Desperate Spurs feel pressure

It is 21 years since David Pleat pranced across the Maine Road pitch after Raddy Antic's late goal saved Luton from relegation.

Now the prospect of Pleat teaming up with Antic - or any one of the top European coaches who Tottenham claim are queueing up to work with their director of football - could hinge on keeping Spurs up.

While it remains an unlikely scenario, Tottenham's record of one point from 18 and the abject surrender at the Reebok Stadium suggests they would be well advised to keep looking over their shoulders.

A wretched campaign is in danger of hitting a new low next Sunday when defeat at home to Arsenal could result in their arch-rivals parading the Premiership trophy at White Hart Lane. Spurs captain Jamie Redknapp said: 'It's a big game for us. The fans will be right up for it and we don't want Arsenal to win the League at our ground. We've got to get the results and the sooner the better.'

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce, no stranger to survival battles, warned that Tottenham may not be equipped to deal with the threat of going down if their predicament escalates into a full-blown crisis.

Allardyce said: 'It's a very nervous time for Tottenham. There comes a time when as a player and a manager you get used to the pressure that the bottom of the table brings, and you learn to cope with it because that's the reality of trying to compete in this division for a club like ours. But when Tottenham slip in there it's strange and the players can feel the pressure even more.'

Bolton's convincing victory on Saturday means, for once, they will be exempt from the end-of-season scramble to stay in the Premiership.