Football.London

Tottenham had a disappointing weekend as they passed up the opportunity to climb into third place in the Premier League table but many of their large loan army of players enjoyed more success.

Ahead of the international break, Spurs' 12 players out on loan got varied amount of game time across the Football League, Spain and Belgium and in non-league football after that major summer revamp of Ange Postecoglou's squad and also many of the development squad getting opportunities to further their experience.

From the first team Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is on loan at Marseille but with an obligation to move to the Ligue 1 club so we're going to only mention him in passing occasionally. We're going to include Luka Vuskovic in our round-up even though he hasn't officially arrived at Spurs yet, because the teenage defender is playing alongside loanee Alfie Devine at Westerlo anyway.

football.london has taken a deep dive into how the rest of the group of Spurs loan players got on over the past week.

Alfie Devine and Luka Vuskovic (Westerlo)

Alfie Devine continues to get lots of minutes for Westerlo, with the 20-year-old starting games and finishing every one since his second match for the club, but on Saturday, with the Spurs man at the tip of a three man midfield they went down to 1-0 defeat at Charleroi.

Luka Vuskovic made a good defensive block from a shot in his box early in the game. However, he could not get back across in time to cover a team-mate after making a second half clearance from a cross to prevent Daan Heymans from scoring the winner with a curling effort inside the Westerlo area.

Both Devine and 17-year-old wonderkid Vuskovic's deals have been a success so far at the Belgian club and during this week, Westerlo announced that they had held constructive talks with Spurs' board, with a photo showing a meeting between the Belgian club with chairman Daniel Levy, technical director Johan Lange and chief football officer Scott Munn.

"With Luka Vuskovic and Alfie Devine, the English top club Tottenham Hotspur loaned two of its young talents to our club. The performance of these two players within this loan arrangement left all parties highly satisfied, prompting both clubs to meet this week to explore deeper and more extensive collaboration opportunities in the future," read a statement from Westerlo.

"Since the arrival of Vuskovic and Devine, KVC Westerlo's sports department and Tottenham Hotspur's have maintained close contact. Thanks to Tottenham's careful monitoring of their loaned talents, a monthly review meeting is scheduled to go over Luka and Alfie’s performance reports.

"An additional meeting between both clubs has now been added to these monthly reviews. Tottenham's chairman Daniel Levy, Chief Football Officer Scott Munn, and Technical Director Johan Lange joined our vice-president Hasan Cetinkaya and board member S. Berk Ercan at the table.

"The impressive performances of Vuskovic and Devine on the field for Westerlo have proven to be a catalyst for strengthening future collaborations between KVC Westerlo and Tottenham Hotspur off the field as well. As a first gesture of appreciation for the current partnership, both club boards exchanged team jerseys. This may be the first step toward a future exchange of ideas, players, and resources."

Bryan Gil (Girona)

Bryan Gil ended the week on a high as he set up Girona's winning goal against Getafe in La Liga on Sunday.

On 42 minutes, the 23-year-old made a well-timed run into the left-hand side of the box on to a ball over the top, took a good touch and then lifted a perfect left-footed cross to the back post for Yangel Herrera to head home what would be the only goal of the game.

Despite a number of iffy, flapping moments from crosses and set pieces from former Spurs goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, the Argentine made an important second half save to ensure the visitors went home with all three points.

The result went some way to making up for the 4-0 defeat at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Gil has played 15 times now for Girona this season, contributing two goals and one assist across his 966 minutes.

Alejo Veliz (Espanyol)

Alejo Veliz had no game at the weekend for Espanyol as Saturday's match at home against Valencia was postponed. The region of Valencia continues to deal with the aftermath of the recent horrendous flooding which has caused at least 218 deaths.

A statement from Valencia read: "At this time, football is secondary and all efforts must go to aid those affected by the tragic aftermath of the DANA weather phenomenon, to whom Valencia CF would like to express their deepest condolences and support."

Manor Solomon (Leeds United)

Manor Solomon made his first start for Leeds in four matches as he got 72 minutes under his belt on the left wing during the 2-0 home win against QPR.

The 25-year-old put the ball in the net during the encounter but had the effort ruled out for offside. His performance was only handed a five in Leeds Live's player ratings.

"Still waiting for that bottle of ketchup to flow," read the condiment-inspired review. "Decent finish ruled out for an offside, but other than that, Solomon did not do a huge amount to hurt QPR. Evidently off the wavelength of some team-mates."

The Israel international has so far made eight appearances and provided one assist across 383 minutes, missing a spell of games with a hamstring injury.

Dane Scarlett (Oxford United)

Dane Scarlett's season is up and running now with Oxford United with four starts in his past five Championship matches, with a run of three goals in four games in recent weeks.

