Football London

The Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach has been speaking about his style and the club's problems ahead of the game against Crystal Palace

Igor Tudor has made it clear that he is a hugger not a screamer as he looks to keep Tottenham gripped to their Premier League status.

The Croatian arrived at the north London club with a reputation as a no-holds barred central defender at Juventus and a tough coach after he hung up his boots, able to force a quick turnaround at the clubs he has managed. That has not happened yet at Spurs though with his first two games resulting in defeats against Arsenal and Fulham.

An angry Tudor blasted his players on Sunday saying that they lacked in attack, defence and in their running at Craven Cottage and the 47-year-old believes that honesty is the only way to turn Tottenham's troubles around.

"Always the players need honesty. One of the skills of a coach is to be honest, in the right way of course, to speak with them. Without honesty you are dead," said the interim head coach.

"They need to recognise in you that here is a person who wants to say the things from a good (place), not in a negative way. They need to recognise in you that you are telling them for the best. Then you can tell them everything."

Ahead of Thursday night's crunch match against Crystal Palace, the former centre-back looked offended when it was suggested that some in Italy had said his style was more disciplinarian than someone who would put an arm around players.

"Who says that? That's not true. Without hugging, without connection with the player you cannot do anything," he said. "It's not true. There's not one coach in the world who can come and go [only] with the stick. The players will say ‘who are you?’ There is a relationship, there is honesty.

"There is a right way to do it. I’m not coming here to shout at players or scream at them. You have totally the wrong image of me."

Tudor hit out at a video posted by the Premier League on their social media channels mocking a free-kick taken by Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario which bypassed all of his team-mates. The video was later deleted after the club contacted the organisation.

"I’m sure they are aware of the mistake they made and they will not do in the future," said the Tottenham boss. "Not nice, not nice. Vicario is a fantastic guy, a fantastic player. I spoke with him. He’s OK. It’s part of the job, with the social media.

"For sure it is not good, but we are living in an era of information. Every day, hundreds of new information bombarding these players.

“They need to be strong. They need to accept. For sure when I was a player I lived in a better world from that point of view. You could have your life as normal. Now there are two lives. One here and one in this (picks up phone) which is sometimes not too easy to manage, for them, for the young people they are.

"So they need to be very informed, very aware, to pay attention and try to stay as much as possible in the real world."

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One player who Tudor believes will play a key role for Tottenham in the remainder of the season despite his struggles in the weeks since his £35million move from Atletico Madrid is Conor Gallagher, who come up against one of his former sides on Thursday night.

"He's a very sensible guy. A fantastic person and a very good player. I like him very much as a player. He’s a player who has amazing skills in both directions. I saw him this week better [in training]. He can give us what we need with his experience, his quality, his knowledge. He’s working good. He can be [a leader]," said the Croatian.

Tudor played Gallagher out wide on the right in the defeat at Fulham on Sunday and it was a role that the England midfielder had to occasionally play in Spain, even if it's not his favoured position.

"We need to adapt sometimes the players who are not [natural to certain positions], but he played as a winger in Atletico. A winger who is a little bit inside," he said. "We don’t have anyone. We have problems with the players. So sometimes someone needs to adapt a little bit their position to do it. When you have this emergency, someone needs to do something."

Another player who has caught Tudor's eye is Richarlison and even just discussing the way the Brazilian chats with him made the Tottenham smile as he spoke.

"I like the guy, I like him. It’s simpatico, it’s a guy who is always interesting to speak with him, of his style of speaking," he grinned. "Fantastic player, fantastic player, he can play all positions, with two strikers, with three. So, he will give us something for sure in the next games."

So what has been different about Tudor's start at Tottenham bearing in mind he has won his opening game at each of his previous five clubs and improved all of them in those opening months. Juventus, Lazio, Udinese (twice), Marseille and many others have all had an injection of good form after his arrival but nothing similar has of yet has been shown in north London.

"It’s impossible to compare because every situation is very different. Impossible. The problems are totally different. At Juventus, there were 20 players for all these positions. Here, you come you have 12 players," he said. "There you fight for the Champions League. Here, you fight for relegation. That’s a start.

"Then you go player by player and there are big differences everywhere. It’s not like you go and do the job in the same way and have the same results. It’s impossible because the level of difficulty is always different. There is no copy in anything, it’s a different team, different league, different position, different players.

