Football Food For Thought / Dan Fitch / 12 August 2008 /

Dan "The Betting Man" Fitch has angered the bank manager by renewing his season ticket at White Hart Lane. But he's not alone in spending most Saturdays following his team. Here's why we all do it....

There have been some interesting distractions this summer. Euro 2008, some good cricket and music festivals, have all made the pain a bit more bearable. But it's still there and it will remain so until the first game that I attend this season, when Tottenham host Sunderland on August 23rd.

I know that when I walk up those steps in the South Stand and see the pitch, I will wear a stupid grin upon my face, like a child that has just been told that Roy Wood's petitioning has finally paid off and the government have decided that it can be Christmas every day.

But why? If this season maps out like most I've witnessed, then feelings of pain and disappointment will far outrank those of sheer joy. And I'm one of the lucky ones. Tottenham were thought to have a bad season last year, yet we beat our deadliest rivals 5-1 and won the Carling Cup by beating Chelsea. There are thousands of fans out there that will spend most of this season in a state of emotional agony, interspersed with the odd moment of brief relief.

Not only do we willingly queue up to be subjected to pain, but like a Formula 1 boss, we pay through the nose for it as well. My season ticket costs around £600 (in the cheapest area of the stadium) and when you add additional tickets for cup games and the odd away excursion, the bill becomes even bigger. Then you have to add on travel costs and the medicinal alcohol that is necessary to cope with the stress of watching us play.

I'd hate to know what the total is and I'm far from being the most dedicated of fans. Some will have attended every pre-season game, will make every away trip (including those in Europe) and might even take in the odd reserve game. I also don't spend a penny in the club shop, but most fans you see are dressed head to toe in over-priced, club branded polyester.

People talk about the attendances at super clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, but how many European leagues can boast so many loyal fans spread across so many teams? Last weekend there was 33,000 at Derby to see the Rams lose to Doncaster, 24,000 at Birmingham and 23,000 at Sheffield Wednesday.

Over 23,000 people saw Leicester's game in League One, whilst another 15,000 attended Huddersfield v MK Dons. In League Two 14,000 saw Bradford take on Notts County. These people aren't turning up in their thousands to witness 'the best league in the world'. They know that the football will be crap before they turn up, but they don't care. They love it and they love their club.

I'm currently feeling very sorry for those long suffering, dedicated fans at Manchester City. Firstly, the last time they won anything coincided with the birth of punk rock and to make it worse, their near rivals have been hoovering up trophies for the best part of twenty years.

This lack of success and their neighbours' abundance of silverware, makes me almost understand the type of desperation there must have been at the club for their fans to accept the chairmanship of Thaskin Shinawatra, without much in the way of protest.

Now it seems as if there's no money for transfers, players are being sold without Mark Hughes' knowledge and rumours abound of deportation. Hughes is now just [3.25] to be the first Premier League manager to leave his post. I think he allowed his ambition to get in the way of his decision making when he took the City job. He can't really be surprised at how things have turned out, given Shinawatra's history and the way in which Eriksson was treated.

City are now [8.6] to be relegated, having been matched as high as [60.0] and this price will drop further if Hughes walks away. What have the loyal fans done to deserve this seemingly never ending story of incompetence?

Whatever happens, the fans will be there come rain or come shine (and in Manchester, it'll probably be rain). The big kick off has already started in the City boardroom. Let's hope their fans get to enjoy some of this season when things kick off on the pitch.

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