Tottenham Hotspur Fans Should Support During Games and Criticise Later

Much has been made of Andre Villas-Boas' criticisms of the fans of his own club, Tottenham Hostpur, after their narrow victory over Hull City on Sunday.

"Negative, anxious, tense, difficult"—just a few of the words the young manager used to describe the atmosphere they created at White Hart Lane, which he likened to an away game.

Some columnists have supported his stance, including Mick Dennis in The Daily Express and James Beeson on GiveMeSport.

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen backed Villas-Boas, too, on Sunday's Match of the Day 2 programme: "Not many people are brave enough to come out and blame the fans," Owen said. "I’ve been in many dressing rooms when the lads have said, ‘The fans weren’t very good today.' There's nothing better than having a great atmosphere."

Every team has fans whose twisted way of expressing affection for the club is through criticising rather than supporting their players, and this is particularly true of followers of clubs chasing positions at the top of the table.

Their approach to games against teams whose fans would be happy with a mid-table finish leads them to approach these matches with a certain level of expectation.  

This can cause frustration when passes start to go astray and the perceived 'smaller team' has possession or chances. Cries of anguish can ring out when an attack breaks down, let alone if an opposition goal is scored.  

Dennis suggests that Spurs fans, in particular, can be guilty of this, calling them "never happy unless they are miserable," and one could question why anyone is complaining given that the players have made the club's best ever start to a Premier League season.

But others have reacted angrily to Villas-Boas' post-match comments.

Adrian Durham, writing in The Daily Mail, called his attack a "coward's excuse" symptomatic of a man "blaming them for his own failings," and even suggested Spurs fans are actually "over-supportive of their players and managers."

This view is entirely opposed to that of Dennis, but Durham is not the only one to express it.

Season ticket prices, which start at £730, are quoted as a reason for justifiably high expectations in The Mirror, and fans craving high-scoring, high-octane games can also point to a goals-for column of just nine in nine games, the lowest of the Premier League's top-nine teams.

But these critics are misinterpreting the motivation behind Villas-Boas' comments. He went on to tell the BBC:

"

We have a wonderful set of fans but I'm pretty sure they can do better. Away from home their support has been absolutely amazing. We play with no fear, with full confidence, and that's why we've beaten all the records away from home least season.

We need to bring this atmosphere into White Hart Lane. We need them through games like this and not the negativeness that was present today.

"

This sounds less like a criticism and more like a call to arms from Villas-Boas; an appeal to the fans to help his players to get over the line, be the twelfth man and any other appropriate cliches.

He has a point, too. In big games such as the Arsenal and Manchester City matches at White Hart Lane last season, the fans could have claimed to have played their part in roaring the team on to victory.

Why can they not do the same in matches which, albeit against less illustrious opponents, are just as important when it comes to achieving the Champions League place that they crave?

It must have an effect on a player's self-belief when the groan of the odd fan is multiplied by 30,000 when his touch or pass gives away possession. And more so when it is not for the first time in a match, creating not just tension for him, but for the entire team, as they try to believe that an elusive goal will come if they keep fighting for it.

So Villas-Boas is asking for fans to bring the side their support during games. There is plenty of opportunity to express frustration at the final whistle and afterwards on forums such as this.