"The same coach can start the season with different teams and will do totally different things… doing the same things in different teams… even the way you see the team. It’s impossible to compare. You can only compare the levels of difficulty. Where are the biggest problems? For me, this problem of Tottenham is bigger.

"How big is the challenge, how big is the problem in the clubs, I can tell you. There are no mathematics but what I feel, what I can see, this problem is bigger."

But why?

"Next question."

Despite further pushing, Tudor was not keen on opening up on exactly what the problems are inside Tottenham.

"I cannot come here and discuss like we are in the bar. I already explained what I can tell you, what I want to tell you," he said. "Don’t expect details about what, because it’s not correct from your side and this is no place to speak in that way."

Tudor will be hoping to grab that first victory against Palace on Thursday night and ease some of those problems he's not inclined to speak about.

Johan Lange will have to rethink his 'big ambitions of strengthening the team' if Tottenham Hotspur get relegated from the Premier League

Stefan Borson reckons that Tottenham Hotspur could lose up to £200m if they're relegated from the Premier League this season. After a disastrous start to the year, failing to win any of their last 10 games in the English top-flight, the Lilywhites have been dragged into a fight for survival.

Spurs are currently 16th in the table, and just four points adrift of the bottom three. Although Tottenham are widely regarded as one of the 'big six', relegation to the Championship could lead to significant financial implications.

If the Lilywhites were to go down, they'd receive a series of parachute payments to soften the blow. But in turn, they'd also miss out on various lucrative streams of revenue, such as Premier League prize money and sponsorship opportunities.

"I think from a commercial perspective, there are two parts to it," said Borson, speaking to Football Insider. "One thing is true that the stadium has allowed them to generate commercial revenue from non-footballing events, and that obviously stays the same.

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"There’s no impact there, whether they’re in the Premier League or not. Then the other part of it is what happens with the sponsors.

"We already know from a number of press articles that some of the sponsors are twitchy about relegation, either have relegation clauses, or intend to cancel completely, so of course, you’ll have some impact commercially. Let’s say it’s £50m at least."

The former Manchester City financial adviser continued: "They’re going to lose UEFA money because it’s now clear that unless Tottenham can win the Champions League this season, they will not have European football next season.

"I would think you’re looking at a £150m, £175m, maybe a £200m of a loss in revenue if they were relegated."

Relegation would be quite the curveball for Johan Lange, who has already revealed he has 'big ambitions of strengthening the team'. In an interview with club media shortly after the January transfer window slammed shut, the Tottenham sporting director said: "The summer market is where eight or nine out of 10 players, they move clubs, so we will go into the summer window with big ambitions of strengthening the team.

"We know there'll be more movements, we know there'll be more opportunities, so the plans are already, can you see, drawn up. We have a clear picture of which position and also which profiles.

"Could we have brought one or two more in this January window? We would have been delighted to do so, but that was not a possibility. So, we are looking forward to the summer, now we focus on the rest of the season and that is very, very important as well because we have big objectives.

"We're still in the Champions League. We want to, of course, be higher in the Premier League and then myself and others will have our eyes already now directed towards the summer transfer window."

Tottenham Hotspur will face Crystal Palace and will have some players on the sidelines due to injury

Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace will both have players on the sidelines when they meet in the Premier League this week. Spurs will host Palace in north London on Thursday night as they look to return to winning ways and move clear of the relegation zone.

Igor Tudor has lost both Premier League matches as Tottenham boss, against Arsenal and Fulham, and will be determined to see that change with a victory against Palace this week.

Spurs go into the fixture in 16th place in the Premier League table, just four points above the relegation zone, and have not won a single top-flight match since December 28.

That means Tottenham are without a win in the Premier League in 10 matches, a run which also includes six defeats, and has seen Spurs drop further down the table.

Tudor will be forced to go into the clash against Palace without several key players due to injury.

Djed Spence will miss Tottenham’s match against Palace with a calf injury which kept the defender on the sidelines for the defeat to Fulham at the weekend.

"No Djed is out, he's not ready for the game tomorrow," Tudor said on Wednesday.

Lucas Bergvall is continuing to recover from an ankle injury, while Ben Davies is also a long-term absentee after undergoing surgery on a similar injury back in January.

Destiny Udogie (thigh) and Mohammed Kudus (hamstring) are both sidelined with muscle injuries that are expected to keep the duo unavailable for the clash against Palace.

