Few clubs know frustration in the modern era quite like Tottenham, whose quest for silverware has turned into the ultimate meme.
To be competing for trophies, however, is a world away from some of the darkest days in Tottenham’s history, with the Lilywhites on the receiving end of some absolute hammerings over the years.
Here are the worst defeats in Tottenham’s history
Tottenham’s heaviest Premier League defeats:
Newcastle 7-1 Tottenham (28/12/96)
Tottenham boss Gerry Francis gave the understatement of the century when asked to describe his side’s performance after December 1996’s 7-1 loss to Newcastle: “It was not a very pleasant experience.”
Newcastle’s ‘Entertainers’ were 2-0 up at half-time and added five unanswered goals after the break, only for Spurs to snatch a consolation in the 89th minute through Allan Nielsen.
Man City 6-0 Tottenham (24/12/13)
Spurs had more possession that Manchester City and only two fewer shots, yet came out on the receiving end of a 6-0 hammering.
Jesus Navas scored after 14 seconds and City would be 3-0 up at the interval, before Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo and Navas again netted to cap off a famous win.
A run of five-straight wins was not good enough to save Spurs from a 6-0 demolition at the hands of 17th-placed Sheffield United in March 1993.
The Blades bagged four inside the opening half an hour and comfortably strolled to an emphatic victory.
Tottenham’s heaviest defeats ever
Koln 8-0 Tottenham (23/07/95):
We head over to the Intertoto Cup for the biggest defeat in the history of Tottenham.
A UEFA competition that was held outside the regular season schedule, Spurs initially refused to field a team for the game but had to change their minds after being threatened with a European ban. Perhaps it was worth taking the punishment as German side Koln netted four goals in either half to secure a famous win.
European champions Liverpool proved no match for newly promoted Tottenham in September 1978, romping to a 7-0 victory in the old First Division.
Of all the bad results in Spurs’ history, this is one they can’t really be held accountable for. This Liverpool side were simply something else.
Spurs won the UEFA Cup in 1972 but, just four years later, were losing 8-2 to Derby County en route to a shock relegation from the First Division – their first drop since 1935.
Derby had been competing for the title in the previous seasons but arrived into this game in miserable form, and it looked like Spurs could get something out of this match when they were only 3-2 down at half-time. Unfortunately, things went a little downhill after the break as five unanswered goals went flying past Pat Jennings.