On Friday night, the 20-year-old striker could not find a way through in Oxford's 1-0 defeat at Watford. Scarlett got praise though in the Oxford Mail's player ratings for his 58 minute display despite a lack of service during the encounter. He earned a 6.5 with the review stating: "Worked tirelessly up front, and battled hard even when with little to try and feed off."

The Spurs attacker has now played 12 games for Oxford, with three goals in 471 minutes of football, 388 of them coming in the Championship.

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips was up against former Tottenham team-mate Japhet Tanganga as Stoke and Millwall played out a 1-1 draw at the bet365 Stadium.

The 19-year-old played 54 minutes of the encounter before Stoke made a triple change and received a 6.5 from Stoke-on-Trent Live's player ratings after the draw. "A good test against Coburn and Bradshaw and willing to put himself about to make clearances," read his review.

Phillips has made eight appearances for Stoke, getting 605 minutes under his belt and a lovely back-heeled goal in the Carabao Cup against Southampton.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke this month, Phillips opened up on his start to life at Stoke City and revealed that he's already learning a lot from head coach Narcis Pelach.

"I was born in Manchester, which is just up the road," said Phillips. "When I was at Plymouth, I was on the other side of the country, which was difficult. But here I feel a lot more comfortable - and I've settled in really quickly. The concussion put me out for a few weeks which was frustrating. But I've done three 90s on the bounce now so I'm feeling a lot better.

"One of my goals was to score, which I did at Southampton. That was my first professional goal - and I'm looking to get more. But the other goal for me is keeping clean sheets and I've got two so far. There's a really great feeling about the place - and that's down to the gaffer and the coaching staff. For me, he's a great gaffer. I've learnt a lot from him already."

Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient)

Goalkeeper Josh Keeley continues to go from strength to strength on loan at Leyton Orient, having started their past five matches.

The previous weekend, the 21-year-old had saved one of the penalties in the FA Cup first round shoot-out at Boreham Wood and he followed that up with an impressive display in League One at home against Blackpool, keeping a clean sheet with a composed performance in a 3-0 victory. Keeley received a rating of 7.14 for his display from stat-based website WhoScored.

Jamie Donley got 65 minutes under his belt in the FA Cup win the previous weekend but came off the bench deep into added time against Blackpool on Saturday.

Matthew Craig (Barnsley)

Matthew Craig has found starts hard to come by in recent weeks at Barnsley and on Friday only came late in the day against Rotherham in the 2-0 home win.

The 21-year-old has still racked up 15 appearances during this loan spell in League One, with two of those coming in the Carabao Cup, and he has 862 minutes to his name.

George Abbott (Notts County)

In League Two, George Abbott got yet another 90 minutes under his belt as a defensive midfielder in Notts County's 1-1 draw at Doncaster Rovers.

The 19-year-old has made a big impact during his time in Nottingham and has already made 11 appearances in the league, with one assist from his defensive role, and played a role in an FA Cup win last weekend as County saw off Alfreton 5-1 in the first round of the competition.

Carey Bloedorn (Aveley)

Nineteen-year-old Spurs goalkeeper Carey Bloedorn remains a regular starter at National League South side Aveley and he played his part with a clean sheet as they beat Boreham Wood 1-0 on Saturday.

Bloedorn has played 14 times now in the league for Aveley since making his first loan move out of Spurs.

Charlie Warren

Another young Spurs goalkeeper in Charlie Warren, just 17-years-old, is currently getting his first experience of senior football at Southern League Division One Central side Barton Rovers, where he will remain until at least the end of December.

The teenager also kept out the opposition at the weekend as Rovers won 3-0 on the road at Beaconsfield Town, making it three clean sheets on the bounce for Warren.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

As Gary Lineker prepares to step down from his role as Match of the Day presenter at the end of the season, the BBC is gearing up to find his successor. The former Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur striker, who replaced Des Lynam as the show's host in 1999, sees his contract with the broadcaster expire at the end of the season.

According to the BBC's annual report, published in July, Lineker earned approximately £1.35m during the 2023/24 financial year, making him the highest-paid talent on the company's payroll. With the former England international yet to pen a new deal, speculation about who could fill his shoes has been rife.

Some big names have been heavily linked with the coveted role. So, with that being said, football.london have looked at who could take up the torch and replace Lineker on Match of the Day.

Alex Scott

Alex Scott, a former Arsenal and England player turned broadcaster, is one such candidate. Since retiring in 2017, she has presented The One Show and previously worked with Lineker on the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year show.

The 40-year-old also showcased her dance moves on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019 and, more recently, has been presenting Football Focus.

Gabby Logan

Gabby Logan, a former gymnast, has often stepped in for Lineker on MOTD and led the BBC’s coverage of the Lionesses' triumphant Women’s Euros campaign in 2023. She's also covered Six Nations rugby and the last four summer Olympic Games for the corporation.

