Eric Dier’s winner at Upton Park now feels like a lifetime ago. Sunday’s events at White Hart Lane were an all too familiar sight. A team rooted to the foot of the Premier League table arrived in N17 with a rigid defensive game plan, built on frustrating the hosts and hoping to nick a goal – either from a set piece, or on the break. The visitors get their goal and Spurs crumble. We’ve seen it all before. In recent years we’ve suffered home defeats to Fulham, Norwich, Stoke, West Ham, Wigan, Wolves and now West Brom in this fashion. But why was Sunday’s defeat different?

I’ve been lucky enough to own a season ticket at the Lane since the start of the 2004/2005 season when we finished in 9th place under Martin Jol, after he had replaced Jacques Santini. Since that season I have seen Spurs finish outside of the top six only twice, winning and losing League Cup finals, reaching a Champions League quarter-final, as well as overseeing two FA Cup semi-final defeats.

Compared to those who suffered Spurs during the dark days of the 1990s and early 2000s, one could I argue that I have been relatively spoiled with top six finishes and regular European football. However, despite the world class talent on show, and the Premier League being a more attractive product than ever before, going to White Hart Lane these days feels more like a chore than the privilege it should be. It’s like being told by your mum to do the washing up or to tidy your room – something that you do regularly, but from which you obtain little or no gratification.

There are a number of reasons for this. You could point to the slow, insipid, possession-based football that we’ve endured since the departure of Harry Redknapp. You could point fingers at the crowd and the atmosphere; are we getting behind the players and doing enough to turn WHL into the cauldron of fire it once was? No, we’re not.

Going to White Hart Lane these days feels more like a chore than the privilege it should be

On the contrary, are the players doing enough to excite the fans and raise the noise levels inside the stadium? No, they’re not. It’s a vicious circle. You could also point to the astronomical ticket prices, which have arguably priced out some of the more passionate supporters and replaced them with a more gentrified crowd.

There is no doubt that since the Champions League season, the atmosphere at White Hart Lane has been poor. I can only feel that we were spoilt by that amazing season; the emergence of Bale, the fast-paced attacking football, the dismantling of the then European champions Inter Milan at the Lane and the win against AC Milan in the San Siro. These moments gave Spurs fans unbelievable highs that we had not reached for over 20 years and from which we have been on the comedown ever since.

Football is a drug and fans are the addicts; we always hope that the next hit will provide even higher highs but they inevitably leave us feeling unfulfilled. A trip to White Hart Lane these days is nothing short of unfulfilling.

Sunday’s game at home to West Brom was possibly the most unfulfilled I’ve felt at White Hart Lane in my 10 years as a season-ticket holder. The absolutely torrid football on display, in which we mustered just one shot on target, will be quickly forgotten and can be written off as an ‘off-day’ or a ‘bad day at the office’. But I was more disappointed with the general atmosphere inside the ground.

Going to White Hart Lane is now often a tense experience, especially if the team start sluggishly or don’t score in the opening 20 minutes. By this point the atmosphere is usually very flat, especially when playing a team like West Brom. This plays right into the hands of the opposition every single time.

I sit in the North Upper, which is a large contributor to this tension. It is one of the quietest parts of the ground and usually, the only real noise created is either a collection of groans from when a pass goes astray, or people singling out a particular player for under-performing. The usual scapegoats are Kaboul, Paulinho, Rose and Naughton, and previously up until his re-emergence earlier this year, Emmanuel Adebayor.

Fans pay extortionate prices for tickets to be entertained and to see their team perform. Yesterday we were neither entertained nor did Spurs perform

West Brom scored in the 74th minute through James Morrison and, as soon as the ball hit the back of the net, I heard the loud thud of seats tilting up from all around me. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. 74 minutes played, we’ve just gone deservedly 1-0 down, there’s just over 15 minutes left to play plus injury time, and people are leaving already? This is something I would expect to see at the Emirates – not at WHL. What kind of atmosphere does this generate? How does this transmit to the players?

Admittedly, it was a small collection of supporters that left at that moment, but over the next 10-15 minutes a slow and quiet ‘fire drill’ occurred to the extent that, by the 87th minute, the stadium was probably just over half empty. This leaves me with serious worries surrounding the new stadium. Will it be like a blue version of the Emirates? Soulless.

From those who stayed, every misplaced pass or lost 50/50 was greeted with a smattering of boos around me, and shouts of “f**k off Paulinho, you’re not good enough”. Fans are entitled to their opinion but, for me, booing your own players during the game should never happen. I recall a game in 2004 against Charlton – I think it was Jol’s first home game in charge as caretaker manager. We were 3-0 down at half time after a shocking display. No one left, no one booed; the fans got behind the players, and we nearly pulled off a great comeback, losing 2-3 in the end.

Football is a drug and fans are the addicts; we always hope that the next hit will provide even higher highs

Imagine if we were 3-0 down at half-time yesterday. How many fans would have been there for the start of the 2nd half? Players feed off the fans just as much as the fans feed off the players. An atmosphere of negativity – which is becoming commonplace at WHL – will often generate disappointing performances on the pitch.

On the train back to Brighton, where I’m studying at Sussex University, I pondered the events of the afternoon. Maybe those fans were right to leave in the 74th minute – after all we were bloody awful. Fans pay extortionate prices for tickets to be entertained and to see their team perform. Yesterday we were neither entertained nor did Spurs perform.

For some that have paid £50 or more to see that display, losing is too difficult to comprehend. Somehow I’ve managed to stretch my student loan far enough to be able to spend a painful £64 on a ticket for the NLD on Saturday. Hopefully, our magnificent away fans can generate a nervy atmosphere amongst the Woolwich faithful and ignite the players so they can give us fans our money’s worth on the pitch. If we win it will be worth every penny.