Tottenham stadium delays point to a long winter of discontent as belief fades

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Tony Evans30 October 2018

Belief counts for a lot in football. A sense of purpose needs to run through a club on and off the pitch. At Wembley on Monday, faith was in short supply for Tottenham and their fans.

The 1-0 defeat by Manchester City felt like a turning point for Spurs. They are playing in a stadium that gets farther from home with every fixture. The pitch was not worthy of Premier League football. The fans were lukewarm on a frigid night. Mauricio Pochettino’s team were nowhere near their best. No wonder.

The entire experience felt like a betrayal of the manager, the squad and the supporters. The surface, worn out by three American football games and a big-time boxing card, was horrible. The worst areas were on the wings near the halfway line. Herds of NFL players have stalked these sidelines in recent weeks. For them, it was outside the boundaries of their game.

On the wider pitches of the Premier League, it meant the action areas were churned up in a manner not conducive to quick passing, strong running or any form of entertainment. Erik Lamela missed a late chance to equalise when the ball bobbled on a divot.

Wembley is not to blame for this fiasco. Tottenham’s failure to complete their new ground on schedule compromised the national stadium as much as Spurs.

City, by their standards, were ordinary but were still too good for Tottenham. Spurs were heavy-legged and got little inspiration from the stands. Wembley has never been a home ground. At best, it felt neutral. Increasingly, it feels like an away fixture.

Spurs fans are not to blame. They embraced what was supposed to be a single season away from N17 with gusto. They were prepared to pay higher prices for season tickets in the new ground because they believed Daniel Levy was leading the club in the right direction. Now they feel like fools.

For a match between two of Europe’s top clubs, the atmosphere was pathetic. The almost-empty top tier sucked the life and sound from the crowd, despite Spurs fans doing their best to lift the team.

It will get worse. Perhaps Levy reckoned that people would still come out of misguided loyalty. Last night was a wake-up call. An attendance of more than 56,000 can be construed as healthy but, against City in a match that could have a huge impact on the title race, the turnout was disappointing.

The longer the Wembley exile continues, the more fans will be alienated. Southampton’s visit in early December promises to be grim.

In Pictures | Tottenham vs Manchester City | 29/10/2018

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The team were as flat as the crowd. But what they miss most is a home, a place they were promised, a stadium that would kickstart a new era. The inability to deliver is holding Spurs back. Belief is fading as temperatures drop. The heat is going out of their challenge. It could be a long, long winter.

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