I'd just like to say well done to Tottenham for their 4-2 Carling Cup victory over us last week at White Hart Lane. I won't deny its a shame to be knocked out of a cup no matter how unimportant it might seem but in all honesty I am really glad that we lost.
Being from North London, I could have supported Arsenal like the majority of my family and some friends, or Tottenham (where I live only ten minutes from the ground) like the remaining half of my family and most of my friends, but instead I chose Liverpool. I'm never really sure why, most people believe it was because of Steven Gerrard, but I assure you it's not, although it was a part of my decision. The fact is that even though I don't support my local teams through wearing their shirts or in any other way, I would still want them to succeed for the sake of my family and friends so that they could enjoy being football fans as much as I do, apart from when they play Liverpool of course!
Some of my family are season ticket holders at Arsenal, and I have been lucky enough to go to some matches every now and then, mainly when they were playing Liverpool but at other times aswell. When Arsenal were still at Highbury I would go to matches just for the chance to see some live football but as I got older I began to understand the rivalry between two big clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal and found it hard to enjoy the game as I was so desperately wanting Arsenal to lose, especially when it was against Liverpool and I was surrounded by hundreds of Arsenal fans.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/4862840.stm)
I will never forget sitting in the clock end of Highbury, only ten yards from the travelling Liverpool fans and having to mask my devastation with pretend joy as I watched Steven Gerrard pass the ball to Thierry Henry to score the winner right in front of my eyes. This was so hard purely because all the Arsenal fans were ecstatic that the player they had been abusing the whole game - one of my sporting idols- had just gifted them the most easy three points they have ever received.
For this reason, I find it a lot harder to want Arsenal to do well and can honestly say that I would probably now only want to support them when watching them play against Man. Utd or Chelsea. While I cant deny there are times when they play some outstanding football, the obvious reputation they have in terms of law abiding is also a reason why I find it hard to back them.
With Tottenham however, the situation is the complete opposite. My dad and sister are season ticket holders at White Hart Lane and I have also been to many games over the years. The difference with going to a Tottenham game is that there is normally not that much riding on an outcome of the game when watching as a Liverpool fan and I can instead just watch and enjoy the game. This is because while Tottenham have made themselves a regular top 6 team now, they don't pose a threat to Liverpool in terms of the title race or Champions League qualifacation.
The real reason why it is easy to enjoy a game at Spurs however is that the whole experience in comparison to Arsenal is just so much better. The atmosphere of the crowd, in particular Park Lane where my dad and sister sit, is brilliant and they sing from the first to last whistle. They get behind their team and the game is always exciting as you can tell that the team is trying their best. I'm sure this is the same for many other clubs aswell, but I can only talk from my personal experience.
So while you may come away from an Arsenal game having watched a better performance or seen more goals, you will always come away from a Tottenham game having enjoyed a much better experience, even if it was 0-0 and it is for this reason that I would gladly go to a Tottenham match whether they were playing Liverpool or not. It is for this reason that since my first game at White Hart Lane, I have always harboured a soft spot for the club and secretly wanted them to do well and it is because of this that I am glad they beat us in the cup.
After having such a bad start to the season, I felt terrible that Spurs were rock bottom of the table. I would hate to see them relegated purely because I know what a fantastic club they are. Since Harry Redknapp has taken over, they have really turned a corner, and having just drawn against Arsenal I knew they would be a much tougher challenge than expected when we faced them in the league. I said to my dad just before the match that I wouldn't mind if they knocked us out of the cup as long as we could take three points off of them in the league. What I didn't think they would do was beat us both times though!
You might think I'm stupid for wanting my team to lose in any game that they play and perhaps you're right, but they way I see it, Liverpool are now free to be focused on the League and Champions League untill the new year when the F.A Cup kicks in. We won't have to be distracted by this competition all the way through untill February when the knockout rounds of the Champions League start. Tottenham however, can use this win as a building block for the rest off their season and use it as something to work towards. After all, they are the holders and it would be nice for them to get the chance to go back to Wembley to defend it, as even though they are on the up, it is likely to be their only chance of getting european football at White Hart Lane next season. And if they can do it by humiliating United in the final just like they did to Chelsea last season, then it's even better.