Mark Chapman

Mark Chapman, affectionately known as 'Chappers', is the regular face of Match of the Day 2, which features highlights of Sunday's Premier League action. He's also a key figure in the BBC’s radio football coverage, presenting Sports Report on 5 Live and the Monday Night Club on the same station.

Jason Mohammad

Jason Mohammad began his career with the BBC in 1997 and continues to host the Final Score show every Saturday afternoon. Frequently stepping in for Lineker and Chapman on both Match of the Day shows, the Welsh presenter is among the top earners at the BBC.

Kelly Somers

Kelly Somers became the sixth woman to present an edition of Match of the Day in 2020 and she's held various roles across the BBC. A regular face during England's men's matches at the 2020 Euros and the 2022 World Cup, the 33-year-old has led Channel 4's coverage of the national team for the past two years.

Tottenham Hotspur's inconsistency this season has been on full display in the past 10 days or so, culminating in Sunday's home defeat to promoted Ipswich Town.

Spurs were flying after beating Manchester City in the Carabao Cup and then Aston Villa in the Premier League, making it nine wins in 11 matches, only to then lose at Galatasaray in the Europa League and hand Ipswich their first Premier League victory in 22 years at the weekend, to pass up the chance of moving into third in the table.

"That's down to me. That's my responsibility. The inconsistency we're having this year, ultimately it comes down to me and my approach and something I need to try and fix and see if I can help the players in that area," said Ange Postecoglou after the game.

"We didn't start the game well at all. It was all sort of passive, without the ball, with the ball. I felt we didn't get the tempo right or intensity right and then we gave ourselves a mountain to climb. Second half we were in the ascendancy and had opportunities obviously but we didn't do enough with them."

In the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham, our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold and head of football.london Lee Wilmot discussed the dismal display and what comes next at the north London club.

Alasdair went back to chairman Daniel Levy's assertion last season, just a month into Postecoglou's reign, that "we've got our Tottenham back". Other than being extremely premature, our Spurs reporter said it was also worth asking 'what Tottenham is there to get back?', for very few Spurs fans have witnessed a successful version of the club in their lifetime.

The north London outfit's last league win came in 1961, when they did the double. That's 63 years ago. Ever since then the club have won the occasional trophy, be FA Cup, League Cup or UEFA Cup, so exactly what Tottenham are the fans getting back? Alasdair argued that in fact Postecoglou should be allowed to build something new to replace the decades of mediocrity that has come since.

You can listen to the show in podcast format by heading right here or watch the show on YouTube right here.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou could soon be facing questions over his Tottenham future following the shock Premier League defeat to Ipswich Town. Spurs had the chance to go third in the table heading into the November international break but instead remained tenth with a trip to Manchester City up next.

Just three days on from an extremely worrying performance in the Europa League away at Galatasaray, the Lilywhites put in another display that once again showed their biggest weakness. Prior to those consecutive defeats, Spurs had actually beaten both Man City and Aston Villa.

Earlier this season, Crystal Palace picked up their first win of the league season at the expense of Spurs, seven days on from Postecoglou's side dismantling West Ham. Before that, a five-game winning run was ended at Brighton despite the fact the visitors were leading that game 2-0 at half-time.

A lack of consistency has plagued both Postecoglou's tenure and the club for some time with the Spurs boss offering his verdict on that. "That's down to me," he said in a press conference. "That's my responsibility. The inconsistency we're having this year, ultimately it comes down to me and my approach and something I need to try and fix."

With it having been a major problem in North London for the last few years, it is far from a quick and easy fix. Unsurprisingly, Tottenham fans are angry at the current situation with the Ipswich defeat a major turning point on Postecoglou for some.

However, the questions that follow surrounding who would replace him often result in that discussion ending. Spurs have needed to properly rebuild since 2019 and not a huge amount has changed despite the fact four managers have come and gone.

It must however be noted that Postecoglou has comfortably made the biggest impact of those names, though the main issues have remained. Chopping and changing managers has clearly not worked for Tottenham and that realisation was made back when Postecoglou was appointed by Daniel Levy.

When announcing his arrival, it was confirmed Postecoglou signed a four-year deal which certainly suggests he will be given plenty of time. Prior to that, Antonio Conte was only handed an 18-month contract, Nuno Espirito signed a two-year deal while Jose Mourinho penned terms for three-and-a-half years.

This is really the first time that Postecoglou is facing big questions over his position and thus it would be alarming if the response was to relieve him of his duties. Things are far from going well at the moment, but for lasting change to actually be made, there will be more than a few bumps along the way.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is not expected to become the new Roma head coach - ruling him out of a potential reunion with Tottenham Hotspur after the international break.

