'Thursday nights, Channel Five' taunted the away fans during Tottenham's most recent home defeat, clearly unimpressed by their ambitions to play in next season's Champions League.
Channel Five in the UK covers the Europa League, the secondary competition for which manager Harry Redknapp (pictured) makes no attempt to hide his distaste. This season Spurs bowed out in the group stages after lame defeats to continental also-rans Rubin Kazan and PAOK Salonika.
As Tottenham and Chelsea face off in tomorrow's FA Cup semi-final, fans of the north London club will be more concerned about their appalling form in the Premier League, where they chase a top four finish. Four defeats, three draws and a single victory in their last eight matches sees the Lilywhites precariously placed in fourth position, only ahead of in-form Newcastle on goal-difference. The revitalised Chelsea are only two points behind in sixth.
Redknapp must take the brunt of the blame for his team's decline. In addition to the distraction of him being linked to the England job, the former West Ham and Portsmouth boss has made some puzzling tactical decisions that have affected the club's momentum.
It is easy to forget that just three months ago Spurs were being talked about as genuine title contenders. On January 14, they had a chance to go equal top of the table as they hosted struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers before being held to a disappointing draw.
There are many key dates in 2012 that can be traced to Spurs' decline, but none more poignant than February 19 when they travelled to third-tier side Stevenage for an FA Cup fifth round tie.
