As the final whistle blows the players head towards each other, shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries and generally putting to bed the events of the previous 90 minutes. In the main, players turn and wistfully glance around the stands, clapping their hands above their heads as an acknowledgement of the crowd. However, one man is different; if the result went our way then he would approach the Park Lane end, usually with his shirt draped over one shoulder, and throw a huge upwardly swinging fist pump into the air. Michael Dawson: a Tottenham win means as much to him as it does to us.

There aren’t many players that have that ability to stir our emotions with such a gesture; Ledley King, Rafael Van der Vaart, Gareth Bale, perhaps — but Dawson always felt it too. He loves Spurs. Having been pushed to the back of the centre-back queue under AVB, Dawson fought his way back into the first team and into our colours. He fought tooth and nail for his starting berth and his desire to put himself on the line for our club always shone through. His commitment has always been there and his application has always been exemplary.

Michael Dawson: a Tottenham win means as much to him as it does to us.

This isn’t to say that Dawson didn’t have his flaws, his flaws are many and they are well known. Michael isn’t the fastest of players and he is too often found diving into players from behind as he looks to get in an early tackle, steaming up toward the halfway line. He is a player who has been too often shown up by the best strikers in the league. His inability to track and steward the likes of Luis Suárez and being turned time and again by Sergio Agüero means he can no longer expect to be a defender in a team with top four ambitions.

Dawson always came across as a simple man. Not a man for the limelight, a short back and sides and a northern twang untainted by nearly a decade in the South. He was benevolent, working consistently with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and his input always came across as earnest and genuine. Dawson was a captain that was respected on the pitch and his no nonsense approach to the game earned him the respect of his peers. Perhaps slightly worryingly, it isn’t immediately obvious who will fill this role at the club in the future now that he has gone.

Perhaps the biggest tribute that can be paid to Dawson is that it often felt like he would do what any one of us would do for Tottenham. He would throw himself in front of anything for our club, putting his body on the line when it mattered. No doubt if he were required to play through an injury, he would, lest see Spurs be left a man short or lacking in experience at a crucial moment.

But ultimately the biggest compliment that can be paid to Michael Dawson is this: he was the best footballer he could be. And, above all else, he wanted to show that on the field for Tottenham Hotspur.