COYS: Paying the Troll Toll (Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda)

Come On You, Spurs!

The very motto we bark at our team through the telly (or for the fortunate few from plastic chairs bolted to concrete palaces) exudes anxiety & adversity. To be a Spurs fan means lovingly supporting a team that delights you when they overcome the odds. AND loyally wearing the colors when they inevitable compel you to proclaim "Come on you, Spurs!"

Today's match against Man City is one we won't soon forget. However, unlike the rainy day match stolen from us by an Olympic cyclist, I do not wish to forget the display I saw today. Every player fought valiantly for the badge on their chest against a team that embarrassed them in front of their home fans only a few months earlier. Despite that mark on their pride, they bounced back from a first month in the mid-table to firm holders of third place. A position most of us considered worthy of striving towards.

As a result, my woulda, coulda, shoulda about this game isn't about:

Would Spurs have won the game if Lescott & Ballotelli were sent off?

There's no guarantee. We've shown an inability to breakdown sides who put everyone behind the ball. Furthermore, ManCity showed us against ManU that playing short on men may make them better.

Could Bale have crossed to Defoe a moment sooner?

Possibly. But he didn't and I can live with creative mistakes. The cousin Pav row Z impersonations from the first half were more of a waste than crossing a hair to late. Taking a majority of your shots from outside the box is "highlight reel" soccer. If I wanted to watch that kind of professional athletics then I'd turn on the NBA.

Should Ledley have stayed on his feet to stop Ballotelli in the closing minutes?

If there's anyone on the team who's defensive intelligence & acumen should get a pass it's Ledley King. He made his first blunder in over a year. It happens. We just forgot that he's human and he reminded us.

Instead, I ask:
Would I rather someone else captain the squad?

Hell no. The man's first loss in over a year was his own doing and he more than any of us bleeds Hotspur. The man plays for us with no cartilage in his knees. No one does that for their own good. Somewhere in the decision to lace up & play is the honor to play for the badge we pay to wear. He is not just our captain. He is Tottenham Hotspur for this generation.

Could Spurs follow this loss with another blistering run of success through the fixture list?

It's possible. And as a Spurs fan a glimmer of hope is all I look for in following the squad. We don't go into matches thinking we've got the "Devine right" to win like ManU, and that makes us a compelling team to follow & discuss.

Should members of the commentariat who respond to before mentioned anxiety & adversity with knee-jerk, emotional outburst be forced to post their picture to a wall of shame in an Arsenal jersey?

YES! You know who you are! You acted like a "Gooner "today. Now go snap a shot & pay the troll toll!

And last but not least, Come On You, SPURS!