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I've been a fan of football (soccer) for over thirty years and, throughout that period, Tottenham Hotspur have aspired to becoming one of the super powers of English football. However, despite winning more than their fair share of cup competitions, the white half of North London have never been able to display the prolonged consistency that is required to succeed in the upper echelons of the Premier League.

To put things into context, Spurs have only ever won the top prize in English football twice in their long history. The first time was in the 1950/51 season and the last time was in the 1960/61 season when they also won the FA Cup to secure an historic double. Even more damning is the fact that the last time they even managed to be runners up in the top league was in 1963. That's in stark contrast to their cup record as, in the intervening period, they have won the FA Cup four times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Cup once.

With the advent of the Premier League, it has become even more important than ever for teams to consistently achieve high league positions. The fact that the league's top four teams qualify for the money-fest that is the modern Champions League, means that finishing in the top four can secure a club a huge cash windfall. Even more importantly, for a club with Tottenham's lofty ambitions, it can help a club to attract genuinely world class players to close the gap on the powerhouses of Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham's dread rivals, Arsenal.

Given the club's constant failure, however, to make the step up to be a top four club, should their fans hold out much hope that next season will be different? Well, that's one of the endearing things about Spurs fans; they always seem to believe that they are one new manager or one big signing away from making that magical transition from also-rans to serious contenders. Certainly, the size of the club's support is big enough for them to have realistic ambitions in this regard but there are some serious barriers for them to overcome if they are break through the glass ceiling that has taken root in the Premier League.

Firstly, they need to be able to convince world class players to sign for them and hold onto any that they do secure. In recent seasons, they've lost players such as Michael Carrick and Dmitar Berbatov to Manchester United and the suspicion remains that Tottenham's top players will continue to see the club as a stepping stone by bigger glories with other clubs.

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