A study analysing more than 7 million comments and 120,000 posts on Reddit has found that Tottenham Hotspur fans have the second most ‘whiny’ fans, surpassed only by devotees of Aston Villa.
The report by Pinnacle examined the percentage of comments with negative, neutral, and positive sentiments.
Nearly one in five (19.9%) of comments by Tottenham fans were negative. Over a third (38.3%) were positive, however, and the vast majority were neutral (41.9%).
Lifelong Tottenham fan Fergus believes the cause of the fans’ so-called whininess stems from their relationship with the owners.
One man in particular is the target of Tottenham fans’ ire.
“There’s been a lot of anger towards the chairman, Daniel Levy, for not putting his hands in his pockets to spend some money on the squad”, Fergus observed.
Many fans were angered by the lack of spending in the transfer window following Tottenham’s success in the 2015-18 seasons.
He acknowledged that spending has risen since, though, with recent signings including Dominic Solanke for £65 million, Morgan Gibbs-White for £60 million and Muhammed Kudus for £54.5 million.
But for Fergus, it is “too little too late” because “that relationship with Spurs fans [and the manager] has been damaged so much”.
Since then, Tottenham Hotspur spiralled into a reputation for near misses.
“We always seem to be the butt of the joke” said Fergus, citing the use of the slang term “spursy”, an adjective for a team that fails to live up to expectations and crumbles close to victory.
He also admitted that unhappiness amongst fans may have been “somewhat influenced” by their dismal Premier League showing this season.
“Obviously, we lost something like 22 games – I try to forget”, Fergus joked.
His disappointment is real, however, and he feels that for a club with a history like Spurs, finishing in 17th place so close to relegation is “unacceptable”.
There is light amidst the clouds, however, as Tottenham took home its first trophy in 17 years.
The UEFA Europa League Cup win “meant everything to the fans”, said Fergus, and he felt the team and manager were owed a “massive bit of forgiveness”.
And, for Tottenham super fan Fergus, he is certain that any Tottenham fan would take coming 17th in the Premier League with a trophy over landing 6th domestically but coming home empty-handed.
Ultimately, Fergus feels that complaining “fractures the relationship” with the manager and creates a “toxicity” which “no one likes” around the football club.
He continued: “Fans just need to get behind the team a little bit more, because at the end of the day, that is their role. They are there to support and they are there to help out and be that 12th man.”
Pundits point out mistakes for players to improve, but fans need to support them.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and Tottenham Hotspur Fan Advisory Board have been contacted for comment.
Featured image credit: Dave Anteh on Flickr
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