The 46-year-old, who has been out of management since working as caretaker manager for Chelsea at the end of the 2022/23 season, had been linked with the vacant job at Roma. The Serie A side sacked Ivan Juric following their 3-2 defeat to Bologna on Sunday, leaving them with just three wins from their first 12 matches.

Lampard, alongside Roberto Mancini among others, had been tipped to replace Juric and help transform their fortunes around, but the former Derby and Everton boss has now been ruled out of the race.

According to Sky Sports Germany, Lampard will not become the next Roma head coach. It's added that Lampard was 'one of the candidates', but other options are being considered - including Mancini.

If Lampard was appointed at Roma, he would have been facing a trip back to England against Tottenham in the Europa League. I Giallorossi travel to Spurs on Thursday, November 28, in Europe's second-tier competition - a game that could have marked just Lampard's second in charge.

However, Lampard is not in the running for Roma and is being considered to replace Mark Robins at Coventry instead. Lampard is the favourite to take over at the Sky Blues after Robins was replaced following a 2-1 defeat at Derby last Wednesday, with Wycombe's Matt Bloomfield also among the candidates.

Lampard's proposed move to the CBS Arena was discussed on talkSPORT on Monday morning. When suggested that the job could be a gamble for Lampard, Simon Jordan responded: "Do you think he’s going to have an embarrassment of riches? When we talk about a gamble. If he wants to manage a football club, he’s got to accept where he is. Wherever he goes, Frank is going to be in a situation of jeopardy."

And former Arsenal defender Martin Keown added: "He could build something special there." Lampard started his managerial career at Derby in the Championship and he guided them to the play-off final in his first season (2018/19) at the club, although the Rams ended up losing to Aston Villa at Wembley.

He decided to move on in that summer and returned to Chelsea as their new manager. Lampard proved to be a success in his debut campaign and guided the Blues to a top-four finish while blooding through youngsters and dealing with a transfer ban.

However, Lampard was sacked halfway through the 2020/21 season and replaced by Thomas Tuchel. This led Lampard to taking 12 months out of the game before returning to manage Everton.

Unfortunately for Lampard, his time at Goodison Park was not the most successful despite leading them to safety in his first season. He left the Toffees in January 2023 with a 27 per cent win rate.

Lampard made the move back to Chelsea on a caretaker basis for the final 11 matches of that season, but only managed to win one of those - a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth.

As if it hasn't been a bad enough couple of days at Tottenham Hotspur for Ange Postecoglou, he could soon be without two of his best players.

Spurs' inconsistent season continued as they followed up impressive wins against Manchester City and Aston Villa with dismal defeats to Galatasaray and Ipswich Town. With the latter defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium they passed up the chance to climb into third place in the Premier League table for the international break.

Rodrigo Bentancur scored his first goal of the season in the second half with a powerful header into the net from Pedro Porro's corner. The 27-year-old did also pick up a yellow card in the 78th minute for an angry moment of displeasure towards the referee after being penalised for a foul.

That was the Uruguay international's fourth yellow card of the Premier League season and means he is now one booking away from picking up a one-game suspension. That would be even more problematic for Bentancur because he currently has the threat of a lengthy ban hanging over his head after being charged in September by the FA over his comments regarding Son Heung-min in a controversial interview this summer.

After speaking to the FA at the time, football.london reported that match-based sanctions of six to 12 games are recommended to regulatory commissions for almost all 'aggravated breaches' of the FA Rule E3 Bentancur was charged under, that are a first offence by individual participants.

That means, if the charge is upheld, then Bentancur could find any additional one-game suspension for picking up five yellow cards added on top to take his potential maximum absence to 13 games.

Bentancur has been more careful in recent months with his discipline as one of Postecoglou's key players. He picked up bookings in the first three games of the season, but then went almost two months without collecting another in the Premier League before his late moment of anger on Sunday afternoon.

Yellow cards are not wiped out until after the 19th game in the competition, meaning Bentancur has another eight games to go in the competition without picking up a fifth booking. If the verdict comes in on his current FA charge sooner rather than later and it's proven, then he might make it the 19-game mark without playing anyway.

It's not just Bentancur on the naughty list though as Micky van de Ven is also sitting on four yellow cards. That means that when the 23-year-old Dutchman, an important defender for Postecoglou, returns from his current hamstring injury, he could soon miss another game after picking up four bookings in the six Premier League games before his injury. Dejan Kulusevski is next on the discipline list with three yellow cards in his 11 matches so far.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

There are few things worse for football fans than a defeat before an international break because they have to stew on the misery for two weeks and in that regard, Tottenham's supporters are being tortured more than most.

Many clubs' fans hate the international breaks at the best of times and the way they fragment the football season, but at least they're more manageable if your team has gone into it with a victory and in high spirits. For instance, Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham side could have done that on Sunday with a home game against an Ipswich side sitting in the bottom three without a win.

