Thanks for the Memories

I'm defecting slightly from the analytical, often jovial tone I commonly write with. This article is far more personal than anything I've written, but I'm hoping we can all relate to it as Spurs fans. 

Football is more than just a game. Do not let anyone ever tell you otherwise. We, as Spurs fans, have suffered our fair share of hardship over the years and I'm sure we've all been consoled by misinformed friends and family who tell us 'it's only a game'. Try telling that to the 42 legends stood on the pitch yesterday. Football is their life, and they've given us the club we're all immensely proud of today. It's more than just a game.

Though my first trips to the Lane came in the 90s, I was fortunate enough to become a season ticket holder in 2002, where I witnessed first hand the most unglamorous of back threes that regularly took hidings from the likes of Middlesbrough and Bolton. It wasn't pleasant, but Tottenham was in my blood. My Dad and his Dad had gone for years before I was even born, and I was expected to carry on the tradition. It wasn't easy watching the side I loved humiliated - especially watching our closest rivals win the league here - but I knew I was in this for the long run. Times would get better.

And they did. We signed the likes of Michael Carrick, Paul Robinson, Jermain Defoe. Martin Jol helped bring back the glory of European nights and I was privileged to see the likes of Dimitar Berbatov - who I'm thrilled turned up today to a rapturous reception. It's talented footballers like Berbatov, Van der Vaart Bale and now Alli that make these days out so special. There's ups and downs but the reason we all love football - or I do, in any case - is those moments of magic. Something happening from nothing. Sheer, unrivaled jubilation - and White Hart Lane, with its magical atmosphere, was the catalyst for all these events. Hearing the fans sing in unison, losing your voice after celebrating goal after goal - it's the best thing in the world. For 90 minutes, you're a family. Football has the power to unite, and the sense of camaraderie I felt at White Hart Lane is a feeling I will take with me for the rest of my life.

This season in particular has made me prouder than ever to be a Spurs fan. I never hid away from it at school. You live and die by the sword, and if you enjoy the sweet taste of victory, you must accept the bitter sting of defeat. That's why it has been so incredibly unique that we finished our final season at the iconic old stadium without suffering a single loss - winning 17 league games and drawing just 2. It paid perfect tribute to the incredible feeling each and every fan gets when they walk up those steps and see the stadium for the first time. It honoured every legend that ever took to the pitch. It was a fitting tribute to the club's greatest, past and present. And not least of all, it was a testament to Pochettino's continued hard work to bring back the glory days. Though he could not emulate the heroes of the past this season, he has us closer to winning the league than we have been for the past half a century. An echo of glory, if you will. We finished our last ever campaign at White Hart Lane with style and class, both on the pitch and off. It was a touching send off for a stadium that was more than just bricks and mortar - it meant the absolute world to us. 

I'd like to close by saying that although I do not believe in divine intervention, there is something to be said when a rainbow appears at the precise moment we finish saying goodbye to our home. I felt like Bill Nic was smiling down on us. And I think we did him proud today, and this season as a whole.

An echo of glory.

Thanks for everything, White Hart Lane. And here's to the future. COYS.