What now? As the Tottenham hierarchy contemplate whether the emergency removal of Igor Tudor might be necessary to avoid the very real prospect of a humiliating relegation to the Championship, the club’s 58,000 fans who watched their latest – and perhaps most damning – disastrous defeat now find themselves in a quandary.
They have tried walkouts – both of the organised variety and on impulse halfway through a particularly dreadful loss against Crystal Palace little over a fortnight ago. They have repeatedly, vocally, made their anger clear over the course of a dismal campaign. Now their final roll of the dice failed to yield any sort of response from their comatose players.
The rapturous pre-match reception some 10,000 or so home supporters gave the two Spurs buses on arrival at Tottenham High Road was the kind usually reserved for trophy parades. People scaled bus stops, hung off lampposts and filled the streets with blue and white flares in a forlorn bid to inspire.
“All together, always,” was the message of unity Tottenham fans conveyed in the wake of encouraging performances against Liverpool and Atletico Madrid over the previous week. The fight to avoid second-tier football was deemed too important for entirely justified recent fury to in any way hinder that mission.
For a beleaguered group that has witnessed just one Premier League home win since the opening day of the season, it was admirable. They sang, they cheered and they implored a response that never arrived. Instead, they were forced to endure a gutless performance against a relegation rival that must now make the end of Spurs’ top-flight tenure more likely than not given their 13-game winless league run. So what do the fans do now?
It was a question that could not be asked of Tudor, who did not attend post-match media duties after he was reportedly informed of an immediate family bereavement. In his absence, assistant manager Bruno Saltor said: “The fans were outstanding since the first minute when we were coming in, to the last minute.
“They stayed, they showed their support. It was quite emotional for everyone on the bus [before the match]. That’s what we need because, right now, all of us have the same goal: fight until the end of the season and stay in the Premier League as this club deserves.”
Yet, by the end of a win that was as important for Nottingham Forest’s safety mission as it could prove devastating for Tottenham’s, there were more empty seats around the ground than those occupied. The latest mass exodus followed the visitors’ third goal, tucked home by Taiwo Awoniyi with three minutes of normal time remaining after earlier goals from Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White. Then came the familiar refrain of boos at the final whistle.
It was a result that a truly insipid second-half performance deserved, but not those who had paid to watch. For much of the past two seasons, the primary sound around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has veered between deafening silence and irate jeers – neither of which have been unwarranted. During the majority of this match – even after going two goals down – supporters put aside frustrations and ran through their songbook, to no effect.
The finger will be pointed at a manager who supposedly thrives in such difficult situations, but has now earned one point from his five Premier League matches.
Given the absence of Spurs creativity that was pervasive in spite of significant time spent in Forest territory, it was something of a surprise that Xavi Simons remained on the bench until the 67th minute. The Dutchman had been one of the brightest lights in the midweek victory over Atletico Madrid (which did not prevent a Champions League exit), but Tudor opted against his inclusion from the outset. Such was the weakness of the Tottenham collective that it is hard to envisage one player making much of a difference in any case.
All sense of a cohesive plan appeared entirely absent; there was little structure and no obvious method through which to win the game. Forest did not dominate anything like as much as the scoreline might suggest, but they did not need to.
Jesus’ headed opener, scored on the stroke of half-time, came after an opening period in which Spurs benefitted from eight corners. The hosts did in fact twice hit the crossbar in that first half, through a misdirected Jesus defensive header and a long-range Mathys Tel shot.
But if a stirring fightback was expected after the break, the opposite occurred, as Tudor’s side became increasingly disjointed. When a ball was squared into the Tottenham penalty area just after the hour, an alarming absence of marking allowed an entirely untroubled Morgan Gibbs-White to drill home.
By the time Awoniyi tucked a third from close range, all hope was already extinguished. Forest eased to their first Premier League victory since January, with Spurs yet to win in the league this calendar year.
“A good week for us,” said Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira, whose side advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday and are now three points clear of the relegation zone. “It is good for belief because we need to believe in ourselves. It is about what we want to be as a team. We are alive, we are committed and we are ready to fight.”
Whether Tudor will be given the opportunity to locate some sense of spirit among his floundering Tottenham players following the international break must now be in severe doubt. Saltor insisted the coaching staff “feel the support from everyone at the club”. If that does not now include the fans, then who could blame them?
