No more reason to "mind the gap"

For years now, it seems like every Spurs success, and every good result we've had against Arsenal has brought with it cries from fans and media alike, "Are we catching them up?" and "Are Tottenham finally closing the gap on their bitter rivals?"

I'd still be wary of claiming that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our neighbours, even now, as we await the quarter-final draw for the Champions League, and Arsenal fans are left to spend their Tuesday or Wednesday nights catching up on soaps or watching BBC cooking shows.

On Saturday, however, I stumbled over an unexpected yardstick to indicate how far Spurs have come.

At 5.30pm, I realised that I'd missed the start of Arsenal's FA Cup quarter-final against Man United. What's more, I was shocked to realise that I really couldn't care less about it.

I didn't care who won, I didn't care how they played and, come the closing stages, I even wanted an Arsenal comeback; not so that they cause themselves further fixture congestion, just because I wanted to see a decent game of football - the fact that Arsenal were involved at all meant nothing.

When I was younger, hating Arsenal was part of the fabric of being a Spurs fan. The intense dislike of all their players, kits and sponsors, the joy taken from every bad day they had and the desperation that they didn't finish the season with the league title. On Saturday evening, however, none of it was there.

To me, that speaks volumes for the Spurs team of today; the fact that, by mid-march, we still have our own aspirations for the season and the fans no longer have to seek false triumph in the off-days of our neighbours.

There's nothing wrong with healthy competition, though. However you exercise your North london rivalry, we've all had a laugh, smirk, joke or even just a wry smile at the Gooners' as they pick up the pieces of a fortnight from hell - but this "closing the gap" talk no longer interests me.

If the last ten years have been Arsenal's time, then let them have it. Because, right now, if there's any chance at all that the here and now might just be our time, then Tottenham have my undivided attention.