An American travels to Goodison Park to watch his beloved Spurs

In recent weeks I have written about trips to The Hive, Vicarage Road, Griffin Park and Allianz Park to write about experiences that are foreign to me as an American living in England. All of these experiences were extremely memorable and unique and created memories that I will keep with me for a long time. My final soccer experience of the year was something I have started to become very familiar with over the course of this year, the ritual of following my favorite team away from home. A trip to Goodison Park with Tottenham’s fantastic away support was too good of an opportunity to pass up and I was on my way to Merseyside for a memorable weekend in Liverpool.

This was my fifth away day with Tottenham, and most of them had ended with an extremely disappointing result on the pitch as Tottenham lost and failed to score in three out of my previous four away days. A 3-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a 2-0 loss to Fiorentina in Florence that sent Spurs out of Europe and a 3-0 loss at Old Trafford left a bitter taste in my mouth and was only mitigated by amazing away support that continued going strong until the final whistle. My only successful away day to this point had been a 2-1 win at Loftus Road over Queen’s Park Rangers with Harry Kane (who else) scoring both. Failure to score in three of four matches meant I had not really felt the real adrenaline rush of an away end and hoped that this trip to Merseyside would change that. Despite the fact that the game meant next to nothing besides bragging rights I was still really excited for this trip.

Because I am from America and this is the first time I have spent an extended period of time in England, I combine my away days with Tottenham with sightseeing in other cities in England and Europe. I had done this previously with Florence (and later Venice that same weekend) and Manchester. Unfortunately, the only mode of transport that made the opportunity to sightsee viable was an overnight bus that left London at midnight and arrived in Liverpool via Manchester at 5am. Not exactly ideal travel plans but I tried to make the most of it. Liverpool is an extremely lovely city with a beautiful waterfront. I spent most of the morning at the Beatles Story on Albert Dock learning everything about one of the greatest music groups in history and going inside the stunning Liverpool Cathedral. As a result, almost the entire day had a Beatles theme to it as I constantly had Beatles music stuck in my head. Given that most of their songs are about love and this was my final away day with the team I love, it provided a pretty fitting soundtrack to a memorable away day.

After a long walk from the city center to the Stanley Park area of Liverpool, I made a short detour from the throngs headed to Goodison Park and headed instead towards Anfield. As it’s unlikely I’ll be able to visit Liverpool again any time soon, this was my only chance to see Anfield up close and personal. As I took the fork towards Anfield instead of Goodison, I was met with some quizzical looks from some Everton supporters (I was wearing away colors). At the famous Shankly gates I saw a fellow Tottenham supporter with his young son with the same idea so at least I wasn’t the only one who had this idea. After that, it was time to walk across Stanley Park from Anfield to Goodison Park. As I had previously read about how close the two grounds were, I decided to time the duration of the walk. The answer? Nine minutes. That two iconic sporting franchises are located just a nine minute walk away is something that would be unheard of in the United States with all the petty disputes over territorial infringements whenever a second team is proposed to move into a major city. That both teams still manage to sell out every single game despite their insane proximity is a real testament to how significant the sport of soccer is in this part of the United Kingdom.

Goodison Park is very old and a little decrepit, which contributes to its unique atmosphere. Goodison Park is the only ground that I have been to in England where the visiting supporters are placed entirely on the side of the pitch in the Bullens Road Stand. The back of the Bullens Road stand Lower Tier has many supporting pillars that hinder the views of the fans and the overhang of the upper tier makes the view even worse. The stand opposite the away supporters at Goodison is three tiered and massive, while on the opposite corner of the pitch from the visiting supporters is a church that is clearly visible. Given that football is almost like a religion on Merseyside, this is quite fitting. The concourses are extremely packed and it was very hard to move about before the match. I went to my restricted view seat (as I did not earn enough loyalty points with Spurs to receive a clear view ticket) and could not see the goal immediately in front of me because of a pillar so I decided to move and see if I could stand somewhere else. Fortunately, because everyone stands in the away end I was able to do this without too much difficulty. I also got the impression that Everton are a very family oriented club just given the sheer number of birthday wishes read out pre-match and the handwritten messages from the players thanking the fans for their support that flashed across the video board. Goodison has a similar charm to Fenway Park in Boston, a throwback to a different era when stadiums were constructed for much smaller people and with different priorities in mind. The lack of amenities and comfort is more than made up for by the uniqueness of it all.

