Tottenham Hotspur turn to former Leeds United, Watford and Portsmouth man to save season

Now Spurs have turned to a figure with a fairly recent Pompey past, in an effort to stop the rot which has set into their campaign.

The London big guns have seen their hopes of a top-four finish become increasingly unlikely off the back of one Premier League in five.

That has arrived off the back of a Champions League exit against AC Milan and FA Cup upset reverse at the hands of Sheffield United.

On top of that, managing director of football, Fabio Paratici resigned last week after an appeal over a worldwide ban proved unsuccessful.

The final indignation for Spurs fans was the weekend annihilation at Newcastle, with a gob-smacking five goals shipped in 21 minutes in the 6-1 thrashing.

It meant an exit for Cristian Stellini, who had been at the helm since taking over from Antonio Conte after officially being named interim manager last month.

Now former midfielder Ryan Mason has been confirmed in that role for the final six games, with Spurs facing the prospect of not having any kind of European football to look forward to next term.

And, along with Mason, a man who operated at Fratton Park a couple of years ago will be tasked with improving the side’s fortunes.

Current academy coach, Nigel Gibbs, will step up to first-team duties after being named as acting first-team coach.

Gibbs arrived at Pompey in February 2021, after Kenny Jackett required some time away from first-team affairs to deal with a medical issue.

The pair were acquainted from their time together at Watford, with Gibbs going on to have assistant managerial roles at the likes of Reading, Leeds, Millwall, Swansea and Reading.

It proved a short stint for the 57-year-old, with Jackett sacked the following month after the EFL Trophy defeat to Salford.

Gibbs also stepped up to support Mason, when he was previously named interim coach after Jose Mourinho’s departure in 2021.