Graphic: one more defeat and Ramos is bottom of the pile

Juande Ramos’s days at Tottenham Hotspur appear to be numbered after the under-pressure head coach admitted for the first time last night that he does not know how long he will remain in charge at the club.

The Spaniard’s granite mask has shielded him from some opinions, but there may be no defence for him if Tottenham fail to turn around their season in the next seven days, during which time they play Bolton Wanderers at home today, Arsenal away on Wednesday and Liverpool at White Hart Lane next Saturday.

A week ago, he confessed to being in a relegation battle — his team are five points adrift at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League — but he envisaged that he would complete his contract, which has three years left to run. Yesterday, he was less confident. “I don’t know because I don’t control that,” Ramos said. “Bolton is very important because we need to reduce the distance to them. It’s very important because it’s a game with big tension on the pitch.”

Statistics will point to no league wins, three consecutive defeats and a deluge of goals conceded, but the manner of the defeats is probably more significant. They showed signs of improvement in the first halves against Stoke City and Udinese, but crumpled badly. Jonathan Woodgate needed no invitation to make public some home truths about his team-mates after their 2-0 defeat in Udine in the Uefa Cup group D match on Thursday, on the back of David Bentley’s scathing assessment, which was probably aimed more at Ramos.

The Spaniard has been at a loss to explain why talented players on paper have not united into an effective force on the pitch. Some would say that there is no leader, balance, link man, settled formation or side and that there have been strange selections and tactics. Luka Modric offered further evidence of the players’ bewilderment after he started on the bench against Udinese. “It was the coach’s decision and I respect that,” Modric said. “I did my best, but I was all alone in the middle. I couldn’t do any more. This is not the situation I expected, but I can’t do anything. I am just waiting for my chance.” Ramos has turned for support to the fans, who are expected to get their wish with the dismissal of Damien Comolli, the sporting director, for making a botch of the transfer window.

“I hope the fans support the players because we need big support,” Ramos said. “The fans understand perfectly what is going on.” If there is to be a managerial change, Gus Poyet, his assistant, will feel that he has a good chance of filling the vacancy, if he can escape being tainted by association. It has been noticeable that recently he has kept a lower public profile than when he rejoined the club as coach.

Some inside the club have questioned why Ledley King was played in the 2-0 defeat by Udinese, when it risked inflaming his knee injury and endangering his participation in the next three matches. Michael Dawson, meanwhile, starts a three-match suspension tomorrow, while Woodgate’s groin injury will be patched up to enable him to play.

Ramos’s relationship with Daniel Levy has not plummeted to the level that the head coach had at Espanyol, where he was dismissed after five matches in charge, but the Tottenham chairman must be scratching his head at the reversal in fortunes since they lifted the Carling Cup in February, beating Arsenal and Chelsea en route, four months after the Spaniard took charge. Levy has been known for giving his staff time to turn things around, but equally he has not been afraid to make a managerial change. Ramos was his fourth permanent appointment since he took over in 2001 and promptly dismissed George Graham, bringing in Glenn Hoddle in the lead-up to the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal.

Losing their Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur are the worst team in the Premier League, but are they the worst Spurs in the world? According to our research, they probably are.

The San Antonio Spurs basketball team made it to the NBA Western Conference finals in May before losing to the LA Lakers. Since 1977, they have won 15 divisional titles

Witbank Spurs, a South African football team, are struggling at the wrong end of their country’s first division, but they have three points from four matches, so statistically they are doing better than Juande Ramos’s team.

Banbury Spurs are top of the Banbury and District Sunday Morning Football League after an impressive 8-3 victory over Aynho Athletic last weekend. They scored three more goals in 90 minutes than Luka Modric and Co have managed in eight league matches this season.