Sales of half-and-half scarves must have been good. Photo: Neil Hall/EPA
STRANGE THINGS?
Whether it was the eerie silence occasionally interrupted by half-hearted chants of contempt at Arsenal's expense, Rodrigo Bentancur's violent and prolonged shoving of an empty dug-out chair next to that of a visibly scared Bryan Gil, or Ange Postecoglou's none-too-frightened Friendly exchange with a loud fan urging the Spurs boss to instruct his team to win a game they were likely to lose anyway, Tuesday night's match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a decidedly strange affair. But it was always going to be strange if a very significant percentage of Spurs fans were desperately hoping that their team would lose to Manchester City, all the better to deal a potentially fatal hammer blow to Arsenal's chances of winning the title.
Enjoy Football Daily as we all go Biblically with an analogy. Regardless of what some sniveling commentators would have you believe, there is absolutely nothing wrong with not caring if your own very mediocre, flea-bitten ox dies of a terrible rinderpest, as long as you know for sure that he is all the stronger is infected. heavier, prettier, prize-winning rasos from that ambitious neighbor you don't like before he dies. Yes, as the worldview goes, it is petty and vindictive and short-lived, but the important thing to remember is that it is also completely reasonable. In an ideal world, Tottenham fans would follow a club so successful that anything Arsenal does wouldn't cost them a single thought, but they don't and this is where they find themselves, screaming euphorically at their own club's small role to celebrate. against all the adversities that beset their most bitter rivals. And that's okay.
Needless to say, there has been a certain amount of pearl-clutching and sanctimonious chatter from certain quarters about various Tottenham fans making the most of their evening by "doing the Poznan" to celebrate City's second goal. commentators, pundits or journalists who have almost certainly not had to pay for a match day ticket, cake or pint for 25 or 30 years and perhaps have lost touch with the petty, innocent tribalism that often makes being a fan so much fun. It's important to remember that this is just football and nothing terrible will happen to anyone if Arsenal don't win the title. Although it is to be hoped that the stage for Manchester City's fourth consecutive Premier League trophy lift does not collapse under the weight of the 115 large elephants who trumpet loudly during the ceremony because they are so angry at being ignored.
The story continues
Although many Spurs fans were happy to see their side defeated, their manager made little or no effort to contain his irritation after the match. In a presser spikier than an Australian Gympie-Gympie tree, Big Ange railed against what he perceived as the betrayal of Tottenham's defectors in a tirade about dishonest dinkum that was more than a little ambiguous and hinted that people within , as well as outside, the club might have wanted its players to fail. "I think the last 48 hours have revealed that the fundamentals are quite fragile - outside the club, inside the club... everywhere," he said. "I already knew what I wanted to do, I just need to make some adjustments to the way I do it." Asked to clarify his comments, he refused to do so and invited journalists to draw their own conclusions, mate. Until he goes deeper into it, the only compelling argument that recent history has taught us is that Tottenham managers who criticize the club or its fan base while repeatedly losing football matches usually don't last long.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
All eyes will be on Tottenham again tonight, with Sarah Rendell on hand at 7.15pm with her live blog on Spurs 0-1 Chelsea in the WSL, while Michael Butler will hopefully get updates on any leaks in the Old Trafford roof during his coverage of Manchester United 1-2 Newcastle at 8pm.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"It was our dream when we started the season to be here. To play [in the Big Cup] is, after the Premier League, the best" - Unai Emery gives the Best League In The World™ an unnecessary boost as he revels in ending Aston Villa's 40-year wait to return to the top of Europe.
WIN A DAVID SQUIRES PRINT!
Thanks to our friends at the Guardian Print Shop, we're giving away four David Squires cartoons over the next four weeks. To participate, simply write us a letter for publication below. We'll choose the top winners of our Letter of the Day at the end of each of the next four weeks, and that worthy winner will receive a voucher for one of our top, finest cartoonist prints. And if all else fails, you can scan the entire archive of David's cartoons here and then purchase your own. You can view the terms and conditions for the competition here.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Parenting can be tough, with kids exposed to social media, drugs, and terrible music... but that said, the hardest conversation I've ever had with my son happened today, when I had to explain that sometimes good people have to do bad things and Support Tottenham. He hasn't been this disappointed since the day I told him that the player he kept calling Santa Cannoli was actually called Santi Cazorla" - Christopher Jersan.
Unfortunately I can't take credit for this, that goes to the wonderful nickname Marc O'Reachtaire on Twixer, but for those of you not on social media: 'Man City winning the league four times in a row is a serious achievement to to be honest, it's up there with Lance Armstrong winning seven tours on the bounce'" - Noble Francis.
I, along with a few million others, am starting to find this dominance of one team in the Premier League decidedly tiring. Isn't it time to talk about a handicap system to make things more competitively interesting? I'll get the ball rolling by proposing a twelve-point deduction for the winners next season, a six-point deduction for the runners-up and a three-point deduction for the third-placed team. If someone can still win it with a handicap, their deduction should increase by another three points the following season. Eventually, maybe someone else will take a look" - Rick Gaehl.
Manchester City's inevitable penultimate acceleration towards the title at Tottenham was a sober reminder of what happens when you give the generative Alf-Inge (AI) free rein to reproduce in ever stronger form" - Peter Oh.
The persistent water leaks and flooding at Old Trafford are of course all the result of the departure of Alex Ferguson in 2013 - a succession of eight managers who have all since confirmed the inevitable outcome of 'Après Moyes, le déluge'" - Adrian Irving .
I think I should win the David Squires cartoon because... I think I should win the David Squires cartoon because... This is not a recording" - Dr. Peter Storch.
Send letters to [email protected]. The winner of today's letter is...Christopher Jersan, who now has a chance to win a David Squires cartoon from our print shop at the end of the week. You can view the conditions for all this here.
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