Vital Spurs Debate Section

Do Tottenham Have A ‘Losing Mentality’?

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Where does logic fit into the concept of a ‘losing mentality? Tottenham Hotspur lost the Champions League final and some supporters, pundits, and media outlets blamed this on the club having a losing mentality.

The fact that Spurs were one of only two clubs to reach the final, in a competition that included all of the best teams in Europe, is more indicative of a winning mentality to me. The fact that Spurs have finished in the top four of the most competitive league in Europe for the last four seasons, winning many, many more games than they have lost, seems to indicate the opposite of a ‘losing mentality’. Maybe I’m missing something?

If any club wins four or five games in a cup competition before being eliminated do we define that as having a losing mentality…really? If that’s the case it defines virtually every team that plays football. So, do all the mistakes each one of us have made in our lives mean we all have a losing mentality? We have all made mistakes. We have all failed at something. We have all got some things wrong. We are all human. Would we be happy with such an assessment?

I suppose some supporters would argue that not actually winning a competition, and the silverware that goes with it, is indicative of some kind of warped mentality. All the games won in the league, or before elimination in a cup, don’t count. Well, good luck with that thinking because logic just headed for the hills.

How do you even measure a losing mentality?

It seems more like a vague, throw-away line that sounds good but means nothing. One thing I am certain of is that if there was a scale devised to measure such a concept as a winning or losing mentality, THFC would be a long way from the losing end. Maybe a simple mathematical formula where the number of games lost is compared to the number of games played. Too simple? Too obvious? Too hard to consider? Maybe…but certainly more accurate than a throw-away line. But wait…of course we already have that formula; it’s called the League Table. Do some people fail to study it with any degree of understanding before suggesting a particular kind of mentality.

Spurs drew two recent games from having a two goal lead…I wonder why no-one has ever suggested Tottenham have a drawing mentality. Now I know this will confuse a lot of people but the reason for drawing these games is that we did not defend well! Isn’t it weird how football works.

No club loses games because of a losing mentality. Clubs lose games because they were not good enough on the day, or because the other team was better on the day, or because the manager got the team selection or tactics wrong, or because of poor officiating, or because of injuries, or because the stars were not aligned properly…or, or, etc. There are any number of reasons why a football team loses a football game but a team going onto the pitch with the intention of losing is not one of them. Just as none of us intended to make the mistakes we have made during our lives.

To say THFC has a losing mentality does not help anyone. There is no constructive criticism in such a comment. But to point out tactical errors, or a player’s loss of form or confidence, or the need to change the starting line-up, etc, is constructive and, more than that, it makes sense. And that is the beauty of ‘Vital Spurs’. It gives us all the opportunity to offer constructive criticism. And we do.

Just thinking out loud! Gotta love football!

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