Spurs are staring at years of failure unless they rebuild properly

“I t’s very embarrassing,” said Hugo Lloris candidly after Tottenham’s shambolic 6-1 defeat at Newcastle on Sunday afternoon. Embarrassing is a word many Spurs fans would have used, albeit with a string of expletives both before and after. The team found themselves 5-0 down after just 21 minutes as Newcastle ran riot in their bid to secure a top-four finish. It was the perfect response by Newcastle after their 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa the week before. For Spurs, it was a performance so bad that the players offered to reimburse travelling fans the cost of their tickets.

Spurs were also beaten last week, losing 3-2 to Bournemouth. Many fans thought that defeat – at home to a relegation-threatened side – would be the nadir in their season, but, Spurs being Spurs, they managed to drop even further. The spineless display at St James’ Park ultimately cost Cristian Stellini his job, with Ryan Mason the newest interim manager at the club. Spurs have had more managers in the last month (three) than they have won away league matches this year (two).

This season promised so much, but the run-in is proving to be particularly Spursy. The defeat on Sunday was the first time they had conceded six goals in a league match for a decade, dating back to a 6-0 defeat at Manchester City in 2013. Supporters are genuinely wondering when the team will win again, with games against Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa on the horizon. Villa were a point above the relegation zone when Unai Emery was appointed in November; now they are above Spurs in the table.

A top-four finish remains the aim but, with Spurs now six points behind both Newcastle (who have a game in hand) and Manchester United (who have two games in hand), supporters are