A Spurs problem shared is a Spurs problem solved

I'VE been harbouring a secret for the past few weeks and keeping it under wraps is beginning to eat away at me.

People say that the only way to help these issues is by talking about them - "sharing the burden will lighten the load" and all that sort of thing.

So I'm going to come right out and say it... 

I genuinely think Tottenham are going to win the league.

(Silence)

(More silence. Well, this is awkward)

Did he actually just say that? Out loud? Is he mad? He'll ruin it. He must be some sort of heathen - or a psychopath. We need to get out of here. Back away slowly to the door - then run. We never heard a thing.

Many will be horrified that I'm willing to make this admission in public. If that's you, then I'm sorry. I've done it now. But I'm far from the only one. 

There are thousands of us making the change into one of those horrible specimen detested by well-conditioned Spurs fans - a believer. 

It goes against every ounce of White Hart Lane etiquette that was ever drilled into us. 

Don't tempt fate, don't count your chickens, don't celebrate before the final whistle, don't tempt fate, don't think the job is done and for god sake don't eat the lasagne. 

Did I mention don't tempt fate?

So determined have I always been not to tempt footballing fate that I would refuse to make predictions prior to a Spurs game for fear it could scupper what would otherwise be a straightforward result.

I would wriggle and squirm my way out of them using a volley of pre-loaded expressions.

Ooooh, I wouldn't like to say. Anything could happen. Well, it's Spurs isn't it. 

Two years ago, at about this stage of the season, I was speaking to a work colleague about whether his beloved Liverpool - then top of the table - could see it out and win the title.

"Yeah, I think they will. We've been playing the best football all season. I had £30 on them at 20-1."

Whoa, this guy is unreal. What is he thinking? How can he be that confident? If they lose to Chelsea it'll all unravel for them.

Sure enough, Liverpool lost to Chelsea and their title charge fell apart. But this fella's attitude struck a chord with me.

No matter the outcome, he had been confident in his team. He had backed his horse from way out in the field - while everyone else was casting doubt and turning their noses up - and he stuck by it until the very end. 

He had enjoyed the season while it was there to be enjoyed and, while everyone else could claim they saw it coming or they knew it was out of reach, he would forever be able to look back and say, "Yeah, I really thought we would win it."

How many football fans get to say that about the Premier League title? Not many. 

Can you imagine having one decent run at the championship in your lifetime and one day - regardless of the outcome - you have to admit to yourself that you never really believed your team could do it anyway?

It's not a great example to set or legacy to leave and, besides, it's just not what the game is about.

Football is about entertainment, wearing your heart on your sleeve and the emotions that come with riding the crest of a wave - wherever that wave happens to break.

With this in mind I changed tactic in the middle of last season. I decided I was so done with "not tempting fate" that I was going to tempt it until it could take no more - until fate was so sick of temptation that in future fate might just cross the road to avoid me. 

I started predicting that Spurs would win all our games by massive scorelines - knowing that, if this backfired, there was a real possibility we'd get relegated and it would all be my fault.

Needless to say, my predictions are never bang on but we kept winning games and it has taught me two important things. 

Firstly, tempting fate doesn't make a difference to the result. And secondly, it really doesn't matter if you're wrong.

What matters is that you are putting your faith in something to which over a lifetime you devote a lot of time, effort and passion. 

A growing number of Spurs fans are on the believer bandwagon and the outcome is not what is important. 

This group of players, this bunch of lads, are what is important. They have succeeded where countless Tottenham teams have fallen short in the past. 

Not just with results, and not just with attractive football but by creating something indescribable - pulling the fans together and giving us all something we can be really proud of.

And that’s something I’m more than happy to believe in.