Rewind back three years from today and Tottenham Hotspur were sitting fourth in the Barclays Premier League, two points ahead of fifth placed Manchester City and just four behind their North London rivals. That season saw Spurs qualify for the greatest European club competition in sport, the Uefa Champions League. So where has it all gone wrong for Tottenham since? The 2010/11 season was tremendous experience for all Spurs fans. They enjoyed an epic journey in the Champions League, beating Europe's elite in Werder Bremen, FC Twente and both Milan clubs, including a memorable event when Peter Crouch scored in the dying minutes at the San Siro, which no doubt put chills down the spines of most neutral football fans. That result put them through to a tough quarter final draw against Real Madrid which proved to be an end to their dreams and sent them crashing back down to reality. The journey ended for Spurs there but left behind were great memories and a hunger to once again achieve something great. For the older fan it temporarily brought back the glory days and for the younger, a sense of something special beginning, something to shout about, something to smile about and something to feel proud of. Tottenham's squad was as good as any in the league, along with a growing talent in Gareth Bale and a head coach in Harry Redknapp, the world was Tottenham's oyster, or at least, it should have been. The events in 2011/12 were to decide Tottenham's future. Harry Redknapp couldn't resist the opportunity to flirt with the possibility of becoming England manager, and few could blame him. It's every English manager's dream but some argue that he should have kept his mouth shut and pounced when the job was offered, not in the manner he did. Few could blame Daniel Levy for his reaction which inevitably saw the departure of Harry and all his coaching staff, the foundations once again diminished. The club, its owners, the players and above all the fans were disrespected by Redknapp and this proved too much for Levy to sweep under the carpet. What was supposed to be another great season for Spurs, turned into a bitter fourth place finish, left managerless, qualified for the Europa League and bid farewell to their little magician Luka Modric. This was to be a huge turning point for the future of Spurs. Tottenham began the season of 2012/13 with a 2-1 defeat away to Newcastle but went on to enjoy a run of six unbeaten games, most notably a 2-3 win at Old Trafford, their first in the Theatre of Dreams for 23 years! Hopes were high for high-flying Spurs, however, back to back losses away at Liverpool and home to Fulham in March seemed to destroy any remaining hopes for another Champions League spot and yet again finished behind Arsenal by a single point. Bragging rights were missed out on despite achieving their record points tally in a single season, much to the thanks of by then, one of the world's greatest footballers in the shape of Madrid bound Gareth Bale. AVB continued his tenure as Spurs manager without Gareth Bale but with a host of new players from around the world and many experts tipped this to be the season of joy for Tottenham. Some believed the league was there to be won where others predicted a top 2 or 3 finish following a summer spreading spree of £105 million. During August 2013, Spurs lost their heart, not only because of the departure of Bale but also players such as Clint Dempsey, Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker, players who are not necessarily the most gifted in every area but who brought heart and fight to the team. This was a major summer for the whole club in which Daniel Levy and the board backed Villas Boas to the hills and sanctioned every (inflated) purchase for the greater good. Their time had come to push on and establish themselves as a top four team and possibly even more despite losing arguably the best ever player to pull on that Tottenham jersey. The first six games of the new season saw five wins for Spurs, but it was evident that the performances we're not as strong as their lofty league position of second. Highest possession, most shots and least goals conceded were the statistics boasted by AVB, the only trouble, goals weren't flowing as they should of been. Some may argue that the team needed time to work as a unit and to an extent this is true, however, there seemed to be a distinct lack of passion on the field, that bite to win balls in midfield and questions started to be raised amongst the fans post a 0-3 loss at home to West Ham. Spurs have enjoyed free flowing attacking football over recent years and the switch to slower build up play and a higher defensive line under Villas Boas seemed to disgruntle the home support. White Lane Lane used to be known for its rocking atmosphere and was once considered as one of the loudest stadiums in the Premier League. This seemed to have deteriorated under AVB, with many possible reasons why. Predictable tactics echoed from AVB's time at Chelsea, the loss of Gareth Bale, the lack of goals (8 in 18 home games) are all valid reasons, but why does it seem as if the Spurs faithful have lost hope and are now divided against each other? Some call for the board to leave, others for Sherwood to be sacked already and even voices backing a January clearout can be heard. So back to the drawing board Spurs go with the inexperienced Tim Sherwood as Head Coach, tactics more attacking and looking more like Harry Redknapp's team of old albeit with a way to go in achieving Champions League football again. There is much to worry about for Tottenham but there is also reason for optimism. Whatever happens to Spurs in 2014 one thing is certain, Spurs fans need to get behind their manager, team and board for every minute of every game and regain that voice that has spurred them on through so many games and re-establish White Hart Lane as the fortress it once was in the past.
