It is not often you find modern day football linked with Arthurian legend, but in the case of Tottenham’s current relationship with Chelsea there is a common bond. For a Spurs fan to remember a league win over blue side of London it is necessary for them to cast their mind back to the year 1990 when messrs Lineker and Howells ensured a two one win for the Lilywhites.
Sixteen years later and nine managers cast to the wayside in the process Chelsea’s incredible run is still going. Ardiles used the flamboyant five, Hoddle tried to play the Tottenham way and Monsieur Santini just parked the bus (much to the obvious annoyance of the ‘Special One’). Now it is the turn of Dutchman Martin Jol to try and achieve the Holy Grail – a victory against Chelsea.
With Tottenham sitting in their position of fourth in the Premier League Jol is already heralded as a saviour, but saviour could become legend if he manages to break the hoodoo that has plagued the club for so many years now. However, I, along with all Spurs fans approach this game every year with a feeling of dread, laced with tinge of hope that this can be the time that the curse is lifted and those smug looks will be wiped off of the faces of all those Chelsea fans who have for so many years continually taunted us.
Throughout the past sixteen years the Chelsea fans have taken every opportunity to torment us. Chants of ‘can we play you every week’ accompany every defeat, of which there have been many, and snide comments about ‘Three Point Lane’ leave a bitter taste in the mouth and I can categorically state that any immunity, to such biting words, has not built up over the years. Even a 5-1 thrashing in the Worthington Cup in 2002 did little to address the balance.
Despite the young age of the squad the team has matured quickly, helped by captain Ledley King and iconic midfielder Edgar Davids, to become a force to be reckoned with in the Premiership. The days of Ramon Vega and Paolo Tramezanni are firmly (and thankfully) in the past and our date with destiny must surely be approaching. Saturday’s fixture promises to see a full strength Tottenham side up against a Chelsea team minus flying Dutchman Arjen Robben and talismanic captain John Terry. With the Premiership all but headed for Stamford Bridge and following a poor result in the Champions league it may be exactly the time for Martin Jol’s troops to stand up and be counted.
However, the question still remains, will our very own very own Giant Dutchman, like Sir Galahad before him, succeed in sitting in the Siege Perilous.
By David Combe
Article submissions to editor@spurs.vitalfootball.co.uk
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