Why is the British fan changing behaviour - if you think, there is a trend?
I would agree that there is a trend, that behaviours are changing, and I think much of this can be attributed to football embracing the internet as a tool for engaging supporters. Even as recently as five years ago, I believe football clubs undervalued and underused this opportunity, but now we see clubs with active Twitter and Facebook accounts, interacting with fans through social media, as well as the rise of websites such as Footytube.com, which provides highlights to games from all around the world. The internet has nurtured a hunger for immediacy in our football coverage, to the point where stories that are "breaking" on Sky Sports are already seen as old news if you are following the right websites and/or Twitter accounts.
However, as a counter to the numerous avenues through which a fan can now interact with their club, I believe that the relationships formed are not as deep as before. A culture has emerged where many feel they must follow a team, even if only as a badge they can post on their Facebook profile, and considerations such as location and tradition are replaced by a thirst for success. A friend of mine that was once a Manchester United supporter now follows Manchester City, a switch that would have been seen as a form of betrayal by many fans only ten years or so ago, though he does not receive nearly as much criticism for this from his peers as one would think.
In summary, I think the internet, through its culture of immediacy, has created a need for instant gratification for a lot of football fans, to the point where they will even change teams in order to be associated with something successful.
How is the situation around Tottenham Hotspur?
Is the vocal support still as supportive as ever at White Hart Lane, or do new formations demand changes (the situation around the new stadium for example)?
At Tottenham, we are enjoying a period of success we have not seen in my lifetime, and not since the early 1980s. There is a great pride in the supporters at the moment at the way in which we have achieved this, without spending to the same extent as clubs like Man City and Chelsea, and in the style of football being played. As a group of fans renowned for our pessimism when it comes to our club, the mood is unusually buoyant, and rightly so. Though that doesn't mean we aren't worrying about Harry Redknapp's possible departure for the England job!
That said, I have noticed a different atmosphere at some of the games at White Hart Lane, recently. The crowd is as vocal as ever in the big games, against the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, but against the supposedly "smaller" teams, the recent games against Wolves and Wigan in particular, the mood has changed slightly towards one of expected success, and when this is not seen immediately, you can sense large pockets of the ground becoming disgruntled. It can be heard in the moans and groans at misplaced passes, and, in these frustrating matches, an impatience with the possession based style of football, with many calling for players to "get it in the box" and "stop playing it backwards".
The worst way I have seen this mood manifest itself was in a game last season where Tottenham fans booed their own player, Wilson Palacios, after a string of poor performances and bad start to this game in particular. Though quickly drowned out by others singing his name, trying to put the "support" back in "supporters", it was noted by many at the time and, in my opinion, can be seen as the inevitable outcome of the culture of immediate gratification I wrote about earlier. In demanding absolute success from a player immediately, those fans had lost their ability to be patient with Palacios, a player who had been through much in his personal life, in the kidnap and murder of his brother in his native Honduras, and who had also been in and out of the team at this time, and has since been sold to Stoke City. This behaviour was startling to see from our fans, but these fans are a minority, albeit a vocal one, and most of the Tottenham fans I talk to, and see on forums and blogs, do not share this view of the team. This is reflected in the continued strong away support that the team receives, with the fans that are making the trip being the more seasoned, loyal core of the fans.
Is English football in your view being drowned in its own success - and where did the supporters go?
Two years ago I think a case could definitely be made for this, with the "big four" teams of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United having a monopoly on the Champions League places and the title alternating between them. English football felt stagnant, with the same teams and same characters dominating year in year out, and I think there was something of a boredom factor for some fans, and for teams on the outside attempts to break in felt futile. Tottenham and Manchester City have changed this over the last couple of seasons, each achieving a top four finish and now each sitting in a position in the top three of the table this year.
Much of this is due to the successes of Spurs and City, but the demise of Liverpool, and this year Chelsea and Arsenal, also plays a part. In Chelsea's case, I think they were certainly a case of a team being drowned in their success. The success under Jose Mourinho has seemed to have gone to Roman Abramovich's head, especially in the case of the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti, where league and cup success in his first season was not enough to earn the patience of the owner after an underwhelming campaign in his second.
With Arsenal, Liverpool and United, the issues seem to be of a more financial nature. Liverpool stagnated as they struggled with debts before their recent take over, as United still do with their debts, though their demise has not been felt quite as much as with the other clubs. These debts were accrued in chasing success, so a case can be made that it is somewhat responsible for their downfall.
The poor performance of English teams in the Champions League this season also reflects this, to an extent. Though I think it would take more than one bad year in the competition to be able to really recognise a trend.
How can the game and the supporters be reunited on the stadiums (so it's not just Chinese tourists going to football at Old Trafford, Anfield and The Emirates...)? Will the German example be the way to 'take football back to the roots' in Premier League?
The issue surrounding this question is complex. Many blame rising ticket prices, and rightly so, but I don't think these prices are going to come down any time soon, particularly with the advent of the Financial Fair Play regulations. Clubs don't seem to be too worried about the lack of atmosphere as long as these tickets are being bought, which is a shame.
That said, I know that clubs have been making enquiries into bringing back "safe standing" at games in order to resurrect the atmosphere. Strides have been made in this department in Scotland, though I think Aston Villa are the only major English club to have made such enquiries so far.
What happened to organised fangroups in England - are there still organised singing, tifos, etc at most stadiums?
Once again, I think that these groups are another casualty of the rising cost of attending games. Many members of such groups are priced out of attending and so the effect is diminished. That said, a popular Tottenham fans' podcast, called The Fighting Cock, recently organised a group that they are calling the Tottenham Ultras to attend last week's FA Youth Cup tie against Charlton Athletic, bringing around 200 fans with them to the game and singing throughout, in an attempt to rekindle that kind of atmosphere. More information on that can be found on their website, thefightingcock.co.uk.
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