Manager Sam Allardyce says Tottenham players need to be reminded of their responsibilities to the club if they want to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.
Spurs sacked manager Thomas Frank last week and replaced him with interim coach Igor Tudor, with the club sitting 16th in the Premier League, five points out of the relegation zone.
Tudor will be thrown squarely into the fire in the north London derby against league leaders Arsenal, starting a tough run of games that also includes a trip to Liverpool.
The Croatian will be hoping to make an immediate impact, but Allardyce, who has steered four teams away from relegation since taking over mid-season, believes the onus is more on the players than on the new caretaker manager.
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Mickey van de Ven meets former Tottenham Hotspur captain Michael Dawson to discuss Thomas Frank’s departure, Igor Tudor’s arrival and preparations for the North London derby.
“Everybody can claim that they did this and that before the first game they managed, but in reality they didn’t do that much,” Allardyce told Sky Sports.
“What we want is for players to go out and prove themselves. If you’re earning 150 grand a week, why shouldn’t you give 100 million per cent? At Tottenham you’ve got the best food and one of the best facilities in the country, so why shouldn’t you give 110 per cent? If you don’t, you should be kicked out of the club.”
Tudor won’t have a big squad to choose from when he takes over for the first time against the Gunners, with 11 senior players out injured, but Allardyce won’t accept that as an excuse for his players not to give their best in the run-in.
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“It’s a God-given right. It’s the blood, sweat and tears you put into it for the football club. That’s what you deserve,” Allardyce added. “It shouldn’t even need to be asked or asked for. But it seems like it is.”
“Frank will come back even better. Diche is unlucky to be fired.”
Frank left Spurs with a winning percentage of just 26.9 per cent, the club’s lowest in the Premier League. But Allardyce backed a “good coach” to learn from the experience and bounce back stronger.
“Thomas has experienced for the first time what it’s like to manage a big club,” Allardyce said.
“It’s different. I’ve experienced it at Everton, Newcastle and West Ham. There’s a different kind of mentality and pressure.
“I think he’s clearly proven that he’s a good coach. The experience he’s gained, if he gets another chance, he’ll be even better if he analyzes what he did and didn’t do.”
“Thomas will reappear somewhere in the Premier League. He definitely won’t have to wait to find a job.”
Tudor became Tottenham’s new signing, but soon after Sean Dyche was sent off at Nottingham Forest, Vitor Pereira was brought on in his place, a decision Allardyce said was unfortunate.
“He tried to score 35 times[in the 0-0 draw with Wolves]and he was dismissed,” Allardyce added.
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Sean Dyche was asked about his future at Nottingham Forest after the draw with Wolves, hours before he became the third manager to be sacked by the club this season.
“Normally it would be 4-0, 5-0. Usually. It looked like it was going to happen, but it didn’t happen.
“There were some terrible mistakes and some world-class saves. Had we won, he wouldn’t have been fired. Shaun was unlucky, but he knows the owner and he’s ready to face it.”
“We know what we’re getting with the owners and we’re moving forward. We accept that. That doesn’t prevent him from getting another job.”
Spurs and Forest hire ‘risky players’
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Igor Tudor has given his first interview as Tottenham Hotspur’s head coach. X Credit: @SpursOfficial.
In Tudor, Spurs hired a coach with no Premier League experience, but Forest opted to replace Dyche with Pereira. Pereira was sacked by Wolves in November after scoring just two points in his opening 10 Premier League games.
“Any coach coming in at this stage is a risk. It’s a challenge,” Allardyce insisted. “We have to find out as soon as possible what the problem is and whether it exists.
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Italian football expert Patrick Kendrick has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach candidate Igor Tudor would favor a defensive-minded 3-4-2-1 formation at Spurs.
“They just need to simplify things. If they’re conceding too many goals, they try to stop it. If they’re not scoring enough, they try to improve it. Then we’ll start going in the right direction.”
“They (the players) need to commit to what they are trying to achieve and it needs to happen overnight. That’s the hard part.”
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