Rewind to February, a dramatic day at Wembley Stadium and a win for Tottenham Hotspur over Chelsea in the Carling Cup final. It was the dawning of a new era for the success-starved North London club, the fans believed, and Juande Ramos, the head coach, was their latest Messiah.

Fast-forward seven months - 20 matches later – and Tottenham left the pitch at White Hart Lane yesterday to resounding jeers, at half-time and full time. They have won only five times since upsetting Chelsea and this season have yet to register a victory in the Premier League in five attempts. They lie in twentieth and last place.

The natives are growing restless and disillusioned. Tottenham should have kicked on after that Wembley success, but the loss of Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov in swift succession has left them bereft of power up front. Also, some of Ramos’s lineups seem to have been chosen by drawing lots. Who knows who is going to play where next?

“The pressure for the team at this moment is very high,” Ramos said. “We need to get a victory quickly, we want to take three points. I cannot tell the players not to look at the table because they know the situation. But we are all working together.”

Ramos conducted his first press conference in English last week, but some of his team selections still take some comprehending. Didier Zokora, a midfield player, started at right back against Wigan Athletic yesterday and Vedran Corluka, a right back, started in central defence. It would have been little surprise had Heurelho Gomes, the goalkeeper, been thrust into the attack.

Mind you, Gomes might have proved more effective leading the line than Darren Bent or Roman Pavlyuchenko. That the pair were dominated by Titus Bramble, the error-prone Wigan defender, said more about their lack of understanding than Bramble’s authority.

Pavlyuchenko, the £14 million summer signing from Spartak Moscow, did not look remotely like the heir to throne of Berbatov. He failed to appear after half-time and was replaced by Fraizer Campbell, the on-loan Manchester United striker and makeweight in the deal that took Berbatov to Old Trafford.

Steve Bruce, the Wigan manager, perhaps pinpointed part of the problem. “We saw Pavlyuchenko in our hotel last night and he was reading an English phrasebook,” Bruce said. “So he’s obviously trying to learn it. It’s hard, but at least he’s trying.”

Ramos agreed. “We need time for adaptation,” he said. “Some players arrived close to the transfer window and they need time to adapt, even the big players.” The Spaniard also confirmed that Pavlyuchenko was replaced for tactical reasons. “I changed him because I was looking for other things,” he said.

David Bentley, another costly close-season signing, fared little better and was replaced by Aaron Lennon, whose first involvement was to tumble in the area under the challenge of Maynor Figueroa. Steve Tanner, the referee, ruled no penalty and Gustavo Poyet, the Tottenham assistant coach, worked himself into a frenzy on the touchline, especially after he had received a text from a friend on his mobile phone saying that Figueroa had made contact. “I saw it after the game, too,” Ramos said. “It was a clear penalty.”

All of which overshadowed a tenacious display from Wigan, whose players closed down space, tackled opponents with gusto and broke forward when allowed. Their luminous lime-green shirts were not that fetching, but their collective work ethic was sound and duly rewarded. Only a fine save by Gomes from Olivier Kapo near the end denied them a win. “Tottenham were there for the taking,” Bruce said. “But they will get better, it’s only a matter of time.”

Ramos must hope so and can take heart from the next match, when his team begin their defence of the Carling Cup at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening. At the moment, only Newcastle United seem to be in a more confused state than Tottenham.

Tottenham (4-4-2): H Gomes 6 - D Zokora 5 V Corluka 5 J Woodgate 5 B Assou-Ekotto 5 - D Bentley 4 J Jenas 5 J O’Hara 6 G Bale 4 - D Bent 3 R Pavlyuchenko 3. Substitutes: A Lennon 6 (for Bentley, 64min), T Huddlestone (for Bale, 80), F Campbell 5 (for Pavlyuchenko, 46). Not used: C Sanchez, Gilberto, C Gunter, Giovani.

Wigan Athletic (4-4-2): C Kirkland 5 - M Melchiot 5 E Boyce 5 T Bramble 5 M Figueroa 6 - A Valencia 6 J Koumas 5 P Scharner 6 W Palacios 6 - A Zaki 5 E Heskey 5. Substitutes: O Kapo (for Koumas, 72min), H Camara (for Zaki, 82). Not used: M Pollitt, R Taylor, K Kilbane, D de Ridder, R Kingson.