Getting spurred on by the fans makes a huge difference
WE’RE slowly getting reacquainted with old experiences which now seem quite new as the country emerges blinking out of seemingly perpetual lockdown. Things which were mundane, even unpleasant, are welcomed like beloved old friends. Other traditions once considered pleasurable are seen in a new light, causing us to recoil in bemused disbelief.
So it was at the County Ground last
Saturday as I queued for a half-time steak and ale pie which appeared to have been warming in the oven since March 2020.
Through the serving hatch, beyond the heads of the overworked staff, past the bars segregating them from the staff and serving hatch for the visiting fans stood dozens of Carlisle supporters, casually reminding us of the half-time score (2-1 to them) while waiting to place their orders.
Unknown pleasure or pain, I’m not sure, but nothing says ‘we’re back’ like being taunted by a queue of pastyfaced Cumbrians in search of pastry.
The influence of the return of spectators to our football grounds was highlighted at Tottenham last Sunday, the innovative beer pumps and cheese room a world away from the spit and polish of Swindon’s North Stand.
Recent seasons have shown City don’t need a baying wall of fans to turn in a limp display at Spurs’ new home, but not everything was the same this time. The sheer physicality of Tottenham’s display – epitomised by Japhet Tanganga’s bullying of Jack
Grealish and Raheem Sterling – may have been drawn up on the training ground, but its successful execution was fuelled by the crowd.
Broadly speaking there were no less red or yellow cards issued in the Premier League last season than in preceding years – which suggests chanting ‘off, off, off’ after a robust foul can be filed under ‘fun but futile’.
Nevertheless, there was no doubt football in empty stadiums was different. The skill, the flair, the technical proficiency was all there but the physicality, the aggression, the edge was diminished. The encouragement and fuel of a packed terrace, not to mention the booing, the hostility, the collective groan of disappointment which greets a mistake were all lost. All missed.
Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo said: ‘It changes everything. Two or three months ago there was something missing, the games were good but the fans is what it’s all about – the edge of the game, the boys need it.’
Interestingly, Nuno’s Wolves team were one of the hardest watches last season, when no amount of fake crowd noise could drown out the insipid nature of their performances. But against City, team and crowd fed off each other in a way which bullied the champions into submission.
This weekend, Nuno’s new team visit his old and Molineux will no doubt be rocking. The Spurs boss could be cheered or jeered, probably a mixture of both. But the Wolves fans will ensure their team is up for it, determined to get one over their former leader. Nuno, like the rest of us, wouldn’t have it any other way.