As things stand today Tottenham are in the Carabao Cup final, Europa League last 32 and nine points behind fourth with a game in hand.
So, in theory, two trophies and a top-four finish are still within reach.
I think any Tottenham fan would have gladly accepted picking up two trophies and qualifying for next seasons Champions League when this campaign kicked off, however, reality tells us a different story.
Top four is most likely already out of reach, it is not just catching up to West Ham that has to be attained but also overcoming the four teams in between and the way Tottenham are playing, that looks increasingly unlikely.
The Carabao Cup is obviously within reach, it is a one-off game and anything can happen but the brutal reality is that Spurs have to face off against the best team in England and one that only recently took us to the cleaners without too much effort.
Finally, the Europa League. Now, qualification to the last 16 is an almost given considering the 4-1 lead earned away from home but the competition is full of teams that are in much better form than Spurs right now and the chances of lifting that trophy this season also looks a tall order.
So, not so positive but that does not mean that Spurs will finish the season empty-handed, it may seem unlikely right now but this is football and anything can happen.
There are multiple combinations of how the season can finish starting with winning nothing and finishing outside the top ten to picking up two trophies and progressing to the Champions League.
But what would you consider the absolute minimum that is acceptable and what will keep Mourinho in his job?
For me, it is winning a trophy, anything other than that would be a bonus.
Of course, I would love us to reach the Champions League as well but if we do not and still pick up silverware then as far as I am concerned Mourinho has done the minimum expected.
I look back to the start of the season and in my mind back then was a simple ambition, win something, anything. Simple as that.
I am ok with the awful football providing we win something, I would prefer it to be the Europa League because that gets us Champions League football as well but that was not my own personal criteria when the season commenced. It was winning silverware regardless of whether we made in into next seasons Champions League.
You see, winning becomes a habit and I do believe that we will kick on once we have cleared that hurdle and removed that Albatross from around our necks.
So, what would the absolute minimum be for you for Mourinho to keep his job and for this season to be considered a success?
If JM is sacked… who ‘realistically’ would be the best next manager to take the hot seat?
It was always top 4 at the start of the season so why should the expectations change? Top four or st least very close or a failed season.
Ropey or Mickey Mouse would gloss over the real issues and extend the whole process but we really need to be in the top 4 if you’re building a stadium like that…
To keep him in his job? If the not leaving early without a huge payout stories are true; I’d say no trophies and outside the bottom 5 should do it.
Cup and/or Top 4 – minimum.
We managed it in the home win against them. Anything can happen in a one off game but realistically we need to be at the top of our game and catch them on an off day. One thing in our favour is the rescheduling; hopefully we hit some sort of form by April.
As fans we get caught up in the moment and the current 8 weeks plus of poor results after the being top but not playing a game purists want elevated what they believe success would be this year.
Success for the team is movement in the right direction, with Enic pulling the strings it’s like turning an oil tanker in a sea of treacle.
We are always going to be an evolution project at present, past mistakes have compounded it.
A good Europa run and winning it will only paper over cracks like the Champions League final has blinkered a lot of people (poch’s side were awful for 12months in general (so good results in that but rode our luck)before he got the boot.
Missing out on Europe might be a good thing for a season (it’s helped Liverpool and esp Chelsea).
1 pot might be successful but there isn’t a quick fix, Jose is sharp enough to know this and he’s aware the project will take longer but Levys ego is his biggest threat to his job security.
Hahahha – love it
Ground share with Palace. Sell the stadium, buy a decent defence.
Play Sanchez up front, try to get corners
Sorted!
Quite right. They waited until the second WH goal was scored before seeming to realise they need to get upfield quickly to have chance of points. And this happens in most games. I despair of the cautious, pedestrian approach. Read the club motto, and enact it.
League cup is the most that will happen. Probably a 6th/7th finish at best.
I see the puppet Johnson has made sure kids get back to their state indoctrination programmes while the rest of us hang. April 12th for bookies and “non essential” shops which includes charity shops(the barbaric swine) and middle of may for pubs and hospitality. There’s absolutely no justification for any lockdowns. These delays will do even more damage to an already crippled country. Just finishing them off. Saw footage of Sweden, no lockdowns, no masks, no socialist distancing….death stats way down compared to here and America etc. This is a political tool and our government figures and cronies who have benefited hundreds of millions in ppe and vaccine and test vial contracts should be in jail. Never forget.
Bruce. Do you honestly believe that Spurs could win 2 Cups in a Season? Some fans would be happy, what “Home” do these fans reside? If Spurs win the EUROPA it will be Fantastic, If we win the LC it will be GREAT, everything else is just filler, finish above The Gooners etc.
Or possibly the thing that as coach he can’t fix is the weak mentality, maybe it’s players psychology he’s referring to pity he didn’t spell out what he meant.
Nobody really seems to have picked up on what Mourinho said after the game via BBC.Apart from confirming himself and his coaching staff as being second to nobody in the world,he also said that there are some things in the Spurs squad that he as manager cannot fix.
