Danny Rose and a mental battle

For nearly a decade, connotations of Danny Rose have evolved, gone full circle, been to Hell and back, very nearly to Hull and back.

On his professional debut, he was a traitor to Leeds United, the club where he developed as an adolescent. After his Premier League debut, he was a Tottenham hero. Then he was the scapegoated left-back, before eventually becoming the best left-back. By August 2017, he had seemingly thrown away all his hard work at Spurs out of frustration. For once, a quiet Danny Rose season followed, and by the end of it, there was not a definitive or popular opinion that came to mind upon thinking about him. 

As a young journalist, I’ve been privileged enough to be able to interview Rose. I was told by those more experienced in this trade that he gives candid responses, stuff from the heart, he doesn’t like being held back and will say what he wants to say. “People trying to put stuff in the media is not welcomed,” he said when questioned on his relationship with manager Mauricio Pochettino. Where most players will talk about three-point importance and the right result, Rose would talk about his game, his relationships, and the wider spectrum of football. Not philosophical per se, but insightful nonetheless. Recently, the rest of the world has begun to understand that too.

Let’s not pretend that the stigma regarding depression and mental health issues have been wiped out. The progress is evident, but there’s still a long way to go. There are still instances of the general public putting sportspeople and celebrities on a pedestal when it comes to mental health. All reason is tossed out the window in favour of the limp, lazy and frankly absurd “they’re rich” argument. It’s a quick get-out for people who think that an extra few zeroes on the end of their bank balance will make everything okay. If that’s the case, then footballers should display absolutely no emotion whatsoever. Screw being sad when you lose a match, you’re still the star in an above-reasonably-priced car.

Rose initially came back into the headlines when he revealed he had been battling depression. For a player under the stiff microscope of the media to come out and talk about his mental health, while also admitting that this would be the way his parents found out, this took an unprecedented level of courage. Pochettino is obsessed with “being brave” on the pitch; his left-back has shown the greatest sign of it off it. More than leaving home as a teenager to fight for your career, more than taking on a volley from 30 yards in a North London Derby, more than playing in front of a Wembley crowd every other week.

And so to why Rose is back in the headlines today.

In an interview, Rose talked about how being a footballer is “the best job in the world”, but that there are issues within the lifestyle that means he would not necessarily recommend it to children. He added that his agent warned him as a teenager about the mental strength needed to succeed, and that he’s now certainly realising that truth.

There appears to be some sort of outrage, once again, that a man who has a lot of money is not necessarily happy, that someone has taken a certain on the path to find happiness in life and has not been totally satisfied. The only judge of this outlook can be the person who has travelled down that road. Is Danny Rose going to turn up at your door every time you moan about an annoyance in your life telling you to be grateful because it is still better than that of a starving child’s?

It’s easier to believe the financially wealthy man over whether his fortune has helped him mentally than people shouting inane garbage about getting kicked in the privates for the wage of a footballer.

It’s a sad circle of mental health. When a high-profile figure commits suicide, the tributes are far and wide, tweets are circulated about how important it is to talk to one-another, that everyone should pull together to try and make sure mental health is taken seriously. Soon after, people are joking about “how they want to die” in meme format and that people should “man up” when faced with mental health issues.

So which is it?

Without trying to sound like an irritating cheerleader, I believe the aim in life is find happiness. If Rose has taken the path as a footballer, become rich from doing so, but believes that hasn’t been the best path, then he’s entitled to tell people about that.

He has opened a dialogue twice within a month that sadly still needs addressing, and it has taken strength and courage to talk openly about it. Mental health and wellbeing does not discriminate against wealth and affluence, but there remains the common misconception that it does. In the grand scheme of things, no one living above the poverty line should be sad or depressed then.

Whether it is for the footballing narrative, his ability, or as a spearhead for social conversation, this sport needs people like Danny Rose.

No place like home: An investigation into the effectiveness of new football stadiums

For my dissertation, I did a special investigation into the effectiveness of new football stadiums.

I’ll be the first to admit that it isn’t perfect. I had grander plans for the project, and it’s something that I’ll definitely come back to in the future. My ultimate goal is to make a global stadium index, and I’d like to start on that as soon as possible.

Until then, my full special investigation can be viewed below. Inside are three features looking at fan and journalistic perceptions of their respective clubs moving stadium – namely Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, and Bayern Munich. I then analyse how to what extent does moving stadium impact the success of football clubs in the long-term. I personally think it’s not much when compared to the likes of Swiss Ramble, but I worked with what scarce data was available.

I hope you enjoy and if you do read it feel free to tell me what you think.

sean walsh spin

Tottenham, Pochettino, and inescapable emotion

An FA Cup “would not change the lives” of Tottenham. That’s the message that’s come from Mauricio Pochettino since he joined Spurs in 2014, repeatedly quizzed on the matter whenever cup weekend rolled around. The Argentine did not disrespect it as such, but he continually made it clear that his priorities lied elsewhere, namely in the Premier League and Champions League.

