This drum has no beat

You might or might not be aware there's been a campaign recently to get Spurs to allow back a drummer + drum into the corner of the Shelf Side.

There will be no return for the drum at the Lane. The club have finally responded and there are two reasons given why we wont be seeing it at matches.

Firstly, the infamous rhythm the original drummer used encouraged the 'systematic chanting' of the word "yids" and the club do not want to be seen as endorsing this as to avoid being slapped on the wrist by the football authorities and anti-racism campaigners. So basically no chance of an instrument being used to orchestrate this chant, although it would appear that football supporters can still use their mouths to achieve the same thing. That's until the time when said mouths will be surgically removed on entry to the ground as per the small print you didn't read.

The current drummer would be happy NEVER to play that particular rhythm. I guess the club still believe it's a risk to allow it back in even if they stipulated rules concerning the removal of the drummer and the drum if they deviated from the agreed song sheet. To think once upon a time all this was good enough to be featured in the clubs Opus.

The second reason given is a joke. Probably an exaggerated excuse. The club are saying that they received complaints from other supporters about the noise generated from the beating of the drum. Really? The noise? Is it that ear-bleedingly loud? Is it that annoying? That persistent? Can I officially complain about the knee-jerking t*ats in the Park Lane Lower that mouth off garbage all game? Can we have them banned too? Who exactly goes to a football match and complain about noise? Is this the same ilk of person that remains seated even if a player is about to run through and score a goal? The same that gives a dirty look towards fans who dare to stand up and sing for Tottenham? I wonder how many people complained? A thousand? A hundred? Ten?

Apparently:

"We are firmly of the belief that White Hart Lane is a unique stadium, with a fantastic atmosphere organically generated by the crowd without the need of additional instrumentation"

Fantastic for category A games, sure. For other games, I guess I can agree that the atmosphere is organically generated at times, say based on say a poor home performance and the resulting boos echoing around our stadium proudly.

The fact that loyal supporters who frequent Spurs every game want the drum back speaks volumes about this illusion that the atmosphere is always buzzing. But then we're back with the same arguments relating to modern football and the fact that we are continually conforming, from free to express ourselves football fans to nothing more than a client reference number. This shouldn't be and isn't about needing a drum to inspire the fans (although it would help). There's a far bigger problem in football these days in that people turn up to sit down as if they're watching the game from the comfort of their home on the sofa. The way football is policed and packaged, you are made to feel guilty for daring to achieve genuine organic atmosphere. From the heart.

Some fans are stuck neck-deep in the pressure and want for success they forget what it means to be emotive. There's also the new breed of modern football supporters that prefer to sit and watch in silence. The club are doing their very best to appease this particular group (the family with the money to spend spend spend). Keep it clean for the kids. Then to top it off there's a hefty slice of the home support that would happily have sung their hearts out when we were mediocre but now expect victory without wanting to voice their passion. They tie into the ones that can't handle the pressures of competing at the top.

Fragmantation aside, the crux is we not trusted with a drum. It's also a cultural thing what with this country being a complete mess with its politically correct overload. I'm not suggesting they let us walk into the ground with a pigs head or a moped, but come on, please treat the ones that are responsible like adults. This is about the freedom of expression, more than it is about some bloke and a drum.

There's a contradiction with what Spurs are saying. But then this is about politics and about the word 'yid' more than anything else. Which is fair enough and its probably appreciated by most that the club has shown transparency here. But the middle ground is being ignored for far more controlling reasons. At a recent game (Spurs youth team) at Charlton we had a drum taken off us because apparently the home supporters were required to be informed in advance about the potential noise we would generate from it so that they could be prepared for it on the night. Ridiculous. The club (Tottenham) gave our support that night a mention on the official site/official Facebook page.

There is no valid reason other than the powers that be wanting to control your experience.

The club owns us. We are consumers. We are replaceable. We are a walking wallet. Football is sports entertainment and standing up when you've got a seat is unacceptable.

I'm looking forward to seeing the clubs plans for 'the wall' (the massive kop end) pencilled in for the new stadium. You'll remember it from the illustrations, it looked majestic in size in illustration. The noise emanating from it will probably be lunch-boxes open and closing whilst everyone tucks into their prawn sandwiches.

In the mean time, don't be afraid to show your love for the club. Otherwise...To dare is to be told to do.