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Tottenham's players and coaches have come in for major criticism this season.

Roberto de Zerbi has seven games left to turn things around and stave off relegation.

He will not tolerate interference and will not stand for players who won't do what he wants them to. If they fall short, they will be out.

De Zerbi's identity as a coach is about free-flowing and forward-passing football, which fits Tottenham too - it is what their fans want - but without having strong characters and a bit of well-directed leadership on the pitch, that will not count when the going gets tough.

Wherever I managed, having that kind of character in my team was always hugely important to me. I felt a sound base like that within the team gave even limited players a chance of being successful by getting results over the course of a long and demanding season.

To find out the character of these players, I would go through numerous routes to make sure the lad I was going to sign indeed had the right credentials.

Watching them in away games was a must, for example. So was speaking to their former coaches or managers - and players who had played with them.

Off the field, I'd try to put a picture together too. Did they go out a lot? Were they married? The whole process would be as thorough as I could make it. I should add that it did not always go to plan!

Spurs cannot sign anyone now to change things, so instead their players have to step up and show they have the ability to scrap it out and remain a Premier League side. If they are not up for the fight, they are going down.

I was once told by a very senior manager at a top club that my biggest challenge at a team I had just taken over would be to get everyone pulling together as one. If I could manage that, he said, I would have a great chance of success.

That applies to every manager, but with the added layers of management today, doing it has become even tougher. It has to be the target for De Zerbi and Spurs too, whatever division they are in next season.

With the appointment of Roberto de Zerbi, Tottenham are on to their third manager this season and they are in serious relegation trouble. How, I ask, can a club with so much going for it end up in such a mess?

In the past few years, Spurs have developed a state-of-the art stadium and training facilities which are the match of anything across the globe.

Both are something I'm sure the club's hierarchy are extremely proud of but, with that in mind, I'd like to recall a quote from one of these islands' greatest football legends, Bill Shankly, who once asked if you had a choice of a great stadium and no team, or a poor stadium and a great team, which would you choose?

Bill followed it up by saying he'd have a poor stadium and a great team because the people come to see the team.

He's right, of course. Football is about the players and the game, not the surrounds.

From my perspective as a former manager, I know supporters just want to see their teams win, and they will prioritise performances over infrastructure all day long.

So, are Spurs' current problems simply down to them taking their eye off the ball in terms of what is happening on the pitch, and being too focused on what is happening off it?

Wwhile the club has invested heavily in the transfer market, it seems many of their supporters believe that they have always maintained a tight restraint on player wages - which I am sure has cost them when competing for signings with other top Premier League teams.

On top of that, behind the scenes they have not only moved on from long-serving executive Daniel Levy, who left in September after almost 25 years in the role, they have also consistently changed important roles in their management structure.

As I've mentioned in previous columns, today's managers and coaches are more or less given players to coach rather than choosing signings themselves.

If you are the manager and you have real differences of opinion with the people making those decisions, or there are constant changes above you, then goodness knows how you can be successful, whoever you are.

With that in mind, and also looking at where Spurs have gone wrong with some of their player recruitment in recent years, I cannot believe that a manager of Roberto de Zerbi's standing would sign a five-year contract without him having some say on signings and the new players who will be coming into the club.

With Spurs maintaining a strict wage budget, their recruitment must be smart and resourceful whatever division they are in, but it is also important it is in line with the coach's needs and wishes.

First things first, though. How does De Zerbi try to keep them up?

Spurs' players and coaches have come in for major criticism this season. De Zerbi has seven games left to turn things around and stave off relegation.

Earlier this week I spoke to Adam Lallana, who worked with De Zerbi when he was at Brighton, about his methods and what he is made of. The picture I was given was of someone who wants do things 100% his way.

He will not tolerate interference and will not stand for players who won't do what he wants them to. If they fall short, they will be out.

De Zerbi's identity as a coach is about free-flowing and forward-passing football, which fits Tottenham too - it is what their fans want - but without having strong characters and a bit of well-directed leadership on the pitch, that will not count when the going gets tough.

Wherever I managed, having that kind of character in my team was always hugely important to me. I felt a sound base like that within the team gave even limited players a chance of being successful by getting results over the course of a long and demanding season.

To find out the character of these players, I would go through numerous routes to make sure the lad I was going to sign indeed had the right credentials.

Watching them in away games was a must, for example. So was speaking to their former coaches or managers - and players who had played with them.

