Too good to go down. Too big to be relegated. All have been uttered in the past about clubs who eventually plummeted into the lower leagues. Most notably the talented West Ham team that included the likes of Joe Cole. Even last season, West Ham again made it through by the skin of their teeth despite having shelled out plenty of cash on expensive stars. Ironically, it was Spurs’ gutting 4-3 win over the Hammers that many say spurred them on to stay up.
But this season the tables have been rather dramatically turned, with Spurs boss Juande Ramos admitting what many fans may still have been hiding from,
“It’s the reality,” said Ramos. “At the moment we are closer to relegation than we are to the European places.
“So we’re left with no alternative but to fight against this and get as many points as possible.
“And if we’re capable of coming out of this situation we will think about something better. But at this moment this is the reality.”
“It’s of massive importance that my players don’t think they’re too good to go down but concentrate on winning some games and then looking up the table,” he said.
“Good results help players restore their confidence and from then on we will see if we’re capable of doing something better.
“Let’s get to mid-table first and then we will have to think about going a bit higher. But at this moment the situation is much more delicate than it seems. We are at the bottom of the table.”
Good that he’s trying to ground the players as its harder to get out of a relegation scrap if delusions of a top six finish still dance around in your head. But if history is anything to go by, the last minute home loss to Birmingham may serve as the wake up call that their players needed.
Just as West Ham.