BBC

Tottenham are in their Tudor era - and survival is the goal.

And if new boss Igor can keep struggling Spurs in the Premier League, he'll become one of London's most popular Tudors since Henry VIII.

But this isn't the first time someone from the world of football has been linked by name with a historical figure.

Do you know who these others are? Test yourself with our quiz below.

Tottenham interim manager Igor Tudor says ensuring the club avoid relegation is the toughest challenge of his career.

Spurs sit 16th in the Premier League with 29 points - just four clear of the drop zone with 11 matches remaining - following Sunday's 4-1 home defeat by north London rivals Arsenal.

Reports estimate Spurs would face a collapse of about £260m in annual revenue if they were to fall into the Championship.

Tudor, who was appointed this month after the departure of Thomas Frank, has previously been in charge at Juventus, Lazio, Marseille, Galatasaray and Udinese among others.

Asked whether saving Spurs' season was the biggest rescue job he had undertaken, the Croatian replied: "Probably, if I see, if I recognise the difficulties there are, probably, yes."

Starting with Sunday's trip to Fulham, the club's remaining fixtures also include a visit to bottom side Wolves, while they will welcome fellow strugglers Crystal Palace, Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Leeds to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But with just two home league wins this season, Tudor, 47, described their task as being, in sporting terms, "a question of life or death".

Without a win in the league since 28 December and in the midst of an injury crisis that meant 11 players were ruled out at the weekend, Tudor acknowledged the need for positive results could override any desire to play attractive football in their upcoming matches.

"You need to think about the style," he said. "Is it the right style? Is it the right way how you go and go how you want?

"So you need to be smart to understand deeper the moment and the way how to take the points, even not looking to the style now at this moment.

"So the style I need to be in the second moment, just because now it's a question of life and death, if I can say that in that way, sportingly. Let's figure that out."

Determination and concentration, he added, would be key to turning the situation around.

"[It's] very tough, but it is what I said before, I don't change my opinion," he added.

"So daily work, focus on all the things we need to do - physical condition, mental condition, performance and waiting on players to come back.

"So we need to be focused on us, what we can do, less thinking about others and it should be good."

Tottenham's stretched squad was without a total of 11 players last weekend for the north London derby defeat by Arsenal, considerably more than any other Premier League club.

We asked you who you think Spurs need to return the most as Igor Tudor's team fight to get out of trouble in the coming months.

With just over half of the votes was midfielder Dejan Kulusevski, who has not played this season after undergoing surgery on his patella last May.

The Sweden international has no definitive time frame for his return and has been suffering with a prolonged injury in the knee, that former Spurs boss Thomas Frank called "complicated" only a few weeks ago.

Behind him with just over a quarter of the vote was James Maddison, who has also not played a game yet this season after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in pre-season.

There is a possibility that Maddison could return before the end of the season, which would be a huge boost for Tudor and Spurs' midfield.

On the list of 11 players, Maddison (27%) and Kulusevski (52%) dominated, while 9% of fans think Mohammed Kudus is the biggest miss.

St Totteringham's Day is an unofficial celebration for Arsenal fans that marks the date on which the Gunners are guaranteed to finish higher in the table than Tottenham.

Arsenal can mathematically secure their finish above their north London rivals on Sunday, 1 March with 10 games to spare in the Premier League season.

Spurs can achieve a maximum of 62 points if they win their remaining 11 games, meaning if Igor Tudor's side draw or lose against Fulham, whatever happens at Arsenal will not matter.

If Spurs do beat Fulham and Arsenal also beat Chelsea at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta's side will secure their earliest 'St Totteringham's Day' on record.

The earliest it has happened so far came on 9 March 2008 when an Arsene Wenger-led Arsenal finished the season 37 points ahead of their rivals.

The portmanteau is believed to have originated from Arsenal supporter Julian Shulman on fan website Arseweb in the early 2000s. It gained popularity during a period when the Gunners finished higher than Spurs for 21 consecutive seasons between 1995 and 2016.

The date has also been referred to as St Totteridge and was referenced in the Arsenal matchday programme as early as 2008.

On social media, people have also referred to it as St Hotspurs Day.

Tudor confirmed both Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso are back and available, while Micky van de Ven has a "small problem in his little finger" but is "OK".

Reflecting on Sunday's defeat by Arsenal, he said: "The less we speak, the better it is. It's about focusing on the daily work in training to climb up the table."

Tudor was asked about a clip that surfaced on social media of Van de Ven appearing to ignore him during the North London derby defeat: "I saw that, but it was not an instruction to Micky, it was an instruction to the team, to go up. It was not about Micky. It was about the team coming up. We want to go up, because we want to play this style, that we press high, but the team is complicated at this moment. It's too much for them. So that's why it was the frustration of all that, but this is part of it, nothing special happened. He's a fantastic professional and a fantastic guy, he would not do something like this."

