The 12th Man: How Spurs Fans Could Lead Like the Barmy Army

Spurs have a unique opportunity to use the South Stand better

Why the South Stand Could Be Spurs’ Secret Weapon

Thanks to Les Binder for his comment about the Barmy Army who follow and support the England cricket team in the right manner on the Cain’s Leadership Lives On: A Lesson For Spurs Fans article.

It inspires this article The 12th Man: How Spurs Fans Could Lead Like the Barmy Army that weaves it into our current discussion themes of leadership and mentality.

In my recent article on Cain’s Leadership Lives On, we explored how leadership isn’t always about the armband...

Sometimes it’s about stepping up when others are waiting.

And now...

Thanks to a powerful comment from regular THBN reader Les Binder...

We’ve been reminded that leadership doesn’t just come from the players.

It can come from the stands.

Fans Are Fickle? Maybe. But Also Fearless

Les said something that struck a chord:

“Fans are fickle, and especially in the stadium where they are carried by emotional intensity.”

He’s right.

But that emotion... 

That raw passion... 

Is energy.

And energy...

If channelled...

Can change everything.

What Spurs Fans Can Learn from the Barmy Army

In cricket, when play drifts...

When the ball is being blocked...

When there’s no six, no wicket, no drama...

The Barmy Army step in.

They create moments.

They sing, they chant, the bugle comes out to lead them...

And suddenly a dull session is charged with electricity.

They don’t wait for action.

They become the action.

And the players feel it.

Just like our Spurs players would.

The Barmy Army try to create something...

Rather than wait for something to cheer.

They actively help the team.

Compared to them, Spurs fans are amateurs.

The Bugle Summons a Response

Les brings up a brilliant idea:

“The Bugle summons a response.”

Why can’t Tottenham Hotspur have our own version?

A fan...

Or a team of fans...

Who knows when to fire up the crowd during those slow moments...

Not waiting for a goal, but creating the conditions that inspire one.

A crowd conductor.

We have one before the game...

So why not during it?

Someone to lift the stadium when the players haven’t yet sparked into life.

Imagine the South Stand becoming a drumbeat of defiance...

A living, breathing wall of noise that gives the players no choice but to respond.

It would take agreement from Tottenham Hotspur or be organised by the club, of course, but it might be possible if requested in the right way.

Own the Quiet Moments

Football isn’t end-to-end thrills for 90 minutes...

Well, not these days!

There are lulls.

Breaks.

Moments when the game breathes...

Those are the seconds we lose momentum.

Or the seconds we could steal it back.

Les nails it when he says:

“Let’s make those quiet periods something that the crowd owns as a chance to drive energy onto the pitch.”

That’s it.

Let’s own the quiet.

Let’s turn the pause into a battle cry.

Spurs Fans as Leaders in the Battle

Harry Kane didn’t always shout.

He didn’t need to.

His presence led.

His timing spoke volumes.

But now it's time for the fans to speak.

Not in frustration after a misplaced pass.

Not just when the scoreboard swings.

But all game long.

Because the truth is... 

Fans can lead too.

And Spurs fans, as I wrote earlier, need to be prepared to do that.

Final THBN Whistle

Tottenham Hotspur is a club built on heart.

Built on the roar of the Shelf Side...

The noise of White Hart Lane...

And now the might of the South Stand.

Spurs fans are not really using it to it's full advantage.

Don't wait for goals to cheer.

Be the reason goals appear.

I'm a poet and I don't know it!

Let’s channel that inner Barmy Army,

Create moments...

Not just react to them...

And become what this club has always needed:

12th men and women who know how to lead.

Who know that success is achieved with unity.

Alas, my eye injury prevents me being there...

But this could be possible with help from the club.

It's the kernal of an idea...

So the theory could be adapted to occur without a bugle.

And a final thought...

We don't hear the syncronisred clapping that used to happen when I attended every week.

COYS