Despite winning the UEFA Europa League last year under Ange Postecoglou, it is safe to say that all is still not well at Tottenham Hotspur.

Once widely admired, the North London club have increasingly become a source of ridicule in English football, with much of the criticism directed toward a board that appears to lack a clear long-term direction.

Postecoglou the latest to criticise Tottenham

Former chairman Daniel Levy was often the focal point of supporters’ frustration, but even with changes behind the scenes, little appears to have improved.

Postecoglou recently joined the long list of former Tottenham figures to publicly question the club’s direction. Speaking on a podcast, he suggested that despite the official messaging, Spurs are unlikely to attract the very biggest names in football because the club is unwilling to spend at the same level as rivals such as Arsenal.

Current manager Igor Tudor has also hinted at deeper problems, questioning the mentality of his players shortly after arriving at the club — a sentiment reminiscent of the explosive rant delivered by Antonio Conte during his own time in charge.

And therein lies many of Tottenham’s ongoing issues.

Thomas Frank – an experiment doomed to fail?

Tottenham may possess one of the finest stadiums in England and boast a loyal fan base, but the quality of recruitment has repeatedly failed to match the ambitions supporters expect.

When Conte and Postecoglou criticised the club’s structure, the response from the board was familiar: both managers were dismissed.

The appointment of Thomas Frank was, to some observers, understandable but ultimately risky. The Dane had performed impressively at Brentford, guiding them to Premier League stability, but managing a club with Tottenham’s expectations is a very different challenge.

A difficult start for Igor Tudor

When Frank’s tenure ended, the board had an opportunity to appoint a high-profile figure capable of resetting the club’s direction.

Instead, Tottenham turned to Tudor — a manager who had already experienced 11 different managerial spells in 12 years, several ending prematurely. For many critics, the move felt like another example of questionable decision-making from a board increasingly seen as disconnected from the club’s reality.

After three matches under Tudor, all ending in defeat, the pressure is already mounting. Spurs were recently booed off following a damaging 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, a match in which they were comprehensively outplayed and lost defender Micky van de Ven to a red card.

Rumours suggest that if results do not improve in upcoming Premier League matches against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, Tudor could be dismissed before the season ends.

Spurs could turn to Ryan Mason yet again

In that scenario, Tottenham are reportedly considering turning to former midfielder Ryan Mason — for the third time — as an interim solution.

Yet Mason’s previous spell in charge hardly provides overwhelming encouragement. Across 13 games as caretaker, he recorded a win rate of just 46.1 percent — lower than figures achieved by managers such as Nuno Espírito Santo, José Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettino and Conte.

Tottenham scored 26 goals during Mason’s interim period — exactly two per match — but conceded 21 in the same stretch, producing a mixed record of six wins, six defeats and one draw.

His only permanent managerial role, at West Bromwich Albion, ended poorly. Mason was dismissed after the team suffered a tenth consecutive away defeat.

Across seven months in charge, he won just nine of 27 matches, with 30 goals scored and 36 conceded — a win rate of 33.3 percent.

A worrying lack of lessons learned

At the time of his dismissal, West Brom sat 18th in the EFL Championship and have since slipped further down the table.

Despite that record, Tottenham’s leadership appear willing to turn back to Mason simply because he understands the club and is readily available.

However, just as Tudor and Frank before him may not have been the ideal appointments, bringing Mason back for yet another interim spell would feel like another step backward.

It is especially puzzling given that Mason was recently moved on from the coaching staff during the club’s latest restructuring.

For many observers, the pattern suggests Tottenham’s senior figures have learned little from the mistakes of recent years. And unless the club’s direction changes soon, there is a growing fear that the continued instability could push Spurs closer to a crisis they once seemed far too big to face — relegation from the Premier League for the first time in nearly half a century.