'It's not fun' - what being 'Spursy' means to Tottenham fans

Anna Howells, contented creator for Spurs XY and long-suffering Tottenham fan, bristles astatine the word 'Spursy' being utilized astir her squad – but admits it is an apt description.

"Yes, not a amusive connection but an close one," she tells BBC Sport. "We person been incredibly inconsistent. Somehow some truly bully and truly bad."

'Spursy' has go shorthand to picture Tottenham's wildly inconsistent form, an quality to snatch draws oregon defeats from the jaws of victory, and enactment their supporters done the wringer.

Last week was 1 of the astir Spursy of each – a thumping 4-0 triumph astatine champions Manchester City, followed by conceding a last-gasp equaliser against Roma, and culminating successful a profoundly frustrating 1-1 draw astatine location to mid-table Fulham.

All that came amid worries astir injuries and fittingness of cardinal players, the prime of their replacements, and an ongoing existential situation astir balancing the innate Tottenham individuality of attacking shot with being capable to spot retired tricky games.

The statement betwixt idealism and pragmatism is 1 connected which fans differ.

"Following Spurs this play has been a tonne of amusive - that was the communicative successful the WhatsApp groups aft Roma," Chris Paouros, co-chair of Proud Lilywhites, tells BBC Sport.

"We've spent a batch of clip saying we privation our Tottenham back. We person it back. This benignant of shot is our identity.

"Ange Postecoglou is the antheral - his shot is irresistible. We are the league's entertainers. I'm blessed with that."

That insistence connected amusement shows successful the stats. Spurs are the Premier League's apical scorers, with 28 goals from 13 games - yet they beryllium seventh successful the table, with six wins and 5 defeats.

The Roma lucifer was Postecoglou’s Spurs successful a nutshell – taking 24 shots to Roma’s 18, putting unneurotic immoderate superb attacking play but incapable to spot retired the triumph arsenic Mats Hummels equalised successful wounded clip for a 2-2 draw.

Following the thrashing of City with a gully against mid-table opponents Fulham, who played the last 15 minutes with 10 men aft Tom Cairney's reddish card, is besides typical. No wonderment immoderate supporters are irritated.

"Frustrating mainly," Alison Speechly, Spurs instrumentality writer for BBC Sport, said erstwhile asked to sum up the instrumentality acquisition this season. "We support getting glimpses of greatness.

"Angeball is hazard and reward, and we are seeing that - rewards astatine times, but besides hazard of performances similar against Ipswich and Crystal Palace [sides successful the bottommost 4 who person beaten Spurs this season].

"In shot you tin plan, but you besides request to react. Sometimes your program mightiness not ever work, and you request to beryllium capable to adapt. There has to beryllium immoderate flex successful there. They accidental to media: 'We instrumentality each crippled seriously.' But bash you?"

Her vexation comes from Postecoglou's committedness to attacking shot astatine each times. Goals are usually not hard to travel by - successful each competitions, they person 14 antithetic scorers this season, Brennan Johnson the person with 10.

A star-studded guardant enactment includes respective players - including Johnson, Son Heung-min, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski - susceptible of playing successful aggregate attacking roles.

It tin beryllium greatly entertaining, but besides explains wherefore Spurs person strung unneurotic 3 successive wins successful each competitions conscionable erstwhile successful 2024.

"It has been frustrating," says Howells. "The highs are truly good. When things click, we are unstoppable similar against City.

"Equally, erstwhile it's bad, it's schoolboy errors, incapable to walk to each other. I would commercialized highs for consistency, a mediate ground.

"Against Roma, we should person seen retired the 2-1 but we didn't travel retired for the 2nd half. We request to beryllium afloat switched on. But it's successful our DNA to beryllium guardant thinking."

There are concerns among supporters that determination is simply a intelligence contented among Tottenham players, for them to beryllium truthful awesome against the reigning champions lone to neglect to triumph their pursuing 2 games. Spurs person not won back-to-back league games since the extremity of September.

"The displacement successful mentality has to hap among players," says Paouros. "You consciousness similar you are entitled to triumph against Brighton and Ipswich, but nary 1 is entitled to anything. No 1 wins each match."

Speechly, however, thinks the contented lies with the coach.

"I've been battling with thoughts connected Ange. When helium came in, I was afloat connected committee and helium had an astonishing start. This play I person go frustrated with his stubbornness.

"But determination is nary constituent being frustrated with his tactical approach, arsenic helium has made wide that is however helium volition play, that is wasted energy."

Ultimately, Spurs fans volition clasp retired anticipation that Angeball tin nutrient occurrence this season.

Spurs are inactive successful each 3 cups, and are successful interaction with the Premier League apical four. Postecoglou has spoken astir however helium ever wins a trophy successful his 2nd play - fans present indispensable anticipation that comes existent successful northbound London.

"This worldly takes a batch of time, to get utilized to moving and pressing successful this way, lone playing retired from the back," says Paouros. "Look astatine Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp had to enactment everything successful spot – successful the archetypal 2 seasons they finished extracurricular the apical four."