Tudor was asked if the job as Tottenham's interim head coach was harder than he expected: "Probably yes. I agree with you. Very tough, but it is what I said before, I don't change my opinion. That is it. So daily work, focus on all things we need to do - physical condition, mental condition, performance and waiting on [injured] players to come back. So we need to be focused on us, what we can do, less thinking about others and it should be good."

When asked whether he would go with a back three or experiment with his formation, Tudor implied points were more of an immediate focus than implementing his ethos. He said: "You need to be smart to understand deeper the moment and the way how to take the points, even not looking to the style now at this moment. So the style I need to be in the second moment, just because now it's a question of life and death, if I can say that in that way, sportingly, let's figure that out."

On Friday's Champions League round of 16 draw: "I don't think too much about the draw. It doesn't change for me anything. It's a beautiful competition to play, everyone wants to play."

Tudor continued by referencing Spurs' injury crisis: "The problem is the lack of numbers we have in the team. There's the problem - if you need to play every three days with 10,12, 13. Also it's not only about spending physical energy but also mental energy when every game for us in the league is a final. Not an ideal situation."

'Villa can win a game in many different ways'

Wolves v Aston Villa (Fri, 20:00 GMT)

Wolves

Wolves boss Rob Edwards on facing Aston Villa: "Villa are obviously a brilliant team and an amazing manager [Unai Emery]. They have a clear way of playing. We sort of know big, big elements of what we need to do to make sure we are competitive in the game. It needs to look like it matters to us.

"Villa are a team which can win a game in many different ways. We know we have got to be good in those moments.

"The supporters have been amazing considering how difficult it has been. I know the players have got to produce, but what I want as well is for the supporters to keep backing the team."

On how Tolu Arokodare is coping after being racially abused on social media: "He is alright and he has trained this week. He has trained, so he is fit and in a good state to play. Our supporters can have an influence and get behind him and show that love for singing for him."

On team news: "He [Angel Gomes] is fine. Joao [Gomes] is feeling better after missing the Arsenal game - he wasn't really fit. Those two [Joao and Angel] are in a good place at the moment.”

'Emotion and anger' from Wolves after Palace defeat - Edwards

Wolves v Aston Villa (Fri, 20:00 GMT)

Wolves

Wolves boss Rob Edwards on the reaction from his players after their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace: “The performance is the thing we have got to focus on and keep getting better on.

"There was a lot to like about the performance. I was equally frustrated after the game as we should have taken something from it.

"It was frustrating from being a yard away from stopping the goal happening and making something of it. We showed some good sides to ourselves with and without the ball."

On the Wolves players managing frustration: "There was emotion and anger after the game.

"We flipped it the next day and that shows that people care. The dressing room [after the Crystal Palace game] was interesting after the game.

"There is not a frustration that lingers which is causing any sort of problem.

"We have an exciting week and we're at home to try to get some results as well."

'I will never hide from criticism'

Brighton v Nottingham Forest (Sun, 14:00 GMT)

Brighton & Hove Albion

Finally, from Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler on the pressure he is under: "I will never hide from criticism as it's my responsibility, but I am quite convinced it will be a great atmosphere [on Sunday] and a great opportunity for us."

Hurzeler added that he has "spoken a lot about togetherness in recent weeks," but he felt that on Saturday [against Brentford] among the players and fans. He said: "It felt great to have the support of the fans and then for us to give them what they deserve."

On facing Nottingham Forest at the weekend, Hurzeler said: "Good body has an impact to everyone. If we have good body language on the pitch and positivity, then I am convinced it will transform into the stands, and we can all take this opportunity to win this game."

'No new injury concerns' - Hurzeler

Brighton v Nottingham Forest (Sun, 14:00 GMT)

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler spoke to the press earlier and confirmed his side has "no new injury concerns" ahead of their game against Nottingham Forest.

Seagulls midfielder Yasin Ayari has been ruled out for four games with a shoulder injury, but has returned to training today. Hurzeler said: "He might be an option for the weekend."

All-time Premier League record appearance holder, James Milner is also an option for Sunday's match.

Hurzeler added: "It's an important run for us, and we have a lot of competition getting into the squad and competition getting into the starting 11.

"That is something we didn't have so much in the season so far."

'These are good players with bad habits'

Hosting your local rivals who are sitting at the top of the Premier League whilst your side is teetering above the relegation zone was an unenviable task for Igor Tudor in his first game in charge of Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs' 4-1 loss against Arsenal was their sixth defeat in all competitions in the calendar year. Tudor said "These are good players with bad habits."

During BBC Radio 5 Live coverage of the north London derby, Steve Crossman identified that Tudor was "often having a go at Van de Ven" and that there was a lot of "back and forth".

A clip posted on X of the "back and forth" between Tudor and Micky Van de Ven has been viewed over four million times, and it shows that Tudor is gesturing for the 24-year-old to press higher up the pitch, but it's also been suggested that Tudor's frustration was mainly with Radu Dragusin.

During a post-match interview, Tudor suggested his players "need to change a mental switch" in order to climb away from the relegation zone.

"They are good players; nobody can tell me they don’t have quality," added Tudor.

