Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Tottenham Hotspur Women 2-1 Leicester City Women

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 West Ham United

Aerial shot of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
(Photo courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur FC)

Ratings

Overall Ground Quality : 10/10
Ease of getting there : 10/10
Atmosphere : 8/10
Programme : 8/10
View of Action : 9/10
Quality of the game : 8/10
The "football" feeling : 10/10
Chances of coming here for a random game : 4/10
Legroom : 10/10
Surrounding area : 8/10

Overall : 85/100

Programme - £3.50

West Atrium

North Stand

East Atrium

South Stand - The UK's largest single tier stand

Rail Seats - a glimpse into the safe standing future

The teams coming out before the match

The modern day football dick head

Tottenham Hotspur Women 2-1 Leicester City Women

My long awaited visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been a case of biding my time and waiting for the opportunity to arise. Since opening in 2019, I've found trying to purchase tickets for the THS has been a real problem and with various paid memberships now on offer these days in order to buy a ticket, I'd say it's just about a closed shop! With Leicester City Women advancing into the FA Cup Semi Final for the first time in their history, they were rewarded with an away tie against Tottenham Hotspur Women. Fortunately for me, the match was moved from their regular home, Brisbane Road, the home of Leyton Orient, to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Leicester City generously offered free coach travel for the Sunday lunchtime kick off, and with tickets priced at just £15, it was the perfect opportunity for me to tick off number 91 out of 92. I parked my car at the King Power Stadium and hopped onto coach 5 at 6.45am leaving promptly at 7.15am heading London bound on the M1 then M25. With a £1.00 coffee and the Mail on Sunday to hand, the time passed by quite nicely. Our coach was the first of 6 coaches to arrive at South Mimms services at 8.50am for a 45 minute stop. With everyone back on, we were the first coach out of South Mimms for the final leg of our journey to North London. By 10.15am, we were parked up by White Hart Lane Overground station. Whilst the City supporters piled off and headed towards the THS, I headed the opposite direction for a brief visit to Coles Park, home of Haringey Borough and tenants, New Salamis. Upon my arrival at Coles Park, there was plenty of hustle and bustle with what appeared to be a popular Sunday market as well as youth football on the first team pitch. Following my brief visit to Coles Park, I walked the 1 mile journey back up White Hart Lane towards the THS. As you approach the area, the surrounding buildings are dwarfed by the sheer size of the stadium. Outside the stadium, there was plenty of atmosphere building pre-match. After a wander around what has to be the best club stadium in the country, I made my way into the stadium via what looked like airport security! On this occasion, I was fortunate to have full access to the stadium's entire concourse area without segregation. The stadium offers just about every cuisine of food possible from burgers and pizzas to noodles and nachos! Under the large South Stand bank, there is a bar stretching the full length of the goal line, aptly named "The Goal Line Bar". This is Europe's longest bar where beers are poured from the bottom of the glass up in a matter of seconds. The THS also uniquely has its very own brewery producing Beavertown craft beer. Inside the stadium bowl itself, three sides of the stadium consist of three tiers whilst the South Stand behind the goal is a single tier bank of seating/safe standing. The stadium features four large video screens in each corner and the famous golden cockerel is perched on the roof of the South Stand where they also offer stadium roof walk experiences. What doesn't this stadium offer! Onto the match and it was ultimately Tottenham who booked their place in the Women's FA Cup final for the first time with a dramatic 2-1 victory. Jutta Rantala put Leicester ahead early with a wonderful long-range strike, before Jessica Naz equalised, racing through to slot it past goalkeeper Lize Kop. Buoyed by a vibrant home crowd of over 18,000, Tottenham continued to push for a winner and they almost found it when substitute Martha Thomas' poked effort was superbly saved by Kop. Forward Rantala's dipping free-kick was then tipped on to the underside of the crossbar by Tottenham goalkeeper Becky Spencer, but Thomas eventually dealt the final blow in a pulsating encounter. Having come from behind, it was Thomas' looping header deep in extra time that sealed Tottenham's place in the FA Cup Final with a 2-1 victory. It was a frenetic match, with plenty of chances for both sides, but Spurs came out on top to create history for their club, and they will meet Manchester United in the final at Wembley. When the referee, Emily Heaslip, blew the final whistle, I walked around the concourse area and headed towards the stadium exit on High Road before making the short walk back to the coach on White Hart Lane. At 3.15pm, we were the first coach to leave the car park making the slow journey out of North London towards the M25. Once we were on the motorway, we started to gain some momentum. A stop at the services wasn't required on the way home thankfully which meant we were back at the King Power Stadium at 5.30pm. A worthwhile trip down to North London for my first visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium which now sees me within touching distance of completing the 92 once again with just a trip to Barrow's Holker Street remaining (for this season at least!).

