Trouble at Tottenham: It's not you or me. It's a plague on them all at this stage

When Antonio Conte said Spurs were just losers, it wasn't just a criticism of a board that had long since lost the fans, it was a direct assault on an institution that had existed since 1882. And for many, it crossed a line.

ARRIVEDERCI: Antonio Conte

IT’s not me, it’s you. The pointed reversal of the classic old breakup line could almost have been written for the continuing soap opera that is Tottenham Hotspur, a club where no one is ever responsible for anything going wrong.

The latest episode was sparked by Antonio Conte’s extraordinary outburst after the 3-3 draw at Southampton, when he didn’t so much throw the club and everyone in it under a bus as bulldoze the entire N17 postcode and build a transport hub on top. Even those who had confidently predicted the relationship between Conte and Spurs was always going to end in tears were taken aback.