Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Wed 18 March 2026 14:00, UK

Ally McCoist has stuck up for Micky van de Ven after the Tottenham Hotspur star said it is “nonsense” to suggest the players don’t care about their current plight.

Tottenham sit one point above the Premier League relegation zone, which has led to questions about a mass exodus from the club if they were to drop into the Championship.

Van de Ven has been linked with Real Madrid and Liverpool, but the Netherlands international gave a passionate defence of Spurs’ commitment to the cause.

Ahead of Tottenham’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, ex-Rangers star McCoist has backed Van de Ven, while urging him and his teammates to deliver on the pitch from now on.

Tottenham told to back up Liverpool performance

Tottenham haven’t won in the Premier League since 28 December. Since then, they have slid inexorably towards the bottom three, with Igor Tudor’s side sitting 16th in the table.

After heavy losses to Arsenal, Crystal Palace, and Atletico in recent weeks, Tudor was under huge pressure to keep his job just a month after being appointed interim boss until the end of the season.

Finally, there were signs of life in Tottenham’s 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Sunday, with Richarlison bagging a late equaliser at Anfield.

As they try to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit to Atletico in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday, McCoist thinks Van de Ven spoke well, but now is the time to deliver on this talk.

He said on talkSPORT: “I’m going to stick up for him. In his defence, he’s been asked a question which he has to answer, and he’s answered it in the manner that he should.

“But the proof will be in the pudding. He should do both (his talking on and off the pitch). However, he and his teammates will be under serious scrutiny in the next few weeks; that is when they have to stand up.

“I’ve criticised them with justification. They haven’t shown the spirit and fight that other teams around them look to be having.”

Van de Ven needs to start leading by example

Tottenham have had a raft of injuries this season, including to Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison.

Those two Spurs playmakers may not play at all this season, and if they are relegated, they may have already played their last game for the Lilywhites.

Tottenham needed Van de Ven to stand up and be counted in captain Cristian Romero’s absence, due to a red card suspension, but he foolishly got sent off against Palace, ruling him out of the Liverpool game.

The Dutchman is likely to start alongside Romero as Tottenham hosts Atletico, and now that they are both back together, they need to prove their worth once again.

McCoist is right that Tottenham haven’t shown as much fight in recent weeks as relegation rivals West Ham and Leeds United.

But they need to show that in spades as they prepare to face 17th-placed Nottingham Forest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

A win there will breathe fresh life into their survival bid, but a loss could plunge the club into the abyss.