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 West Ham United

Sometimes opportunities come your way by strange circumstances.
My step son casually mentioned to a Spurs work colleague how I (Adrian) had done all the 92 plus more and was hoping to get the opportunity to go to the new Spurs stadium at White Hart Lane.
The lady very kindly offered me and my step son her season ticket for the game as she was unable to attend.
Not surprisingly we took up the offer and headed down the M1 from the Midlands.
We made good time which gave us a chance to take in English footballs newest stadium rebuilt in the grounds of the old White Hart Lane stadium.
As you approach the stadium from the White Hart Lane railway station it looks like a space ship has landed. It soars above the existing buildings on the High Road.
Spurs left their original home in May 2017 and delays in the rebuild meant that they only returned to their historic location at the beginning of the month (April 2019) having played home games in the intervening period across North London at Wembley Stadium.
Airport like security greets you when you attempt to enter the stadium. Three checks were made at various times before we actually got in.
When you do finally get into the stadium you see before you a multitude of bars and eatery’s selling just about any food available, and beer poured into a glass from the bottom (think about it!).
You could spend all day in the vast concourses eating and drinking and forget you had actually arrived to watch a football match. I have never seen as much food alternatives ever in a football stadium.
The stadium reminded me of the Emirates to an extent, but crucially for the home support fractionally bigger. It runs north to south like the original White Hart Lane stadium.
The two sides of the stadium, known as atriums have actually 4 tiers of seats.
A bottom tier and a large top tier, but then 2 smaller tiers, one I suspect for corporate use if not both.
Behind the goal at what would be previously known as the Paxton Road End is a bank of three tiers.
And then the real difference from the Emirates a vast single tier banking of seats at the Park Lane End, it’s a big climb! The idea coming from the famous stadium in Dortmund. Perched on top of the roof by the way, the famous gold painted cockerel.
There is no doubt it is a world class venue, unlike places like the London Stadium, it’s built for football, and despite the enormity of the stadium the view of the action is superb and you can make out the players as opposed to dots in the distance as can be the case in the upper reaches of Old Trafford and St James Park.
Underground car parks, many lifts and behind the single tier stand at the Park Lane end, a small square. This I assume is for people to sit around before the game, but I didn’t see any seats and didn’t see many people in this area. Fans happy to walk straight in and start eating and drinking.
Also noted that in the lower tiers, rails have been installed in front of the seats, so if legislation changes, Spurs can incorporate safe standing.
As for the game a London derby against West Ham United, a fixture I have seen before.
January 1987, League Cup quarter final replay at White Hart Lane. The Home side won 5-0 and Clive Allen scored a hat trick.
I wonder how many of the players were born back then, when life seemed simpler?
This fixture of course was not a cup game but a Premier League encounter and Tottenham have got off to a good start at their N17 return winning the first 4 games but today, the first defeat. Mid-table West Ham competed well in an even first half and found confidence in the second half to be more expansive. The all-important goal came in 67 mins, Michail Antonio chesting down Arnautovic cross to fire past Lloris. Antonio becoming the first visiting player to score at the new stadium.
To that point Arnautovic had looked pretty disinterested, but the Austrian possesses quality and it was this ability which led to the goal.
West Ham could have scored more, Hugo Lloris denying Arnautovic, Antonio and Issa Diop after his enterprising run from the back.
Tottenham had chances and Fabianski had to make a couple of first half saves but, it was a tired, leggy performance from them.
Despite that they almost gained parity in the last few minutes, Foyths cross was headed past the keeper by the forgotten man Vincent Jansson but cleared off the line by the Paraguay international Bulbuena.
West Ham defended well and Fabianski’s work was kept to a minimum in the second period.
Bulbueno and Diop were immense at the back, Ryan Fredericks had his best game for the Hammers since his summer transfer, Declan Rice showed all what a good player he will become and the counter attacks were led by the pace and trickery of Felipe Anderson.
Altogether a good team performance from West Ham, a deserved 1-0 win. Tottenham will need to re-focus and re-energise quickly with the Champions League semi-final on the horizon against Ajax and making sure they finish the Premier Leagues top 4 for the rich trappings of guaranteed Champions League football.