Any American people reading this: close the page now. You simply won’t get what follows. (I’d normally include those northern Americans, what they called?… errr… oh yeah, Canada-people, in that generalisation because they share their sports, but the only Canuck likely to read this, actually and controversially, will get it).

Yesterday’s nil-nil draw at Chelsea was brilliant.

There. I’ve said it. A Spurs fan drooling over a goalless draw. I’ve been Morinho-ized. Taken away from my lifelong values of ‘beautiful football at any cost’, of ‘I’d rather lose 4-0 playing with superlative style than draw 1 all as pragmatists’, even ‘but the game needs luxury players, though never more than 6’.

Yet its one thing to have a manager who not only likes to park his bus but more importantly knows precisely how and where it must be parked. It’s quite another to appreciate the genius that is Jose Morinho when you were weened on Jimmy Greaves and Glen Hoddle and Paul Gascoine and David Ginola and a host of ‘mavericks’ who liked to leave the pitch at the end with clean boots.

Frank Lampard grew up, as a player if not totally as a person, under Morinho’s guidance. They know each other. And Lampard’s team are good and score lots of goals, like we normally do. Yet the stalemate endured. Because it was more important to not lose than to win. Not by agreement, not by design, but just out of necessity.

So to the ‘neutrals’ watching the match, it was probably a disappointment that two of the most impressive attacking teams in the country couldn’t find the net between them. But what went on during those 95 minutes was probably much more impressive. The concentration and work required was immense. The desire to push up constantly into walls of defenders. The sheer resilience shown was fantastic. And I say that realising I sound like an Arsenal fan when George Graham was in charge there.

Without getting smug about this, any draw which keeps us top of the table can only be a good thing. For Spurs. For the Premier League. For the world. And beyond.

Bizarrely and unusually for a match between Spurs and Chelsea, it was played in really good spirits. No violence. No brawls. No red cards. Yeah, I missed all that but must look at the big picture here. I’m not saying we could win the league but I’m not saying we can’t. I’m just…

Actually, as I think every day of my life, I’m just happy not to be an Arsenal fan.

Deliriously happy Monday

A xxxx