Richard Buxton: 'Spursy' Tottenham not ready for step up
Mental fragility continues to hinder Lilywhites' pursuit of silverware
Being "Spursy" appears to be the only way of life that Tottenham Hotspur truly understand.
Seasons and circumstances may change, but the nature of their 2-1 FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester United yesterday morning (Singapore time) is merely a continuation of the only existence some generations of their supporters have ever known and come to expect.
The club which somehow faltered to third in a two-horse race for the English Premier League title in the 2015/16 season, and similarly lagged a year later as runners-up, are so preconditioned to abject failure and underwhelming shortfall that their "to dare is to do" mantra has become largely meaningless and cosmetic.
At Wembley, where they had already slain the Red Devils this season, along with several other EPL and European heavyweights, Spurs found themselves cracking under pressure.
In just 13 minutes, the Lilywhites willingly transformed into wallflowers.
It happens far too often to be considered a misfortune.
Spurs have turned on the style in largely lower-stakes fixtures; overpowering the likes of Real Madrid, Man United, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea along the way.
But the greater the prize, the more catastrophic their downfalls have been.
Eight consecutive exits from the competition's last four over a quarter of a century, two in successive seasons now, would prompt genuine cause for concern elsewhere.
What is considered an anomaly for most clubs, however, is merely the standard fare in north London.
Mauricio Pochettino's declaration that "Spursy" had become a thing of the past, basking in the afterglow of a Champions League win over Real, has proved highly premature.
He no longer identified with the term because his side were supposedly "no longer that way".
In the Argentine manager's mind, aspiring to a supposedly lower bar of domestic silverware would also not be a life-changing achievement for his side.
On both counts he was wrong.
CONTRASTING FORTUNES
The contrasting fortunes of Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford show how wrong Pochettino is.
The United forward is two years Alli's junior, and yet he has reached three English cup finals in as many seasons, with a Europa League trophy thrown in for good measure.
Where Jose Mourinho has regularly used cup success to propel his teams towards greater ambitions, Pochettino appears to consider it beneath his team.
Time is increasingly running out for him to shift the notion that he is in charge of north London's poor relations. Finishing above Arsenal in the EPL table for only a second time in 22 years may remain an anomaly with their local rivals' imminent changing of the guard.
Parting with Arsene Wenger has become a necessary evil for the Gunners but even in that managed decline, they have still won three trophies since Spurs last tasted success a decade ago and could potentially finish the current campaign by lifting a fourth major honour.
Winning only three of his nine North London Derbies in charge, with none coming at the Emirates Stadium, begs further questions as to whether Pochettino has elevated Spurs beyond their long-standing status as the beta club in this cross-city relationship.
Former Spurs manager and player Bill Nicholson once declared that "If you don't win anything, you have had a bad season".
Pochettino is finishing empty-handed for a fourth season in a row and is justifiably questioning whether he is embarking on a futile one-man crusade against the impossible.
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