A knees-up for a magic old ground
The Finale, they called it at Tottenham. The last act on this grand old stage. Farewell to the Lane. They knew it was going to be emotional. So they gave everyone a flag and a T-shirt and charged them a tenner for a programme.
They decked the lamp-posts along the high Road with banners hailing the end of an era and invited Chas and Dave. They don’t sell rabbit in Sainsbury’s any more and they probably never did but you can’t have a knees-up in these parts without Chas and Dave.
Spurs supporters were unable to resist the urge to invade the pitch post-match and once on the turf were reluctant to leave. They were eventually coaxed back to the stands and the club’s legends filed out to be paraded in the rain.
Like the fans they all had smartphones in hand, filming. David Ginola was a swaggering picture of health with a St Tropez tan after his heart scare, Glenn hoddle triggered the loudest of many a loud roar and Cliff Jones, wing wizard of the 60-61 Double winners, defied his 82 years by jogging to the centre circle.
They huddled under plastic brollies to be followed by Mauricio Pochettino and his squad, and when the ticker-tape was launched into the sky and they belted out Glory
Glory Tottenham Hotspur one more time, a perfect rainbow appeared over the east Stand.
What a finale, indeed. Tears flowed and no-one wanted to leave. If you like your nostalgia spread thick this was the place to be. Although anyone with eyes that saw the glory of the cups at White hart Lane will be reaching the time in life where laser eye surgery is under consideration.
Pochettino’s team did their bit by beating Manchester United, fast becoming the perfect opponents for such an event with the guarantee of added glamour and strong support with no threat of spoiling the party.
Goodbyes are that little bit harder after 14 successive home wins in the league and the club’s best top-flight finish since 1963. Nearly 32,000 can say they were there for what chairman Daniel Levy called a ‘momentous and poignant occasion’.
Many came with necks craned and arms outstretched, capturing selfies with friends and marvelling at the concrete shafts of the new stadium which is rising beside the old one.
After all, Spurs are only moving next door. Chas of Chas and Dave made a very valid point during a half-time interview beside the pitch when he said that the new stadium which opens next year will actually be closer to White hart Lane, which turns off the high Road.
Fans will make the same pilgrimage for home games, no doubt cursing the transport links and limited parking facilities, which will feel important when the time comes as West ham fans can testify.
‘We are not moving,’ said Levy. ‘The new pitch will overlap the old one. Our new home will slowly embrace and engulf our old one.’
Above all, Levy must also take care to nurture this promising young team during their year in exile at Wembley. Much can happen in 12 months in football. When they return, will Spurs still have harry Kane and Dele Alli in their ranks? Will Pochettino be at the helm? Will they be as irresistible at home? hopefully they will, because watching Tottenham this season has been terrific fun.
‘The Lane is a place of passion and unbelievable atmosphere,’ said Pochettino. ‘The noise can be deafening and there’s a rare intimacy between players and fans that helped pass on the extra energy we have needed on occasions.
‘every pass, every tackle, every save and every goal we have shared together. We must carry the spirit of the Lane with us as we move forward as a club. Our future is bright,’ he added.
So it was a strange old feeling. This place will be missed. It will be so much harder to capture the essence of Jimmy Greaves, Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower when the frame of the Lane is bulldozed and replaced with a beautifully-designed but essentially different new home.
Goodbye to the Lane after 118 years. hello Wembley. hello Chinese investment and naming rights. hello NFL London franchise.