The new reality

This summer, however, will be a little different for Spurs fans. This summer we will bask in the glow of more incremental improvement on the pitch, and we will sob quietly in to our pillows as more images emerge of the 'decommissioning' of the Lane.

But most of all we will approach a summer with a genuine sense of anticipation for the season to come. Never before in my lifetime could I honestly say we would be genuine title challengers. But that is the stark reality and it demands a different mind set on and off the pitch.

As fans we have to avoid the trap of entitlement that I've referenced before. We have to maintain the wide-eyed innocence of a new experience (and the raucous atmospheres that are inextricably linked to it). Perhaps the move the Wembley and the desire not to allow it to derail our progress will see a redoubling of the passion? 

On the pitch, for once, I don't have many, if any, concerns. It seems inevitable that Kyle Walker will leave, maybe other squad members will too, but the commitment of the manager to his 'project' means I have little concern.

We will replace those who depart and supplement with lads from the Academy (perhaps making a profit along the way) and we will deliver on the pitch, again.

Whether it's enough to take the final step and put silverware in the cabinet only time and luck will tell. What is sure is that every season under Pochettino the team has absorbed the lessons of the prior campaign. The emphatic ending to the 2017/18 season is a classic case in point.