During the warm-ups, the fans were given one last chance to show their appreciation for the departing American goalkeeper Brad Friedel as he came over to pose for photos during breaks from warming up starting goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. He also gave his goalkeeper’s gloves to a very young Tottenham fan in the front row, which was a very sweet gesture. Seeing Brad in goalkeeper gear for the final was particularly emotional for me. One of my first memories of watching soccer was the 2002 World Cup. I was only six years old at the time but I still remember his incredible efforts against Germany in the quarterfinal. Thanks Brad for everything you created for US Soccer and for opening doors for other Americans to play in England.

I was very worried before this match that the fans would not be up for it because the team did not have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League. Last weekend’s home finale against Hull City was a very lackluster effort from fans and players alike and the lack of fans who stuck around for the traditional lap of honor after the match reflected that. Fortunately, my fears were not to be founded as the Tottenham fans really brought the energy to their final away day of the season. As the player’s walked out to the pitch to Everton’s theme tune of “Z-Cars” (coincidentally the same song that Watford walk out to), the travelling support broke into a loud chorus of “Everywhere we go, it’s the Tottenham boys making all the noise” that was so loud that I could not hear Z-Cars over the PA system. I should also point out that the PA announcer read Harry Kane’s name as “Harry Keane” when announcing the pre-match lineups, which is quite embarrassing given that he has probably been the most talked about player in England this season but I won’t hold Everton accountable for that.

The noise from the Tottenham fans continued after kick-off. The first 30 minutes was non-stop singing. Because it was the final away match of the season, the fans used the opportunity to sing almost every Tottenham song that could come to their mind. This was really amazing for quite a while as full renditions of “Oh When the Spurs” were sung as well as some of my favorites that I hadn’t heard for quite a while like “Oh Ledley, Ledley; he’s only got one knee; he’s better than John Terry,” the Nicola Berti song, “Hello, Hello we are the Tottenham boys,” “We are Tottenham, Super Tottenham” and “it’s a grand old team to play for.” Unfortunately, as the good chants started to peter out some nastier ones came out of the woodwork like a very inappropriate one directed at Sol Campbell as well as a song directed at Everton fans to the tune of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” that went “You’ll Never Get a Job.” Given that You’ll Never Walk Alone is Liverpool’s song and there is no particular venom between Tottenham and Everton (in fact the two teams are actually very similar) I found this to be in poor taste, but relations between soccer supporters from London and Liverpool are somewhat strained so these songs do come out of the woodwork (most notably when Chelsea play Liverpool).

The Everton fans were not really up for this match in the first half, which was understandable given that their team had even less to play for than Tottenham. As a result, the typical away fan chants directed at indifferent home support were aired during the opening exchanges, which was often met with sarcastic waves from the Everton fans that were immediately adjacent to us. When Erik Lamela got the ball past Tim Howard around the 15th minute but Howard was able to retrieve the ball before it crossed the line, the Tottenham fans started to celebrate as if they had scored. When it was apparent that they hadn’t, the adjacent Everton fans derided us with the classic jeers that typically accompany such moments. As it was the first real noise that they had made, the Tottenham fans replied with a chant of “We forgot that you were here” and later on in the match “where’s your famous atmosphere!”

Despite starting Nabil Bentaleb at left-back, Tottenham played very well in the first half and went ahead through a Harry Kane header on 24 minutes. Almost immediately after the goal was scored, the Goodison Park scoreboard started showing scores from the out of town matches and when “Stoke 1-0 Liverpool” showed up the away end went wild. A Tottenham win coupled with Liverpool failing to win meant that Spurs would finish fifth. A fifth place finish would mean tangible progression from last season and as a result the fans started to get extremely excited. “We’re all going on a European Tour” to the tune of “Yellow Submarine” rang out from all corners of the away end, which was surprising given that quite a few Tottenham supporters have come out and argued that finishing outside of the Europa League places is the best option for the club long-term. True supporters don’t see it that way, however, and want to see their team win as often as possible and finish as high as possible in the table. As half-time approached the Spurs support started to wane as Everton started to get into the game and missed a couple of very good chances. When Ross Barkley shot over at one point, the Tottenham fans started chanting “you’re just a sh*t Aaron Lennon” at him. Given that Lennon was loaned out because he was frozen out of the first team at Tottenham was essentially a double insult to Barkley. Also, it seemed as though every time the out of town scoreboard was shown Stoke had continued to increase their lead against Liverpool, which was always met by some cheers by both sets of fans. By half-time I was exhausted, it was by far the most singing I had ever done at a match.

