It may sound strange, considering the excellent season they are having, but I actually feel a little sorry for Tottenham Hotpur.

Under normal circumstances, the vast majority of neutral fans like myself would be hoping and praying that Mauricio Pochettino’s team manage to win the league. They haven’t claimed the title in over half a century, they are not part of the established elite, they have an enthusiastic young manager, some brilliant players, and are playing football that is easier on the eye than a Sports Illustrated photo shoot.

Unfortunately for Tottenham, this season is anything but normal. In fact, thanks to Leicester City, it’s about as far removed from normal as you can possibly get.

And that means Spurs, despite ticking all the right boxes, have entered the run-in with hardly any of the support or recognition they deserve from neutral fans.

Just about everybody you meet who isn’t a supporter of one of the big teams, and even a substantial amount of those who are, is rooting for Claudio Ranieri’s collection of inspired misfits.

As potentially the most unlikely champions in the history of English football, Leicester have the backing and admiration of millions of those people who are naturally drawn to the underdogs. Not just in England but around the globe.

Had this been just about any other season, had Spurs been fighting it out with Arsenal, Chelsea or one of the two Manchester teams for the title, then you can bet your bottom dollar that the team from White Hart Lane would be the people’s choice for the title.

Even if Spurs do somehow catch up with Leicester and pip them at the post, we are still going to have not only worthy, but entirely new Premier League champions on our hands

But, in the context of this particular battle, it is they who are seen by many as the big club with the big resources who are trying to spoil little Leicester’s party.

And that is unfair on a team who, if you had to base the title on style of football alone, are actually probably more deserving of the trophy than Leicester.

What we should bear in mind is that even if Spurs do somehow catch up with Leicester and pip them at the post, we are still going to have not only worthy, but entirely new Premier League champions on our hands.

This isn’t a race between an established club and a new kid on the block. It’s a race between two new kids that left the traditional big boys looking on in envy and disbelief.

As neutrals, we may be favouring Leicester just because their story has slightly more of a fairy tale aspect to it, but if Spurs clinch the title we should still rejoice.

The elite will have been given a bloody nose either way. And that means football is the real winner.

We need to have trust in referees

English football set a dangerous precedent last week when referee Kevin Friend was stopped from taking charge of Monday’s match between Stoke City and Spurs – because he is a Leicester fan.

Although in some ways it is easy to understand what was going through the minds of the people at Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (the company which organises match officials), I think they may have opened a can of worms.

With Leicester and Spurs fighting for the title, the PGMOL didn’t want people to be able to turn around after the game and accuse Mr Friend of favouring Stoke over Spurs. And I can get that.

However, by removing Friend from the game, what they have really done is call into question the integrity and honesty of all their referees. They have suggested that there is always a chance that a referee may be open to bias if he officiates a game which could have a bearing on the team he supports.

The problem with that, of course, is knowing where to draw the line. The Friend example was fairly clear-cut, but there will now be people actively searching for reasons why one match official or another shouldn’t be allowed to referee their games. Then getting all militant about it on social media.

For example you could have argued, up until a couple of weeks ago, that Friend should not have been allowed to officiate any match involving the top five or six clubs as that may have had a bearing on whether Leicester make the Champions League.

Tenuous, I agree, but there are some people who are always looking for ways to kick up a fuss. And by casting just the tiniest shadow of doubt on Friend, the PGMOL has given them the excuse they are looking for to do just that.

Modern referees are professionals. This doesn’t mean they are al­ways right or don’t make mistakes but it should mean that, at the very least, they won’t allow themselves to be influenced by their own allegiances.

By bowing to social media pressure from Spurs fans, the PGMOL have not just cast aspersions over the impartiality of Kevin Friend but over referees as a whole.

This one could come back to haunt them.

Losing isn’t a success

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has ‘downgraded’ England’s target for Euro 2016.

Dyke originally suggested, before the draw was made, that England could win the tournament.

But last week he said he feels the semi-finals would be a success.

Well, Mr Dyke, allow me to point out to you that reaching the semi-finals would not be a success. Neither is third place or even runner-up. Success cannot be measured by how close you come to succeeding before eventually failing.

If England win Euro 2016 that will be a success. Anything else is a failure, no matter how you dress it up. And, with the players now at England’s disposal it would be a failure of rather epic proportions.

I’m not suggesting it will be easy. Of course not. There are several other teams who will be entering the tournament with expectations of winning it – France, Germany, Spain and Belgium, for starters.

But the difference is I don’t think any of those countries, at the end of the tournament, would look back on a semi-final defeat and say “well that was a success”.

English football needs some positive thinking right now, not more of this plucky underdog crap. Everybody from the coaches to the players to the kit men to the fans needs to start believing.

And that won’t happen while people in high places believe failing to win is a victory in itself.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade