Danny Rose says that it no longer “feels an honour” to play Wembley, as Tottenham’s interminable tenancy at the national stadium drags on.
On Wednesday night only 33,012 fans showed up for Tottenham’s 3-1 defeat of Southampton, the lowest attendance Spurs have had in their 16 months at Wembley. That is the clearest sign yet of fans’ frustration about making the long trip up to north-west London, which they hoped they would no longer have to do by now. Speaking after the game, Rose made clear he was not blaming them for the flat atmosphere, and that he shared their frustrations.
“It’s just not nice anymore,” said Rose last night. “It’s lost its… I don’t feel it’s an honour to play at Wembley. The atmosphere is a bit flat. I obviously sympathise with the fans, travelling further to come to Wembley but it’s the lowest attendance since we’ve been at Wembley. That speaks volumes. We’re all itching to get in the new stadium and hopefully it’s not too much longer.”
Spurs have now played 41 ‘home’ games at Wembley while they wait for the new White Hart Lane stadium to be ready. They were initially hoping to move in in September of this year, a date that was pushed back to the Burnley game in nine days’ time, and has now been pushed back again to 2019. If Spurs cannot face Manchester United at their new home on 13 January, they will aim for February instead.
Even as the move-in date gets pushed back further, Rose pleaded with Spurs fans to stay patient and to stay positive, because they will playing in their new stadium soon.
“The manager has said we’re all itching to get in,” Rose said. “We’re disappointed it’s taken longer than expected but we know everybody is putting in the hours to make sure the stadium is as good as possible. It’s not that much longer now, so hopefully over the next couple of months we’re going to be in there and we all sympathise with the fans. We just have to stick together now. We know it’s not going to be too much longer.”
