Match Report: Brentford 0 Spurs 2: - first win this year in the league… a great result, or does it just show how low we’ve sunk?

 

Match Report: Brentford 0 Spurs 2: - first win this year in the league… a great result, or does it just show how low we’ve sunk?

The cries are up over our brilliant result, as if we’ve just survived relegation, where, in fact, we’ve just got three points to move us up the ladder and away from the fires of hell.

The trip to Brentford was okay until we went to put our tickets in the machine to let us through. We were rejected. The tickets had been made null and void.

What happened was that my tickets had not turned up by Thursday, so I contacted the Tottenham office to make sure we had duplicates at the Brentford ticket office waiting for us. In the meantime, the tickets turned up… so I contacted the club, who assured me that I could use the tickets that came through the post and ignore the ones that were waiting for us… so I did… and I was refused access. Full credit goes to the Tottenham security, who helped me sort it out at the Brentford ticket office, and then we were let in. By then, I had forgotten about getting a programme. When I did remember, they had sold out. … and as a collector, that is a real knockback… anyway… into the ground, we finally got and made our way to our seats.

I must start of by saying we kept hearing #We want Levy out. We want levy out. We want Levy out# reverberating throughout the stadium. This was amongst other Tottenham classics, such as #Spurs are on our way to Wembley# etc.

I wonder what Levy is thinking when he sees and hears all before him… not chanting his name out of respect and his empire-building… but chants of venom coming out of his subjects' mouths. Maybe something like… “What ungrateful troglodytes… I’ve built this magnificent stadium for my subjects, money coming in left, right and centre… nice seats for the richer peasants… they should be demanding a statue of me towering over the stadium… but all they scream is about football, football… what is football other than an entertainment brand… which I have woven neatly into my other entertainment brands. There is no pleasing some… but I rule, and as long as I rule, I will do it my way…” and then hums the classic Abba song #Money, money, money, it’s a rich man’s world# and smiles while stroking his imaginary white cat, as the arch-criminal mastermind Blofeld did in James Bond. Anyway, enough of what is or isn’t happening inside Levy’s mind and back to Brentford v Spurs.

I must point out that Brentford were very poor… just like the Elves of Sweden… but a win is a win, and we celebrate it as if we’ve just won the World Cup… that is how far we’ve sunk in some Spurs fans' minds. Nevertheless, we won… and next up, we will meet the Premier League leaders in the second leg of the Semi-Final of the League Cup… Easy-peasy… To be fair… we struggle against Everton, Ipswich, Leicester Titty and others that are at the wrong end of the League table… but manage to get victories over City, United and Liverpool… so maybe a win this Thursday is possible!

Yes, we beat Brentford to end a four-game losing run in the league, but as I said, that didn’t stop the contingent of away supporters from repeatedly calling for Daniel Levy to leave the club.

The first goal was when we took a fortunate lead in the 29th minute when Son’s excellent swinging corner recoiled off the back of a Brentford player in a crowded penalty area and into Brentford’s own net. But who cares? They all count, and it is about time we had a bit of luck in the league!

That was in the first half. The second half saw the final nail in Brentford’s coffin and jubilation of screams of delight at the away end…  substitute Pape Matar Sarr raced on to Son's excellent pass and flicked a finish past goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson for a late second goal.

Even that victory didn’t stop the chants of "We want Levy out," and we are still in the bottom half of the table. We are not out of the woods yet, but saying that, we are better than many of those struggling at the wrong end, so I can’t see us going down… at least this season.

Thoughts…

Brentford are the top scorers at home this season, while only Liverpool have scored more goals than us. However, this was a scrappy affair, with both sides struggling to create chances.

We are often criticised for being weak defensively. This was the sort of performance that Ange and our support greatly enjoyed as we battled a lengthy injury list that saw us still without many key players again.

If we had lost this game, we would have lost five league games in a row for the first time since 2004. But three points took us from 16th to 14th. As the second goal went in, our supporters chanted, sarcastically, "We are staying up," mocking those critics who suggested the club was in danger of relegation…

Relegation… don’t be silly… three trophies (League, FA & Europa) ahead of us… what more does Levy want to cement his name into 24 years of footballing failure?

On Thursday, we will travel to Liverpool. Yes, we hold a slim 1-0 advantage after the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. Still, nothing is impossible until it becomes impossible, so hopefully, we can secure our first trophy in 17 years. Yes, up the Spurs!!!!

People around the world say, why do the fans hate Levy so much… Part of that anger towards Levy has been a failure to strengthen the squad in the transfer window over many years, although we were boosted before this match with the announcement that we had signed 26-year-old Austria centre-half Kevin Danso from Lens, initially on loan with an obligation to buy for £21m. Nevertheless, nothing will change until we start competing with the likes of Arsenic, City, United, Liverpool, and even now, Forest, which has our ex-manager running things (we know how to sack managers, only for them to go on to greater things).

Banners displayed during last week's 2-1 home loss to relegation-threatened Leicester show fans hostility towards Levy and the board. A banner which said, "24 years, 16 managers, one trophy. Time for change." Victories in Cup like the FA, League and Europa Cups won’t change things overnight… it will take years of commitment by our money makers before making dents in our supporters' anger.

We are now 10 points clear of the relegation zone, and with improved self-confidence, we can now focus on our attempts to reach a Wembley final… more than one, hopefully!

As for my failed purchase of a match day programme, good news. After the game, I popped into a shop to ask if, by any chance, they had programmes; the shopkeeper said no, but a lady nearby overheard and offered me hers… I offered to pay, but she declined. And she was a Brentford supporter… Charity can be found in mysterious places. So thank you, Brentford lady, wherever you are!!!

Up the Spurs!

 

Glenn