'Not helping!' - Antonio Conte rips into Tottenham fans over lack of patience as he faces HUGE Nottingham Forest clash amid calls for him to be sacked

• Spurs crashed out of UCL against AC Milan
• Fans booed Conte during the match
• The Italian claims they're 'not helping'

WHAT HAPPENED? The Spurs fans booed at half-time of their Champions League exit against AC Milan on Wednesday, while they also made their feelings clear when Conte chose to bring on Davinson Sanchez to replac Dejan Kulusevski after Cristian Romero was sent off. The Italian is under intense pressure amid calls for him to lose his job and has now hit out at Tottenham supporters who he feels aren't giving him the patience he needs to grow the team.

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WHAT THEY SAID: "Here, the patience has finished for the fans," Conte said. "The fans want to win [a] trophy. Stop. And then you have to find the right solution to make the fans happy and to win [a] trophy. Because the patience of the fans has finished. And we feel this. I feel this. The players feel this. For sure this [does] not help the situation. There are many players, also young players, that need to go step by step to grow. We are trying to build something important but if you don’t have patience, it is un-useful [unworkable]."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: It all looks rather bleak for Conte at Spurs. Hired in November 2021 to replace Nuno Espirito Santo, optimism was initially high and the feeling was that the former Inter boss, who won Serie A in 2020-21, would turn the club's fortunes around. It's all turned rather sour now, though, with the club looking vulnerable in their quest to finish in the top four in the Premier League, while the manner of their Champions League last-16 exit has not gone down well with the fanbase. Anything but all three points against Nottingham Forest on Saturday and it could be the end for Conte.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Conte is expected to leave Spurs upon the expiry of his contract at the end of this season, despite the club having the option to extend it by 12 months. After going out of the FA Cup and the Champions League, within the space of a week, Conte is on the brink and may well lose his job before the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign.