Tottenham Hotspur’s brand new stadium has been a rip-roaring success among fans, with everything from the food and drink facilities to the 17,500 capacity single tier South Stand.
Affectionately known as the Park Lane end, there has been plenty of chatter on Twitter regarding the stand over recent weeks.
If 65% of the South Stand is sitting tomorrow, then definitely Park Lane is fully finito the stewards and 1882 club have fully fucked the Park Lane.
— Cenk (@ForzaYids) 26 April 2019
Let the park lane stand @TalkingTHFC #thfc#coys https://t.co/xZ4BsiT6wM
— mickeyp007 (@mickeyp007) 21 April 2019
One point id like to make… Can the Park Lane stop singing “stand up if you hate arsenal” i completely understand you are singing it to stop the stuards moaning but stick to “if you love tottenham” cant stand hearing woolwich songs when we aint playing em…
— ?KANE? (@KaneyTHFC) 23 April 2019
Many believe that they should be able to stand and watch the game, arguing that it is a tradition, with Spurs threatening to ban any fans who are seen doing so (Standard).
This is because standing is against both Premier League and UEFA regulations, after it was deemed unsafe following events such as the Hillsborough disaster.
A small number of Tottenham fans seem to think that they are sticking it to the big wigs at Spurs by fighting the sit-down rule, but really, they are just being naive and stubborn.
By standing up and breaking regulations, these fans are just forcing Tottenham’s hand. The last thing the club need when opening a new stadium is to consistently break regulations and get in trouble with the governing bodies.
Fans are simply risking backlashes when breaking safety regulations, as well as blocking the views of those behind them, some of whom may not be capable of standing for 90 minutes.
Many of us would love standing to come back, but until safe standing is approved and introduced, the Park Lane fans should get their bums on seats and get behind the team, rather than fighting a silly battle that cannot be won.
Turn that South Stand into a white wall to rival Borussia Dortmund, bring flags and scarves to wave, suck the ball into the back of the net, help us win games, that’s what is important.