Pochettino’s demeanour during Tottenham’s 2-1 semi-final defeat to Manchester United was not that of a man who felt blasé about domestic silverware. When Dele Alli poked his side in front early on, Pochettino was ecstatic, beaming, sincere – you couldn’t fabricate the feeling, eyes deep and smile ferociously taking over.

As time was running out for his lilywhites to find an equaliser, Pochettino was restless and anxious, strutting to-and-from his seat as he realised there was little more he could do to turn the tide. Tottenham were dumped out of their eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final, but you wouldn’t have known this was a competition that their manager had been belittling for nearly half a decade.

Pochettino looks on (source: Daily Express)

Sure, no one likes losing, and when pressed for future answers about opinions on the cups Pochettino will probably point to that for his reactions on Saturday. His post-match quotes were more candid than the usual PR copy-and-paste job about learning and experiencing, though. Talk of his future was put forward, not by journalists, but of his own accord.

“We are building a very good team, about trying to create the winning mentality, but it is still at the moment not enough.

“But I think Tottenham need to keep going in this direction. To create that winning mentality is not about a few years. Tottenham need more time, of course with me or another.”

The words Spurs fans dreaded ever passing Pochettino’s lips. ‘Or another’. He stopped using the pronoun ‘we’ and referred to the club by name. It simply doesn’t compute. The modern Tottenham Hotspur doesn’t exist without Pochettino at the helm.

It is likely that this quote was one of the throw-away variety than of the definitive one. Everyone associated with the club was reeling by half-seven that day. It would have been concerning if Pochettino genuinely didn’t care about the outcome as much as he made out he would pre-game.

But this isn’t just about one man.

Source: Reuters

Players and managers come and go but the fan is the constant; those paid to represent Spurs are merely curators until the next employee comes along. They can move on, they can achieve their goals elsewhere, but the supporter has to live with every action and reaction of these custodians, and sometimes you wonder whether they realise that they have such power. These scars don’t heal, these colours don’t run.

At 2-1 down, only a handful, if even that, of players showed that they really wanted to win the cup. Some flaked, others backed away, few wanted to take the game on themselves. Success for themselves should have been enough motivation to do a little more, but you can understand why they wouldn’t think it matters that much when their manager constantly reaffirms these beliefs.

Any sign of a plan petered away as soon as Ander Herrera put United ahead, and it quickly became the same-old-story for Tottenham when having to face adversity. They didn’t ‘bottle it’ as such, but they couldn’t find an answer, and the momentum that was with them an hour earlier was working against them. In the context of the match, tactical failures and mental blocks were why Spurs didn’t win, but you can’t ignore the bigger picture, too.

As admirable as it is that the Premier League and Champions League are where his heart lies, Pochettino can’t go on ignoring the history of the club and the feelings of his fans. This isn’t a Real Madrid or a Bayern Munich; Tottenham are not in a position to dismiss the domestic cups as a footnote in history, having won just two in the last twenty years themselves. His lust-less enthusiasm in the run-ins to these late-round fixtures does not ease the suffering, but only enhances it. Pochettino did not lose all eight of those FA Cup semi-finals, he was not around when Chelsea snatched the fourth Champions League off Spurs in 2012, he was still a player when ‘Lasagne-gate’ occurred. That doesn’t mean that they didn’t happen. Memories of those days remain painful and don’t just fade away, and while many are immensely grateful for the work Pochettino has put into making Spurs more of a force in the league and on the continent, physical success wouldn’t go amiss.

Pochettino has changed the culture at Tottenham like no other manager since the great Bill Nicholson. Regardless of the trophy haul come the end of his reign, he is the man you will tell your children and grandchildren about. The connection between the players, coaching staff and fans has never been so tangible. Spurs were not long ago laughing stocks for being a million miles off the pace, the not-even-nearly men, but there’s very little left to those sentiments. Spurs haven’t quite shaken off the shackles of shame yet, and this semi-final defeat was perhaps the first time in the Pochettino era that they’d taken a step backwards. It is sometimes said that you don’t win or lose but instead you win or learn – Tottenham definitively lost on Saturday.

At this stage, Pochettino’s attitude towards trophies has almost reached a Schrödinger’s cat– he is both overjoyed and unmoved by a cup win until he wins a cup.

Maybe Saturday was a turning point. Maybe a man as emotive as Pochettino now can empathise with the people who worship the ground he peers over, let alone walks on. Their desires may now be his desires, and the bond could be reaching its strongest point yet.

