Finger of blame pointing firmly at Spurs board

So many things are going wrong at White Hart Lane at the moment that it is difficult to know where to begin when assessing the latest fiasco.

On the pitch, the players are struggling for confidence and when they do show some fight - as witnessed yesterday when they went one goal behind at Stoke - even Lady Luck deserted them.

Two red cards, one player taken to hospital and 11 minutes of injury time all conspired against Spurs as they lost again to extend further their wait for a victory in the league this season.

In the dugout, Juande Ramos also failed to pass the test.

One of the qualities of the best managers is their ability to choose the words at half time that will inspire their team when they return to battle.

Despite being down to 10 men following the sending-off of Gareth Bale, Tottenham went into the break well on top after drawing level at 1-1.

But instead of capitalising on their superiority, it was Ramos's opposite number Tony Pulis who breathed new life into his players.

Stoke regained the lead within eight minutes of the re-start, and outplayed their visitors for the rest of the match, condemning Tottenham to their worst start to a League season in their 126-year history.

Ramos' team did not simply tire in the closing stages. They lost their confidence and their nerve after the break, and they had lost their discipline by the end of it as substitute Michael Dawson was sent off for a studs-up lunge at Mamady Sidibe. For such a lack of mental strength, Ramos must take much of the blame.

The Spaniard's inability to gee up his players leaves Spurs bottom of the table with two points from eight matches. Only one team - Southampton - with that tally at this stage have avoided relegation from the Premier League.

These are stark facts for both the manager and the players but it is in the boardroom where the Tottenham faithful clearly feel the majority of the blame now lies.

Such is their feeling of discontent with chairman Daniel Levy that a mass protest has been planned for Saturday's home match with Bolton.

They want to know how a team that finished fifth for two seasons in a row under Martin Jol is now seriously flirting with relegation.

How nearly £70million could have been spent on players and yet no replacements signed for strikers Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov?

And how, given that this summer's transfer activity has backfired so spectacularly, sporting director Damien Comolli has managed to retain his job?

Ramos looked like a lost boy as he applauded the travelling fans at the end of the match. When asked about his future after the game the Spaniard accepted that it is totally out of his control. "This question is for the chairman. I don't know," was his response.

"I am working hard every day to end this situation. This is the responsibility of everyone at the club, starting with me and ending with the last person." That last person is Levy. Whether fan power will be enough to force him to sell up in the same way it did with Mike Ashley at Newcastle is open to question.

What is in no doubt is that something has to change at the Lane before Christmas, whether that be in the boardroom, the management or on the pitch.

Jonathan Woodgate insisted, though, that the squad remain behind Ramos.

The defender said: "We are hurting inside, but we have to stand up and get ourselves out of the mess that we've got ourselves into.

"We have played well at times this season, but we haven't cut it. The buck stops with the players. Juande Ramos is still the manager. We will stick by him no matter what.

"We have only two points, but we should still stay up, and I think we will. It just depends how far up the table we can get."

Spurs' plans were in tatters after only 17 minutes, however. Gareth Bale was sent off for bringing down Tom Soares in the area and Danny Higginbotham scored from the spot.

Yet ten-man Spurs drew strength from their early predicament and Darren Bent stepped up to equalise in the 25th minute, guiding Alan Hutton's deflected cross beyond Thomas Sorensen from close range.

The visitors should have made their superiority before half-time count but they capitulated after the break, when Sidibe's perfect cross was turned in at the far post by Rory Delap to give Stoke the lead once more.

Worse was to follow as Vedran Corluka was knocked unconscious by his own goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes' knee catching the defender in the face as he tried to deal with a free-kick from the left.

Play was halted for seven minutes as Corluka was lifted on to a stretcher, before being was carried to an ambulance. X-rays later to his head and neck showed no serious injury but he is unlikely to play against Udinese on Thursday.

The delay, as well as a blow to the head for Stoke keeper Sorensen, meant there were 11 minutes of added time at the end of the game. They didn't help and for Ramos, his team and Levy, the clock is still ticking.