Taking in a game at White Hart Lane

     Our vantage point at White Hart Lane on Thursday

Now that I’m in London, I’ll naturally be trying to see as many stadiums as possible and then give some feedback and photos where possible.

Last night I ventured with some friends down to White Hart Lane to watch Tottenham take on Wisla Krakow from Poland to open up the UEFA Cup. I was thrilled with my luck of, 1) getting a 12 pound ticket (compared to, say, the one I bought for 40 pounds to watch Arsenal-FC Porto in a couple weeks in the Champions League), and 2) seeing a Tottenham side desperate for a victory as they try to recover from a horrific start to the season.

We walked up to the stadium from a ways off, and I barely recognized we were there because parts of it looked like an old, brick-layered abandoned warehouse. After figuring out what entrance we were in, we ventured to the turnstile.

Let me just tell you, if any American stadium had those turnstiles, there would be a jam-up from hell that would stop three-quarters of the fans from getting into the stadium. I’m a skinny person, and it felt like I was wrenched through as that thing let me in. Anyone packing more than my 175 (which encompasses far too much of the U.S. population)…..good luck.

Once inside, it was amazing to see the whole stadium revealed as the seats, lights and green field below were so different from the somewhat shabby outside appearance of the stadium – a wonderful contrast I thought.

(Check out the picture we took from our seats)

The game itself was open and highly entertaining, as Tottenham claimed their much-needed 2-1 victory with a second-half goal from Darren Bent.

Aaron Lennon used his dangerous speed throughout his time on the field, and his cross found David Bentley for a pretty goal into the left corner, although Tottenham promptly was picked apart one minute later for Wisla’s equalizer.

But Fraizer Campbell replaced Lennon in the 57th minute and was similarly productive, eventually serving a beautiful cross from the endline to set up Bent’s graceful leap and forceful header for the game-winner.

Amid all of this, in the upper east stand I found myself just trying to figure out all the Tottenham chants. I also realized after the Wisla goal that there were plenty of Poles sitting RIGHT behind us. We didn’t quite understand the gents in front of us, though, who were wearing Tottenham gear but cheered for Wisla and seemed Polish….who knows.

The mix of English and Polish fans in our section made for some fun interaction and plenty of chanting wars. We also had few police intercessions throughout the game (potentially from the large amounts of alcohol being consumed outside the stadium beforehand).

It’s still amazing to me how much passion fans here have for the game. Having sat in a press box in a Major League stadium all summer covering baseball, there is really no equivalent in American sports. Waking up at 6 a.m. on the West Coast for Premier League games on TV is one thing, but being there has no equal.

The atmosphere was great, which surprised me for the midweek game, and we all had fun watching this young Tottenham fan in front of us who had to be 12-14 years old. The kid was INTENSE, and his reactions as the action unfolded provided constant entertainment.

All in all, a nice stadium to watch a game in. It had the feeling of a large arena to me, and I was surprised to find the capacity is only around 35,000. Add in the entertaining football, swarms of police, drunken fans, waist-cramping turnstiles and chants I couldn’t understand, and I’d say we did OK.