How on earth are Tottenham Hotspur at the bottom of the Premier League? It is the most unlikely situation that has ever happened in the history of the club, winless and with five defeats out of seven league matches, Spurs are in dire trouble whose odds of relegation are shortening all the time.
Just a year ago they were in a similar position, but panic set in and popular manager, Martin Jol, was given the sack and replaced by Juande Ramos, who had earned himself a huge reputation by his success at Seville. On paper it looked a good appointment, but also on paper, Jol's dismissal looked a bad decision. It is true that Spurs had made a poor start but fans should remember that their top player at the time, Dimitar Berbatov, who had been so instrumental the year before in securing 5th spot for the club, was sulking. His performance's and general demeanour on the pitch were a disgrace and Spurs found it increasingly difficult to play to a winning formula with him spearheading the attack.
They were simply unable to get going and his attitude was clearly affecting the rest of the players. As Sir Alex Ferguson will surely find, Berbatov will be difficult to manage even at Manchester United. Spurs went from bad to worse last season and eventually, Jol got the blame and paved the way for Ramos to take the helm.
Whether it was Ramos or just a general upturn in form, Spurs got themselves out of the mire and went on to win the Carling Cup, beating Chelsea in the final. They finish respectively in the League and optimism was high that they would get back to where they had been two seasons before.
It must therefore be a tremendous shock to the club and to its fans to see them rooted and directionless at the bottom with almost a quarter of the season already gone. At the outset of the season they were favourites to finish in 5th spot in the League and now shortening with the bookmakers to be relegated and the Tottenham board are in the same dilemma as they were last year; should they sack Ramos or wait until the tide turns?
Although Spurs have now rid themselves of Berbatov, they were unable to resist the sale of Robbie Keane to Liverpool and before that, Jermaine Defoe to Portsmouth. The loss of three outstanding strikers would hurt any club, but in fairness, Spurs have done well in the transfer market. They have brought in Roman Pavlyuchenko, who was so impressive in Euro 2008, they have bought David Bentley, a fringe England player, and the purchase of Luca Modric was hailed as the best signing of the summer. They already had Jermaine Jenas, Aaron Lennon, Jonathan Woodgate and they also had Ledley King back from injury. On paper, Spurs looked to be a match for anyone.
So what has gone wrong and how quickly will they react to save themselves from further decline?
Ironically, Martin Jol moved on to FC Hamburg in the Bundesliga and guess what, he has guided them to top spot and is being hailed as the best thing that has happened at that club, since Kevin Keegan joined them in 1977. Football they say is a funny old game, but management appointments are even funnier.
This article will be followed up in a couple of months time to reassess the current situation at White Heart Lane and consider whether the biggest relegation shock in Premier League history could actually happen.
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