I turned on Monday Night Football last night in the hope that it would finally be our year.
In Big Ange we trust and before Tottenham‘s game against Leicester City the loveable Aussie – who has brought back swashbuckling football to White Hart Lane – made a bold statement.
“Usually in my second season I win things,” he told Sky Sports. “That’s the whole idea. First year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully the second year is going onto win things.”
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(Image: Daily Star)
It was music to my ears and I was confident we would start the campaign with three points away at the King Power Stadium – especially when I heard the team news.
Surely there was no way Jamie Vardy, who is 37 and missed pre-season, was going to cause problems for World Cup winner, Cristian Romero, and the fastest player in the Premier League, Mickey van de Ven?
I smiled to myself when I realised he was leading the attack and I was even more smug when his manager, Steve Cooper, spoke to Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville before kick off.
Asked why Vardy was playing, the former Nottingham Forest gaffer said he simply had no other senior strikers available.
In a text I now regret, I wrote to my dad, a fellow Spurs dreamer, and said: “Cooper looked a bit defeated already to me. Poor team compared to what we’ve got on pitch. Expecting comfortable win.”
(Image: Liam McInerney/Daily Star)
My old man, who also never learns, replied with similar enthusiasm before making a prediction of a 3-0 victory.
Spurs started the game just as I hoped and we could have been 3-0 up within the first 10 minutes.
And it was about the 10 minute mark when my partner walked into the room, saw we were playing Leicester, and asked me: “Does the relic still play for them?”
Of course, she meant Vardy, and I should have known then that it was only going to end one way…
But what is football without hope and in the 29th minute Pedro Porro headed the Lilywhites in front and texting my dad again, I said: “Deserved. We’ve been near perfect so far.”
It was the final message I sent that night, and we all know what happened next.
(Image: Daily Star)
Vardy came out for the second half swigging a can of Red Bull and in the 57th minute he found himself in acres of space between Romero and Porro to equalise with a header.
The ‘relic’ celebrated like he had won the Premier League all over again and although it pained me – it was one of the best moments of the opening weekend of the season.
He even outdid himself shortly after when he was substituted.
Swaggering off the pitch, he pointed to the Premier League logo on his shirt and held a finger to the travelling Spurs fans to remind them how many titles Leicester had won. And as if we needed a history lesson, the striker then formed a zero with his hand and again pointed at the infuriated away supporters. Great sh*thousery to be fair.
The gesture irked Romero, who made his way towards the cult hero – something that would have been more useful before he equalised.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
It ended 1-1 and it felt like a defeat for Spurs who showed promise but lacked the ruthlessness to kill off Leicester. Having said that, I’m sticking to my Daily Star Premier League predictions.
I had thought the days of Vardy haunting my dreams were over after he pipped us to the title in 2016. But the forward, who will deservedly go down as a Premier League legend, caused me to lose sleep once again as I mourned the loss of two points.
However, today is a new day and I remain optimistic for the season ahead. Everton at home next week is always a banker for Spurs, I’m going for a comfortable 3-0 win…