I am not an avid football fan. That is not to say I do not enjoy a good game on the box. However I have only attended half a dozen games in my life so my interest is not enough to stand for two hours getting frostbite in the toes and fingers. My son on he other hand is a Spurs fan if not fanatic. When he was reading Medicine at Guys Hospital he joined St Johns Ambulance Service and got to see shows and matches in London as a First Aider.

A couple of weeks ago he informed me that he had bought two tickets for the Manchester United vs. Tottenham game at White Hart Lane. Some father son bonding I failed to give when he was younger he suggested! I was pleased to say yes and watch the ‘best team’ in the Country and that unfortunately was not Tottenham. Whilst I have to show some allegiance to my son’s team I was not expecting Spurs to win!

We got to the ground about two hours early but found the local Irish watering hole for half a pint. From the kick off I was surprised to see Tottenham having the majority of the possession and looking the most likely to take the lead. In fact Man U looked rather dull and appeared to need to commit a number of desperate if not cynical challenges to stay in the game. Particularly I was surprised to see Scholes hacking everyone in sight. I thought he was more talented than this performance demonstrated. I was also disturbed to see Manchester players gathering round the referee or a linesman at every stop in the game to argue or protest whether a decision was for or against their team. It was obvious but I thought it to be gamesmanship. It was not until later I realised the true reason for it. This constant threatening behaviour to the referee was to have an adverse effect on his ability to make a proper judgement and unbiased decision later. So up to just before half time it was a good evenly balanced game with, it anything, a points verdict to Spurs.

And then that all changed. Ronaldo who had been well tackled a number of times and who had been forced to pass rather than tackle made a breakthrough between the two Spurs defenders just into the penalty area to simply throw himself to the ground. The pressure on the referee now came into play. He appeared to take no time to make a decision on what he had seen. His reaction in pointing to the spot appeared an involuntary reflex reaction with no higher brain function.

When the ball went into the net the game lay dying before me and dead when Scholes, who had already been yellow carded, committed yet another cynical offence which the referee was too scared to give a second.

So what do I now think of football? I will not be going to another game nor will I take my grandson in the future. This was not a football match but a winning at any price cheat. In the second half, as expected Manchester did deserve to win. But by then I had lost interest; I was no longer there. The only thing I remember is the haemorrhage of Tottenham supporters leaving the ground before the final whistle presumably as sickened by what they had seen as me.

The Bagel.

However I have heard a rumour that the club may be changing its loyalty points scheme following pressure from the spurs independent supporters club… which may mean next year we’re all be off to the new library.

The Bagel.

surprisingly, I did not win

I think the points are there for the taking…