IGOR TUDOR needs to follow George Graham’s defensive blueprint to get leaky Tottenham out of trouble.
That is according to former Spurs stalwart Stephen Carr, who played under ex-Arsenal boss Graham during the Scot’s three years at White Hart Lane between 1998-2001.
Spurs have shipped two goals or more in their last SEVEN Premier League games.
A winless run in their last nine fixtures has left them just four points off the relegation zone and in genuine threat of the drop.
Graham’s defensive solidity at Spurs’ arch-rivals regularly landed slender victories, prompting the enduring chant ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’.
And Carr feels that miserly approach is just what interim boss Tudor needs to adopt now.
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The former Republic of Ireland star, 49, told SunSport: “The amount of goals they are conceding is very alarming. They have to nip it.
“If they keep conceding goals, they are going to lose the games because they’re not going to score enough.
“They need, collectively, from the top all the way back, to work hard to be as solid as they can. They have to get back to basics and keep clean sheets.
“When George Graham came in, what he wanted was stability. ‘We don’t concede’.
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“That’s not the Tottenham way, but what’s the way? The way is to stay in that league.”
Graham took over Spurs when they were struggling towards the bottom of the league, following the exit of Christian Gross.
He immediately set about prioritising improvements at the back, even at the cost of a more entertaining style, which Tudor himself is trying to do now.
Graham may not be revered by the Spurs fanbase because of his Arsenal affiliation but he guided Spurs out of danger and even went on to land the League Cup in 1999.
Carr added: “George was a very defensive manager, people said, though he still wanted me to attack.
“As a player I recognised I couldn’t be bombing forward as much. I wouldn’t have enjoyed playing like that all the time, but when you’re in certain situations, you have to adjust.
“It’s about keeping as solid as you can. We did everything in our power not to concede.
“There’s no point in going out and being open and losing games, because the fans go home unhappy. Would the fans go home happier watching an ugly game and getting three points? Of course they will.
“When you’re in a position in the league and you’re flying and you don’t like the style of football, it’s a bit different. But the style of football now is to stay in the league.
“They’re in a dogfight now. I know there’s a little gap but the pressure is on. They have to dig in now.
“It’s about getting results now. If it’s ugly, it’s ugly.”
Carr knows what it is like to go down, having been relegated with Birmingham in 2011, the same year the Blues beat Arsenal to win the league Cup.
He also left Newcastle the season before the Toon exited the Premier League, despite having the likes of Michael Owen on their books.
While there was a narrow escape with Gross’ Spurs in 1998, when Jurgen Klinsmann’s four goals at Wimbledon on the penultimate day saved the North Londoners from the drop.
Speaking in association with 7bet online casino, Carr added: “They’re in a relegation battle, they’re not too big to go down.
“We had a good squad at Birmingham, we beat Arsenal in the cup final, but we still went down.
“(West Ham and Nottingham Forest) know the pressure is bigger on Tottenham. There’s more talk about Tottenham than the other teams.
“Newcastle went down with some big, big players. So it proves it can happen.
“God forbid I hope they get some results going. But it is alarming those goals going in, you have to stop it somehow.”
Carr also called on the supporters to rally behind the team, especially as he feels players today are not as capable of dealing with negativity from the stands.
The former full-back declared: “The fans have to get behind Tottenham. The fans turning on them is not going to benefit anybody.
“They’re different characters on that pitch. For me, I didn’t really care. Fans pay a load of money to go and see it. But they’re in a position now where it’s about results.”
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