Tottenham fans do not have many players to cheer in Euro 2000. They can support Sol Campbell when he plays for England, and hope that Steffen Iversen shines for Norway, but that's it.

And unless Spurs make a dramatic improvement on last season, the only way any other members of the White Hart Lane squad are likely to get to Europe in the foreseeable future is if they book package holidays to one of the Costas.

But even the glummest of the London club's fans will be encouraged by the news that there is a small continental outpost that will be forever Spurs.

Here, in the Cockerel pub, in the heart of Vise, near the Belgian border with Holland, some of the club's most dedicated fans gather to bemoan the state of their team, to criticise Alan Sugar and occasionally, should the mood take him, celebrate the genius of David Ginola.

No different, in fact, to the conversations you will hear come 5pm in the pubs either side of Seven Sisters Road. The difference, of course, is the 620 mile round trip which separates the Belgian supporters from their post-match pint.

The pub is a shrine to Tottenham with the walls plastered in pictures and memorabilia dedicated to the north London side. On the wall at the back of the bar is a 25ft cockerel while the club's badge and motto 'Audere Est Facere' adorns everything from the windows and doors to the swinging sign above the entrance. Even the cigarette machine has its own official logo.

Set among the French-style cafe bars and brasseries which characterise Vise, famous for its giant munitions factory on the banks of the River Meuse, the cockerel sticks out like a sore thumb.

But bizarrely, and in spite of the club's lack of success, it has become one of the most popular places in town. It is all the work of Spursmad landlord Xavier Fluchard who became hooked after watching the team's 1981 FA Cup triumph over Manchester City on television.

'English football was dominating Europe at that time,' he recalled. 'But, for me, Spurs had the best team. They had so many exciting players like Glenn Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa.

I was 13 years old and I wrote to the club asking for some tickets.

Amazingly they sent me four free tickets for the first game of the following season against West Ham. I went along and have been going ever since.'

Now 32, Xavier spends nearly £20,000 a year watching Spurs. He has a season ticket and has only missed one match all season.

He is not alone. There are nearly 1000 members of the Tottenham supporters club in France and Belgium and most of them make the trip to White Hart Lane every other week. Xavier said: 'I don't think there are many teams who can say they have that many foreign fans going all the time. It would be easy to support Manchester United because they win all the time but there is something special about Spurs.'

So special in fact, that four years ago he gave up his job as a local barman, bought a house and converted it into an English-style pub.

After persuading the locals that English football wasn't all about long ball and lager louts, the pub became popular.

He said: 'At first people were a bit afraid. They had heard stories about hooligans rampaging around grounds. But when some of them started going they saw that it was nothing like that.

'Everyone knows about Tottenham in Vise these days.'

So what do they feel about the state of the club? He said: 'George Graham has been good for us, without him we wouldn't have won anything but he is a hard man and I'm not sure some of the players respond to that style of management. I think they are afraid of him.

'Graham was a great manager at Arsenal because he was hard and that worked at that club at that time but I think Hoddle would be better. Perhaps he will come next season. I hope so.

'Whatever happens we have to keep Ginola. He is a great player and he creates intensity inside the stadium whenever he is on the ball.'

As well as following Spurs, Xavier is a keen supporter of England and travels regularly to watch games home and away. Or should that be away and away?

He added: 'It's good that Euro 2000 is in my country. It will save me some money.

'We have 82 England fans coming to stay in Vise for the tournament. I have sorted them out hotels and I have arranged coaches to take them to games.

'The mayor of the town and the police were a bit worried at me arranging for all these English supporters to come over. They thought they would be marauding around the streets.

'But I have managed to persuade them it is only a minority of supporters who cause trouble. Everyone will be made to feel at home.'

Except, of course, if you're a follower of Tottenham's old rivals.

Xavier added: 'We had a couple of Arsenal fans who tried to get in here once wearing their shirts. I said I had no problem with them coming in as long as they took them off!'