Ossie Ardiles explains how Tottenham can get out of 'big, big trouble' in passionate message to players

Ardiles, who helped Spurs clinch back-to-back FA Cup titles in 1981 and 1982 as a player and also coached the team in 1993-94, understands better than most the weight of history carried by the north London club. Amid the crisis of confidence currently engulfing the Lilywhites, who now sit 16th in the Premier League, he emphasised that every individual within the club, from the medical staff to the management, must provide unwavering support to the players on the pitch. Speaking to the Press Association ahead of a vital clash against Crystal Palace on Thursday, he said: "Our job, everybody at the club, my job and the job of everybody in Tottenham is to go behind the team. We are OK right now but we could be in big, big trouble. So, everybody has to be together to achieve what we want to achieve. Survive this season and then we'll see what happens next."

The statistics behind Tottenham’s current form make for grim reading. The club has matched a dismal record of 10 matches without a victory, and they remain the only Premier League side yet to win in 2026, a sequence that has seen them plummet toward the relegation zone. While the squad has been decimated by injuries to several key first-team players, many observers believe the issues run deeper than a lack of personnel, questioning the psychological resilience of the group under interim boss Igor Tudor.

Tudor, who recently challenged his players to step up in high-intensity duels rather than focusing on tactical systems, is under immense pressure to find a formula that works. The upcoming fixture list offers little respite, with high-stakes matches against fellow strugglers and top-four hopefuls alike. The "St Totteringham's Day" celebrations by rivals Arsenal, occurring earlier than ever before, served as a painful reminder of how far the club has fallen in a single season.

Ardiles shared these reflections during a poignant milestone for former team-mate Micky Hazard. The duo was joined by fellow legends Pat Jennings and Gary Mabbutt to celebrate the work of "Legend On The Bench", a mental health charity founded by Hazard and his sister Michelle. The group gathered in Harlow to unveil the charity's 100th park bench, providing a space for people to talk and seek support in memory of Hazard's nephew, Jay.

Reflecting on the achievement, Ardiles praised his former colleague's dedication outside of football. He remarked: "Yes, it is a wonderful, wonderful achievement. I was with him when he started to do this and he started very small, but it is amazing how it has grown. Micky is the driving force. I come, take pictures and talk a lot of rubbish, but the proper job and the hard work is all down to him. His goal was quite small but it grew and grew and he works harder and harder. Now we are where we are right now. It's an incredible achievement."

While the charity event provided a moment of community pride, the shadow of the Premier League table remains impossible to ignore. Tottenham’s run-in includes daunting trips to Liverpool and Chelsea, alongside "six-pointer" clashes against Nottingham Forest and Sunderland. The margin for error has evaporated, and the tension surrounding the club is palpable as they prepare for the visit of Crystal Palace on Thursday night.

Ardiles and the many legends gathered this week hope that the current squad can rekindle the fighting spirit that defined the club's glory years. With the gap to the bottom three narrowing with every passing week, Tottenham must heed the warning of their former player. Survival is now the only objective, and as Ardiles noted, any dreams of a rebuild must wait until the club secures its place in the top flight for another year.