You can take the Bale out of Tottenham, but…

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It had an air of karma about it. After Liverpool fans had spent the best part of two months waging a nonsensical “troll war” against Spurs and its players, there’s some satisfactory schadenfreude to be savoured by the Lilywhite side of north London today.

After Tottenham earned a (much deserved) 2-2 draw back in February at Anfield, the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Ali have received fusillades of abuse from Liverpool fans –“Harry Claim”, “diving Dele”, and so on and so forth – thus creating a non-existent, and rather one-sided, rivalry. A "rivalry" bordering on obsession, almost.

So far so last season, but there was still enough time for a late twist in the tale. Step forward former Spur Gareth Bale to quash the Reds in Kiev with one of the greatest Champions League goals of all time. It’s often said that karma is a bitch, but last night it was a 28-year-old Welshman out to prove that you can’t keep a star from shining when it truly matters. It was an (overhead) kick direct to Klopp’s protruding teeth.

And so, last night’s defeat for Liverpool ensures that, like us, they haven’t won a trophy under their current manager. And in direct comparison to us, Klopp’s Liverpool have never – I repeat, never – finished above Pochettino’s Tottenham in the Premier League. (Okay, so it’s only been three seasons.)

Claims of a “media conspiracy” against Spurs have little foundation, but the above does pose the question as to why many of football’s so-called sharpest minds prescribe Liverpool the mantle of “Man City’s biggest threat for the Premier League title”, ahead of us, as well as others? (It’ll happen again next season, just you watch.)

But back to that man, Gareth Bale. It seems perverse to celebrate a former player’s triumphs on the big stage. Especially when the player in question departed in the manner in which he did. Especially when that player’s ascendancy only emphasises the reasons why he left in the first place: to win things.

Akin to Man United fans’ fixation with Ronaldo at Madrid, it’s the equivalent of your doted upon darling ditching you for a hotter, more eminent half, only for you to post on their Instagram pictures: “So proud of you. Go get ‘em tiger!” as they jet-set off around the world, leaving you under sombre skies.

But, like Mo Salah, there’s a universal appeal to Bale that can’t be ignored – an appeal that is further augmented among the Spurs faithful. It’s not wholly down to the stylish grace of his majestic left-foot or his awe-inspiring athleticism, or even his persona as the cheeky-chappy from Cardiff done good. It’s the fact that Bale is still the greatest to put on the Spurs shirt in recent history.

Granted, Kane is in a league of his own with regards to application and dedication to his trade, but Bale as a footballer is a phenomenon. Hark your mind back to the drudgery of the 2012-13 season. West Ham, West Brom, Southampton, Sunderland, Newcastle: these games and more were destined for uninspiring draws, mirroring Kiev last night, before the Welsh Wizard cast his spell.

Bale won, and will win, games on his own. There isn’t a player in Pochettino’s ranks who can exclusively or effectively claim to do the same. And I suspect there won’t be for some time. Therefore, last night, whether it was down to the goal, the goalscorer or the conceding side, there was an added incentive for Tottenham fans to stand up and salute the brilliance of a former player.

And yet, there’s more. Speaking about his Real Madrid future after the game last night, Bale told BT Sport: "I need to be playing week in, week out, and that's not happened this season. I had an injury five, six weeks into the season but I've been fit ever since. I have to sit down with my agent in the summer and discuss it.”

Well, could The Second Coming actually happen? Those in the know assert that we do in fact have first refusal on Bale if Madrid decide to sell. Something that, which once seemed ludicrous back in 2013, now could be a Real possibility.

The pros for signing Bale, without underplaying how difficult a feat it would be, go without saying: the ability, the stature, the statement to the footballing world. Primarily it would see us graduate from a side that sells world-class talent, to a side that acquires it.

And what about Bale? Maybe it’s not in his nature to romanticise about a “homecoming”, perhaps it would be a step-down. But for a guy earning half a million a week at the biggest club in the world, winning a plethora of honours in the process, surely every club from here on in is a step down.

His post-match comments also hint at a sense of under appreciation in the Spanish capital. Remember, before Bale, Real hadn't won the Champions League in over a decade. Now he's won four in five years there, scored the winner in two and played a key role in another. If he’s still having to prove himself worthy of the Galactico namesake now, he never will. At New White Hart Lane, he’ll receive no such hostility.

It was Francesco Totti who once said: “Winning one league title at Roma to me is worth winning 10 at Juventus or Real Madrid.” Maybe Bale winning one at Spurs would mean the same, or maybe just that bit more.

 

I have a lot of good friends who are liverpool fans and wouldnt have minded them winning it, however there was just something in me that naturally supported bale and modric, even if they did leave us. Would love to see him back but last nights performance may make Zidane change his stance with him.

 

Until last night, I'd always supported Liverpool in their European Cup/CL finals, and remember feeling disappointed at their 1985 loss to Juventus in the infamous Heysel match. Even up to 2007 they had a decent sprinkling of genuine home-grown players (and the bonus of Peter Crouch), but last night I felt no British/English patriotic support for the multi-national brigade of mercenaries labelled 'Liverpool', and the Bale/Modric connection swung me firmly onto Real Madrid's side, Ramos notwithstanding. Bale's athleticism and directness puts him on a different plane to any other footballer I can remember at Tottenham (though 'Sicknote' Anderton in his early years was out of the same mould), but I can't seriously envisage him returning to us; 'never go back' is almost always good advice, and he's boosted his transfer value hugely by last night's performance, so I doubt we'll see him at WHL (or whatever it'll be called) in a Spurs shirt - let's hope it's not a Chelsea one (let alone Arsenal!).

 

We NEEDED :iverpool to lose. It guarantees Spurs go into the 2nd pot for next season's CPL, instead of the third pot we were in this year. We will have a much easier group. Kinda like the gimme Liverpool had.

 

I think you buy Bale whatever the cost....he's a top player.
If yougetb hiDein your forward line he occupies 2 players.

Dier, Wanyama & Dembele in midfield
Bale, Kane and Erikssen up top.
Alli, Son, etc to come on

We don't need 4 players at £30k
Bale will cost More but Levy will know what he's getting

NB......liking the video of the new retractable pitch!

 

Good input Voidhelix.... I like that!

 

Just go get him Danny boy

 

I love the sentiment of bringing Bale back 'home', even more so because I am a Welsh yid.
However, although DL may be prepared to push the financial boat out of the safety of the harbour, he will not IMO be pushing it out to sea. To do so would encourage other agents (bast%&ds, wank£"s) to push for more for their players, and that's not the Spurs fiscal model.
As frustrating as that is.
ps here we go again...a player who is a dead cert to come to us DOESN'T. Sessignon. It happens every season.
Apologies for sounding grumpy but Spurs and the transfer merry go round is just as frustrating as our start to every season.

 

Let's make a statement try bring him back imagine Bale,Kane,Delli & Eriksen!

 

C,mon lads , " a player who looked certain to come to us , doesn't " certain according to who , the rag media , lol ...

The media are full of sh1t , we all know this by now and add to that agents using the media for their own agendas and it's just a multitude of spin and nonsense speculation .. Why bother , just wait and see what will happen .. Take Bale for instance , a couple of weeks ago it was more or less a done deal , he was coming back and then the bastion of truth the BBC write an article why it will not happen and it's regurgitated and quoted by nearly every rag for the next week as absolute fact ... All will be revealed by kick off in August , until then just let it run , take it all with a pinch of salt because 99.9% of it is pure nonsense as always .... C.O.Y.S .....