Tottenham’s new stadium has all the mod cons, cost £1bn and can pump out 10,000 pints per minute. . . yet it has retained the SPIRIT OF SPURS
Ninety-seven weeks after that teary farewell to their beloved White Hart Lane and tottenham were back in n17, throwing open the doors to their new home and coming over all emotional again.
this time it was a sense of pride and achievement welling up inside because the stadium, albeit nearly seven months late and over-budget with the final bill likely to exceed £1billion, has delivered on something new-build football stadiums rarely do: it has retained an essence of the old ground and the spirit of spurs.
Of course, there are huge commercial advantages to this stylish NFL friendly venue with all mod cons.
yet, this being football and this being tottenham — and bearing in mind all the problems connected to West Ham’s move from Upton Park — an umbilical cord to the past seemed to be just as precious as the ability to dispense 10,000 pints of beer per minute or inform the crowd via four crystal clear video screens that the stansted express had been suspended.
Familiar comforts were in place, with the dark blue seats and cockerels galore, including the giant golden one high on its perch above the imposing south stand, a replica of a design present since 1909, and the jaunty refrain of McNamara’s Band at the start of the second half.
Rubble from the old stadium is embedded into concrete floors of the public concourses, and the old centre spot and corner flag placings have been preserved, but the key is something about the angles and sightlines which make it feel reassuring like the old stadium.
‘it is unbelievable,’ said Mauricio Pochettino, the spurs manager, as he stepped out on to the touchline and addressed the fans during halftime of this test event as spurs Under 18s beat southampton 3-1, before a crowd of 28,987.
‘it’s so difficult to explain but we all feel the same, so excited. i got the same feeling when we left White Hart Lane and we were crying and now on the first day here, we feel the same, and are crying again because our dreams have come true.’
Pochettino thanked chairman Daniel Levy, the board and backroom staff for making it possible and supporters for their patience during the hiatus at Wembley, before urging them to convert this scaled-up home into a sporting advantage for the final five home games of the Premier League season and next month’s Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.
‘it is going to be a massive fillip for the team to feel all our fans,’ said the manager. ‘it is our new house, and our new home and it is going to be magic. White Hart Lane was magic and this is going to be one of the best of the best in the world. When it starts to feel like home it will be unbelievable. i believe the future of the club is going to be fantastic.
‘We are in a very good place in the Premier League and we know we have a massive challenge in the Champions League quarter-finals but with all our fans, with 62,000 people, we can make possible our dream to be in the semi-finals. Why not?’
Pochettino waved to his cheering public and returned to his seat in the directors’ box beside chairman Levy as they savoured the occasion and the positive reaction.
An early chorus of ‘We are tottenham from the Lane’ came with extra feeling and the noise generated by a crowd less than half the capacity was impressive as it swirled around inside the stadium.
Officially it will be known for now as tottenham Hotspur stadium not White Hart Lane, pending the sale of naming rights.
spiritually, however, there was no question. this was stage One of a homecoming complete. next up, legends of spurs and inter Milan will meet on saturday, before the official opening against Crystal Palace on Wednesday week.
‘you are playing your part in history,’ was the message from Levy, who celebrated the youth team’s involvement on the big day.
J’neil Bennett scored the first goal, cutting inside from the left wing and curling a low shot with precision inside the far post with his right foot. Whatever his career holds, the 17-year-old from Camden will always own this piece of history: the first to score in the stadium and to be serenaded by the towering single-tier south stand.
‘J’neil Bennett he’s one of our own,’ came the song. He can tell Harry Kane about it when the england captain returns from Montenegro.
Harvey White scored the second from a penalty and Kornelius Hansen pulled one back for southampton before tottenham’s Dilan Markanday completed the scoring.
there was still time for Maurizio Pochettino, first-year scholar and son of the manager, to make a late appearance as a substitute.
What a way to start with a home sweet home win.