Gary Neville laid into Tottenham within seconds of them securing Premier League safety following their 1-0 win over Everton
Gary Neville told Tottenham Hotspur’s players to apologise to the club’s supporters for the way they have performed this season, branding them 'disgraceful'. Defeat against Chelsea on Tuesday night meant Spurs required a draw or victory against Everton this afternoon to guarantee survival.
And even though West Ham United beat Leeds United 3-0 at the London Stadium, Joao Palhinha’s goal two minutes before the break was enough to ensure his side will be playing in the Premier League next season. But the campaign has been a disastrous one for Spurs.
They have had three head coaches, and multiple unwanted records have been set, including losing six games in a row for the first time in the club’s history and going on a 15-match winless run in the Premier League.
And speaking in the immediate aftermath of the full-time whistle going at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Neville said: "They made today as comfortable as they could possibly could do. Roberto De Zerbi has got them over the line.
“If I were those Tottenham players who have been an absolute disgrace this last three months, they should be heading around this stadium and apologising to the Tottenham fans en masse because they come here every single week, those fans, 60,000 every week, to this great ground and this great club and they've been underserved.
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“But at least they have a time now, Tottenham can reset in the summer, decide who they want on the bus, who they want off the bus, knowing that they will at least have Premier League football and their fans can go home easy tonight."
Former Spurs star Jamie Redknapp was similarly damning in his assessment of his old club's season after they narrowly avoided relegation.
"There will be a mixture of total joy but embarrassment as well because you've found yourself in this position but today you have got to enjoy it, the fans have got to enjoy it, the players, the staff but tomorrow there has to be a major inquiry into how this club with this stature and this fan base has got themselves into this predicament," he said.
"The emotion today, that's all fine, but this can't happen again. Huge three points for them, De Zerbi has come in and made a bit of a difference but not good enough this season, not by any stretch of the imagination."
Speaking after the game, Palhinha said: "It's an amazing feeling after a really tough season. A lot of things happened this season but we showed today what we can do.
"After a bad season like this one we showed up as a collective and had amazing support from the fans. The club will grow up with this season and we know what we have to do in the future.
"It's a big pleasure to play here with a top coach and top team-mates. We have to celebrate even if we didn't finish the position we deserve as Tottenham."
On his goal, the midfielder said: "It was just a goal. I just tried to help the team. I had a lot of emotions and wanted to dedicate it to my two sons and my parents."