A win against the promoted side would have lifted Spurs up to third place in the table for the international break to ensure things looked rosy with a high league position, a quarter-final spot in the Carabao Cup and a healthy position in the Europa League table with three wins from their first four games in that competition.

Instead the north London outfit contrived to put in a stinker of a performance against Kieran McKenna's side, losing 2-1 and handing the Tractor Boys their first Premier League win in 22 years and their manager a memorable victory at the club where he began his career as a player and then a coach.

A defeat going into an international break is far more painful for the fans than it is the players, with most of them looking forward to meeting up with friends across the world with their respective countries to play football far away from N17. The supporters are stuck with the pain and Tottenham have been torturing their fanbase ahead of international breaks on a consistent basis during the Postecoglou era.

Before Sunday's defeat, Spurs lost 3-2 at Brighton on October 5 ahead of the previous international break. For the one before that, they lost 2-1 at Newcastle in September. It doesn't stop there though. The previous international break came in March and Tottenham went down 3-0 at Fulham with a dreadful display.

We're not done yet though as in the international break before that, in November last year, Spurs lost 2-1 at Molineux to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That means Postecoglou's men have lost five games in a row ahead of international breaks. The last time Tottenham triumphed in a Premier League match before an international break was more than a year ago, on October 7, 2023, with a 1-0 victory with 10 men at Kenilworth Road against Luton Town.

There will be understandable questions about how such a long pattern can emerge. Is it purely coincidental or do some of Tottenham's international players ease off slightly before each break, worried that they will get injured and miss out on representing their country? With five such defeats in a row over the past year, it's understandable such questions about mentality will be asked.

There is at least now a long gap until the next international break in March. Tottenham face a tricky trip to Craven Cottage before that next one in 2025, a location they have lost at before a previous break. It couldn't happen again, could it?

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

We've been here before. This was a Tottenham performance that has been wheeled out year after year.

Give Spurs something to aim for, give them a visiting opponent without a win in the Premier League for 22 years and they will contrive to slap that gift out of your hand. Dr Tottenham will see you now, as the old cliché goes.

Only the north London side can manage to head into an international break in 10th place when a win at home against a team in the bottom three would have put them third. The problem is you have to play as if that opponent is in the top three. If a door opens, Tottenham really will kick it shut with all their mediocre might.

Ange Postecoglou called the performance against Ipswich "unacceptable" and tenth place is a position which entirely fits his side's Premier League form and the win-loss-win-loss pattern that has dogged them.

It's a familiar pattern for Spurs fans as it's exactly what happened under Antonio Conte and many before him. The Italian's Tottenham had the poor first halves, the early conceded goals and the need to fight back, which sometimes worked and sometimes proved too much. The inconsistency was remarkably consistent with that win-loss pattern.

Spurs' insistence on leaving their supporters with two weeks of misery to stew upon through an international break continued for the fifth consecutive occasion. That's just cruelty on a ridiculous level.

Postecoglou is finding out just what life at Tottenham Hotspur is really like, even if he was trying to take the blame for this latest lacklustre showing from his squad on his own shoulders.

"That's down to me. That's my responsibility. The inconsistency we're having this year, ultimately it comes down to me and my approach and something I need to try and fix and see if I can help the players in that area," he said.

"We didn't start the game well at all. It was all sort of passive, without the ball, with the ball. I felt we didn't get the tempo right or intensity right and then we gave ourselves a mountain to climb. Second half we were in the ascendancy and had opportunities obviously but we didn't do enough with them."

Postecoglou was taking the hit for the players on this occasion. He put out a more than good team to overcome a side in the bottom three without a Premier League win to their name, but once again the Spurs players seemed to believe that victory comes as a given.

The Australian has often said that while he wants the players to believe in the football he gives them to play, they cannot believe that it alone wins them matches. They have to work relentlessly to ensure the opposition are blown away.

If they don't compete, days like this and the one at Selhurst Park, and the overconfidence in the second half at the Amex Stadium all reach out to slap them in the face. It made the decision to make seven changes for the game at Galatasaray pretty much redundant.

Postecoglou was hampered by a bench that offered little to change Tottenham's fortunes and attitude in the final third. He was missing the battling Richarlison, the speedy Wilson Odobert and even the young fearlessness of Mikey Moore. Instead he had only Timo Werner, who presumably is still carrying his groin injury, and an out of form James Maddison.

Postecoglou's system thrives upon a raft of changes around the hour mark with fresh legs that don't drop the quality levels. When he can't do that, it's often noticeable in the performance.

That's not to excuse the Australian. He was taking the hit for his players with his post-match comments but he's also right. It's down to him to find a solution because as is always the way in football, the players are never sacked because of performances. At Tottenham especially, it's the manager or head coach who is always the one the finger points towards.

