Debate: should Tottenham sack Ramos?

Juande Ramos will mark his first anniversary in charge of Tottenham Hotspur next week facing mounting pressure, with his team marooned at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League. Tottenham are five points adrift of safety after an extraordinary 2-1 defeat away to Stoke City yesterday in which they had Gareth Bale and Michael Dawson sent off, conceded two penalties and had Vedran Corluka taken to hospital.

The embattled head coach, who replaced Martin Jol — the Dutchman whose Hamburg team lead the Bundesliga in Germany — repeated his concerns about Spurs’ plight, with just two points and no league wins in eight matches amounting to the worst start to a season in the club’s history. Joyous memories of the Carling Cup triumph in February are being replaced by the nightmarish spectre of a relegation battle. There may also be a Football Association investigation into the match at the Britannia Stadium, with Lee Mason, the referee, to include in his report that a coin was thrown at one of his assistants.

Ramos brushed off questions about his future, saying that they should be directed at Daniel Levy, the chairman. The Spaniard said that he had no plans to meet Levy, who was at the match yesterday. “He is a busy man,” Ramos said. “I don’t know whether I’ll speak to him. When I do, it is when he permits it. I am worried. Everyone was happy when we won the cup. This season people are very unhappy and it is a situation that I don’t like.”

There is no respite for Tottenham with a Uefa Cup tie against Udinese, who are second in Serie A, on Thursday and league matches against Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal and Liverpool to follow. “Only working very hard can change the situation,” Ramos said. “This is my job. It is everyone’s responsibility inside the club, whether we win or lose.”

Ramos was unhappy with Bale’s dismissal for clipping the heels of Tom Soares early in the match. Danny Higginbotham converted the resulting penalty after replacing the ball on the spot four times because of the wind. Darren Bent equalised soon after, but Rory Delap restored Stoke’s lead early in the second half. Dawson was dismissed for a challenge on Mamady Sidibe during the 11 minutes of stoppage time that arose mainly from Corluka sustaining a head injury. The Croatia defender had a scan on his neck and head, but sustained no damage. Stoke missed a penalty late on.

“We are OK playing against the bigger teams because we concentrate,” Ramos said. “Today was the opposite and it was difficult.” Ramos found an ally in Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager. “They should stick with their manager,” Pulis said. “There is no hiding the fact they are in trouble. He needs luck and fortune to turn it.

“The chairman got rid of a very popular manager before, from what I gather, and I hope he backs him [Ramos] and gives him time. They have the players and depth of squad to get out of problems. Now the board need to show some character and back him.”