All we can do as fans is reach a new day, live in hope, gather ourselves and hope we can go again. We are essentially, however, helpless in what happens on the pitch. Our hearts are in their hands, and we have to trust them because we have no other choice.

Source: Squawka

Are Tottenham selling ‘White Hart Lane’ back to the people who made it?

For a little over half a century, when ticker tape and terraces were a common theme at football stadia, Archibald Leitch’s blueprints for an iconic structure on the east side of Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane, his 1899 creation, stood tall. In the late 1980s, it was replaced by a more modest establishment, but one recognisable by the two pillars blighting the sightlines. Leitch’s idiosyncratic design earned the East Stand an apt nickname – ‘The Shelf’.

Adjacent to the South Stand, the Shelf was considered one of the most atmospheric parts of the stadium. Even when seating was installed, the lower tier would still stand, ignoring the club’s meek threats.

The Shelf’s most iconic form (Credit: The Telegraph)

THE NEW SHELF

The East Stand was an invention by Leitch, but the Shelf was an invention by the fans. Now though, the Club is trying to pry the Shelf back from grasp of its supporters.

Spurs recently unveiled plans for a bar in the East Stand of the club’s under-construction 62,000-seater stadium, and christened it ‘The Shelf’. It will be built using bricks plucked from the old East Stand, and the aesthetic will be reminiscent of the Shelf’s architecture.

It may seem like the club are engaging with the fans in recognising the old jargon but the club is merely selling a fan-made concept back to the fans.

Ticket prices in the new East Stand will match those of the West Stand, which was the most corporate section of White Hart Lane, and the atmosphere could suffer if the Shelf’s former regulars are priced out of a return.

It may be unfair to bracket richer match-goers as less likely to contribute to the atmosphere, but there is enough evidence to back this point up, with the Emirates Stadium the best example. By replicating the aspects of the West Stand, the East loses what made it special, and could damage the atmosphere on match-day.

The Shelf Bar (Credit: Tottenham Hotspur)

THE 1882 PROBLEM

This possible loss could be offset by the single-tier stand replacing the Park Lane; 17,500 seats – ready to be converted to safe-standing upon Premier League approval – will make up the new structure, allowing those most loud and proud about Tottenham to sing and dance about them to their hearts content.

If they can afford it.

Slap bang in the centre of this “wall of noise”, designed to replicate Borussia Dortmund’s “Yellow Wall” is where you’ll find the most expensive season ticket in the stadium, priced at a whopping £2,200. The only benefit of pricing your core demographic out of a seat is a financial one, and this is an unnecessary high.

What does £2,200 get you? An experience branded by the club as ‘1882’, named after the year the club was founded. In modern times, it’s come to mean something else for the fans.

In the early 2010s, The Fighting Cock – the Spurs fanzine, website and podcast – started the ‘1882’ movement. It was aimed at bringing all corners of the club together to support the team no matter who was wearing the shirt.

The 1882 movement was tribal, it was enthralling and immersive, but that’s exactly what supporting a football club is about – having fun and showing love.

From next season, Spurs want ‘1882’ to be connoted with a premium match-day experience: A first-class option, promising complimentary refreshments, accessories and exclusive access to in-ground bars, slap bang in the middle of its antithesis.

If there was ever a perfect metaphor for fans’ disillusionment with modern football, Spurs have provided it.

GOT NO HISTORY

The problems don’t start or end with the fiscal elements, however. Since leaving the old White Hart Lane in 2017, the club have actively but quietly tried to distance themselves from the name.

White Hart Lane was intimate despite its flaws, and was atmospheric to the point of un-comfortability for the visitors. If it weren’t for Tottenham being ruddy good at football, there’d be no commercial or premium interest.

A naming rights partner for the new ground has not been announced, so one would think that the club could give it a tentative name of ‘New White Hart Lane’.

Instead, it will be called ‘Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’ if a partner isn’t found in time for kick-off. And Daniel Levy, known for being a shrewd businessman, is willing to part with a reported £11million to rename White Hart Lane Station to Tottenham Hotspur Station.

A point which has perhaps gone under the radar is that amongst the promotional images of the new stadium interiors, many of the fans are carrying shopping bags or other pieces of official merchandise and refreshments.

Credit: Tottenham Hotspur

Football is one of the last major sports with a love for tradition. Part of that tradition comes with your match-day experience – it will probably never be solely at the stadium. Other major sports, such as American football, see matters differently.

Mark Waller, the NFL’s international executive vice president, alluded to how the new stadium would be used in an interview with NBC in February 2017.

“American sports stadiums, particularly football stadiums, are built for a day out. The mentality of the English sporting fan is ‘go, watch, leave’.

“Our experience is very different. It’s ‘come for the day, a day out, and watch a fantastic sporting event.”