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Cristian Romero will serve the final game of a four-match suspension for picking up his second red card of the Premier League season in the defeat to Manchester United last month.

James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur remain long-term absentees for Tottenham.

Palace will also have some players unavailable for the clash against Tottenham, with members of their squad ruled out with injuries.

Eddie Nketiah will not be available to face Spurs due to a hamstring injury that has kept the striker on the sidelines for several weeks.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is nearing a return after being sidelined with a knee injury, but is not expected to be available in time to feature against Tottenham, while Cheick Doucoure is a long-term absentee for Palace.

Jefferson Lerma has been sidelined with a hamstring injury in recent weeks, and manager Oliver Glasner says the midfielder will return to the matchday squad but is not fit enough to start.

"He [Lerma] trained with us and is ok," Glasner said. "It's quite early, but if we need him for 15-20 minutes at the end we have him. He’s available for 15-20 minutes."

Former Tottenham star Dele Alli has returned to his old club for training as he looks to secure his next contract in football

Dele Alli has been using an academy pitch at Tottenham's Hotspur Way training ground in order to stay fit, football.london understands. The 29-year-old was back at his former club last month as a special guest for the North London Derby and he has seemingly remained in the capital.

Speaking to those inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at half-time of the Arsenal game, he said: "I hope you've missed me as much as I've missed you. A lot has happened in our journeys since we were last together, but I'm back today, and I hope you know that you'll always be my family."

Given his hugely successful seven-year spell at Spurs, it is clear there is a strong relationship between Dele and the club with that further evidenced by him training at Hotspur Way.

On Wednesday afternoon, Dele uploaded a photo and some videos to his Instagram story showing him in action. The latter clips involved some quick passing drills around practice mannequins along with shots into open goals.

Dele has been without a club since leaving Serie A side Como in September 2025. He had spent just six months in Italy under Cesc Fabregas following mixed spells at Besiktas and Everton.

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The MK Dons academy product has endured a challenging last few years in football and during that, revealed to Gary Neville in an emotional interview that he was abused as a child and was dealing drugs aged 8.

His comments from late last month have suggested he is firmly focused on a return to football and is training at his old club with the aim of securing a contract soon.

Re-joining Tottenham has even been mooted with the sensational return of Mauricio Pochettino already looking likely for the 2026/27 season. The Argentine will be in charge of the USA at their home World Cup this summer but could depart after the tournament at the end of his contract.

Speaking on potentially managing Spurs again, Pochettino told “Radiogaceta de los Deportes” on RNE in Spain, last month: “I’m always linked (to clubs), to Tottenham, just like at one time I was linked to Espanyol, or to other clubs.

"In the end, especially because of my past at those clubs, when things aren’t going well, people tend to fall back on emotions and say, ‘Well, with Mauricio we played good football,’ or whatever it may be.

"But no. We’re focused on the World Cup, on the United States. My contract runs until after the World Cup, so after that we’ll see what might happen. Open to everything, right?”

The 54-year-old actually coming back is unlikely if Spurs are in the Championship next season with relegation from the Premier League a serious possibility, as they sit four points clear of the bottom three with 10 games to play.

Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach said at his press conference ahead of the match against Crystal Palace

Igor Tudor faced the media at his press conference on Wednesday afternoon ahead of a big Premier League game against Crystal Palace.

Thursday's match could define what comes next for both Tottenham and the Croatian in the weeks ahead after two defeats against Arsenal and Fulham with no improvement over what came before under Thomas Frank. Fortunately for Spurs, most other teams around them at the bottom of the table have been losing as well.

That means a victory against Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night would seem them take an important jump away from peril.

Tudor gave injury updates when asked about Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusevski and he spoke about Mathys Tel and winter signing Souza, who have found minutes hard to come by.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Tudor. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way.

What's the latest team news? How is Djed Spence?

No Djed is out, he's not ready for the game tomorrow.

Any updates on Udogie or Kulusevksi?

No, not yet. Kevin (Danso) is back, last game already. Yeah, so he's back. No other news. There is no other news.

How are you feeling after Fulham game as you were angry?

Better now. I feel better. Of course, after the game, there are emotions. There are disappointments because you work, you want, and the players also work hard and want you to do, but the result didn't come. So, of course, it was a little bit disappointing, but it's how it should be after the games. You need to be angry and disappointed. You don't need to be the guy who comes there and says everything is perfect, smile, and nothing happens.

