A Clash of Cultures at White Hart Lane: Tottenham vs. Aston Villa

            As an avid football fan, one of my primary goals in London was to attend as many matches as possible. Thus, when I was able to obtain tickets for the Tottenham vs. Aston Villa match, I was pretty ecstatic. Not only would I be attending a match for my favorite club (Tottenham) at their notoriously lively grounds—White Hart Lane—but it was also a match against a very competitive Aston Villa squad. 

            On Saturday, as a light drizzle fell down on the city, Billy and I headed towards White Hart Lane with plenty of time to spare. When we arrived at Wood Green Station, we took a local bus and then hopped off to walk the rest of the distance to the stadium. One of my favorite aspects of football culture is that the majority of the patrons will take the tube/walk to the football grounds. This juxtaposes American culture, where people will predominantly drive to the stadium, and park in a parking lot with 15,000 other cars. This idea seems pretty foreign here. It’s quite exciting arriving in the vicinity of the stadium and seeing all the supporters donning their colors and walking towards the stadium, brimming with excitement.

            On our way to the stadium, Billy and I decided to stop for beer at the supermarket. As we approached the grounds, we found out that we had actually committed a minor faux pas. Apparently, White Hart Lane doesn’t allow open alcohol around the stadium on match day. Neither Wembley Stadium nor The Emirates employed this rule, which I found interesting. Nonetheless, a nice policeman informed us that we might want to just take our beverages away from the stadium a little ways and “just try not to get seen.” We appreciated the help, and made our way to a sidestreet to finish before we entered the stadium. This situation also shed light on the differences I’ve noticed between policemen[women] here and in America. Thus far, I’ve had a handful of encounters with policemen who were more than friendly. At Notting Hill, one of them actually goofed around with us for a short period and allowed us to take pictures with his hat on. In the states, I feel as if this situation would rarely occur. In general, I would go as far as to say that the police forces here are not as power-hungry. Rather, they simply just want to maintain the peace.

            After picking up our tickets from will call, Billy and I made our way into the stadium and found our seats. We were seated quite close the pitch in Row 12, which was great because it allowed us to see many of the players up-close. As a mild rain fell on the field, the match started off excitingly as the teams traded scoring opportunities. Immediately, it was quite apparent to me that the atmosphere at White Hart Lane was something special. Among other great cheers, the Hotspur supporters primarily employed a chant “COME ON YOU SPURS!” Additionally, they used the popular tune “When the Saints Go Marching In” and—you guessed it—replaced the worth Saints with Spurs. The Spurs had a few good opportunities early, but were unable to capitalize. Then, to the horror of Spurs fans all around, Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey beat his defender in the corner and sent a brilliant low cross to Marc Albrighton who attacked the far post and sent the ball past the keeper Gomes. 1-nil Villa. However, the early deficit only urged the Spurs supporters to back their club even further. Tottenham supplied plenty of pressure at the end of the first half, and it paid off as 6-foot-7 giant Peter Crouch used his head to flick the ball to club newcomer Rafael van der Vaart, who headed home tie the score at 1 right before the whistle. Immediately, the momentum had shifted. The second half wore on, and the Spurs maintained a good deal of possession, yet the scoring opportunities seemed to be going both ways in a game that was wide open, fluid and exciting. Then, in 75^th minute, halftime substitute Aaron Lennon sent in a long cross from the right flank to Peter Crouch, one once again delivered a strikingly accurate touch pass with his head to Van der Vaart, who brought down the ball with his chest and coolly ripped a volley past the helpless keeper, Brad Friedel. The match ended 2-1, and the supporters were all treated to a great comeback performance from the Spurs.

            One of the things that I love about football here in London is the sheer appreciation for the beautiful game. In the States, “soccer” is generally regarded with second-tier status, following behind the major sports of American Football, Basketball, Baseball and Hockey. One of the common complaints with “soccer” is that there isn’t enough scoring—and games can end in a 0-0 draw. Ironically, this simplicity is what makes football my favorite sport. As the axiom goes, “beauty is in the eye of beholder.” My favorite aspect about attending live matches here is what occurs during the play. A midfielder can control the ball in the middle of the pitch, 60 yards away from the goal, make a slick move, escape two defenders and pass the ball to the wing. Following this type of play, the crowd would erupt in a 3 or 4 second cheer, in appreciation of the great play that just occurred, even though it really has no proximity to the goal. In American culture, fan primarily cheer for occasions when points are being scored—mostly due to the fact that American sports feature much higher-scoring formats. In this way, I would argue that the nuances of football are what make it so appealing and fascinating to me. Overall, my experience at White Hart Lane was fantastic, and I’ll be sure to catch at least one more match at the Lane. If anyone else wants to enjoy a football match, a few beers, and an atmosphere like no other, I’m all for it. 

Alex Cohen

UCSB