Tottenham's Relegation Crisis Deepens After Palace Defeat
Tottenham Hotspur's season is spinning dangerously out of control, with Thursday night's 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace plunging the club into full crisis mode. Spurs now sit just one point above the Premier League relegation zone, and the interim appointment of Igor Tudor has proven disastrous. With only nine games remaining to avoid the unthinkable, relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and West Ham possess greater momentum. Unless Tottenham can halt their alarming slide, they could well be playing Championship football next season.
Expert Analysis on Saving Tottenham's Season
Our experts have their say on how Tottenham might bail water out of the sinking ship to keep it afloat in the Premier League.
Swallow Pride and Call Ange Postecoglou - Oliver Holt
It was always a huge gamble to trust an interim manager with something as critical to the club's future as avoiding relegation. What is the point of waiting for Mauricio Pochettino to take over next season if he's going to be managing a Championship team? The gamble on Tudor has clearly failed. There doesn't seem to be much more to Tudor than an authoritarian who wants the players to run a lot, and that's showing in the team's performances. There has been no new-manager bounce; this has been a dead-cat bounce.
Spurs are in a relegation death-spiral. West Ham and Forest both show signs of momentum, and if Spurs don't act, they will go down. Desperate times require desperate measures. The club must accept they made a mistake with Tudor, despite injuries and poor decisions by senior players. It is time to abandon that experiment now.
The hierarchy have made such a mess of everything that the field is limited for their last throw of the dice. They need to swallow their pride and bring back Ange Postecoglou for the rest of the season. I know they finished 17th with him last season, but he knows the players, has the charisma for a quick fix, and is a legend with the fans after the Europa League triumph. It's left-field, but it's the best chance Spurs have got.
A Mason/Hoddle Double Act? - Craig Hope
Forget giving a new manager time, because Spurs don't have that. They have to ask themselves: is Igor Tudor taking them down? If, like most of us, they think yes, then a change has to be made. He does not have the personality, it seems, to unite the club for this final charge towards safety. He seems resigned to their relegation, which is both staggering and alarming.
Who do they bring in? A Ryan Mason and Glenn Hoddle double act? I suspect that would be better than Tudor.
No Viable Alternatives to Tudor - Jack Gaughan
It's not something I'd usually advocate, but from afar, it looks like Tudor just hasn't worked, and Spurs have somehow regressed further. The mood appears to be exacerbated by some of his answers in press conferences. While it's ludicrous to suggest a manager (interim or otherwise) should lose his job after three matches, what other option is available to them? One slight issue: I couldn't name a credible manager to come in who'd definitely make sure they keep their heads above water.
Players Should Look at Themselves - Kieran Gill
I wouldn't be surprised if Spurs went full Crystal Palace and Frank de Boer by sacking Igor Tudor, but would it change much? Who's around as an alternative? Harry Redknapp? Tim Sherwood? Ryan Mason? Would Sean Dyche have the time to get this Tottenham team in shape? Nah. My suspicion is Spurs are stuck with Tudor in their fight for survival. The players should be showing more themselves because they have been pathetic.
Would Boardroom Change Lift Mood? - Tom Collomosse
The suggestion overnight was that sporting director Johan Lange and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham were in serious danger of being removed, possibly even as early as Friday, though Tottenham are currently distancing themselves from this idea. On the one hand, removing an executive will not make the players perform better. But as Wolves saw when chairman Jeff Shi departed, the mood among the fans was lifted, and this in turn helped the players and boss Rob Edwards.
Venkatesham was targeted mercilessly by Spurs fans on Thursday night, who do not love his Arsenal connections. That is why the club leaders may decide to move Venkatesham on. It may just calm the waters a little ahead of a defining period for the club.