Also, to send a message to everyone, me personally, and everyone to not accept this situation. But we go on, we move on. We have a good, short period to prepare this game, but I saw the guys reacting well. We need to be optimistic for tomorrow's game. We play at home against a good team, but still our stadium with our fans, so we want to do tomorrow a good game.

After the performance at Fulham, are you tempted to change a lot about the team and tactics?

No, we need to choose the right players of course. There are a lot of things to improve, you work day by day, you see that the players want to come, that's the thing that makes me positive, makes me believe that we will do it.

That's the key in the end, waiting for other players to come back to give something to the team. Like Pedro [Porro], last game he came out and immediately you see that he gives something to the team-mates, so Kevin [Danso] is coming back, we're expecting Cuti [Romero], [Destiny] Udogie who will come back, Djed [Spence] will come back, so it's important to have all pieces together.

All the teams in the Premier League struggle without seven, eight, 10 players, so it's not that the other teams, when they have players to complete, it's one team where they don't have so it is how it is. So we're waiting for the players to come back to give the energy, to give the quality, until now, until then we work to do things better.

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A lot of people are calling this a must-win game, is that how you feel?

No, there is no must-win game, all the games need to be won, we need to be first of all doing the right way, doing the best thing you can do. Thinking about [this], I always say this, don't bring nothing in the way that, you need to prepare, think about you, you, to understand who you are as a team, what the players need, what the players can give to be better as a team, to prepare in this way and then that will be good.

Is there a timeframe for Djed?

We hope for Champions League.

I interviewed Yves Bissouma yesterday and he said the players have to stay united, stay calm when the results are so bad at the moment. Are you seeing a group of players who are remaining calm when you're on the training pitches? Are they looking confident?

No, I look confident because I saw they want to do, want to do the things, they want to do together. We are speaking all day about what to do, how to do, to evolve, you know, to get from them a reaction, you know, in the small things, 1%, 2%, 5%, you know, in the end, always we think about that each of us need to give something extra but sometimes small things are enough because we are in 20 players plus coaches so if you multiply 1% it's a lot, it means a lot so we work on all things and that's what makes me feel good for the future.

Yves also said he'll understand if there are nerves amongst the fans tomorrow because in the last few games the team have conceded first so how important will a good start and a fast start be?

Yes, it's important to start good but even to finish good. So all details count, you know, everything is important.

You said there about everyone after Sunday needed to be angry, you needed to get the message over to the players, you felt that it was right to be angry. Can you explain that, why you being angry after a defeat would help a player?

To not accept defeat as something normal, first reason and last reason, that's why the reason when you play with, it's about mentality, when you play with your friend you can have mentality. Okay we go to play tennis and then we lose, okay it's the same for me or you can be different, you know.

So for sure in this moment we need to recognise this but also to have belief that we have quality to do it. So my point is to give both things to the team, you know, and that's how it works, this job, this sport. So I'm trying to touch them in all kind of things I can touch, you know, and as I said I saw the good will from the side to change things, we need something, we need small details, we need something to change of course, but I saw small progress, so tomorrow we need to keep going in the direction that I believe we will take and make one good performance as a team.

The noise is that Spurs could get relegated, but if they beat Palace they could go a long way towards all that being silenced, so is this not the most important game Spurs have had for a long time, maybe since they won a trophy last May?

Yeah, of course I don't agree with you, these are all the things that don't matter for the players in the way that these are nice things to think, to speak in television, maybe in the bar and do these things, you know. We in the dressing room we don't think in this way, we are not focused on direction that others maybe can take to discuss about this kind of thing you are speaking about.

We are thinking about what to do better, how to work on mentality, how to work on defending better, you know, how to give some aggressivity to take the second ball, you know, how to be dangerous in the front, these are things we are speaking, we are thinking, we are enforcing these things, you know, all these, as I said these are all the things. The fans can speak between them and journalists and you as well, but we try to not, our thoughts don't go in that direction.

The players aren't speaking...

They are speaking, they start to speak now, yeah, yeah, they start to speak [and become more vocal in the dressing room].

Isn't the all important thing getting three points, not how you play?

I agree with you. It's all about three points. It's all about three points. I said it already before the last game, you know, when you are in this moment like you are, of course it's all about three points, especially in the [end of] leagues when they last seven, eight, ten games, for sure it's that.