Off the field, I'd try to put a picture together too. Did they go out a lot? Were they married? The whole process would be as thorough as I could make it. I should add that it did not always go to plan!

But behind it all, I knew the system I wanted to play and getting the right fit, in terms of the identity of every player in that system, was imperative for us.

When you are going up against clubs who are bigger and, supposedly, better than you then those fine details were so important, but every team needs character and, too often this season, Spurs have lacked it.

While Tottenham's wage budget is lower than any of the Premier League's other 'big six', it's still much higher than Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton - yet the difference between them is plain to see, on and off the pitch.

That has to change in the next few weeks. Spurs cannot sign anyone now to change things, so instead their players have to step up and show they have the ability to scrap it out and remain a Premier League side. If they are not up for the fight, they are going down.

Around 40% of clubs in England's top four divisions of men's football have changed their manager this season, and one in four of those teams have made more than one change.

With those stats still so high, I am sure people outside the game must be wondering about the process of appointing a manager.

In my day, I never once put on a presentation in front of a chairman or board of directors as part of any interview process.

Usually it was your management record, and your relative success with the respective budgets you'd been given, that would seal the deal.

Today, that has all changed. Many managers and coaches, I'm told, pay to have these presentations professionally prepared for them.

Before you get to that stage, however, club owners and chairmen will rely on their sporting director and chief executive to compile a list of names.

As I've mentioned in previous columns about the lack of opportunities now for British managers, with so many foreign owners in our game, there are lots of foreign sporting directors too, so it is not surprising they appoint managers and coaches they know.

Also, the agents who have assisted the owners when they purchased the club, will often have a big say on who the sporting director is too.

Players will also flow into some clubs in a similar fashion, I'm sure, and I'm afraid all of this impinges on managers and coaches from this country, who are not part of that network.

Academy coaches from the top clubs are finding a way through the system, as I am sure their contacts with clubs' young players is part of their appeal.

It is definitely a route into management that is worth following but I am sure any ex-professionals who have followed it will have quickly been exposed to the key difference between managing at academy level and being in charge of a club's first team.

Unlike academy football, which is about development, first-team football is about winning.

Every week you will be judged on your result and, no matter what philosophy you employ, the fanbase and the people above you will react accordingly.

Any academy coaches entering the crazy world of club management will also grab the importance of the club's alignment, and how well every part works together.

That alignment is something else that appears to be lacking at Spurs. Thomas Frank had a wonderful seven-year spell in charge of Brentford, benefiting from the co-operation of a unified club.

The glue between the Brentford manager and the people above him remained when Frank left for Spurs last summer, leaving Keith Andrews an organisation that had a clear pathway, where everyone is involved in the journey through the season.

Whether it is recruitment, academy matters, medical issues or at first-team level, they are an example of a club that is united.

Brighton and Bournemouth are the same. They have both not only recruited players brilliantly in recent years, they have followed a plan that suits their own principles and fits the identity they want to establish.

To simplify it, it is a case of round pegs and round holes, but it is hardly rocket science anyway. Fill the spaces left by any players who have moved on, and make sure everyone at the club pulls together.

I was once told by a very senior manager at a top club that my biggest challenge at a team I had just taken over would be to get everyone pulling together as one. If I could manage that, he said, I would have a great chance of success.

That applies to every manager, but with the added layers of management today, doing it has become even tougher. It has to be the target for De Zerbi and Spurs too, whatever division they are in next season.

Tony Pulis was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

New Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi has apologised to fans over comments he made about Mason Greenwood.

The Italian's appointment has been opposed by some fan groups because of remarks he made about former Manchester United player Greenwood, who he signed and managed at Marseille.

Greenwood faced charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2022 before they were dropped.

De Zerbi told the Spurs website: "I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly."

De Zerbi, 46, added that he had always "stood up for those" that needed protecting.

"I've consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk," he said.

"Those of you who know me well, will know that I'm not the kind of person who makes compromises to win more games or win an extra title.

"I'm sorry if I offended anyone's feelings with this subject matter. I have a daughter and I'm very sensitive to these things and I always have been.

"I hope that over time people will get to know me better and understand that at that moment, I didn't mean to take a stance."

Spurs turned to De Zerbi after interim head coach Igor Tudor was sacked on Sunday with the club 17th in the Premier League, just one point and one place above the relegation zone.

More to follow.

