New Journal sports editor Steve Barnett

Published: 12 November, 2015
by STEVE BARNETT

ON going to press I can exclusively reveal that I’ve had 112 messages telling me just how good Spurs are. 

That’s 112 messages that include lyrics such as “title-chasing Tottenham”, “Arsenal are pants” (or words to that effect), and “Pochettino’s powerhouses are awesome”. 

I even had one of disbelief, revealing that they’d “just seen the unimaginable… Wenger did up his jacket first time”. 

There’s even a Your Shout! in this week's paper rambling on about Tottenham being England’s future. And all because the Spuds salvaged a 1-1 draw at the Emirates on Sunday. 

When I’d finished pondering just why I had someone saved among my contacts that uses the word “awesome”, I got to thinking about how much excitement a bore draw had generated. 

After the match all I was thinking was how the so-called Super Sundays had become more sombre. Had I missed something? Is one of Cazorla’s 360 degree turns followed by a five-yard pass, or that one Danny Rose cross that actually makes it into the box really worth the extortionate fees I pay for my luxury seat at the Sofa Stadium? 

The answer is a resounding no. 

Ultimately the result is worth about as much as a Russian track and field medal because Arsenal will still go on to finish above their little brothers from down the road, and those trumpeting Tottenham fans will feel silly that their claim to fame for the season was simply not getting beat. 

In the Your Shout! Sid Jacobs has got in touch to tell us how the north London tide is turning. Thanks for writing in, Sid, it’s good to hear from you. I can only hope that more readers follow your lead and drop us a line to share their thoughts on London’s best and second-best teams (that’s what the Premier League table shows us folks). 

Unfortunately on this occasion Sid’s excitement will undoubtedly be short-lived. 

Dele Alli and Eric Dier are, indeed, forming a formidable force in the heart of Tottenham’s midfield, with every tackle that they win edging them that little bit closer to a move to Manchester United, or Real Madrid, where they will most probably be reunited with Pochettino. 

Now before any of you Spuds go getting all upset and take me up on my invitation to write in by sending me angry emails, I’m not trying to be facetious. 

I’m just stating facts. 

With a stadium redevelopment to pay for and the allure of the Europa League, keeping hold of your best players will be impossible. But don’t worry about that, because you will always have Sunday’s draw.