Tottenham manager Juande Ramos was clinging to his job on Sunday after his nine-man team lost 1-2 at Stoke to prolong the club's dire start to the English Premier League season.
 |
|
Tottenham Hotspur's Didier Zokora (right) looks on as Heurelho Gomes (left) checks on teammate Vedran Corluka during the English Premier League match against Stoke City on Sunday. Corluka was rushed to hospital after twice taking a hit in less then a minute. |
The situation was compounded when defender Vedran Corluka was hospitalized after a goal-mouth collision. He later regained consciousness.
Ramos was recruited 12 months ago to steer Spurs into the Champions League, but playing in the second-tier League Championship is now the likelier prospect with his winless team last in the standings.
Never in Tottenham's 100 years of league football have just two points been collected from the first eight games. The defeat at Stoke followed a home loss to Hull, another newly promoted side.
"I am working very hard each day to finish this situation," Ramos said.
"The responsibility is (with) all the people working in the club, starting with me and finishing with the last person. We all have responsibility, when we win and when we lose.
"It's difficult to explain the game because we had two penalties against us, two players (Gareth Bale and Michael Dawson) sent off, some players injured."
Tottenham won the League Cup in February, but fans now fear the club will drop out of the top flight for the first time since 1977.
Ramos' task to lift Spurs up the standings won't be helped by a difficult upcoming fixture list. After playing Bolton next Sunday, Tottenham has tougher matches against Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Stoke fans taunted the Spaniard with chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning" at Britannia Stadium, but Ramos is unsure when he will next meet Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
"He's a very busy person and I don't know when it will be possible to speak," Ramos said after another loss.
The ordeal started after 17 minutes when Bale was sent off for tripping Tom Soares in the penalty area.
The wind played havoc with the ball for almost two minutes before Danny Higginbotham calmly sent the spot kick past goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
Spurs' only moment of good fortune came five minutes later when lone striker Darren Bent equalized from an offside position.
Tony Pulis' side looked more impressive after the break and was back in front when Mamady Sidibe picked out an unmarked Rory Delap at the far post.
Spurs had more serious problems when Corluka clashed with his own goalkeeper twice within a minute. The Croatia defender's ribs took the first impact in the 67th, and he returned after treatment to be caught on his chin as Gomes jumped to clear a freekick.
After about eight minutes of medical attention, Corluka left the field on a stretcher wearing an oxygen mask and wrapped in blankets.
He was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
Hull City gatecrashed the Premier League's top four again on Sunday with a 1-0 home defeat of West Ham United - its fifth win in eight league games in its debut season in the top flight.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily October 21, 2008)