An example to all

[basskadet]

Who'd have thought at the beginning of this season, after performances that lacked any sort of commitment or guile, that I could be so impressed by the lads' strength in adversity.

Since turning our season around from disaster, in itself worthy of some appreciation as where we have closed ranks & battled our way up the table other teams have crumbled & fallen, we first had to deal with the sudden passing of Jimmy Neighbour at a relatively young age. Jimmy had spent many years at the club & had remained close even after his playing career with us had ended. His untimely death marked the start of a very dark time for Tottenham off the pitch & yet the lads, who had to play Newcastle United that day, rallied superbly to take all 3 points on it.

We then suffered further bereavement in perhaps worse circumstances, certainly more shocking, when JD's brother was murdered. The lads had to go on & play Manchester United that weekend & I was very impressed with how they approached the game, putting themselves 2 goals up in the 1st half. I know we went on to lose 5-2 but given the circumstances, the fact that everyone thought we'd be thrashed by United anyway as well as a few extremely dubious decisions by the referee, I thought we did very well. I'm sure all the lads must have been effected in some way by Jermaine's loss & it cannot have been easy but at no point was this used as an excuse & Harry & the boys should be proud of the manner in which they conducted themselves. When you look at how Chelsea reacted to some similarly poor decisions (& they even had some go in their favour!!), it really shows Tottenham in a positive light given what we were all going thru.

What was even more impressive was just how quickly JD got back into things & the club got back to winning ways. It shows great character.

You would have hoped that would be the end of it but, as they say, bad things come in 3's & that was certainly the case when we received the most shocking news to date regarding Wilson's poor 16yr old brother, Edwin. Wilson has been incredible when you consider the length of the saga & what he must have been going thru & he has shown immense courage & backbone, being one of the main reasons Tottenham are now playing for a place in Europe instead of fighting to avoid the drop.

However, it cannot have been easy for anyone at the club. To find out in the way they did, on the morning before a big Away game against a tough opposition, it must have been difficult to motivate the team & focus. As Harry said, football suddenly seems very unimportant. However, despite already fielding a very young, virtually second-string side in an unfamiliar formation, the boys went out there & got a result.

They should receive huge recognition for the way they have managed to get on with things & Harry should not only feel very proud of them but should be proud of himself. The manager is massively influential at times like these & Harry has been incredible, somehow keeping the spirits up in the camp whilst at the same time showing respect.

Whilst it has been a difficult few weeks for the club, the players & us fans, it has also shown just what a wonderful club we are & will have hopefully brought us all closer together.

[Seajay]

Well put Basskadet. You have some great insight and put your points across eloquently.