90sSpursBook
Erik Edman
Last night was very much a 'humiliation' - there are several ingredients to a 'humiliation' - its invariably a self-inflicted result and generally one that makes you feel as though you've just been spotted naked meaning you want to lock yourself away for days to avoid the mocking eyes of your contemporaries. To be a humiliation it's not just your standard regulation defeat - it's either a spectacular collapse, a heavy defeat that would see the opponents score written in letters not numbers or a defeat against a team of undoubted inferior ability....or perhaps a combination of all three.
Have no doubt last night's collapse that seemed inevitable the moment Zagreb scored their first goal was a humiliation. I have the luxury of being able to work from home and I stay off Social Media but even on my lunchtime walk around The Lea Valley Park today I was paranoid that other pedestrians may have known I was a Spurs fan and been pointing at me laughing.
Let's not forget that every club has to deal with its share of humiliations - we've even been the ones to dish them out - think 6-1 at Old Trafford, pegging back the Goons to 4-4 after an incredible display of hubris even by their standards.
The post mortem that has followed the defeat in Zagreb is about more than just a defeat on the night; it is the nadir of what has been largely a rotten two and a half years; it's the wholly unexpected early departure from a competition that only 24 hours ago we were considered as tournament favourites; it was a realistic route to 'glory' through the tangible means of a trophy. It was perhaps a lifeline for Jose Mourinho's diminishing reputation.
To lose 3-0 was a statistical achievement in itself - in over 200 games since the start of the 2017/18 season we have only lost by three goals on 5 occasions (twice at Emirates Marketing Project, against Bayern and Leipzig and then the infamous defeat at Brighton in 2019). It felt, in retrospect like one of those nights that Spurs would find a way to be humiliated - had the first leg finished 4-0 I have a feeling we'd have managed to lose 5-0 last night.
But where will tis rank amongst other humiliations? Using the criteria I've shortlisted seven other games and you can vote for which resonates most with you.
Notts County 3-0 Spurs (October 1994) we swaggered into this game with Klinsmann, Teddy et al against a team bottom of the second tier. At this point the league cup was our only route to a trophy that season. 2-0 down in 20 minutes and then Dumitrescu sent off before half time. The result ultimately cost Ossie Ardiles his job.
Spurs 3-5 Man Utd Sept 2001 - Premiership
3-0 up at half time in one of the best Spurs 45 minute performances. This was the birth of the 'Lads it's Tottenham' meme. Well at least we'd learned our lesson and couldn't possibly lose a 3-0 half-time lead against a team from Manchester again....
Blackburn 2-1 Spurs Feb 2002 - League Cup Final
Having beaten Chelsea in a highly emotional semi-final surely they'll just give us the trophy and the Hoddle era will blast off into the stratosphere right? We'll be able to overcome a team with 37 year old Mark Hughes in midfield right? Chelsea fans wont sing "5-1 and you won fudge all" whilst going on to beat us 4-0 twice in 4 days within 3 weeks of the final right?
Spurs 3-4 Emirates Marketing Project Feb 2004 FA Cup 4th Round Replay
Well at least this wasn't the same as that United game 3 years earlier...no City were mediocre at best and were reduced to 10 men at half time already 3 goals behind. Remember the name Jon Macken?
Saudi Sportswashing Machine 5-1 Spurs Final Day of the 2015/16 season
I still maintain that had any team other than Woolwich leapfrogged us into second place this result would have been far more palatable. It is the combination of losing against an already relegated team; the size of the score, the fact that they had 10 men for the final 30 minutes of the game with the score just 1-2; giving Woolwich an unexpected St Totteringham's Day; that it was just after the emotionally charged Battle of the Bridge and that goody goody Leicester had become the darlings of the nation at our expense.
Spurs 2-7 (seven) Bayern Munich October 2019 Champions League
First time we'd conceded seven in a home game. Perhaps unfair to list this game - after all we were bloody good for 43 minutes and this was the free scoring Bayern team that would go on to score 8 against Barcelona. Still, you lose 7-2 at home and you're gonna be the subject of a few memes.
Spurs 3-3 West Ham October 2020 - Premier League
The only non-defeat listed here. We broke all league records by surrendering a 3-goal lead after 83 minutes! This makes the list principally because of the opposition.
Dishonourable mentions also for the 1-0 League Cup defeat at Grimsby (Sept 2005), losing 3-2 at second division Leicetser in the 2006 Fa Cup 3rd round having been 2-0 up and cruising and the 1-6 home defeat to Chelsea in Christian Gross' first home game. Oh and losing 2-5 at Woolwich in successive seasons.
