Eagle-eyed viewers of Sky Sports activities’ protection of Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 win in opposition to Manchester United final Sunday can have observed a change.
When head coach Ange Postecoglou was interviewed earlier than kick-off and requested in regards to the raise of getting gamers again from damage, he was described as “Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach”. When the Tottenham beginning XI was displayed down the left-hand aspect of the display screen, it stated “Spurs” on the high. And when the graphics confirmed the group of their positions, beginning with a cutout of Postecoglou, arms crossed, the phrase throughout his chest was “Spurs”.
Nothing too stunning about that, you may assume. Tottenham Hotspur is the title of the membership. Spurs is their frequent nickname.
However should you noticed the Sky Sports activities protection of Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat at Everton on January 19, it appeared subtly totally different. Throughout Postecoglou’s pre-match interview, he was described as “Tottenham Head Coach”. The group graphic simply had the phrase “Tottenham” on the high. And the cutout picture of arms-crossed Postecoglou once more had “Tottenham” written throughout his chest. When Sky Sports activities confirmed the present Premier League desk, it was “Tottenham”. And the shape desk, during which they have been 18th out of 20, “Tottenham” once more.
Sky Sports activities’ kind information graphic on January 19 (Sky Sports activities)
So what modified? What occurred to the phrase ‘Tottenham’ over the previous couple of weeks?
The reply lies in an e mail that was circulated to Premier League broadcasters on February 10, that has been seen by The Athletic. Titled “Tottenham Hotspur Naming Replace”, the e-mail makes clear how the membership desires to be referenced.
“Tottenham Hotspur have offered clarification relating to the membership’s title. They’ve requested that the membership are primarily referred to as Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs being the popular quick model. The membership have requested that they aren’t known as Tottenham.”
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This steering has gone out to Premier League broadcasters all all over the world. The adjustments that Sky Sports activities made to their graphics have additionally been made by different networks that present Tottenham matches. The Premier League web site is in line too. It’s at all times “Tottenham Hotspur” or “Spurs” there, by no means “Tottenham”.
The membership’s clarification for that is easy: Tottenham is the title of the world, however not the title of the membership. It’s long-standing membership coverage to not check with themselves as ‘Tottenham’. There may be nothing new about this, it has been the membership’s place going again to 2011.
Sky Sports activities’ league desk graphic on February 16 (Sky Sports activities)
What particularly modified is that in November final 12 months, the membership unveiled a “remastered model id”, which was “rolled out throughout all of the Membership’s bodily and digital touchpoints”. This got here with a “Model Playbook”, which explains in complete element what the brand new model id means. In direction of the tip of a piece titled “Tone of voice” (“Defiant, Genuine, Rallying, Energetic”), there’s a paragraph that makes very clear how the membership desires to be described.
“In a world filled with Uniteds, Citys and Rovers, there is just one Hotspur, Tottenham Hotspur. When referring to the group or the model, please use ‘Tottenham Hotspur’, ‘Tottenham Hotspur Soccer Membership’ or ‘THFC’. By no means check with our Membership as ‘Tottenham’, ‘Tottenham Hotspur FC’ or ‘TH’.”
This month’s recent steering to broadcasters is an obvious try to underline this, and to make it possible for ‘Spurs’ somewhat than ‘Tottenham’ turns into the frequent shorthand when ‘Tottenham Hotspur’ doesn’t match.
On the one hand, there definitely is an argument to be made that ‘Tottenham’ is simply the title of the native space, and never the title of the membership itself. There are many Premier League golf equipment for whom nobody would simply use the primary geographical a part of the title.
You’d get some unusual seems turning up at Villa Park saying you have been trying ahead to watching ‘Aston’ play. Only a few would check with the aspect who play at Molineux merely as ‘Wolverhampton’, or on the Metropolis Floor as ‘Nottingham’. And that’s earlier than we confront the thorny situation of locations, together with Manchester or Sheffield or Bristol, the place two golf equipment share the identical regional descriptor.
Tottenham followers have lengthy referred to their group as… Tottenham (Julian Finney/Getty Photos)
However alternatively, there are golf equipment the place the primary a part of the title does the job. Everybody is aware of who Newcastle or Leeds or Leicester are. And for a lot of Spurs followers, the title ‘Tottenham’ is completely serviceable in telling the world who they help. It has at all times been commonplace within the Spurs neighborhood in a approach that ‘Aston’ by no means has been at Villa Park.
It does lead you to query why ‘Spurs’ is likely to be preferable to ‘Tottenham’ because the shortened title of the membership. ‘Spurs’ definitely is distinct “in a world filled with Uniteds, Citys and Rovers”, though perhaps much less so within the international market, given San Antonio Spurs within the NBA. Nonetheless, it’s memorable and punchy and appears good emblazoned on merchandise.
‘Hotspur’ is definitely distinctive and indispensable heritage. The title comes from when a brand new soccer membership was established within the space in 1882, and two brothers, Hamilton and Lindsay Casey, have been looking for a model id of their very own. They named their membership after Henry Percy, the box-office medieval knight who tried to overthrow Henry IV and was killed on the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. His nickname was ‘Hotspur’, therefore the title of the membership, and therefore the membership’s brand too. That is historical past value clinging to.
However Tottenham is inseparable from Tottenham Hotspur too. It was on Tottenham Marshes the place the Casey brothers began enjoying 143 years in the past, Tottenham the place the previous White Hart Lane floor was opened in 1899, closing in 2017, after which Tottenham the place the futuristic new stadium was opened in 2019. Apart from their temporary spell at Wembley whereas the brand new stadium was constructed, Tottenham Hotspur have at all times performed on this very particular nook of north-east London. That is the membership’s house, and their neighborhood, for whom they achieve this a lot good work.
For a lot of followers, there is no such thing as a distinction between the membership and the world itself. They’re synonymous. And they’re going to proceed to be ‘Tottenham’ no matter what the steering says.
(High picture: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Photos)