn the fans who booed on Saturday, but as far as I’m concerned those who paid the money to be at the match have the moral authority to decide whether it was right or not. I’m not saying just because you don’t go to see games live that you’re not entitled to your opinion, of course you are, but at the same time someone who has shelled out the best part of £1,000 for a season ticket will feel well within their rights to boo at the team if they don’t think they played well enough; and I’m with them on that.

However, what I completely, categorically disagree with is those fans who think AVB’s number is up already. If any such fans are reading this blog then please listen when I say that you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. The season is 3 games old, not 23, but 3, and because we haven’t gotten off to the quickest of starts some of our so called fans want the new manager to be lynched already. Bull. The popular saying about Rome fits in perfectly here and let me assure you that if any such fans as the ones I have discussed were around when Rome was being built they’d have executed them for being so impatient. The team has new additions and is playing under a new system, it’s going to take time for the players to jell and get used to playing the way AVB wants; this is not a FIFA game! Yes, we have been disappointing at the back and let some silly goals in, but perhaps we should be looking at the fact that the centre half partnership has been different in every game we’ve played so far and that one of those players has only recently signed for the club as to why we’ve been a bit leaky, instead of deciding that the whole thing is the managers fault and the only logical course of action now is to sack him! If you really expect to bring a new manager in and almost overnight for the team to be challenging at the very top of the table then you might as well apply for a Russian citizenship now and change your last name to Abramovich. Spurs fans are better than that and when the team’s fortunes turn around, and I’m confident they will, I’m willing to bet there will be a few less angry voices and a few more AVB fans.

By Craig Harrison