Late Edit - I've narrowly decided against adding the Portsmouth SF in 2010 to the list. Like the Blackburn Final I'd never felt more certain of winning so there was a certain amount of hubris amongst us that is always a good ingredient for a subsequent humiliation but I've omitted it (mostly because I originally forget it) on the grounds that the terrible pitch surface was beyond our control and Crouch had a perfectly legitimate goal ruled out...and then we beat Woolwich and Chelsea within 6 days.
Have no doubt last night's collapse that seemed inevitable the moment Zagreb scored their first goal was a humiliation. I have the luxury of being able to work from home and I stay off Social Media but even on my lunchtime walk around The Lea Valley Park today I was paranoid that other pedestrians may have known I was a Spurs fan and been pointing at me laughing.
Let's not forget that every club has to deal with its share of humiliations - we've even been the ones to dish them out - think 6-1 at Old Trafford, pegging back the Goons to 4-4 after an incredible display of hubris even by their standards.
The post mortem that has followed the defeat in Zagreb is about more than just a defeat on the night; it is the nadir of what has been largely a rotten two and a half years; it's the wholly unexpected early departure from a competition that only 24 hours ago we were considered as tournament favourites; it was a realistic route to 'glory' through the tangible means of a trophy. It was perhaps a lifeline for Jose Mourinho's diminishing reputation.
To lose 3-0 was a statistical achievement in itself - in over 200 games since the start of the 2017/18 season we have only lost by three goals on 5 occasions (twice at Emirates Marketing Project, against Bayern and Leipzig and then the infamous defeat at Brighton in 2019). It felt, in retrospect like one of those nights that Spurs would find a way to be humiliated - had the first leg finished 4-0 I have a feeling we'd have managed to lose 5-0 last night.
But where will tis rank amongst other humiliations? Using the criteria I've shortlisted seven other games and you can vote for which resonates most with you.
Notts County 3-0 Spurs (October 1994) we swaggered into this game with Klinsmann, Teddy et al against a team bottom of the second tier. At this point the league cup was our only route to a trophy that season. 2-0 down in 20 minutes and then Dumitrescu sent off before half time. The result ultimately cost Ossie Ardiles his job.
Spurs 3-5 Man Utd Sept 2001 - Premiership
3-0 up at half time in one of the best Spurs 45 minute performances. This was the birth of the 'Lads it's Tottenham' meme. Well at least we'd learned our lesson and couldn't possibly lose a 3-0 half-time lead against a team from Manchester again....
Blackburn 2-1 Spurs Feb 2002 - League Cup Final
Having beaten Chelsea in a highly emotional semi-final surely they'll just give us the trophy and the Hoddle era will blast off into the stratosphere right? We'll be able to overcome a team with 37 year old Mark Hughes in midfield right? Chelsea fans wont sing "5-1 and you won fudge all" whilst going on to beat us 4-0 twice in 4 days within 3 weeks of the final right?
Spurs 3-4 Emirates Marketing Project Feb 2004 FA Cup 4th Round Replay
Well at least this wasn't the same as that United game 3 years earlier...no City were mediocre at best and were reduced to 10 men at half time already 3 goals behind. Remember the name Jon Macken?
Saudi Sportswashing Machine 5-1 Spurs Final Day of the 2015/16 season
I still maintain that had any team other than Woolwich leapfrogged us into second place this result would have been far more palatable. It is the combination of losing against an already relegated team; the size of the score, the fact that they had 10 men for the final 30 minutes of the game with the score just 1-2; giving Woolwich an unexpected St Totteringham's Day; that it was just after the emotionally charged Battle of the Bridge and that goody goody Leicester had become the darlings of the nation at our expense.
Spurs 2-7 (seven) Bayern Munich October 2019 Champions League
First time we'd conceded seven in a home game. Perhaps unfair to list this game - after all we were bloody good for 43 minutes and this was the free scoring Bayern team that would go on to score 8 against Barcelona. Still, you lose 7-2 at home and you're gonna be the subject of a few memes.
Spurs 3-3 West Ham October 2020 - Premier League
The only non-defeat listed here. We broke all league records by surrendering a 3-goal lead after 83 minutes! This makes the list principally because of the opposition.
Dishonourable mentions also for the 1-0 League Cup defeat at Grimsby (Sept 2005), losing 3-2 at second division Leicetser in the 2006 Fa Cup 3rd round having been 2-0 up and cruising and the 1-6 home defeat to Chelsea in Christian Gross' first home game. Oh and losing 2-5 at Woolwich in successive seasons.
Late Edit - I've narrowly decided against adding the Portsmouth SF in 2010 to the list. Like the Blackburn Final I'd never felt more certain of winning so there was a certain amount of hubris amongst us that is always a good ingredient for a subsequent humiliation but I've omitted it (mostly because I originally forget it) on the grounds that the terrible pitch surface was beyond our control and Crouch had a perfectly legitimate goal ruled out...and then we beat Woolwich and Chelsea within 6 days.
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