As Tottenham Hotspur loom ever so closer to an era defining relegation, I discuss the potential repercussions that the club would face, in the summer and into the rough and tumble of the Championship.
1) Gratification
It seems weird to put this. Almost as if I'm willing the team to be relegated for my own validation (I'm not doing that), but I'm sure many fans will understand my point. It has been reiterated for a number of years that failing to compete in the transfer market would eventually be our downfall.
Nothing has highlighted our failure this season more than Thomas Frank's quote at the end of the January transfer window when he proudly stated that we 'did everything' to sign Semenyo. If there was anything that encapsulated the ambition of the higher-ups at Spurs it would be that. Clearly an intention matters more than delivering for the board and the lack of depth this season, not helped by a mass injury crisis really underlined the incompetence of ENIC, Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham.
So really, yes. Relegation would entirely validate Spurs fans anger at the owners' failure to prepare. Failing to replace our two top scorers last season in Son and Johnson. Failing to take up the offer of esteemed replacements such as Ademola Lookman. Instead opting to buy Conor Gallagher, a technically deficient 'grafter'.
When the Spurs' transfer criteria was based on who was available, rather than essential, we could have been relegated then and it would've saved us a lot of money. What's the consequence of relegation? Would ENIC finally sell the club? Would he realise how incompetent his recruitments are in Lange and Venkatesham? Is that the only positive Spurs fans can take from this disaster?
2) Mass Exodus
I think even if Spurs manage to escape the drop there will be a long list of departures ranging from our 'stars' to those who don't feature weekly. It seems pretty much sealed that the pairing of Romero and Van De Ven will end as they make their big money moves elsewhere.
The way that many Spurs fans have completely shifted their attitude regarding those two is almost inconceivable considering the way they were hailed for their Europa League triumph (especially Van De Ven). It will be interesting to see how the likes of Kudus and Xavi react to relegation considering they only signed recently, with the former missing half the season through injury. Linked to that, Maddison and Kulusevski could also depart, despite having no say in the seasons disaster due to their season-long issues.
Gray and Bergvall in particular will have a lot to think about given their age and potential. I could imagine they would have plenty of clubs interested in the Premier League and beyond. One positive may be the inclusion of academy stars such as Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore, who have had relatively successful seasons on loan in the Championship and Scottish Premier League.
Just as importantly, who would be willing to join us? Our recruitment strategy under Lange (if there even was one) relied on signing young prospects and throwing them straight into the deep end because of injury to others. Would that continue or would we resort to tough-Championship proven players, who understand the difficulty of the league?
3) Walking the League?
Many seem to assume that being relegated would be reset for the club. In some ways that is true, but it may be not a healthy reset given the task at hand in the Championship. I stand by the idea that the Championship and League One are the hardest leagues in the world to escape.
For some teams, they punch massively above their weight, whilst competing against those with generous parachute payments. However, many other teams who get relegated from the Premier League become so dejected that it quickly becomes toxic and they become stuck in the EFL. We've all been witnessing Leicester's very dramatic plummet down the Championship table with back to back relegations looming.
Although it may not be as extreme as that, Spurs may be at risk of experiencing what many big clubs have been through. Lingering in the Championship much longer than they may have imagined or expected. Take Leeds, Coventry, Blackburn and West Brom for example. If Spurs go down, they will be dropped into this cauldron of teams absolutely desperate to beat them.
The likes of Lincoln will be delighted to welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the 10,000 spectator Sincil Bank Stadium. Therefore the idea that the Championship would be walk in the park is quite difficult to believe, especially with a group of players, and fans who have not been in that environment before. Shrewd signings would have to made, and a genuine belief in the academy that hasn't been shown for a while.
4) The Next Generation of Fans
I saw a video recently about the potential trouble that Spurs could be in when gaining and maintaining the next generation of fans. This may seem like an overreach but in a period where our neighbours are at an extreme high regarding league positions (but hopefully no league title again) it would be difficult to convince younger football fans to support Spurs.
Throughout my whole life and decades before then, there have always been players for new fans to look towards and be a core motive for supporting the club. Whether that was Bale, Kane and Son or going back to the likes of Ginola, Gascoigne and Hoddle there has always been a great entertainer or two at the club. Now, relegation may lead to a new star, whether that's a youth player or an unexpected arrival I'm not sure, but the idea of supporting Spurs wouldn't seem as appealing as it did 10-20 years ago.
On the other hand, Championship football could lead to the very opposite. With tickets at extortionate prices for the past few seasons, could lower costs in the championship lead to a younger fanbase being given the opportunity to attend more regularly? Of course the dilemma lies in how much the ticket prices would reduce. There is no doubt that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would remain a prestigious venue for other events as much as the fans may continue to hate it so for ENIC, business would still be booming in one sector. You'd hope that the higher-ups have some dignity in lowering prices for the fans that have had to witness this seasons disaster unfold.
Spurs' Premier League future is balanced on a knife-edge. Results like the draw against Brighton showed promise, but we need more than that with 5 games to go. I always thought that a relegation battle was about who would be the first to win but at the moment we seem to be the only ones completely drained of confidence.
Its easy to speculate how we got to this point given the high of last seasons Europa League success but lets be honest, the signs were there. Poor recruitment year after year, an ever-growing frustration about the ownership from the fans and the sacking of the manager who finally bought us success. Spurs being relegated from the Premier League, the initial doubt has slowly become an inevitable sense of doom.