When you start the season, then you make programmes, you choose the player, you choose the style you play, then you have two months to work on that, that totally different moment, you know, then you can think about how beautiful you can be now after the last ten games, it's totally different, you know, totally different state of mind and you need to choose the right things to do.

Mathys Tel made an impact on Sunday, he often does when he comes on but has only started six Premier League games – why do you think that is?

I chose what I think in that moment is best for the team. It does not mean he is not part of first XI, football change in five minutes, one game, two games and everyone, I like to say and coaches do, everyone puts themselves in the team. The coach needs to choose what he believes in this moment, but with five changes, with five substitutes, football change and so I always speak about that.

Today they are not substitutes because when you change half of the team, it is half of the team who is coming in and half who is coming out. It is a totally different point of view for the players and sometimes it is difficult to understand this because everyone wants to start. What I recognise here and especially in this league, there is a special game in the last 15-20 minutes.

It is always a game within a game. Probably for them (substitutes), it is not easy to understand and of course no one wants to accept, I am the same but in games, a lot of games are decided in the last 20 minutes.

Souza came on as well, is he ready for the Premier League?

He was good, I saw something in him. He is there and waiting for his moment to play.

Your assistant at Juventus and Lazio, Ivan Javorcic, is he coming to join you?

Yes, it is an ongoing thing. We wait. Still we wait.

Is it a work permit issue?

Yeah, yeah. We are waiting.

Can I ask about the reaction from Sunday, you said you were happy with the players' reaction?

About effort they put into the training, about the will to speak to change things.

Do the players understand the seriousness of the situation?

Of course, everyone understands the situation, but we are working hard to change this otherwise there is something wrong if you don’t understand. Of course my job is to put the pressure away, but their job is also to accept this pressure as part of the job. Pressure is everywhere, but you need to love this job, you need to enjoy this job like you did when you start at 10-years-old to do this sport, so you don’t need to forget that this in the end only sport. Real pressures are other jobs.

You know that is real pressure, families when they make and you earn money for the family. Work jobs like doctors who make operations. They are dealing and decide about life and death. That is the real pressure. This is sport. The club, Tottenham, has always been like a club with big pressure so you need to be ready to accept this and stand up. Not stay behind. Take responsibility and have courage to confront these things. Not when something come to you, you go in the direction of that (away) - don’t step back.

This is the best way to do and only way to do. So, I hope we have and I am sure because I saw in training that we have these men to step up and take responsibility and make us start doing first of all good performances and after also win points.

From what you’ve seen over last two-and-a-half weeks, are you satisfied that the squad you have is not too good to go down?

Yeah, I believe. I believe, I said before, of course I believe.

What have you and the coaches done this week to try to lift the confidence of the squad this week?

The questions today are all very similar and all very same, so I give the answers always the same answers. I can only repeat the things you ask me. What we are working, what we are aware, there is nothing else to tell. I can only repeat the same things.

Going back to the Arsenal game, you didn’t get the result but the atmosphere created by the fans helped drive the team on for an hour, how important are they on Thursday?

Very important, very important. The players feel everything. Every small murmur they recognise immediately, every applause, every encouragement and so sometimes I like that each of our fans feel that in the pitch. They will understand how the energy is spreading, how the energy can contain the players and I am sure they will stand with us tomorrow and we will show what we need to show.

I chose what I think in that moment is best for the team. It does not mean he is not part of first XI, football change in five minutes, one game, two games and everyone, I like to say and coaches do, everyone puts themselves in the team. The coach needs to choose what he believes in this moment, but with five changes, with five substitutes, football change and so I always speak about that.

Today they are not substitutes because when you change half of the team, it is half of the team who is coming in and half who is coming out. It is a totally different point of view for the players and sometimes it is difficult to understand this because everyone wants to start. What I recognise here and especially in this league, there is a special game in the last 15-20 minutes.

It is always a game within a game. Probably for them (substitutes), it is not easy to understand and of course no one wants to accept, I am the same but in games, a lot of games are decided in the last 20 minutes.

Better now. I feel better. Of course, after the game, there are emotions. There are disappointments because you work, you want, and the players also work hard and want you to do, but the result didn't come. So, of course, it was a little bit disappointing, but it's how it should be after the games. You need to be angry and disappointed. You don't need to be the guy who comes there and says everything is perfect, smile, and nothing happens.