Spurs went into the game as the Premier League's top scorers and with only three sides having conceded fewer games. They remain the former but the latter has increased to five other sides with better defensive records after they allowed Kieran McKenna to claim his first top flight win at the club where he began both his playing and coaching career.

For Tottenham to have a plus 10 goal difference - the second best behind Liverpool - yet sitting in 10th says everything about the unpredictability of their performances this season in the Premier League.

Sunday brought more daft errors in their own box and the amount of goals they concede from the right-hand side of the six-yard box, in the space between Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero are mounting up.

Brennan Johnson also had a part to play in the opener on the half hour mark, failing to make any challenge to get to the ball in the box and allowing Sammie Szmodics all the time in the world to hit an unmarked overhead effort into the bottom right corner.

The second goal before the break was another gift. The hosts could not convert a break at one end with a Son Heung-min pass into the Ipswich box and the visitors swept up the other end of the pitch.

Romero had pushed up and left a big gap in behind where Szmodics ran and hit a low cross. That was palmed out by Guglielmo Vicario against Radu Dragusin and the ball rolled back off the young Romanian towards the goal line where Liam Delap smashed it in.

It was a comedy of errors, only the Tottenham fans were certainly not laughing behind the goal in that big south stand.

Spurs thought they had scored in the second half when Dominic Solanke, who had jarred his knee in the first period, fired home from a corner. However, VAR spotted that his strike had hit his hand on the way in. Regardless of whether his hand had been forced up by the defender's challenge on him, the rules state it's a handball, harsh or otherwise.

Tottenham did grab a goal back on 69 minutes when Rodrigo Bentancur powered home a header from Pedro Porro's corner. It was the Uruguayan's first strike of the season and just reward for another good performance.

There's a certain irony to the fact that Bentancur is starting to find his pre-cruciate ligament injury form just when he has a potential ban hanging over him and waiting to take him out of commission. The 27-year-old is also on four yellow cards in the Premier League so one more booking would add another suspension to the potential pile.

Keep an eye on Micky van de Ven, who is also on four yellow cards in the league when he returns.

Tottenham huffed and puffed but they could not find a way to an equaliser. That's the problem with consistently starting games slowly. You're not always going to be able to climb up the hill or mountain you leave yourself.

Spurs had 66% of the ball on the day with 552 passes to Ipswich's 278. The hosts had 17 shots on goal to Ipswich's eight and Vicario only had to make one save compared to Arijanet Muric's five.

Yet Ipswich kept them at bay, with 33 clearances and three blocks. Even in the final moments, Solanke - who had played well despite his injury - was denied by the legs of Muric out wide in the six-yard box.

"It was a very disappointing afternoon, the result but also the performance," said Spurs captain Son Heung-min. "We have to be better because we missed an opportunity to go ahead. We made the game a difficult situation by ourselves, which is very disappointing.

"Before they scored we had a couple of chances from which we could have scored the goal to go ahead, but we didn't and we conceded two very silly goals, which is also very painful. We know how important it is inside the box to defend our goal like it's our home. We didn't. We all have to take responsibility and I'd like to say sorry about the result."

The Tottenham players tried to walk around and apologise to the supporters. Porro was met by anger from some of the frustrated fans in the south stand. Postecoglou got similar as he walked down the tunnel.

Few players came out of the game with credit. Dragusin had another shaky time with a loose header early on leading to Vicario making his one save of the game. He was drawn out to the left touchline for Ipswich's first goal, bringing the whole back four across with him and away from Szmodics.

The young Romanian did get better, making six clearances, one tackle and one interception while blocking one shot, but his passing is still a work in progress.

The 22-year-old looks better when Spurs are under siege to a strong team. When they need to open up a side and the centre-backs are required to be more attacking, he's more leaden-footed and they miss Van de Ven's pace, movement on the ball and quick passing.

It's tough to criticise Dragusin for his part in the visitors' second goal because he didn't know much about the ball hitting him and it's more on Vicario for palming the cross into his six-yard box, a trait he used to be criticised for with saves in Serie A.

Porro did provide four key passes, including that assist for Bentancur, but was all at sea for both Ipswich goals.

Destiny Udogie contributed going forward but the young left-back is still far too hesitant when going into 50-50 challenges, perhaps a hangover from his red card last season against Chelsea.

In the midfield, Pape Matar Sarr tried to use his mobility to get Spurs up the pitch and did so on the whole despite taking big hits in either half, the second forcing him off.

Dejan Kulusevski was unable to reach the heights of many fine games in his excellent season. He contributed three key passes, but was nowhere near his normal levels.

Brennan Johnson touched a big early chance from a great Son ball just wide of goal but offered little else, while being poor for the visitors' opening goal. He cramped up towards the end, showing his overuse in recent games as someone who contributes more than people realise in the defensive third.

