Paradoxical
It's very uncomfortable hearing journos and pundits talk about Spurs potentially challenging for the title thanks to the fluxy behaviour of other clubs that are meant to be running away with it. Whether it's Match of the Day or Football Weekly, it isn't just Tottenham's form and refreshing momentum that has the experts and kings of hyperbole talking. Basic mathematics will point to the 28 point haul Leicester have accumulated from the opening thirteen games. It's a low tally. One that suggests that the top teams that were expected to run away from the rest will continue to falter.
How long this patch of inconsistency continues is anyone's guess. The festive period tends to break the resolve of one or two, so in terms of our development, it would be grand if we got through Christmas and into the New Year with minimal fuss. Sure, losing the odd game and getting a slap might provoke a necessary reaction that we all need to experience to understand just how strong we are mentally. I'd rather this particular down turn only ever happens in isolation (and at some point in 2016).
This was all discussed briefly in a private conversation today and the response I got (relating to all the attention we're getting from the media) was a simple acknowledgement that regardless of all the on-going story arcs and how quickly they might change, this is our best chance to win it - even though we're nowhere near ready. I agreed. Then broke out in a cold sweat.
I'm not going to entertain this with sycophantic tendencies, calculating the potential points that could be won over X amount of games. I refuse to be so dramatically ridiculous. In the past we've been hooked into the chase to finish above them lot and qualify for the Champions League. You won't find a single Spurs fan that would find that a disagreeable objective. However, in order to avoid distorting my perception and seeking to fast-track something that should be left to build without due consequence of what is happening around it, I'm going to just enjoy our progress. Whatever happens mathematically around us will be a bonus that I will no doubt revel in if we so happen to claim something we had no right to at the start of the season.
Trying to win a cup and claiming silverware is a glorious ethos. Playful (be it unlikely) attempting to finish higher than just '4th' should be perceived in the same way. Still, one step at a time. We just keep doing what we're doing. If the landscape happens to facilitate our journey ahead of forecast...so be it. In case anyone thinks I'm hiding behind ambiguity, I'm not expecting a title push. The fact it's even being discussed is testament to what we posses as a club. Spurs are now on the verge of hipster territory.
For me - present day - continuing to connect with our new breed of football and the players and enjoying the maturity of Pochettino's pressing football is about enough. No deadline, just let nature take its course. Logically however, if you really are the type to embrace productive ambition and demand a tangible target - a top four finish is hardly fantasy.