To my mind that is a veiled dig at Levy/ENIC for not reinvigerating the squad and offloading the deadwood.He has been there long enough to have identified those players that are not fit for purpose.
Over to you Levy.
Winning something could lead to Levy thinking not much needs to change as happened after CL final.
Still, be nice to win something. Might stop the endless jokes about trophy cabinets etc.
I would ask that question of the players. To many duds. No sprinkling of magic dust is gonna get any miracles from players ‘going through the motions’ and being outplayed on the pitch.
Keeping clean sheets for more than 180 minutes is a good start.
We did beat them earlier in the season with slightly less than 30% possession I believe.
However they were lower than we are at present and couldn’t buy a win.Things look slightly different at the moment.
i think people are clutching at straws thinking we have a chance at the league cup or the ropey.
Psychologically scoring after 5 mins will help.
Admittedly playing really well on the day Arsenal beat them in last seasons FA Cup semi final so they are beatable!!
A consecutive 90 minutes of decent football would be good.
Spurs have been good in one half or other but not over a whole game.
Start putting in a good performance across the whole game and then Spurs can think about winning trophies.
This team needs a rocket up them. Too often it takes them at least half an hour to get going. They just don’t learn. Only Lamela, Reguillon and Moura showed any real urgency at the start yesterday.
If we get into some form its certainly doable, make no mistake. But that defence needs to be sorted out pronto for the rest to click into place
Basically its defend like youre life depended on it, hope for some magic up front, but mostly, an enormous slice of luck.
Perhaps taking Dier up to the mighty cockeral on the Spurs stadium roof and offering him as a blood sacrifice to the footballing gods should swing it.
To see Harry Kane parading the Europa League trophy with CL football in the back pocket would be ace. CL football is an absolute must for Spurs next season IMO.
As a wise man once said winning the Carabao Cup would be good for our egos but it isn’t going to change our lives, is it?
and they have got Foden, just sayin!
Quanta costa?
Jose will be all ears!
[You may recall when we beat City on our home patch we simply exploited 2 defensive lapses via our potent counter attack. Whilst Spurs have since gone off the boil City have tightened up defensively since that rare defeat!]
Spurs and Arsenal could relocate to South London and its problem solved. Certainly a home coming for the Woolwich
Divulging my strategy, that will cost you Sir
One unsung hero for Man City is the impressive revitalised John Stones!!
Beating Man City. Strategy please? given that we are likely to get only 30% possession of the ball it’s a tough ask. No disgrace losing to City, just a tough ask!
It’s a sad reflection on the current state of the N London clubs that both Arsenal (who we face on the 13th March) and ourselves are languishing in 9th and 10th spots in the PL respectively!
Beating Manchester City in the LC will be akin to winning the World Cup, so that will do me.
And this is where ENIC got it all wrong in the first place by not placing an emphasis on winning a domestic cup to install the winning mentality. Even now Levy wouldn’t comprehend that last sentence.
With top 4 and winning the League Cup a long shot I’d settle for simply winning the Ropey Cup is a bare minimum giving us an entry to the CL, anything else a bonus. I’d already settled for winning the League Cup, but given our relentless opponents are Man City upsetting the odds by beating them at Wembley will be a pleasurable experience ending our long trophy drought!!
Absolutely NO WAY can this poor form last for the rest of the season, so 9 points off 4th with 14 games to go is a long, long way from done and dusted. If we avoid a big team in the Europa last 16, then it gives us time to work on regaining a bit of form for the run in.
A solid April and May and all this doom and gloom will be quickly forgotten.
No trophies and outside the European places, I think he’s toast.
No trophies and Europa qualification = 50/50.
Carabao / Europa / or CL qualification via top 4 – he gets until Xmas.
Alternatively, ENIC could actually start to question themselves to determine if they are in any way complicit in our fortunes.
Top 4 is dreamland now, as is winning the Europa. I’d be happy to win a game! We’ve lost 5 out of 6 and since November it has been a freefall. I would be happy to be out the European places for next season. It’s been an utter waste of our time. West Ham and Everton have benefitted massively from not having to have European football. We don’t have the squad to compete on 4 fronts.
Bill Nicholson said Spurs were nothing without European football, but that was when UEFA and Cup Winners Cups were meaningful trophies. We will soon be in March and we have not had one worthwhile fixture. Son, Kane, Hojbjerg have played in the vast majority too. Absolute nonsense.
He will be forgiven awful football and results and not winning a trophy even if he sees out his contract til summer 23. Just wait and see….
I’ve always said top 4 and a trophy minimum given how much Spurs are paying him and his track record, so think he’s already failed in my eyes. Unless we win the Europa, would happily finish 17th binning off the league entirely and win Europa but as you say it’s so unlikely given Spurs’ current form (more likely to finish 17th than win the Europa at this rate)