I was relegated with Tottenham - Igor Tudor's side lack one thing we had

Tottenham haven't been relegated from the Premier League since 1977 but are at serious risk this season

Tottenham Hotspur didn't expect to be battling against relegation at the start of this season but it's not the first occasion a talented Spurs side has found itself in such a predicament. In 1977, a squad featuring the talents of Glenn Hoddle and Steve Perryman finished rock bottom of the old First Division - the most recent time Spurs have dropped to the second tier.

Peter Taylor was part of the team that finished at the foot of the table. He joined from Crystal Palace partway through the season but couldn't keep them up and understands better than most that no club is immune from the drop.

Taylor, who has enjoyed a lengthy managerial career, saw two of his previous clubs go head-to-head at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month as Spurs self-destructed at home to Palace. He remains acutely conscious of how painful relegation can be - particularly when a talented team's collapse comes out of nowhere.

"The more I think about it, unfortunately we couldn't have been good enough because we got relegated," Taylor told the Mirror. "We probably weren't consistent enough, because we had some very good players but maybe we weren't consistent as much as we should have been and that's why we got punished and probably got what we deserved."

FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

Tottenham went into this season as the reigning Europa League champions but have been forced to deal with a long list of injuries and suspensions. Centre-half Micky van de Ven is the most recent to receive a ban following his dismissal in their previous league fixture, though Taylor questions whether the most significant absence lies elsewhere on the field.

"One thing I would say is the difference between when I was there in my first year and now is that we had Glenn Hoddle, we had Alfie Conn," he said. "So I think we had more flair players than what they've got at the moment.

"Looking at them the other night, they needed a [James] Maddison badly. I can imagine a Glenn Hoddle being out there and even if Glenn didn't have to do any defending or anything like that, you know on one of his days or one of his nights he's going to open somebody up and score.

"I don't think they had too much of that [against Palace]. They worked hard but I didn't see enough of the old Tottenham."

That league setback was compounded by further misery in Europe away to Atletico Madrid. The nature of the defeat - a fourth on the spin under Igor Tudor - raised serious doubts about the Croatian manager's position.

Taylor experienced relegation under Keith Burkinshaw, a manager who remained at the helm and subsequently guided the club to trophy success following their return to the top division. Regarding Tudor, however, he feels the problems were already entrenched before the former Juventus manager took over from Thomas Frank.

"Me, personally, I wouldn't have changed Thomas Frank," Taylor added. "He knew the Premier League, he showed that when he was at Brentford.

"Unfortunately too many people were negative towards him. They weren't supporting him, they wanted him out, but I personally wouldn't have changed that.

"All managers will have different styles, they'll have different opinions on the game. That's why in pre-season, you have five weeks together to get ready for that first match.

"At the moment, with too many changes up top, it means they're starting all over again every other week. It can't be right. So, to me, you're giving a player an excuse and I think that's a dangerous situation."

Spurs' most recent victory arrived against Eintracht Frankfurt in January whilst Frank remained at the helm. Whilst finding the net hasn't proved problematic, defensive frailties have persisted, with their last league shut-out occurring on New Year's Day.

Skipper and central defender Cristian Romero completed a four-match suspension following his dismissal against Manchester United, although he's anticipated to sit out Sunday's fixture with Liverpool after a head collision with team-mate Joao Palhinha during the midweek encounter. The Old Trafford sending-off marked his second of the campaign, and Taylor has urged the Argentina international to demonstrate leadership and foster the unity the squad requires as time dwindles to avoid relegation.

With just nine games of the season to go, Taylor believes a collective effort will be key to survival. With 27 points left to play for it may be a case of winning by any means necessary.

"I would accept the last nine matches being absolutely rubbish football but three or four wins out of it," he adds. "That's what they need and I think a good changing room helps that.

"We had a decent changing room at Tottenham when I was there. We had the best captain I've ever played under in Steve Perryman, who would do everything for the manager and everything for the team.

"That's what they need [now] but that's what I didn't see [against Crystal Palace]. I'd like to see a changing room win rather than a quality win.

"[Romero returning will help] if he does it right but I've got my doubts. I went to the Liverpool game where he got sent off as well so he's got to prove he deserves to be captain."