In his first interview as Tottenham head coach, Roberto de Zerbi was asked about fan concerns over comments he made during his time as Marseille boss on the signing of Mason Greenwood.

De Zerbi has said Greenwood "paid in a strong way" after leaving Manchester United for Marseille after charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped and added the forward "seems a good lad" who "I feel sad for".

Greenwood was seen as one of United's most promising young players when, at the age of 20, he was arrested in January 2022.

All charges against the former England international were dropped in February 2023.

Choosing to answer the question in Italian to ensure he is "clear" in his response, De Zerbi said: "I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly.

"In my life I've always stood up for those who are more vulnerable, more fragile.

"I've consistently fought and took a stand to be on the side of those who are most at risk.

"Those of you who know me well will know I'm not the type of person who makes compromises to win more games or to win an extra title.

"I'm sorry if I offended anyone's feelings with this subject matter. I have a daughter and I'm very sensitive to these things, and I always have been.

"I hope that over time people will get to know me better and will understand that at that moment I didn't mean to take a stance."

Tottenham manager Martin Ho says the club can look back at their progress this season with "a lot of pride".

Ho signed a new long-term contract last week as reward for his instant impact since joining from SK Brann in July.

Spurs currently sit fifth in the Women's Super League table and are preparing to meet Chelsea in Monday's FA Cup quarter-final (13:30 GMT).

They have already surpassed last season's WSL tally with three games remaining - a remarkable improvement after finishing second bottom in 2025.

"We have come a long way off the pitch and on it with the infrastructure and resources around the players, how efficient we've been as staff to try and apply the right processes and by creating a new identity," said Ho.

"We have put foundations in place that enable us to be successful moving forward and to evolve the squad, as we've done in both windows.

"We know if we want to be successful we need to do that again and we will do. But I'm really pleased with where we're at."

Tottenham have suffered three successive defeats for the first time this season but Ho backs them to bounce back against a Chelsea side wounded by their Champions League exit on Wednesday.

"We can't let two or three of these results cover up the work we've done so far in this short space of time. I think it's remarkable what we've done," added Ho.

"We can definitely build from this and it's a good platform. From where we finished last season, to now, there's been huge progress. We can look at it with a lot of pride.

"We've done well in the FA Cup. You have to play the top teams if you want to win the competition. We know this test against Chelsea will be tough.

"We need to go in with confidence and know we can compete."

Premier League clubs made payments of £460m to agents over the past year - a 13% increase on the previous 12 months.

It covers payments made by clubs to agents registered with the Football Association involving a player, coach or club - including transfer and contracts - between February 2025 and February 2026.

Chelsea, who paid out £65.1m, were the highest spenders for the third consecutive year.

On Wednesday, the west London club announced the biggest pre-tax loss in Premier League history. The £262m deficit for 2024-25 eclipses the £197.5m lost by Manchester City in 2011.

The Blues partly attribute this year's figure to recording the highest number of player sales in Premier League history.

Chelsea offloaded nearly £300m worth of players to comply with Uefa sanctions.

After record payments of £75m to agents in 2023-24, the club have spent a total of £200m over the past three assessment years.

Aston Villa were second on the list, paying £38.4m, which was an increase of £13.4m - the highest rise of any club.

This is despite the Villans spending a relatively modest £69m on incoming transfers. Unai Emery's side had a high number of costs associated with renegotiating player contracts and new professional registrations.

In third were Manchester City with £37.4m, though year-on-year spending fell dramatically - down by £14.8m from £52.1m.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Wolves also saw significant increases in agents fees.

The Gunners' payments went up £9.4m to £32.1m. Liverpool's rose £13m to £33.9m. Wolves saw an increase of £12.5m to £26m.

Sunderland's unexpected promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs brought a rise in payments from just £2.2m to £10.6m.

Alongside Manchester City, seven other clubs reduced payments to agents.

Brentford, Fulham, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham saw modest drops.

Newcastle's payments were reduced by £4.1m to £20.3m, while Leeds - despite being promoted - cut outgoings on agents' fees by £4.9m to £14m.

Spending in the Women's Super League rose 75%, by £1.6m to £3.8m.

Chelsea were again the biggest spenders, with their £1.1m accounting for over a quarter of the total.

Payments went up by 10% in the Championship to £69.7m, with Ipswich Town the highest spenders on £11.7m.

Agents fees in League One soared by 85%, influenced by the presence of Luton Town (£3.3m), Cardiff City (£1.7m) and Huddersfield Town (£1.5m), who accounted for close to half of the £14m total.

