How the mighty have fallen. Tottenham Hotspur, the fifth richest club in England, the ninth richest in the world, current Europa League Champions and a mere five years ago Super League aspirants, are now facing relegation to the not-so-super league, the Championship. After yet another dismal defeat last night (1-3 to Crystal Palace), our (full disclosure: I’m a fan) fifth loss in a row, Spurs sit 16th in the league, just a point ahead of West Ham and Nottingham Forest. As the commentator on TNT said, ‘the unthinkable has now become possible’.

We thought we were too good for the Premier League. The humiliating truth may be that the Premier League is too good for us

We thought we were too good for the Premier League. The humiliating truth may be that the Premier League is too good for us

The scenes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last night somewhat recalled Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election night party after it became clear she had lost; a vista of blank, dumfounded faces, a few tears. Some had left before half-time even, but of those that saw it through to the bitterest of endings, many hung around, seemingly paralysed by the pre-grief of our looming demotion, a concept so remote from our hopes and expectations as to be virtually impossible to process. But process it we may soon have to, as may the Premier League and the wider football world.

For Spurs, the consequences have been described as ‘catastrophic’ with relegation from the top flight potentially costing the club as much........

© The Spectator