Tag Archives: Spurs

Tottenham stadium builders contracted until November

















The truth is the stadium was never going to be ready.








Spurs new stadium warning for Arsenal fans

And so we laughed and mocked.

As Spurs released the season ticket prices for their new ground yesterday, it became apparent very quickly. They were charging the highest prices in Europe.

For a long time, Arsenal has been hammered in the press for exactly same thing. Even though BBC’s Price of Football study always ignored that Arsenal fans get 26

games for their season ticket rather than other clubs 19.

Here were Spurs announcing that their cheapest season ticket in their new ground would work out to £41 a ticket. Arsenal’s pre-Europa League discount is still under £40 a game.

And as football fans will always do, we Arsenal fans mocked out rivals. Even if we always we moan that local fans are being priced out the game. And regardless as to what Tottenham’s pricing strategy could mean for Arsenal.


The issue is that Arsenal, Chelsea and other clubs will be keeping an eye on Spurs.

Here you have a club who have won 2 League Cups in nearly 30 years. Have not won a league title in nearly 70 years. Charging the highest prices in Europe.

If they sell out, and I am sure they will, it will get the nose twitching of Ivan Gazidis. He will think to himself “are Arsenal charging too low”. Of course, that is absolute bollocks. But football is a business these days. If one supermarket puts up their price of a pint of milk, and sales don’t drop, others will follow suit.

Arsenal would generate an additional £5-10m by marching Spurs’ pricing plan. They could generate even more if thought to themselves “we are bigger and better than Tottenham; we should charge more”.

So whilst in the short term, we might laugh and mock Spurs for their clubs new shown greed, in the long term it will just push prices up for us all.


Spurs win the battle; But Arsenal winning the war

Spurs beat Arsenal. They deserved to win.

And as predicted, what followed their victory in the North London Derby was a string of tweets and comments about how the win proves their has been a “power shift” in North London over the last 5 years.

A power shift that has seen Spurs finish above Arsenal once.

A power shift that has seen Arsenal win 3 trophies (and in the final for a 4th at the end of the month).

In that same time, Spurs have won nothing. And the only time they have played at Wembley is when they had to hire it.

Spurs fans use “records” such as “highest Premier League attendance” and “most Premier League goals in a calendar year” as proof of the power shift.

Meanwhile, Arsenal win actual trophies.

It is actually hilarious to watch the media try to justify this power shift. So desperate are they to report on Arsenal’s demise that they are creating records and new barometers of what success is.

Only last week, a Chief Sports writer for a British paper declared “Spurs do not need to win trophies to be a successful club”. OK.

And then yesterday, the leading story on BBC Sport was about how “Spurs victory over Arsenal shows they are best of the rest.”

That beating Arsenal proved they were the second best team in England – behind Manchester City. Even though victory took them to 3rd in the league. After Liverpool’s win yesterday, they have already dropped to 4th, and if Chelsea win tonight, it will be back to 5th.

2nd best team in England, but 5th in the table? Better than Arsenal, Chelsea and Man U, but are the only side of the 4 not to have won anything last year.

In fact, Spurs are the only side in the top 6 to have not won anything this decade.

Arsenal have won 3 FA Cups since 2014. For Spurs, you have to go back to 1981 to capture their last 3 FA Cup wins.

The last team to win the league title at White Hart Lane? Arsenal.

The weekend’s victory was deserved by Spurs. Just like Arsenal deserved to beat Spurs when they won 2-0 earlier in the season. That seems to get forgotten about when talking about power shifts.

I saw a tweet floating about late yesterday.

“Spurs have won 6 of the last 9 Derby games against Arsenal, with 2 draws and only one win for the Gunners”. It was created to try to highlight the power shift.

Yet a quick check of the records shows it is fake news.

In the last 9 North London Derby’s, Spurs have won 3 (not the 6 the tweeter claimed). And that is if you cut it off at 9. If you increase it to the last 12, it is still just 3 wins for Spurs. 3 wins in the last 12 North London Derby’s.

So this Spurs power shift has resulted in 3 wins in the last 12 games, and finishing above The Arsenal once in 21 years. OK.

Spurs should finish above Arsenal again this season. The second time in 22 years. But what does it all mean if they do not win a trophy?


The sadist inside me actually wants Arsenal to finish 6th this season. Finish 6th with Spurs 5th. Finish 6th with Spurs 5th and Arsenal winning a trophy. Finish 6th with Spurs 5th and Arsenal winning a trophy and Spurs winning nothing.

13 league titles, you’ve only won 2.