Rooney says relegation-threatened Spurs need someone to go in and 'batter them'

Wayne Rooney has claimed Tottenham need a new manager to 'batter them' to instill fear into the squad in an effort to avoid a shock relegation from the Premier League.

Tottenham head into the weekend just one point above the relegation zone, with the club still yet to win a league match in 2026.

Their woeful league form has seen them pick up just one win and seven points in total since a 2-0 home win over Brentford on December 6.

Tottenham could be in the bottom three by the time they face Liverpool on Sunday, with West Ham and Nottingham Forest hosting Man City and Fulham respectively this weekend prior to their match at Anfield.

Confidence would have been further dented by a 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid in their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, which saw goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky hauled off after 16 minutes by interim boss Igor Tudor.

Doubts have been raised over Tudor's future after four consecutive defeats since he took charge last month, with concerns raised over his relationship with the players after he appeared to have blanked a distraught Kinsky as he made his way off the pitch.

Speaking on the Overlap, Man United legend Wayne Rooney took aim at the Tottenham players, branding their performances and overall attitude as an 'absolute disgrace'.

Rooney, who expressed his belief Tottenham will be relegated from the Premier League, suggested the squad needed a presence like Roy Keane to 'batter them' to get a reaction in their fight against the drop.

'Those players need to look at themselves, I think they have been an absolute disgrace, I do,' Rooney said.

'The performances, the attitude, the lack of desire, the lack of fight, the lack of anything in them.

'I was watching the Palace game last week and I really felt sorry for Tottenham fans, they are not even angry anymore they are disappointed and sad.

'Them players need to look at themselves, this is a disgrace.

He added: 'I think they need someone to go in, like Roy, and batter them.

'They need some fear put into them.'

Gary Neville, however, disagreed with Rooney's assessment.

Neville suggested that approach was similar to the one taken by Tudor during his interim spell in charge, which has failed to provoke a positive reaction from the Tottenham squad.

The pundit suggested the squad would not give 'two f****' about being shouted at and instead believes someone with more man management ability was required to help Tottenham avoid the drop.

'I'm not sure, I am not sure they'll respond to that at all,' Neville responded.

'Those players don't give two f**** about being shouted at.

'Tudor, I think, has given them a bit of a hard time in the public and I don't think they have liked that at all.

'He has tried to go in and be a bit harder, more regimented and disciplined, it is not working, they are rejecting him.

'They will need someone to go in who has got more of a man management ability.'

Keane and Ian Wright were among those to agree with Neville that Tottenham needed to part ways with Tudor in an attempt to salvage their situation.

Neville suggested that Sean Dyche would be among those Tottenham could turn to until the end of the season, with worried fans likely to accept his appointment to preserve their Premier League status.

Dyche had managed Tottenham's fellow relegation battlers Nottingham Forest earlier this season, before being dismissed exactly one month ago.

The former Watford, Burnley and Everton boss has been viewed as the bookmakers' favourite to take over at Spurs if the club make another change.

Tottenham's upcoming home match against Forest on March 22 could prove a pivotal clash in the battle to avoid the drop.