Tottenham Hotspur are finally banishing the demons of their mid-table past and are now Premier League high-flyers

Tottenham Hotspur are finally banishing the demons of their mid-table past and are now Premier League high-flyers
Gone are the days of mid-table finishes for Spurs fans and @TalkingTHFCon Twitter is loving it.The transformation of Tottenham Hotspur from mid-table nothingness to Premier League high-flyers is one of English football’s greatest modern stories, and there is little you can say to convince me otherwise.The north London side finished 14th in the Premier League table 15 years ago.3

A poor start to the 2003/04 season cost Glenn Hoddle his job as Tottenham manager

Ending this campaign in their current position of third would become the sixth time they’ve managed a top four finish in that time.Their rise is not only unrivalled, but an insight into how quietly plodding along in this age of social media scrutiny is nothing to be scoffed at.Cast your mind back 15 years to the 2003/04 Premier League season.Following a dismal 3-1 home defeat to Southampton, club legend Glenn Hoddle was relieved of his duties as manager, with director of football David Pleat taking the reigns until the end of the season. Under Pleat’s leadership, Tottenham secured just 10 wins throughout the remainder of the campaign, suffering 15 defeats in the process to the likes of League One Charlton and Portsmouth.The squad, which included the likes ofGoran Bunjevevi, Mbulelo Mabizela and Rohan Ricketts, is a polar opposite to the current outfit.Fast forward to 2010.Spurs, now under the leadership of I’m A Celebrity winner Harry Redknapp, secure their first ever top-four finish above the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.3

Tottenham finished in the Premier League top four for the first time under Harry Redknapp

To put into perspective the incredible ascent of Spurs in those six years, the Merseyside outfit finished ten places higher than the Lilywhites in that season under Pleat’s care.A mystery that continues to baffle me as of late is the hatred from rivals fans towards Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.Tottenham are the perfect example of how to navigate modern football, with the players a group that most teams would dream of. Harry Kane, the club’s fourth all-time top scorer, seems to receive the bulk of the hate for reasons I cannot fathom.3

Tottenham, led by Pochettino, have gone about things the right way

A model professional, England captain and two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, should be a player that the country emphatically gets behind. Instead, the striker is under constant scrutiny.This select group of haters appears to be stuck back in 2004, living under the impression that the club’s recent success is just a phase, and that they will inevitably fall back down to the dark days of mid-table.It is perhaps no coincidence that Spurs’ rise has coincided with the emergence of social media, with those that once taunted them for finishing mid-table growing up alongside these new tools.The fact that a sixth top-four finish is on the horizon should signal those days are far from close to returning. In fact, they’re dead and buried. We’re now approaching 11 years to the day since the club last tasted the sweet taste of silverware, and fans continue to live in hope that this year will indeed be our year.It’s perhaps easy to say that in order to shake this hatred from rivals, the club just needs to get their hands on a trophy. With the quadruple very much still on this season, who knows what the future may hold. Yes, I know we all know the answer to that one.RIP mid-table Spurs (1992-2005)

---

Arsenal news: Tony Cascarino believes Unai Emery needs to sign 'six or seven players' to get the Gunners challenging for the Champions League places The Gunners are currently three points off
Arsenal transfer news: Emery does not want Aubameyang and

---

Premier League results and round-up: Chelsea thrash Huddersfield, Tottenham move four off top spot and move Tottenham into second place in the Premier League. Manchester City have the chance
Premier League Sunday preview: Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool

---

Five things you didn't know about Manchester United target Ivan Perisic to a transfer so far with Perisic now having joined the rest of the Inter squad for their preseason trip to China
Profiling PSG target Neymar as Barcelona star considers life

---

The Championship play-off final between Aston Villa and Derby County. The prize? A place in the Premier League for the 2019/20 season, estimated to be worth around £170million.
Derby vs Villa Live Stream: Watch the Championship play off

---

powered by Microsoft News. Gary McAllister to miss Rangers clash with Celtic as he recovers from brutal street attack The Ibrox assistant is still recovering after being hospitalised in a
Man arrested after Rangers coach Gary McAllister attacked on

---

Kepa Arrizabalaga: Why Maurizio Sarri may not be able to afford to sideline Chelsea goalkeeper. As a 23-year-old £71m signing for a position that doesn't generally see players peak until their
Chelsea Latest News, Photos and Videos

---

Jurgen Klopp outlines plans for Dejan Lovren against Bayern Munich as he gives positive Liverpool injury news Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson, If I am asked to play centre-back then I
Liverpool News - Liverpool's plan in defence against Bayern

---

Manager Maurizio Sarri wants Chelsea to rethink their policy on players aged over 30 so he can keep defender David Luiz and midfielder Cesc Fabregas. Luiz and Fabregas will both turn 32 before the
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri reveals the - football.london

---

Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson has donated £405,000 to the NHS as a thank you for saving his life after undergoing brain-saving surgery in May 2018.
Sir Alex Ferguson out of intensive care after surgery, say

---

Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz believes Lionel Messi is the 'best player ever' following Barcelona's Champions League victory over the French side on Wednesday night. Messi sparked Barca
World Cup 2018 LIVE: All the latest from fans and players in

---

OLIVIER GIROUD admits he was left "frustrated" by the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain in January. The Europa League winner claims Maurizio Sarri's decision to sign Higuain made him consider his
Olivier Giroud admits Gonzalo Higuain signing has 'darkened

---

GORDON TAYLOR'S biggest PFA ally has called for him to go. Ex-chairman Clarke Carlisle accused Taylor of a lack of "transparent governance" — despite admitting he would not be alive without the union's help.
Clarke Carlisle's struggle may help others seek treatment

---

Timothy Weah gave Kilmarnock players "a taste of their own medicine" with his full-time celebrations after Celtic's late win. Scott Brown scored an injury-time winner in a 1-0 victory to
Celtic news: Timothy Weah defends celebration taunting

---

talksport.com — GUNNER GO Ex-Gunner says he couldn't bear Spurs fans' gloating if they won Europe's top trophy and Arsenal won the Europa League Former Arsenal star Perry Groves has told talKSPORT he'll 'move to Australia' if Tottenham win the Champions League. Gunners fans may well be looking over at their north London rivals with a
GRAHAM POLL: Why I was left with more questions than answers

---

Premier League form table: How the top flight standings look

---