There are times when being a football fan defies all logic, all sensibility, any kind of decency. Times when your passions and your personal goals conflict in ways that defy any type of sane consideration.

Last night, as I was watching the absolutely fantastic match between Chelsea and West Ham, this problem raised its somewhat ugly but equally unavoidable head once more.

We hate Chelsea. Everyone hates Chelsea. You simply have to. There’s no choice in the matter. And most Spurs fans have less than zero love for West Ham. During the game I was messaging with Tory-boy, my son-in-law and ardent Spurs fan. And we shared our distraught that West Ham might win a third game in a row and possibly fight their way out of the relegation that they rightly deserve. Which sounds a bit ‘nasty’. But football is nothing if not ‘nasty’, so we both ended up ‘high fiving’ from afar with every Chelsea goal then scored. But we hate Chelsea. Obviously we hate West Ham more? I don’t know, but I really didn’t want them to win that match. Does that make me, and him, bad people? Probably, but we simply can’t help it.

So on to today. We play Manchester City. And, in terms of emotion rather than statistics, we’re in pretty much the same position as when we played City with Ange at the helm. On that occasion, if we had beaten City, which we didn’t, it would have almost secured a top four finish, and thus Champions League glory. But it would also have pretty much given Arsenal the title. And, along with most Spurs fans, because we’re all as stupid as each other, we wanted to lose that match. Sacrificing our own rather significant gain on the hope of scuppering Arsenal’s aspirations. We lost, Man City went on to win the title. Our manager raged against the fans. Because he didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand. He’s a Aussie. And his major footballing experience came from Glasgow. And everyone thinks that the Auld firm of Celtic and Rangers, driven by religious division, at times totally toxic in its extremes, is the epitome of ‘local rivalries’. Well, Ange, it ain’t. Never underestimate the depth of Spurs and Arsenal’s animosity. To the extent that you simply hate for them to enjoy success. Oddly, its not even about football. Its about fans. And although we don’t get to play, vote, make decisions or sack anyone, we create the general atmosphere of the club. And no-one wants to, or should ever, get ‘offside’ with the fans. Player, manager, owner, they can’t afford to lose the fan-base.

So this afternoon City will come to Spurs. Knowing that if they lose they will be giving Arsenal the title. Not that they’ll probably stop them, even if they win, but it will reduce the gap. And then we can all wait for the ‘slide’, the ‘slump’ or the ‘bottle job’ from Arsenal. If it comes.

Basically, you can’t help your feelings. And even if that results in acting in totally stupid way, its not ‘insanity’ as such, its ‘just football’.

I apologise in advance for any such feelings I experience later today.

Happy Sunday

A Very Bad Person xxxx