Jamie O’Hara: I would accept Tottenham relegation but only on one condition

Tottenham are in big trouble and relegation is in the minds of fans.

Terrible performances with barely a shot on target have left them 14th in the Premier League table, just eight points ahead of the bottom three.

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Spurs supporters are protesting the ownership, demanding change as the domestic struggles from last season continue.

A dire transfer window has seen them add only Conor Gallagher and Brazilian left-back Souza to their ranks, despite losing a host of players to injury.

Nine players could potentially miss their upcoming clash with Man City as they litter the treatment room.

The whole scenario has got a former Tottenham midfielder concerned about what the future might hold for his beloved club, especially with rivals Arsenal top of the Premier League table.

“It is a massive weekend,” O’Hara told The Sports Bar. “We’re in trouble. Spurs need to get a result.

“I was obviously doing the Sports Bar throughout the week and Spurs fans are saying, ‘Oh, we’ll lose this one, we’ll keep letting Arsenal slip up and we’ll hand Man City [three points]’.

“No. We ain’t, we don’t, we cannot hand Man City anything. We need three points. We’ve got tough fixtures coming up.

“I’m not looking over me shoulder just yet, but I’m on the swivel. Do you know what I mean? I’m on the half-turn. Scanning. I’m like Xavi in there right now. I can sense it. There’s someone there. I’m not quite sure who it is yet, but I’m on the half-turn.

“But if we don’t get results over the next four games. I’m fully doing the backward step and looking at West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds. So, listen, we need results.”

Asked why Spurs might possibly be tempted to throw away three vital points just to get one over on the Gunners, he said: “I just think that’s the situation where we find ourselves.

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“We’re a massive rival, aren’t we, with Arsenal. They’ve gone to new heights, you know, and you’ve got to credit them where credit’s due. They’ve done really well.

“They’re top of the league. But Spurs fans just hate to see Arsenal do anything better than them. And last season, look, we won the Europa League so we could shove it down their throats a little bit. We won a trophy, even though Arsenal had a decent season.

“But this season, it’s looking like, obviously, Arsenal could potentially win the league and Spurs fans can’t get their head around it. But we can’t be that club anymore.

“We can’t be that club. We have to worry about ourselves. Spurs need to worry about their own fixtures, their own performances, their own points. We can’t be the club that says, we don’t want Arsenal to win a thing, so let’s all cheer on Man City.

“No, that can’t be the case.”

Luckily for the club’s exhausted supporters, Tottenham just love European football.

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Somehow, despite turning in torrid Premier League performances over the last two campaign, they can’t help but get great results against rivals on the continent.

They have only lost three of their last 23 European fixtures, allowing them to triumph in the Europa League last season.

They beat Manchester United in the final in Bilbao, catapulting them into the Champions League.

Spurs have now progressed straight into the last-16 of the competition having finished fourth in the league phase.

And asked what would constitute a successful season for Tottenham, O’Hara smiled: “Winning the Champions League.”

Pressed further if league position would matter, he added: “Not if we win the Champions League. It don’t matter where we finish.”

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Queried if he would accept it even if they got relegated, he said: “Why have you thrown that question at me?

“So we win the Champions League but we get relegated. So we could potentially be playing Real Madrid next season, then at Preston.

“You know what? That’s right. The more I think about it, and I genuinely… I think we have got a chance of winning the Champions League.

“It’s a slim chance, but we have, because we’re good in the Champions League. I’ll take that. I’ll take it.

“If we win the Champions League, that’s etched in your history forever.

“No one remembers Aston Villa in the Championship. No one remembers Newcastle in the Championship. No one remembers West Ham in the Championship.

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“They’ve been there. If we have to go and do a season there, it’s another trophy. Three seasons, three trophies.

“Europa League, Champions League, and then the Championship. And then we come back up and, bosh, we’re flying. Give me Champions League and relegation.”