Son was creative, with two key passes, two dribbles, four shots, two accurate crosses and two accurate long balls but the captain also failed to find a way through.

Werner when he came on was direct, forcing Muric into one flying save after a run, but produced a classic moment from his catalogue when he played a one-two with Son only to blaze an effort over the crossbar from the edge of the box.

Maddison offered little when he entered the fray, with just nine passes in the 15 minutes or so he was on the pitch. He will likely believe he should have been given longer to influence the game but his recent performances - the free-kick against Villa aside - have not exactly demanded that he should have got that. Postecoglou appeared to suggest that in his pre-match press conference.

It was just a bland performance all round and Son believes the players came away from Postecoglou's structure and plan too much on the day, one which had worked in the previous games.

"You've got to believe even more because we could be a bright team, a really strong team," said the South Korea captain. "You can see it and everyone's seen it.

"In these type of games you've got to think in a really mentally strong way because teams like Villa you've got to go really strong and then next game you go against Ipswich and it's the same opponent and same competition, and everyone is expecting we win this game. But in football you never get a free win, you have to earn it and work hard.

"We've got to believe more and then we have to be more disciplined. That's for sure, everybody has to be more disciplined with the structure and the plan, you've got to just follow it. I think this is the main part of our strength and we can make it even stronger. I hope we can be stronger when we come back from the international break."

This frustrating defeat showcased the fine margins in football. If Spurs won this one home game everything would have a better look to it.

They would be currently sitting in the top three, nestled above Chelsea and Arsenal, while also taking their place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup and in a strong position in the Europa League with three wins from their four matches at the halfway point of the big group stage.

Yet two poor moments of defending and some stuttering attacking play and Spurs instead lie in mid-table, admittedly in a ridiculously tight league in which three points separate third from 11th.

The frustrations are enough that some on social media are calling for Postecoglou's head, even if Spurs have won nine of their past 13 matches, including those recent wins against Villa, City and United.

The frustration at results is understandable. There has been far too much inconsistency in the performances with too many games marked by excellent periods rather than complete displays. Then there are the win-lose nature of the Premier League results, with only one set of back-to-back wins, and the problems in getting positive away results regardless of how the team plays.

That's all something Postecoglou must fix and the Australian's way has plenty still to tweak within it until it is anywhere near what he wants it to be, not least the attitude of the players going into games they should be winning.

The stats show the fixes required are perhaps more minor than they feel after such a painful defeat, particularly in a league where so few are able to find consistency.

Spurs are the Premier League's top scorers and have recorded the second most shots on goal per game in the Premier League (17.2) as well as the second most off target (6.3). In fact, they have missed the joint-third highest number of big chances (24).

They have the second highest XG in the Premier League (20.28) and have allowed the second fewest amount of shots per game in the competition (7.8). They have still only conceded from two set pieces in the league all season.

They actually have the third best overall defensive rating in WhoScored's stats, which take into account shots allowed, tackles, interceptions, fouls and offsides per game.

Yet there are clearly improvements to be made. Spurs have lost too many games in the Premier League, more than anyone else in the top half of the table, and Postecoglou will have to work quickly because the schedule ahead after this international break is an unforgiving one.

Spurs travel to Manchester City next with Pep Guardiola's men likely to be smarting after their recent defeats, including the one at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Then comes the visit of Roma in the Europa League and Fulham in the Premier League, followed by a trip to a Bournemouth side that can beat anyone on their day, before Chelsea step across the capital and then Tottenham travel up across the border for their match at Rangers.

It's a big run of six games for Postecoglou because it comes at the same time as last season's Spurs started to stutter and stumble amid the injuries. Van de Ven will return but Richarlison and Odobert sound like long term absentees according to Postecoglou, which does not bode well for his attacking options, while Bentancur's potential ban hangs over him.

It might be that Postecoglou begins to turn to youth in the shape of Moore more often, Will Lankshear in moments up front and especially the temptation to start using Archie Gray in the midfield with his technical ability and engine must be growing more tempting after defeats like this. The 18-year-old is not lacking for attitude and desire to win and he could get his chance sooner rather than later.

Lucas Bergvall is still adapting to the English game but it will click for the Swedish playmaker as the weeks go on and Djed Spence can offer something when the full-backs need shaking up.

The problem for Postecoglou is that all of the above, barring Spence, are teenagers. He wants to bring them through at the right pace rather than be forced to rely on them and that is a shortcoming of the recruitment policy that he claims he initiated but feels more in keeping with the club's model.

That means the Australian's senior players must step up and that could well be the crux of how successful the coming period is, not least that Carabao Cup quarter-final later in December when Manchester United will have Ruben Amorim in charge.

