Spurs were on a few times and they had Chris Waddle, Glenn Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles, guys like that. I really enjoyed their enterprising, attacking style of play, so they became my team.
I played football for Wellington Diamond United as a nipper. It just became a real passion the more I followed Spurs.
I remember getting up for the 1991 FA Cup semifinal when Spurs beat Arsenal. Paul Gascoigne got a screamer from 40 yards out and Gary Lineker got two goals. We went on to beat Nottingham Forest in the final.
Tottenham's a club with a huge amount of history. I think they were formed when some schoolboys who were part of a cricket club called Hotspur wanted to do something in the winter.
Right from the late 1800s, they were known as an attacking, enterprising team. That's why they started to attract supporters.
Spurs were the first team to win the FA as a non-league team, the first British team to win major European honours, and the first team in the 20th century to do the double, in 1961.
It's just a big club that attracts good players, and they stay true to their exciting style of play.
I did my OE in London and got to see Spurs in person for the first time in 1999. We beat Watford 4-0 and I can still see every goal. There was a 30-yard screamer from Ginola, two from Tim Sherwood, one from Steffen Iversen. Then it was out to all the pubs around Seven Sisters with all the Spurs fans afterwards.
I ended up spending a lot of time at White Hart Lane, hanging out with Spurs fans. The camaraderie and the support for the team was phenomenal.
I actually lived closer to Arsenal, in Highbury. I remember my landlord coming in and going mental at me because I had some Tottenham gear up on the wall. He suggested I should take it down because the Arsenal fans would come and burn the place down.
This year's been pretty good. We've gone much further into the Champions League than anyone could ever have expected.
Guys like Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Michael Dawson are going well. Even William Gallas, the turncoat from Arsenal, has won some fans.
The absolute best-case scenario from here would be winning the Champions League, and finishing in the top four in the Premier League. But if they made the semifinals of the Champions League, that would still be a fantastic season.
They've shown the best teams they belong at the top. Harry Redknapp seems to be able to get the best out of his players. He's not aggressive or over-bearing. He just allows the players to express themselves.
Ben Coleman
Oamaru solicitor
• Team:Tottenham Hotspur.
• Sport: Football.
• Fan since: Probably since I was about five.
• Favourite player: Teddy Sheringham.
• Greatest moment: Being there in person to see Tottenham beat Bradford in 1999.
• Been to White Hart Lane?: Yes.
- As told to Hayden Meikle.
