King: improve or we’ll face drop

TOTTENHAM captain Ledley King has warned their under-achieving squad must improve — or “we will go down”.

Harry Redknapp blasted some of the players for what he feels is a lack of the stomach necessary in a relegation dogfight after watching them slump to a stoppage-time 1-0 defeat at Wigan — a fifth Barclays Premier League match without a victory.

Spurs had started brightly, but faded badly during the second half and failed to provide new £15 million striker Jermain Defoe the service to deliver a goal on his return from Portsmouth.

The north London club — who have one foot in the Carling Cup final following their win over Burnley — have slipped back into the bottom three, with the positive influence Redknapp had when he took charge in October clearly fading.

King — who played his first full 90 minutes since St Stephen’s Day — is in no doubt of the challenge facing his team.

“We have to improve, otherwise we will go down. It is simple,” declared the centre-half.

“We need people to stand up and fight for each other, and be counted as men and as players. That has not been happening enough, which is why we find ourselves in this position.”

King told London’s Evening Standard: “We are not playing well away from home, but when that happens, you have to work hard and maintain your focus. We are conceding late goals because of a lack of concentration. We are switching off, and that sums us up at the moment.”

Redknapp — who left £15m man David Bentley on the bench yesterday — feels the squad inherited from Juande Ramos lacks strength in depth.

While he has more money to spend in the transfer window, the former Portsmouth manager is not certain wheeling and dealing is the answer.

“The club have paid a lot of money for these players because they are supposed to be quality but they need to show that on the pitch,” he said. “We have players who need to do a lot better than they are at the moment.”