Tottenham Hotspur are a painful team to support. In the modern era they bring as much sorrow as they do joy and at the moment Postecoglou is still only able to blend glimpses of something different and exciting with alarming reminders of a gloomy, inconsistent past.

The Australian is trying to change the mentality within a club that has often been more mediocre than marvellous and unsurprisingly it's not an easy process.

Spurs have had a conveyor belt of managers, many with silverware galore on their CV, come through the front door only to tumble out of the back as the scapegoats of the subsequent failure, because they never truly get the entire club to buy in to the changes required.

That's what Postecoglou constantly calls for and until that happens there will always be less daring and certainly less doing in N17.

There's a reason this defeat to Ipswich felt so familiar and now more than ever, Postecoglou has to cut through the noise and the club must have the bravery to push through with something for once.

"We've got our Tottenham back," declared chairman Daniel Levy prematurely just a month into Postecoglou's reign. It was never going to be that quick nor easy and it's debatable whether the club actually needs anything back.

It needs something new and better on the pitch than what the decades have brought under Levy's watch as he's switched between managers and their philosophies like someone surfing TV channels and never really stopping and paying attention to anything.

The top clubs in the Premier League have been built on stability, whether that's Guardiola's years of success or even Arne Slot currently building on top of what Jurgen Klopp constructed.

Spurs seem allergic to stability beneath boardroom level, a trait all too common across modern football. It's time to let Postecoglou work and construct something different to what's come before in N17 otherwise that dreadful feeling of déjà vu is never going to go away.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ipswich Town trolled James Maddison on social media following their shock victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Tractor Boys rubbed salt in the wounds of Spurs fans after two first half goals from Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap were enough to secure a 2-1 win - their first since returning to the Premier League.

Despite scoring with 20 minutes to go through Rodrigo Bentancur, Spurs couldn't find an equaliser and failed to show consistency in the league after an impressive 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa last weekend. The away end went crazy at the full-time whistle while the hosts were booed off.

Ipswich were the only side still without a win this season heading into the game today, but the three points moved them outside of the relegation zone. Wins are usually a rarity when you're fighting the drop, so the club made the most of it with their posts on social media after the game.

Footage of the players celebrating in the tunnel was posted on X along with a cheeky dig aimed at Spurs midfielder James Maddison - who previously played for Ipswich's rivals Norwich - while he was pictured pulling the shirt of Omari Hutchinson. The Tractor Boys used it as the perfect opportunity to plug their third kit, with the caption: "It's much easier to get a Hutchinson shirt by going to our online store."

Supporters were loving the hilarious trolling from their club's social media team with one replying: "What a win by admin" and another calling for Ipswich to increase the wages of their social media team.

Despite scoring in last weekend's game against Villa, Maddison was benched on Sunday and had little impact when subbed on. The defeat puts pressure on Ange Postecoglou with Spurs slipping to 10th having won five and lost five in the league this season.

Tottenham Hotspur could be poised for an unexpected reunion with former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard after the international break.

Ange Postecoglou's side suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss at the hands of Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon following goals from Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap. Rodrigo Bentancur did pull a goal back in the second half, but the North London club were unable to find the all-important equaliser.

Spurs are now 10th in the league standings after 11 games with five wins, one draw, and five defeats so far. In the Europa League league phase standings, they are seventh despite the defeat to Turkish side Galatasaray earlier this week.

After the international break, Spurs will return to action with a huge league meeting with current holders Manchester City. That will be followed by a Europa League home tie against Serie A giants Roma.

However, the Italian club now face a period of uncertainty as they parted ways with manager Ivan Juric on Sunday shortly after their defeat to Bologna. Juric replaced Daniele De Rossi at the start of the season, but they sit 12th in the league after 12 games with just three wins.

"He handled a difficult environment with the utmost professionalism, and for that we are grateful," the club said in a statement. "We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

"The search for a new head coach has already begun and we expect an announcement in the coming days."

One of the names that has emerged as a shock candidate to replace Juric is former Chelsea boss Lampard. The 46-year-old represented the London club as a player for the majority of his senior career, and has coached Derby County, Everton and Chelsea since his retirement in 2017.

According to outlet TEAMtalk, Lampard has been discussed as a potential candidate to take the reigns at the Stadio Olimpico. However, ex-Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is understood to be at the top of their shortlist after he left his role as head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team in October.

As Roma intensify their search in the coming days, it can be expected a new manager will be announced by the end of the international break. Should Lampard be the one tasked with the job, he will line up against Spurs for one of his first games in charge for the Europa League clash.

Four points currently separate Tottenham and Roma in the Europa League table, making the match up later this month a crucial tie for both teams. Only the top eight in the table will automatically qualify for the knockout rounds, while those placed ninth to 24th will be required to contend play-offs.