Back in March 2009, Newcastle United, a team once deemed too talented to face relegation, found themselves slipping into the Premier League’s danger zone. Despite fleeting moments of hope, they ultimately could not dodge the drop.

By that point, Newcastle had shuffled through three managers, with the chaos prompting them to bring in a fourth. In a bid to salvage the future, owner Mike Ashley looked to the past and appointed club icon Alan Shearer on a short-term, eight-game contract. However, after securing just one victory and enduring three red cards, Shearer’s tenure ended with Newcastle’s relegation. The reality was that they weren’t immune to relegation; they simply failed to recognize the threat until it was too late.

The team’s downfall was more a consequence of the owners’ mismanagement than the efforts of managers like Kevin Keegan, Chris Hughton, Joe Kinnear, and Shearer. The players, too, were culpable; many were blinded by personal interests, their focus blurred.

By the time Shearer took charge, the club was already spiraling downward. The season concluded with internal conflicts, Ashley and his family facing fan hostility, and looming prospects of a mass departure of players. The relationship between Shearer and Michael Owen, once close, fractured and has never recovered.

Fast forward to 2026, and one might draw parallels between the struggles of Newcastle in 2009 and those facing Tottenham Hotspur. Reflect on these insights.

Nearly 15 years ago, top-flight stalwart Newcastle suffered the indignity of relegation

Mismanagement from the ownership meant the efforts of the merry-go-round of managers, with Alan Shearer the last, were not enough

“The club is facing significant issues, as is evident to everyone. Relegation isn’t just about today; it reflects the problems of this season, the last one, and the one before it. It’s the result of ongoing issues. Ultimately, the league’s three weakest teams are relegated, and regrettably, we are among them.”

That was Shearer on the final day at Aston Villa on May 24, 2009. Yet, it could well be Igor Tudor – or whoever is in charge of Tottenham – come the final reckoning of May 24 of this year.

When Newcastle entered the bottom three on March 21, it was on the back of one win since Christmas. Tottenham have won once in the league since Christmas. When they likely lose at Liverpool on March 15, they could crash into the drop zone with eight games to play. The parallels are striking, and the lightning that once scorched Tyneside now flickers ominously above north London.

The red cards are a red flag, too. Only Chelsea have received more than Tottenham’s four this season. When Joey Barton was sent off during a 3-0 defeat at Liverpool for a calculated lunge on Xabi Alonso in Shearer’s fifth game, it felt like the writing on the wall was suddenly carved in stone. Shearer and Barton clashed in the dressing-room.

Reckless challenges and self-sabotage via red cards are another hallmark of a club in crisis, as Joey Barton showed with his risky challenge on Xabi Alonso

Tottenham are just one point above the relegation zone after a seemingly fatal loss to Palace

A return to familiar club figures in the dugout, such as former manager Glenn Hoddle (right) could make a difference 

‘He got sent off for no reason and then Alan had a go at him,’ recalled Viduka, who stepped between the pair. ‘I said to him, “Joey, just shut the f*** up and sit down, take it”.’

But anarchy had set in and two more dismissals followed in the remaining three games. Tottenham have suffered two in their latest run of five straight defeats. For a team beset by injury, suspension is an insult they could do without.

Like Newcastle, there is also that dangerous and unnerving presence of good players who know they are too good for the Championship. Relegation for the club does not necessarily mean relegation for them. Fear is a great force in a dogfight.

And while you could feel that in the stands of St James’ Park and now inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, on the pitch the alarm bells are yet to be heard. To misappropriate Take That’s lyrics, ‘Someday this will all be someone else’s problem’.

So, should Tottenham appoint a third manager of the season? Should they, like Newcastle, look to the past? Tudor is the wild card who has turned up without a hand to play. At least Shearer united fans and guaranteed support for those wearing the shirt, even if inspiration was harder to summon.

Tottenham, you suspect, need a jolt before the bolt from above finally strikes. Glenn Hoddle? Jurgen Klinsmann? Ryan Mason? It is not a sure fix, as Newcastle found, but maybe the shock of another change would serve as realisation – Tottenham are not too good to go down.