Also, to send a message to everyone, me personally, and everyone to not accept this situation. But we go on, we move on. We have a good, short period to prepare this game, but I saw the guys reacting well. We need to be optimistic for tomorrow's game. We play at home against a good team, but still our stadium with our fans, so we want to do tomorrow a good game.

Igor Tudor has confirmed Djed Spence will miss Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Thursday.

The defender missed the weekend trip to Fulham with a calf injury, with Archie Gray filling in at left-back. There had been hope that Spence may be fit to return against the Eagles but Tudor insisted the game has come too soon for the 25-year-old.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, interim head coach Tudor said: "Djed Spence is out. Kevin [Danso] came back in the last game." Asked for a timeframe for Spence's return, Tudor added: "We hope for the Champions League game."

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The Croatian confirmed there was no other news regarding the progress of Destiny Udogie or Dejan Kulusevski. Elsewhere, Wilson Odobert, James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall remain out due to injury. Cristian Romero, meanwhile, is suspended.

Spurs sit 16th in the Premier League having picked up just 29 points from 28 matches this season. Tudor's side are just four points above West Ham, who currently occupy 18th. Palace, meanwhile, are six points ahead of Tottenham in 14th.

On needing the supporters in the remaining months of the season, Tudor said: "Very important. The players feel everything. Every bit of applause and encouragement. The fans can feel that on the pitch and how the energy is spreading."

Spurs have reportedly written to Howard Webb to voice their concerns over decisions against the club this season

Tottenham Hotspur have written to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb over their concerns with recent refereeing decisions, according to reports.

Spurs are said to have been left disgruntled by decisions, with BBC Sport reporting that the complaint from the north London club surrounds inconsistent decisions that have led to goals being allowed or disallowed as a result of contact inside the penalty area. It has been claimed that the club believe they have been on the wrong side of a number of key decisions this season with the latest coming on Sunday in their 2-1 defeat to Fulham.

Raul Jimenez escaped punishment for his role in the opening goal when he collided with defender Radu Dragusin before the ball fell to Harry Wilson, who opened the scoring. It was said that the contact from the Mexican did not meet the threshold for a foul.

It follows on from Randal Kolo Muani's effort against Arsenal being chalked off during the defeat to their north London rivals. Officials adjudged that Arsenal defender Gabriel had been pushed by the Frenchman before firing past David Raya.

A similar incident occurred earlier in the season during Liverpool's win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Hugo Ekitike leapt above Cristian Romero to head home, which proved decisive as then-manager Thomas Frank saw his side edged out by the Reds.

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The video assistant referee (VAR) did not intervene on both decisions, while they were checked, but both decisions remained with the on-field referee.

Interim manager Igor Tudor was left incensed by the decision to let Fulham's opener stand. He said: "Their first goal changes the situation on the pitch. It's a big refereeing mistake.

"There's no consistency last week, what happened today was incredible. The referee was incredible today – not giving a goal there is madness.

"It's about consistency of the decision, they need to understand even if it is a soft touch but he is not watching the ball, it is a foul. He [Jimenez] gained an advantage and they scored. You need to give these fouls.

"I didn't like the referee today, too much of a home team referee. I didn't feel well with him. All the decisions were on their side.

"He doesn't understand football, the feeling of what is wrong and what is right. He [Jimenez] was not thinking about the ball, he was thinking how to cheat, he cheated the player, was pushing, it was cheating and it's a foul.

"Ninety-nine of 100 people will say it's a foul, it's so obvious."

Spurs sit in a precarious position in the Premier League table as they face the threat of being relegated, just 12 months after winning the Europa League.

They are just four points clear of the bottom three with West Ham United currently occupying the final relegation place.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side will be looking to return to winning ways after Liverpool ended their four-match unbeaten run in all competitions, last time out. Spurs welcome Crystal Palace on Thursday in a blockbuster London derby with a lot on the line for both clubs.

Igor Tudor was brought in to steady the ship and lead Tottenham Hotspur to safety, but he's yet to win a game

Paul Robinson believes that Tottenham Hotspur would escape relegation from the Premier League if Igor Tudor had 'a team full of Richarlisons'. The Lilywhites have been drawn into a fight for survival, with just four points separating them from the drop zone.

Igor Tudor, who was appointed interim head coach last month, was brought in to transform Spurs' fortunes, but he's lost his first two games in charge. The former Juventus boss will be desperate to turn things around when Tottenham host Crystal Palace on Thursday night.

