
It was the chastening 3–1 home defeat to Crystal Palace in March that convinced the bulk of the Tottenham Hotspur fanbase that relegation was no longer a possibility worthy of laughing off.
Even when Spurs were in the midst of Thomas Frank-led purgatory, few projected the most unfathomable of fates. However, their fortune deteriorated with Igor Tudor at the helm. The Croatian’s bizarrely dreadful 44-day reign left the Lilywhites 17th, hovering a point over the drop zone.