L'eau de Edmonton

yiddo

Taken from http://www.topspurs.com Jim Duggan in top form !

4th January 2007 – L’Eau De Edmonton

You really could n’t make it up

Spurs have launched a new mineral water – called Willow – presumably after the Tree of the same name and not the film with the ugly midgets

Given the Spurs boards reputation of being a bit Del Boy ish, something I’m told even Sugar has reputedly mentioned – it all adds up to yet another Tottenham carry on with all the usual ingredients of shameless tacky greed

The marketing department may have gone a little high brow in their sales pitch with the following…

“Why Drink Water? Water is essential for human life…”


Football fans may be treated as chumps, but I assume most know what water is and why it’s essential. The rest of it seems to be copied directly from http://www.willowwater.com/ which in some ways is re-assuring that they’ve not got Hughton in a shed in the allotments over by the Lea Valley with a turnpipe, bottles and labels.

Mineral water has been a profitable area fro Spurs – they charge £1.70 in the ground for a 500cl bottle (which makes their new water an absolute bargain). Despite saying how much they love and cherish the fans, the cost of water in the ground is probably the most you are going to pay anywhere in the UK for the equivalent product which makes the love in a bit one sided

The uber-donuts will no doubt bleat 'we need the club to make more money from us if we (sic) want to be successful – blah blah blah…’ And being successful in the new football mantra is not winning the League Cup but getting in the CL where they can er… earn even more money. Just like the Never Red and all the other old cobblers flogged to the supporters with a Spurs badge on it, it will no doubt be lapped up. And remembering Never Red, if Spurs can launch a range of tacky leisure items with Never Red on them while the team run out with a large red Square on the shirts not forgetting that the shirts in the 1890s were Red and Blue for a few seasons, what chance has common sense got in this sort of environment!

Just as Martin Peters was 20 years ahead of his time so was Irving Scholar, but less successfully as Spurs and the footballing environment were not ready for ‘Hummelisation’ back in the late 80s when Spurs and football in general occupied its rightful place on the back pages and winter weekends. Where “wear yer colours” meant a blue and white scarf or a rosette and not dressing up like one of the players, top to toe in branded merchandise to show your “loyalty”.

Burkinshaw’s final comments on Spurs were “There used to be a football club over there” and increasingly you have to ask yourself what is Tottenham Hotspur? For me it’s a football club who turn out in the English League.


When you play with us at MANSION.com a portion of the profit goes to support Tottenham Hotspur Football Club

In reality it’s nothing more than a PLC which in effect owns a franchise to a football club. Other associations felt by consumers are subjective and no doubt manipulated by marketing using nostalgia and permanence in what is an ever changing world where traditional institutions which define ones self and identity have been discredited from state, monarchy through to traditional religion which is how football is increasingly sold.

What used to be a football club is now a brand to its owners – stick a new patented logo on any old tat, pile ‘em high and watch the undiscerning mugs walk away with them? Does it really make you feel good to buy something with a Spurs logo on it? And if so, why does it make you feel good knowing that you’ve paid over the odds? Knowing that the money is going to the PLC which owns the franchise of the football club? Does it make you feel part of “Spurs” (whatever that is these days), Does it bring you closer? Does it make you feel you belong? Earn more money, buy more things, contentment and happiness is just around the corner.

Supporting Spurs is about many things and each of us can provide a different reality based upon their own experience, and I can testify that it has provided great value in my life, but none of the things of value are available for sale in the Spurs shop or come with a logo on them.

therecklessone

Funny in parts Pat, but I gotta take issue with his description of fans as "undiscerning mugs" for buying merchandise. How does Duggan suggest we replace the £5m+ in merch sales last year? No doubt a few mugs contributed to the £28m+ in media funds we got last year with their Sky Sports subscriptions, how do we replace that?

I hate what money has done to football as much as the next man, but we either play the game by their rules or sink without a trace.

yiddo

therecklessone wrote:

Funny in parts Pat, but I gotta take issue with his description of fans as "undiscerning mugs" for buying merchandise. How does Duggan suggest we replace the £5m+ in merch sales last year? No doubt a few mugs contributed to the £28m+ in media funds we got last year with their Sky Sports subscriptions, how do we replace that?

I hate what money has done to football as much as the next man, but we either play the game by their rules or sink without a trace.

Have to take a lot of what Jim writes with a pinch of salt! He likes to provoke reaction and debate.

On merchandise I'd buy a tee shirt or whatever from the stalls on WHL for a tenner or less rather than pay 15 or 18 for a similar product in the megastore! To me supporting Spurs is about the football, the craic and the people I meet rather than THFC PLC but then I'm old school in that I'd rather we won a trophy this year and came 10th in the league than come 4th and not win any silverware!

Running Bing

Ordered a 24 bottle case about three days ago:o 15 euro's for 24 bottles and free shipping! I pay 1.25 a bottle for that unpalatable Ballygowan sh*te.

yiddo

Babybing wrote:

Ordered a 24 bottle case about three days ago:o 15 euro's for 24 bottles and free shipping! I pay 1.25 a bottle for that unpalatable Ballygowan sh*te.

I think I'll stick to the auld tap water down here in the Peoples Republic

Running Bing

yiddo wrote:

I think I'll stick to the auld tap water down here in the Peoples Republic

Im sure it's a hell of a lot better than up here Yiddo.:)