Europa League Group Stage

Match no. 1167. A game lacking in excitement and any sort of competitive edge confirmed Spurs'' qualification for the knockout stages with one game to spare. Enjoyment was further diminished by two other incidents: i. the presence of several pockets of Albanians around the ground, including one group right next to us in East Stand Upper, who unfurled Albanian flags (which were confiscated by stewards) and who seemed to be there just to provoke and aggravate the Partizan supporters, and ii. the three pitch invasions by lone individuals during the first half, which transpired to be some kind of internet stunt, that eventually caused the referee to take the players off field for about 10 minutes. The first of these individuals was actually able to wander all over the pitch unhindered for several minutes before there was any response from the Spurs security staff, who were then reduced to chasing him around like so many Keystone Cops. It''s hard to know which was more depressing: that these individuals thought this was a clever and appropriate thing to do or the reaction of a large portion of the crowd who cheered these morons and then booed when they were eventually hauled off. These same people then sat mystified when the ref took the only option available and suspended the game. A thoroughly unenjoyable evening, a waste of time and money.

Match no. 290. Europa League Group Stage.