At half-time the Everton FA Youth Cup winning team of 1965 was welcomed back onto the pitch, which I found a little odd given that it was 50 years ago and those Under-18 players were now 68 but oh well. Also, the PA announcer read the out of town scoreboard for all the fans, and when he got to the bottom and read out “Stoke 5 Liverpool 0” the entire stadium roared and a couple of stewards who were guarding the away end started laughing hysterically. When the second half kicked off the home fans finally started to make some significant noise as their team dominated the first five minutes of the second half. Things eventually returned to equilibrium and the action on the pitch during the second half was very even. Moussa Dembele was substituted off very early in the second half and before leaving the pitch did a full 180 and turned around to applaud the visiting supporters, which made me wonder if that was the last time I will ever see him play in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt. At around the 68 mark, the Tottenham fans, who had been comparatively silent during the beginning of the second half, started to wake out of their slumber and the songs started to flow again. There was a fan two rows behind me who tried (and somewhat failed) to come up with new songs on the fly. The only one that reasonably caught on was “you can keep Lennon, we want Mirallas” but even that did not really get off the ground. When Mirallas, a player who has been linked with a move to Spurs, was subbed off the Tottenham fans comically started chanting “Yiddo” at him as he walked off the pitch.

The closing stages of the match were an opportunity for the fans to exhibit their amazing support one final time and they did not pass up the opportunity. Many renditions of “Oh When the Spurs” were sung as well many renditions of “Everywhere we go.” There were even times when both the upper and lower tiers sang disjointed versions of “Oh When the Spurs,” where the upper tier would be up to the fast part of the song while the lower tier would still be singing the slower part. “We’re all going on a European tour” also continued to feature prominently in the away end during the closing stages. I was having so much fun singing for my beloved Tottenham that I was hoping that the match would never end and the players would continue playing all night. The noise created was amazing, the best I have ever seen at a Tottenham away match by quite a distance, which was incredible given the indifference given to the match in the build up.

The first sign that the end was near was in the 84th minute was when Harry Kane got substituted off for Andros Townsend. This led to the singing of the chant that I heard oh so many times this season and has become almost synonymous with Tottenham Hotspur’s season, “He’s one of our own, he’s one of our own, HARRY KANE!!!! He’s one of our own.” It was a fitting way to send out a player who went from a virtual nobody in August to the face of a franchise. He scored in the first Tottenham match that I went to this season (a 2-0 League Cup win over Brighton in October), he scored in my last and he scored in so many in between. Kane was the shining light on a season that could have gone so differently if it were not for his sudden rise. That it would be the last time I would see Harry Kane in the flesh (in the near future) was sinking in. I don’t think I have ever been more excited at a sporting event than I was when he equalized against Chelsea on New Year’s Day. His equalizer at the death against West Ham, his double at Loftus Road and his hat trick against Leicester were other memorable moments that I was fortunate enough to be able to witness firsthand this season. He created so many memories for me that I will cherish for a long, long time.

Nevertheless, the match continued and Everton supporter’s were presented with an emotional moment when Sylvain Distin, who is 37 years old and leaving the club at the end of the season, was substituted on to a standing ovation from the other 37,000 people at Goodison Park. The Everton fans started filing out almost immediately after this, which prompted a chant of “Is there a fire drill?” from the travelling Tottenham supporters. When the fourth official signalled that there was only going to be three minutes of stoppage time I was initially happy that Spurs only had to defend their slender 1-0 lead for three minutes, but then I was very sad that my incredible journey of supporting Tottenham this season was approaching its end. The volume from the away end continued to increase throughout stoppage time, but unfortunately the referee had to bring the match to an end.

