Calls are coming in from Premier League legends for Tottenham Hotspur to make an immediate change to their caretaker manager after their loss to Crystal Palace on Friday morning AEDT.
Spurs are now 11 games without a league win for the first time in the Premier League era, their longest winless run in the domestic competition since 1975.
Now, interim manager Igor Tudor is under the spotlight, not even a month after the club sacked former manager Thomas Frank – who was only eight months into the job after replacing Australian Ange Postecoglou at the end of last season.
It’s prompted urgent calls from former Spurs player Jamie O’Hara, who says he wouldn’t mind Postecoglou back at the helm.
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“Everything about the football club is an absolute disgrace. Honestly, I’m hurting, I’m actually hurting. It hurts,” O’Hara said on talkSPORT.
“This team is terrible. The players are terrible. They’re Championship players. They’re Championship players.
“I’d actually take big Ange, it’s got to that point.
“Get him (Tudor) out of this football club. This geezer, he’s absolutely clueless. I could do a better job. It is an embarrassment.”
Postecoglou ended the club’s 17-year trophy drought when they lifted the Europa league last season, but he was still shown the exit door after finishing 17th in the league last season.
It led to former Brentford boss Frank taking over, before things went downhill and the Dane was dismissed last month. Tudor, despite never managing a Premier League club, was given the role.
Former Irish international Clinton Morrison, who made 281 appearances for Crystal Palace during his career, says the club needs to act now after their latest 3-1 defeat at home.
“Did I think (Igor) Tudor was the right appointment? No, I would’ve got someone who knows the league,” Morrison said during the post-match coverage.
“I think I would have to react now, because we’ve (Tottenham) got a big game against Liverpool, and then after that you’ve got Nottingham Forest, and that’s another major game.
“(The Liverpool game is in) 10 days, so if you’re going to have to make the change, make the change now. Don’t make it in five or six (days).
“Give the manager who’s going to come in there enough time to work with the players,” Morrison added.
“I think I would (make the change), but will Tottenham do that? That’s the big question.”
Tottenham legend Tim Sherwood was floated as a potential replacement for the struggling reigning Europa League champions, who are only one point above the relegation zone.
Morrison believes Sherwood could fix culture issues in the club, which were highlighted by a dramatic moment on the sideline during their loss against Palace, when defender Pedro Porro was substituted and visibly frustrated with Tudor.
“I think Tim’s (Sherwood) the right appointment, someone like that who knows the club inside out” Morrison continued.
“Look at Pedro Porro (throwing a tantrum), If he did that with Tim on the touchline, good luck with that.”
A dejected fellow club legend in former England international Les Ferdinand was scathing of the club he made 118 appearances for in the top-flight.
Ferdinand highlighting the absence of belief in the Tottenham squad as they continue to struggle in the Premier League.
“If they didn’t think they were in a relegation battle, they know they are now,” Ferdinand added in the post match coverage.
“You see Porro coming off there and throwing his toys out of the pram. You want to see that on the pitch, don’t leave it for when you’re coming off the pitch – show it on the pitch.
“There’s an expectation at Spurs and they’ve fallen well short of it in my opinion.
“You’re looking at them and you’re just, you’re thinking …. where’s the next result coming from?
“When you’re on that slippery slope and you’re going downhill – it’s almost like you can’t stop and you just keep going, and you’re trying to get off – you’re trying to change it,” Ferdinand continued.
“You can see the manager every game now, he’s had three games and he’s changed the line up every single game … just to try and get people into the side that he feels might, you know, be able to change something …. he’s not found the right formula.”
Ferdinand continued when asked about whether Spurs should pull the trigger and bring in a different caretaker manager to stop the slide.
However, he believes if the club does make the call, whoever takes the reigns needs to know the club and league inside-and-out.
It’s a key call, given Tudor had never managed a Premier League club prior to being given the role at Tottenham.
“(A) lot of people spoke about bringing Harry Redknapp back in, bringing Tim Sherwood back in …. people who know the football club. Not only know the football club – but they know the league as well,” Ferdinand suggested.
“They might set up in a different way. This manager’s getting to terms with knowing the squad, knowing the league … and that’s tough, that’s really, really tough.
“He could’ve come in and he’s got a blank sheet of paper and he might’ve gone, ‘right ok’, he might’ve made a difference. He hasn’t.
“Is there anything to say that someone coming in now, someone different, will change it in the next nine games? I suppose we’re in that position where you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t.
“This is the same group of boys that finished 17th last year.”
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The latest defeat to Palace was nothing short of an implosion from the North London club. They took the lead through Dominic Solanke, just four minutes before Micky van de Ven was shown a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Within ten minutes, Spurs trailed 3-1 heading into half time. It led to home fans leaving Tottenham Hotspur stadium before half time, and an echo of boos ringing around the facility.
“After 45 minutes, we thought this could be six or seven (nil),” Ferdinand added.
“Scored the goal and you thought that might’ve settled them down, but it never did … it was almost like schoolboy football I was watching at times.
“They showed a little bit of pride, went down to ten men and still tried to attack, but not enough.
“Too little, too late unfortunately.”
Tottenham have only Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers below them on the league table with nine games remaining in the campaign.
On their run home, they will face both Forest and the resurgent Wolves, but not before taking on reigning champions Liverpool at Anfield on Monday, March 16 (AEDT).
Next up for Spurs is a two-legged UEFA Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid, beginning next Wednesday morning.
On their run home, they will also have to face the likes of Chelsea and Aston Villa who are fighting for European football next season. To add to worries, they have to face Everton and Sunderland who are pushing for finishes in the top half of the table.
It’s a situation made of nightmares for Tottenham fans, who are also staring down the prospect of their arch rivals Arsenal winning the league for the first time in 20 years after the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Brighton, and Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Forest.