Are Spurs too good to go down?

It's 47 years since Tottenham spent their one and only season outside the top-flight, and the dread of being relegated is a very real scenario for the north London side.

Spurs currently sit four points above the relegation zone and have 11 games left to play in the Premier League.

Alongside Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham have never been relegated from the Premier League since it was founded in 1992.

So, does that mean Igor Tudor's side is 'too good to go down'?

The basic premise appears to be that the scrap for survival takes no account of big names - once you're down there, anything can transpire.

"If you keep losing games and confidence drops, it doesn't matter how many good players you have, it gets hard," former Spurs midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC Sport.

Five-time Premier League winner Wayne Rooney believes Spurs "are in the position they should be" but he thinks they will avoid relegation.

Who has the easiest remaining fixtures?

As we approach the final sprint of the Premier League season, The Athletic, external have used Opta's Power Rankings to deter which side has the hardest and easiest run-in towards the final day of the season on 24 May 2026.

Aston Villa, who sit three points above the revived Manchester United, are predicted to have the easiest remaining fixtures of their domestic season.

West Ham have avoided defeat in three consecutive league games, but are predicted to face the hardest remaining fixtures – the Hammers are set to face Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Newcastle in the coming weeks.

How does Opta's Power Rankings work?

The Opta Power Rankings, external are a global team ranking system that assigns an ability score to over 10,000 men’s domestic football teams and over 2,000 women’s domestic football teams on a scale between zero and 100, where zero is the worst-ranked team in the world and 100 is the best team in the world.

Tottenham's heavy north London derby defeat by Arsenal on Sunday just confirmed what everyone already knew.

Igor Tudor's team are in serious trouble.

Perilously perched just four points above the Premier League relegation zone following the 4-1 home loss, Spurs have a multitude of issues to resolve.

They have not won a domestic league game in 2026 and only two since 26 October 2025, meaning that - aside from bottom club Wolves - 16th-placed Tottenham have the worst form in the division.

New interim head coach Tudor has a crippling injury list to contend with, plus a forthcoming Champions League last-16 tie to negotiate.

And all this is while he is attempting to implement new ideas and avoid the unthinkable scenario of dropping into the Championship.

Tottenham finished 17th last term, but were never really in danger of relegation as then-boss Ange Postecoglou juggled an injury-hit squad with a focus on Europe.

While their league form suffered, they still scored 64 times and the silver lining was a Europa League triumph over Manchester United last May, which also secured a coveted place in the Champions League.

However, their attacking output this season has been underwhelming and they would need to average 2.45 goals per game in their forthcoming fixtures to match the same tally as the previous campaign.

The long-term absences of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have hardly helped matters and a stretched squad was without a total of 11 players last weekend, considerably more than any other Premier League club.

With nearly a starting XI of unavailable players, who do you think Spurs need to return the most?

Make your choice here

Real Madrid win 'for everyone who stands against racism'

Bizarre VAR? Why Kelly's second yellow card became 'awful' straight red

'The day Brook showed he is an England leader'

'It would be catastrophic' - are Spurs too big to go down?

'Equal in decay' - Mayweather v Pacquiao is another boxing 'carnival'

'Historical moment' as Bodo/Glimt succeed against all odds

Why has it gone so wrong for Aston Martin?

Why Champions League return is crucial to Man Utd

Five reasons for England's Six Nations slide

Infantino sure of 'spectacular' World Cup in Mexico despite violence

Five talking points from round three of Six Nations

'Losing the dressing room' - what does it mean and how can it happen?

Tottenham paid Southampton more than £8m to sign Dean Richards in September 2001 and he made an instant impact at his new club.

The former Wolves defender scored 15 minutes into his debut against Manchester United - in a match perhaps best remembered for United turning a 3-0 half-time deficit into a 5-3 victory at White Hart Lane.

He was unable to feature in Spurs' run to the League Cup final that season, having appeared for the Saints earlier in the competition, but he was a regular fixture in the Tottenham side until the end of the 2003-04 campaign.

Sadly, Richards was forced to retire in March 2005 on medical advice, having suffered from headaches and dizzy spells for some time beforehand.

A club statement at the time said Richards had "undergone extensive tests" which "produced strong, conclusive medical evidence that it would be harmful to his long-term health to continue in the sport".

In all, Richards, who died exactly 15 years ago today, played 81 games for Spurs and scored four goals.

Thursday marks the 15-year anniversary of the death of former Wolves,Southampton and Tottenham defender Dean Richards.

Richards died on 26 February, 2011, aged 36, following a long illness. He had been forced to retire six years earlier because of ill health.

Richards, a cultured centre-back, began his career with his hometown club Bradford City before joining Wolves for a club-record fee in 1995.

After a four-year spell at Molineux, he moved to Southampton in 1999 and then Spurs in 2001.

A week after his death, Wolves and Tottenham met in a Premier League fixture at Molineux.

His widow and two sons, as well as representatives from his four former clubs, were present as the football world paid tribute to a player affectionately known as "Deano".