Richard Sutcliffe: Tottenham's bold thinking forces re-think about the Lane

Maybe I've just been unlucky, I don't know. But the vast majority of my trips as an away fan to Spurs have been distinctly uncomfortable affairs due to the less than welcoming natives.

Once, when wandering down the Seven Sisters Road to catch the bus back to my then student digs in nearby Manor House having watched Burnley lose 3-1, the threats turned physical as Spurs hooligans picked off anyone with a northern accent.

Nursing a swollen lip for the next few days, I was just thankful that the Clarets hadn't had the temerity to actually beat the home side or the locals might have been really upset.

Every visit since then has been made with a degree of trepidation – even when they were working trips as they were last season when Hull City and Leeds United were in north London.

As a result, I have not been overly well disposed towards Tottenham down the years.

Last week, however, I – and probably millions of other football fans in this country – had reason to be grateful to Spurs for livening up what, with each passing year, becomes the ever more predictable Champions League group stages.

Tottenham are making their first appearance in Europe's flagship tournament since its re-branding from the days of the European Cup.

That, in itself, is cause for cheer with one of the least appealing aspects of the group stages being the appearance of the same names year after year.

There are only so many times that Chelsea, Lyon, Inter Milan et al coasting through to the knockout stages can happen before it becomes boring.

But what has made Tottenham's return to the top table of European football a welcome one has been the refreshing brand of attacking football that Harry Redknapp has employed.

The approach began in the qualifiers when the Spurs manager sent his side out in the away leg to put the tie beyond Swiss side Young Boys.

Twenty eight minutes later, the English side were 3-0 down and looking like following Everton out of the competition before the 'real' action got underway.

Goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko and Sebastien Bassong then gave Tottenham a lifeline that they gratefully grasped back in London as Young Boys were thrashed 4-0.

It was enough to seal a place in the group stages, where bold thinking has again been rewarded with a 2-2 draw in Germany against Werder Bremen after being two goals ahead and a 4-1 thrashing of FC Twente.

Next, a trip to Milan to take on holders Inter awaits – a prospect so enticing that, thanks to all Yorkshire's Football League sides being in action the previous night, the usual practice of Sutcliffe Towers being a Champions League-free zone until February every year will again be lifted.

I might even cheer Spurs on, something that before this season seemed as likely as me looking forward to the next return trip to White Hart Lane.