The scenes after the match could only be described as surreal. The fans continued to sing vociferously as the players started to make their way over to the away end. When we started singing, “we love you Tottenham we do, we love you Tottenham we do, we love you Tottenham we do! Oh Tottenham we love you!” my emotions got the better of me and I actually started crying. Most soccer chants that are sung are sung only because the tune is catchy. Tottenham are not “by far the greatest team the world has ever seen” and I do not ever condone kicking his “f*cking head in,” but when I sing, “We love you Tottenham,” I actually mean it. And as I stood on my seat in the away end at Goodison Park, I just let all my passion and emotion out for the club that I have adopted as my own. On a day where I learned all about the Beatles and listened to many of their songs that pertained to love, I was able to unite with my love, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The singing continued as the players got closer to the away end and the chants of “Yiddo” were heard and Hugo Lloris threw his goalkeepers shirt into the away end. The singing continued for at least five minutes after the match. The passion and verve displayed towards the players after finishing fifth, short of our yearly target of top four, was truly bone chilling. I can only imagine what the scenes would be like if we won a cup or finished in the top four.

And as the players left the pitch, it all came to an abrupt end and the fans slowly started to file out of Goodison Park. For me, it was the end of a journey. A journey that started with a League Cup fourth round win over Brighton and Hove Albion and ended yesterday at Goodison Park. The end of a journey that contained many highs but also many lows. Some of those highs include the 4-0 win over Newcastle in the League Cup Quarter Final, the last 30 minutes of which was a succession of “Spurs are on their Wembley” and “Que Sera Sera,” possibly my two favorite Tottenham chants. The highs also include the 5-3 win over Chelsea on New Year’s Day when it seemed that nothing could possibly go wrong and I felt like I was living in dreamland for the next three days. Another high would be the stunning comeback against fierce rivals West Ham where Harry Kane equalized at the death after initially missing his penalty as I sat immediately next to the heartbroken travelling Hammer faithful. The lows include heavy defeats at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, a home defeat against Aston Villa, a drab scoreless draw at home against Crystal Palace and the farcical pitch invasions that marred the Europa League group stage match against Partizan Belgrade. Many Spurs supporters will see this season as a disappointment after such promise mid season and will likely only remember the season for reaching a League Cup Final and for the dazzling performances put on by Harry Kane, but for me this season will always be special because I was fortunate to be able to attend so many matches and be a part of some really special atmospheres.

There is not a better feeling in all of sports than winning away from home and being able to comfortably celebrate with my own set of fans. I absolutely love the “us against the world” mentality that is a pivotal part of the away day experience. I love the experience of going to a different stadium in a different city and still being able to cheer on my team fervidly. If my team wins (which only happened twice in five attempts), it is the greatest feeling to be able to walk out of the ground with my head held up high and a huge smile on my face after singing my heart out for the team I love. An away day with your favorite team, whichever one that may be is a highly recommended experience that will turn a casual fan into a hardcore one almost instantly. The passion that supporters in away ends exhibit is contagious. For the average fan who watched on TV, this end of season match that had little had stake will probably be forgotten as soon as the new season rolls around but for me this was one of the most memorable and special days of my life. I got to see a beautiful city that I had never been to before and I got to watch my favorite team win away from home in an iconic stadium, what could be better?

Unfortunately, I will be moving back to the United States where I will start University in August so I won’t be able to follow my beloved Tottenham as closely as I could this year. Thankfully I will be attending University in Boston, where the Boston Spurs Supporters Club is very prominent and well organized so I look forward to joining them next year and hopefully creating some more special memories.

I would like to thank every single Tottenham Hotspur supporter I met at matches throughout the season. You were all amazing. It was incredible to hear recollections of matches from the 1970s like it was yesterday and how long some of the supporters have been regularly coming to White Hart Lane (some for as long as 50 years). It was amazing to be a part of some of the most passionate supporters in England, who follow their team through thick and thin, win lose or draw. Coming to these matches and talking with fellow supporters has given me a whole new perspective on what it’s like to be a sports fan, there is more to sports than winning games and championships.

I would also like to thank World Soccer Talk for publishing my articles throughout the season. Four-and-a-half years ago I wrote my first article for World Soccer Talk aged just 14. That article was titled “How I fell in love with Tottenham Hotspur,” a hastily written piece written entirely on emotion after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at White Hart Lane in December, 2010. I’ve since written seventeen pieces for World Soccer Talk and I’ve enjoyed writing every single one of them. I would also like to thank my parents for supporting me both financially and emotionally during my Gap Year and being supportive of my football adventures. If it weren’t for you I would not have been able to experience any of this. Finally, I’d like to thank anyone who has read any of my articles on World Soccer Talk, I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. And one final thing… Come on you Spurs!