Tottenham supporters’ group hint at protests after ‘disgraceful’ defeat at Atletico Madrid
An angry Spurs fan group has had enough of the current issues at the North London club
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) has described last night’s defeat to Atletico Madrid as a “total disgrace” and claimed the Premier League strugglers are “sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff”.
Spurs were thrashed 5-2 at the Metropolitano having fallen 3-0 behind in 15 catastrophic minutes in the first leg of their Champions League, round of 16 clash. Interim boss Igor Tudor responded by hauling off recalled goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who was at fault for two of the goals, and although his team rallied, it leaves them with a difficult task to turn the tie around next week.
It was another shambolic performance from a team that has not won a domestic game this calendar year and sits just one point above the relegation zone and in serious danger of falling into the Championship next season.
The THST has had enough and hinted at protests in their statement late last night.
It read: “Tonight’s performance and result is a total disgrace. It’s symptomatic of the abysmal state of things at Spurs right now. From the January transfer window to the management appointments, the lack of leadership and the total absence of anyone with a Spurs pedigree informing these decisions. Where is the Daring to Do? Where are the Echoes of Glory?
“Emergency action is needed as right now we are sleep walking off the edge of a cliff. Being a Spurs fan has never been so difficult but supporters will not sit by and watch the club continue to decline. There will be more to follow…
“At the very least those in Madrid should have their match tickets refunded. But all we really care about is that the club make us proud. We are here to support the team and be the 12th man. But we all deserve so much more.”
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Tudor apologises after Tottenham thrashed
Tudor, who was brought in last month following the sacking of Thomas Frank, is already under pressure and it remains to be seen if he is still in charge for the weekend trip to Liverpool.
He said last night: “We apologise to the fans and to everyone. It’s a difficult moment. Everything looks like going wrong. Small mistakes, we pay. Everything, unbelievable. Even this situation at the end, two players [colliding]. It felt like everything was going against us.”
Tudor conceded the sequence of events was difficult to explain, insisting he had rarely experienced anything similar during his time in football.
“I need to keep working,” he added. “Not speaking too much, stay focused on the things we can do. It’s unbelievably difficult to explain all these things, the first time in my career that I saw these things, 15 years.
“I’m focused on the problems, the players also. We need to stay positive.”
Timeline of events as Spurs unravel in Madrid
6 mins – Kinsky slips while attempting to play out from the back on his Champions League debut. Julian Alvarez quickly seizes on the mistake and squares the ball for Marcos Llorente, who calmly finishes into the bottom corner.
14 mins – Defender Micky van de Ven’s slip allows Antoine Griezmann to run through and make it 2-0.
15 mins – Kinsky makes a hash of a straightforward pass and gifts the ball to Julian Alvarez, who makes 3-0.
17 mins – Kinsky is taken off by Tudor and replaced by Guglielmo Vicario. Tudor does not console the disconsolate Czech as he walks off.
22 mins – Robin Le Normand nods in to make it 4-0.
26 mins – Pedro Porro’s composed finish reduces the arrears.
55 mins – A clever touch from Griezmann released Alvarez through the middle and he finished past Vicario to make it 5-1.
76 mins – Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak makes an error, enabling Dominic Solanke to make it 5-2.
90+3 – Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha collide and both players look groggy following a nasty clash of heads