Then, before the international break, the Lilywhites will face Liverpool at Anfield and Nottingham Forest on home turf. In an interview with Betfred, Robinson claimed that he doesn't know when Tottenham will get any more points on the board.

The former Spurs goalkeeper said: "I’m worried for my old team. I really am. I’m not seeing anything from them at the moment that suggests they can get out of it.

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"The new manager’s come in and he’s played three at the back against Arsenal, with a central midfielder as one of the centre-halves. He’s played four-at-the-back against Fulham, with Archie Gray as left-back, and he made three substitutions at half-time.

"It suggests to me that he’s desperately looking for a formula, and he doesn’t really know the players that he’s got. For a new manager bounce, you come in, and you make yourselves strong and hard to beat."

Robinson added: "I know Richarlison may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but with a team full of Richarlisons, you stay in the Premier League with the attitude and the application he’s got.

"They look like a team devoid of ideas. They’ve got a very big game this weekend against Crystal Palace before going away to Anfield, where you suspect it’s going to be very hard to get anything, and then it’s Nottingham Forest at home.

"When I watched that Tottenham team against Fulham, I was thinking about where the next win was going to come from. They have the joint-second-worst home record in the league with Burnley.

"They’ve won two Premier League games at home this season, and when you think there are winnable games at home, nothing’s winnable at the moment for Tottenham.

"I’m worried about them, but I think they’ll be okay because I don’t think Nottingham Forest and West Ham United will pick up as many points as they need to.

"At the moment though, I’m struggling to see where Tottenham’s next points come from. I’m not so sure, and convinced, of the manager."

In the next couple of weeks, Tottenham must also lock horns with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The Spanish giants will host the first leg of the last-16 at the Metropolitano on Tuesday, March 10, before Tudor's side return the favour the following week.

Spurs are over 20 points adrift of fourth place in the Premier League, so they'll have to achieve qualification to the Champions League by winning the competition itself...

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly deeply unimpressed by new academy scout Neros Coachman after the Arsenal fan made jokes about the club on social media

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly been left disgruntled after a new staff member, who supports Arsenal, made light of the club on social media. Remarks by Neros Coachman were noticed by Spurs supporters and have now reached the attention of the club's top brass, who are said to be contemplating action.

Despite being an Arsenal supporter, Coachman has joined Spurs as an academy scout. He announced his new position on social media, highlighting his footballing loyalties.

On Instagram, he posted: "Its official. I'm now here, I sat and had the conversation and the project was exciting to say the least. Now looking forward to getting the new set of superstars to the club. You know the projects good when your a boyhood Arsenal fan and you switch sides."

However, it was the responses to this post that left some feeling sour. One comment read: "Do not let that badge touch your skin," to which Coachman retorted: "I've already got the base layer."

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Another user wrote: "We need someone on the inside," with Coachman replying "shhhhh". When another individual posted a picture of a snake, he responded: "I know, I know, it's deserved haha."

His comments were swiftly noticed by Tottenham supporters, who circulated them on X. A post from The Spurs Express, which has since accumulated nearly 500,000 views, said: "It is quite bizarre that, seemingly, a newly appointed member of staff at #Tottenham, who is a strong Arsenal fan, is openly mocking the club and joking about not wanting the badge to touch his skin, how 'it was tough' to put on Tottenham attire, and how he'll be an 'inside man'.

"These are jokes, of course, but it doesn't seem particularly befitting, given that he has taken up a role at #Spurs."

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According to The Daily Mail (via the Mirror), the club has responded and is 'deeply unimpressed', with potential disciplinary measures being considered against Coachman, who has since made his Instagram account private. However, his response via Instagram story was captured before this occurred.

He wrote: "This is wild. Yes I'm and Arsenal Fan And yes I was joking with friends. As an arsenal fan of course I was joking about with friends regarding putting on a spurs kit.."

The timing of Coachman's comments is particularly unfortunate, coinciding with Tottenham's difficult campaign and their recent 4-1 defeat to Arsenal. The side currently occupies 16th position in the Premier League, sitting four points clear of the relegation places, having failed to secure victory in their last 10 league fixtures.

Igor Tudor has been appointed as Thomas Frank's successor but has began his tenure with consecutive losses in the Premier League.

They welcome Crystal Palace on Thursday before shifting their focus to the Champions League last 16, where they will take on Atletico Madrid in the first leg on Tuesday.