Tottenham Hotspur fans staged protests against the club’s ownership during festive Premier League fixtures.
Supporters gathered outside the club shop at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the games against Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers around Christmas.
It came amid a period of poor form under manager Ange Postecoglu during which the club have sunk to 12th in the Premier League table, with many fans critical of club chairman Daniel Levy’s strategy.
Billie T, a member of the group Change for Tottenham and season ticket holder, said: “The frustration is that our history under Levy has always just been to sack managers, which takes the heat off of himself.
“We’re a club that generates an insane amount of revenue, we’re self-sustaining and I just want to see them really back a manager.
“With Postecoglou, while we’re frustrated with our inconsistency, I think fans are rallying behind the manager for the first time and don’t want to see another one sacked after 18 months.
“What I hope we do is inspire conversations around the ownership and pressure on the board.”
As well as the two protests outside the stadium, the group printed 1,000 balloons for the Liverpool fixture, which Tottenham went on to lose 6-3.
They planned to release them onto the pitch in the 24th minute but few reached the turf, with many popped by stewards.
It is illegal for objects to be thrown onto the field of play.
Jamie Coughlan, another Change for Tottenham member, said: “The club were actively preparing for this protest, they had staff stood round the pitch to stop the balloons.
“It shows that what we’re trying to do is reaching the board.”
The group say they aim to encourage the board, led by Levy, to pursue silverware in the coming years.
Coughlan said: “The main goal would be changing Tottenham back into a football club trying to win trophies.
“What we could do is prompt change in [Levy’s] mindset to prioritise the footballing side over the commercial side.
“It’s basically like Levy’s used the manager as a bullet shield to get himself out of trouble.
“We’re seeing players calling out the ownership, pundits saying that football isn’t the focus of the club any more.”
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero criticised the club’s hierarchy for a lack of spending after the 4-3 loss to Chelsea in December in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes.
He has since apologised, according to Postecoglu.
Despite poor league form, Spurs have reached the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and have a 1-0 advantage over Liverpool before heading to Anfield for the second leg in February.
They also remain in the FA Cup and Europa League competitions.
Since their last trophy, the League Cup in 2008, the club has spent over £1bn on transfers.
Image: Jamie Coughlan
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