who to blame: Tottenham continue to underperform

There is nothing like a home defeat to Stoke City to really put out the fire in your soul.

Tottenham Hotspur's supporters are used to disappointment -- they've only won two trophies in 24 years -- but Sunday was something different.

At the final whistle, the decision to turn up the post-match music volume to 11 was just about the only thing that the Spurs hierarchy got right this weekend. It drowned out what would have been a thunderous crescendo of booing.

One of the major problems in assessing Tottenham and their place in football's food chain is the extraordinary disconnect between the boardroom and the reality of the outside world. With a capacity of just over 36,000, White Hart Lane is only the 13th biggest stadium in England, and while its London location allows high ticket prices and brings corporate opportunities, the club can't generate the sort of resources to match the biggest sides in the division.