Camden Sports: It’s one-nil to the Tottenham!

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Camden New Journal - PEOPLE'S PERCH By SIMON CHARTERTON
Published: 10 April 2008

Simon Charterton

It’s one-nil to the Tottenham!

THERE are some certainties in life for a Spurs fan: glorying in winning the occasional cup, having the last week or two of the league season off and supporting any team that plays Arsenal. On Tuesday night we were all Scousers.
It is extraordinary how often penalties spoil the party down Woolwich way.
To win things you have to be in them. Back in the 1960s, when the Carling Cup was simply the League Cup, it was the only thing Arsenal came close to winning. A couple of years later they won the Double. George Graham also started off his period of success with a League Cup or whatever it was called by then.
Now that the Arsenal trophy cabinet looks likely to remain empty for another year, belittling the competition not only looks particularly foolish, but also betrays their club history as well.
The rebranding exercise Wenger has undertaken, attempting to combine success with attractive football is, to Tottenham eyes, merely phase two of the territorial invasion that began when Arsenal arrived in north London in the first place.
They always played efficient, winning football, grinding out victories. But if you wanted something more stylish you went to see the Spurs. Wenger’s triumph has been to create a generation of fans who believe that playing with verve is in the Arsenal tradition. How short the memory.
Maybe now trophyless Arsenal will revert to their old ways, boring their way through season after season. Whatever they do, it has been extraordinary to witness long-term Gooners revelling in the style of football they have recently adopted.
It makes you wonder whether they ever enjoyed watching their team before Mr Wenger arrived.

• Simon Charterton is a Spurs fan from Belsize Park

?• The New Journal is inviting readers to tackle Osley in The People’s Perch. Send your column and a photo to The Crow, 40 Camden Road, NW1 9DR or by email sports@camdennewjournal.co.uk

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