Over dinner last night with my Man United supporting mate, (obviously short-term happy with the win at Bournemouth, long-term panicking as to whether Morinho can keep his team out of the relegation zone. Ok, he termed it as ‘getting into the top 4’ but we all know what he really felt, deep down), and he said ‘Spurs MUST win a cup this year’. Not because they’re so wonderful, not because their cup play is superlative (see: ‘champions league’ for more on this), but because they’ve gone so long without a trophy that they just simply MUST win a cup. And this year! To which I could only say: ‘or what?’

Will they cease to exist if we don’t bring the Caribao Cup to N17? Will Brexit collapse if we get knocked out of the FA Cup? Will the new stadium fall down? Even though its not up yet??

Oddly, his Spurs-supporting barber had said what I too feel, which is: I really don’t care about the cups. Be nice to win them, but so what? Of course winning cups is lovely, makes everyone happy (‘cept the losing finalists, obvs.), you have a little procession, boosts morale, wonderful. But personally I don’t see it as any kind of essential validation. I’m sure Arsenal would have swapped the cups they’d won recently for entry into the Champions League. Because we’d all rather play Barcelona than Rotherham. And you get about 50 million quid more for doing so.

I’m not discrediting the cups. Ok, the Caribao one maybe, but cups in general are wonderful. Knockout games are always another level of excitement. But what we want is progress for our teams. Well, security first, as any West Ham fan will tell you, virtually every year, and then progress up the league table. The cups may flatter (Wigan?) but the league don’t lie.

And then I read about the (agaiaiaiain) proposal for the ‘European superleague’!! Which they’ve been banging on about for decades. A 16 team league of ‘Europe’s Elite’. And there was no mention of Spurs. Liverpool, Man United, Real Madrid, even fucking Schalke get a call, but not Spurs. Not ‘elite’ enough. Not ‘European’ enough (?)

But maybe its about cups. We don’t win them very often, we haven’t won the league since 1961. Liverpool haven’t won it since the 70s but they’ve always been this mythical ‘big club’, plus the amount of Scouse whingeing that would ensue if they were left out would make Brexit negotiations look like buying a Whopper at Burger King.

Yesterday’s win at Wolves felt more like a failed suicide attempt than a normal victory. Fortunately for me I was eating at the time in Hampstead. The last ‘wilderness’ that has virtually no phone coverage and about half a ‘G’ of downloadability. Otherwise I’d have spent half an hour of my life in yet more panic. Rather than stuffing my face.

We’re forth in the league but I remain seriously unconvinced. Wish we could just play West Ham every week.

Happy Sunday

A xxxx