Terrace Talk: Downward spiral could leave us out in the cold

It was probably not the best idea to put a keyboard in front of me at this precise moment in time as we have just given up one of the proudest records in top-flight football.

I’m not sure what makes me more angry, the fact we gave it up without a whimper or that Conte did nothing to remedy the situation as Tottenham gained the upper hand.

What makes it worse was until the equaliser, we seemed to be neutralising them — without their talisman Kane on the pitch, granted, but even their end, which incidentally looked like a sequel to Night of the Living Dead.

Instead of capitalising on our dominance we were made to pay for Conte’s stubborn insistence on playing Moses, a player that would fail to get into any of the top five teams — probably top 10 teams, truth be told.

So close to half-time, it was a massive blow — but a rallying half-time team-talk, a couple of tweaks, and we could have got something. But Conte’s days of enthusiasm and passion are long behind him — gone are the joyful leaps into the crowd — our opening goal barely registered.

Instead, he stood on the touchline alone, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Thoughts of starting again elsewhere I imagine.

I will be eternally grateful for what he did for us last season, but I truly believe he is harming the team now. You can only give so many defeatist press conferences without it affecting what goes on on the pitch. And sadly, his legacy won’t be that league win, but the shambles he will leave behind when he finally walks out the door.

As soon as Tottenham scored their second, he should have looked to change it — bring on Giroud at the very least — yet even their third goal didn’t stir Conte into trying something else. Only with 10 minutes to go, when it was too late and every stand was apoplectic with rage and screaming for substitutions did he acquiesce.

This is not to say this mess is all his fault. I can’t remember, in all my time following this team, having had such a gutless group of players. We are losing to our biggest rivals, the crowd is furious, we have little to lose, yet we end the game without a single booking. NOT A SINGLE ONE.

I want those players to hurt like I’m hurting. I want them to be flying into tackles, hacking those Spurs players down, getting into scuffles, doing whatever it takes. Instead we rolled over and gift-wrapped the game and the last hope we had of finishing in the Champions League places and handed it to them on a platter.

Do these players have any self-respect?

And then we have to listen to Conte telling us the team are working hard and giving everything they can.

Firstly, don’t insult our intelligence. Anyone with even a modicum of football knowledge can see that is far from the truth.

Secondly, why is he even defending them? They are not playing for him. They are simply going through the motions while urging their agents to secure contracts earning millions elsewhere.

As I write this, an ex-Chelsea (and Spurs) player tells me to have a little perspective. He reminds me that during our 28-year unbeaten home record against Tottenham, Spurs have managed just three domestic trophies while we have won more European trophies than that during the same period — never mind the titles, League Cups, and FA Cups.

That does make me feel a bit better but the thing that worries me is we have been on a downward spiral for a while now. Last year’s title distracted many from that trend. We are heading into a period where the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham have had their dark days and emerged on the other side. I worry it’s our turn to be out in the wilderness. And being out in the cold is not where we need to be when we need to relocate to build a new stadium. Timing, as they say, is everything, and ours could not be worse.

Those really clutching at straws may bring up the FA Cup at this point. Without sounding like Wenger, give me fourth place any day of the week!

We need to be in the Champions League for myriad reasons but most importantly because we will be looking to rebuild a team almost from scratch.

To have any hope of attracting quality, we need to be able to offer them more than Europa League and the prospect of four years playing in a half-empty Wembley.

I’m going to sign off now and go and pour myself a very large drink.