Spurs have addressed their Tudor error - but cannot afford another

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Igor Tudor's Tottenham tenure lasted just 44 days and seven games

Chief football writerPublished1 hour ago575 CommentsTottenham Hotspur's hierarchy have finally addressed the mistake they made with the outlandish appointment of Igor Tudor as interim head coach - but the stakes are now so high they cannot afford another.

Tudor's departure after only 44 days concludes a bizarre and potentially hugely expensive episode that leaves fingers pointing firmly in the direction of chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange.

If Venkatesham and Lange get the next big decision wrong it could conceivably end with Spurs in the Championship, leaving a scar on their record that would be impossible to recover from.

If there is merit in the argument that it is better to correct a mistake as quickly as possible, the counter-argument is that appointing Tudor was a mistake that should never have been made in the first place.

Time will tell, but Tudor's spell in charge may yet end up as the 44 days that sealed Spurs' Premier League fate.

Tottenham fans, who carefully note Venkatesham's links to Arsenal from his previous job, will be waiting to see what he can pull off now.

The ominous spectre of relegation is even more of a possibility after Tudor's seven games in charge, which brought one pyrrhic victory, while exiting the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, and none in the Premier League.

Venkatesham and Lange will know the stakes as Spurs stand one point and one place above the relegation spots, the end coming for Tudor after the humiliating 3-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.

They were behind the decision to bring in Tudor, the combustible Croatian with a chequered coaching career and no Premier League experience, to succeed the sacked Thomas Frank.

Having delayed dismissing Frank, seemingly hoping for a revival that was never coming and a change in the toxic mood among fans that was too far gone to be rescued, turning to Tudor was left-field at best.

Tudor sacked: 'Another desperate act by Tottenham'

Tudor leaves Spurs after just 44 days in charge

Published4 hours agoThere seemed little logic in Tudor taking over, even for an interim period, and will certainly have brought Venkatesham and Lange into the crosshairs of the Lewis family, who own the club and have entrusted them with taking Spurs into a brighter future.

One source close to Spurs suggested Tudor was a leaving gift suggestion from former sporting director Fabio Paratici. If it was, it was one they must now regret accepting.

There must be a measure of sympathy for Tudor, who also had to deal with the death of his father after being parachuted into a role he was clearly unsuited for, while taking over a squad ravaged by injuries and a complete loss of confidence.

Sympathy will be in shorter supply for Venkatesham and Lange.

Tudor's arrival raised eyebrows all round, with his unique selling point supposedly his status as an impact coach with a capacity for getting quick results.

This was soon proved to be a myth as he lost his first four games, the low point - even considering the opening 4-1 defeat by Arsenal - coming in the 5-2 embarrassment away to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg.

Tudor dropped first-choice keeper Guglielmo Vicario for young Czech Antonin Kinsky, only to take him off after just 17 minutes following two mistakes that handed Atletico a 3-0 lead.

He was then criticised for ignoring Kinsky as he went off, comfort left to team-mates on the pitch, then Conor Gallagher and Dominic Solanke, who followed him down the tunnel.

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Tudor's five Premier League games as Spurs boss

It was an example of what appeared to be Tudor's 'tough love' approach, as opposed to Frank's warmer and more empathetic style, leaving the Spurs squad looking even more dispirited than when he arrived.

Tudor was considered fortunate in many eyes to survive that, although a deserved draw at Liverpool and that second-leg win against Atletico offered hope until the capitulation against Forest.

As his departure is digested, it can be reasonably asked what Venkatesham and Lange detected in his previous track record, other than some fast starts, that made them believe he was the right man to navigate Spurs out of trouble.

Spurs was Tudor's 11th club as a coach after starting his career at Hajduk Split in Croatia in 2013.

Tudor's belief in a three-man defensive system looked an ill-fit for Tottenham, while constant changes in tactics and personnel suggested even he did not know how to get the best of the flatlining squad he had inherited.

For Spurs to now be searching for a third coach this season does not just smack of growing panic, it also reflects poorly on the decisions made at the top of the club that have put them in this situation.

The ideal solution would be to persuade Roberto de Zerbi, their main choice for a permanent boss, to take the job now - but would it appeal to the highly-rated Italian knowing that if he cannot inspire an instant turnaround he could end up in charge of a Championship club?

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Tottenham are looking for their fourth different manager since Ange Postecoglou led them to Europa League glory last season, with Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor both now having come and gone

Spurs expect to have Tudor's successor in charge for their next Premier League game, a visit to Sunderland on Sunday, 12 April. The list now features the usual suspects.

Sean Dyche has been touted after his 114-day spell at Nottingham Forest ended in the sack - but would he want to take on this brief salvage job knowing he would never be considered as a full-time contender?

Former Spurs players in Chris Hughton and Robbie Keane have been mentioned. Keane, hugely popular as a striker and captain, is now at Ferencvaros in Hungary. But the same question applies - why would he give up a full-time job for one that is likely to last only seven games?

Ryan Mason, who was sacked by West Bromwich Albion in January, has been a two-time caretaker at Spurs and is available.

Harry Redknapp, now 79 and sacked by Spurs in 2012, has made his willingness to step in clear, as has another former manager Glenn Hoddle. The 68-year-old lost his job in September 2003.

Whatever move they make next, Venkatesham and Lange have navigated Spurs into troubled waters and must now find a way out.

If they do not, then their fate could well be the same as Tudor's.

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