The NFL are, of course, planning to play two games a season at Tottenham’s new ground. Their insignia will even be carved into the outer shell of the metal structure.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME?

Wembley’s match-day experience is one of the major reasons why Spurs fans are excited to leave come May. The desolate landscape surrounding the arch isn’t fit for a club fan-base, bereft of character and warmth that charms the everyday fan. Are the club milking the rhetoric that Tottenham are going home for their own good?

The Lane – gone. The Shelf – repurposed. The good feeling about the new ground – fading away. What else could be lost by the time the big bow is cut with a giant novelty pair of scissors along Tottenham High Road?

It doesn’t stop with the new stadium.

The club have major gentrification plans for the area, and Daniel Levy was always keen on emphasising that their intentions are as much about helping Tottenham, Haringey, as about Tottenham Hotspur.

“This is a very poor area of London and we need to see regeneration here and we need to have activity,” Levy said, in the same interview with NBC.

Spurs have promised the regeneration will create more than 3,500 jobs and £166million for the local economy. But if the aim is to get the masses into the stadium for a whole day, how are local businesses benefitting?

At this point, there seems to be an unrealistic expectation from Tottenham that fans will want to spend their entire match-day at the stadium. While Spurs could be future-proofing the ground for potential routines and rituals, it’s worth noting that West Ham have been using a similar initiative since moving into the London Stadium.

So, what happens to these pubs if the club monopolises alcohol in the area on match-day? What happens to other eateries in the area that may rely on match-day income when their customers are offered a more fashionable meal? The true match-day experience comes not just from within the stadium, but it’s surrounding areas too.

You get off the tube at Seven Sisters. You head upstairs to have a look at what time the next train for White Hart Lane arrives. If it’s more than 15 minutes away, you suck it up and walk the length of Tottenham High Road. You text your mates asking which pub they’re in – The Antwerp, The Bricklayers and the Bill Nich are all strong favourites. You stay there for a couple of hours. You amble your way back towards the stadium. You might stop off at Chick King for some glorious fried poultry, and have a chat with the twins that run it. This is what Spurs fans miss, but the club are trying to ensure such routines never happen again.

The last physical remnants of White Hart Lane

FANS OR CUSTOMERS?

Loyalty is not a tangible attribute. It cannot be measured, quantified or put a price on. We can only assess it through action, through description, sometimes through pictures. Even then, there will always be difference of opinion. In football, and certainly modern football, loyalty has become a forgotten trait, gone with high shorts and black boots.

It’s widely accepted, though not always appreciated, that players head down their career paths searching for something other than to be adored by one sole set of fans. That’s fine. Players will come and go but the club will always remain, the fans will always remain. But what if the fans say ‘no more’?

When Spurs left the old White Hart Lane for the last time, fans of other clubs were wondering what the hurrah was about – Tottenham would effectively be returning to White Hart Lane. To many Spurs fans, that is the case. All that will have changed are the main facilities. The community built at that boxy little ground will still be there. Well, maybe it will.

Rose insists Poch rift talk is ‘silly’

Danny Rose gave a strong message that he’s happy with manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The left-back played 70 minutes of Tottenham’s 3-0 win over APOEL before having to be withdrawn with a facial injury which would later require stitches.

Rose appeared to be frustrated with the decision, but he insists there’s nothing to read into.

“This is getting silly now,” he said.

“The manager said it was best I came off and I didn’t want to come off. That was it.

“I’ve seen already that people are saying we exchanged words. There is no issue between me and the manager. There has never been an issue. And people trying to put stuff in the media is not welcomed.

“For the last three-and-a-half years, four years, the manager has been my biggest fan. He’s given me nothing but love and respect.

“There is no issue. There never will be an issue. People need to stop this because it’s not welcomed.”

Spurs finally know who they can get in Monday’s round of 16 draw, and there’s one team in particular that Rose doesn’t fancy.

“I wouldn’t like Bayern!” he laughed.

Rose did say Spurs are the side that others should be fearing instead.

“I’ve said, we don’t fear anybody. The manager would prefer us to have one of the top teams. He relishes those sorts of games.

“We’ve proved this season that we do turn up in these games in the group stage and we’ll be looking forward to the draw.

“It’s not easy to go to the Bernabeu and get a point, and maybe we should have won the game. It’s not easy to beat Real Madrid convincingly here.

“I hope teams look at those performances and realise Tottenham are a team to be feared. When we turn up, we can beat anybody on our night.

“Whoever is out there, we are confident we can beat anybody and we’ve proved that throughout the group stage.”

On a brighter note, Rose said he’s nearing full fitness again.

“If I got through the game today, that would have been nice. I’m playing a game a week at the minute so hopefully I will get there if I stay injury-free.

“Once I get through this Christmas period and into the New Year, I feel I’ll be 100 per cent.”