In League Two, the amount fell slightly by 5% to £2.6m.

Former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson says new head coach Roberto de Zerbi's football over the next seven games "might not be pretty" but then "he can only improve".

"It's a good appointment for Tottenham," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"He's a manager who doesn't care what people think. He's his own man and he's always delivered under pressure.

"The only problems he's had are when the ownership and director of football are pulled in a different direction - then the project for him unravels very quickly.

"When you look at the job he did at Marseille, the city was very much behind him but the decision-making at the top was not and maybe he was guilty of changing systems and personnel too much towards the end of his tenure.

"His initial remit at Tottenham is to keep them in the Premier League. He can't go in there and change the dressing room. He can't change the players. He's very intelligent with his football knowledge and he will know he's got to go in there and make friends.

"He's got to make every player play for him, every player like him, and come together as a team to get results. Then, at the end of the season, he can be ruthless as he will have assessed the club and the squad himself already.

"He'll know exactly what he wants to do in the summer, but in the short term it might not be pretty. He might go against his style. In the long term he'll play open, expansive, high-pressing football, but for now it might be kicking it long and putting it in the corners.

"It's just about getting through and starting again next season as a Premier League club.

"Tottenham finished 17th last year and are fighting relegation this year. If they stay up, he can only improve. It's a great project at a fantastic club for him to improve."

Jermain Defoe hopes he can be a trailblazer for black managers as he targets promotion with National League side Woking.

The former England striker was announced as the permanent successor to Neal Ardley on Sunday, his first managerial role.

He has previously been part of an interim coaching staff with Scottish giants Rangers in 2021 as well as working in the Tottenham Hotspur academy.

"It's been a long time coming," 43-year-old Defoe told BBC Radio Surrey.

"It was always the plan at the back end of my career when I knew I wanted to go into coaching and luckily enough that transition was quite smooth.

"I left Rangers, I went straight into Tottenham and did two years in the academy. I was exposed at Rangers a little bit with a player-coach role in my last year.

"When you look at the infrastructure, it's somewhere where I hope players will want to come and play. The talks have gone on for a while and I just want to get going."

Woking drew 1-1 with Altrincham on Tuesday under interim boss Craig Ross, leaving them 10th in the table, 11 points off the play-offs with six matches of the regular season remaining.

"I don't want to sit here and say, right, we need to achieve this, we need to achieve that," Defoe added.

"We're ambitious people, I want to do well.

"The main objective is, of course, to get promoted with the players we've got, some top players. The games that I've watched, I've been really impressed.

"You have to be confident. I think you always have to back yourself, whether you're a player or a manager or a coach."

Defoe is one of only five black managers in the top five tiers of English football.

He hopes that number will rise in the years to come, but played down the idea he is under more pressure to succeed because of the lack of black managers.

"It's something that's been spoken about for many years," he said.

"I remember as a player, all the different campaigns and speaking to the likes of Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Andy Cole - that generation before me who did their coaching badges and obviously there was a lack of opportunities.

"I would like to think going forward, other black managers now will get opportunities.

"Players that are still playing, hopefully in the future, they'll get opportunities.

"I think there's always going to be expectation on any manager at any level. You're a manager of a football club that has to win."

Defoe said he had no qualms about starting his managerial journey in the National League and knows he has to earn his stripes despite a stellar playing career.

"My mum's always said to me in life, you've got to be grateful for every opportunity you get," he said. "Everyone's journey is different.

"You look at successful managers, everyone's journey has been different.

"It's important to appreciate the opportunity. When I was a player, a young 16-year-old at West Ham in the youth team, you have to earn your stripes. You have to do your apprenticeship.

"You can't expect, just because I've had a good career, I can't expect to just jump in at the top or get that big job."

Defoe revealed he had conversations with Gareth Southgate and Lee Carsley about their respective coaching journeys, as well as messages of support from his former bosses Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp.

"I'm lucky that I've played for some great managers," he said.

"I got a message from big Sam yesterday, which was nice. I still keep in contact with Harry.

"Towards the back end of my career, I remember Harry saying to me, 'you've got to go into management, you'll be brilliant'.

"I never really cut any corners when I was a player. I know coaching and management is different, but when you love football, nothing changes.

"This is something that I've always wanted. You have to embrace it. I've waited a long time, I've done all the courses, I've put in the hours and now it's here. I'm going to enjoy this."