Could Spurs fans take solace from a season in the Championship?

Renewed rivalries

On the flip side, if you're a Tottenham fan who enjoys keeping it local, then there are currently four clubs in the London region in the Championship.

Charlton, Watford, QPR and Millwall could be the local derbies on offer, although the Lions do have their sights set on the Premier League next term.

But don't discount Stevenage, hanging on to a League One play-off spot at the moment. Much of the town is made up of Tottenham and Arsenal fans anyway, so it could prove a pretty tasty trip down the A1 to the Lamex.

Another 'Hoddle' might emerge

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Mikey Moore has impressed on loan at Rangers this season

Then there's Tottenham's abundance of promising youngsters - many fans would relish seeing them given a good crack at the Championship.

The club already boast a number of regulars under the age of 21 in Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert, while goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky has just turned 23. Spurs would surely love to keep hold of those.

Meanwhile, homegrown starlet Mikey Moore has impressed on loan at Rangers this season and teenage centre back Luka Vuskovic has been a revelation for Hamburg in the Bundesliga. Will Lankshear is scoring goals in the Championship, too.

And supporters always want to see local academy prospects flourishing.

Next off the "he's one of our own..." production line could be the much-lauded Luca Williams-Barnett, who made his debut earlier this season, while defenders Jun'ai Byfield and James Rowswell and midfielder Callum Olusesi have also featured.

Indeed, my dad and uncle still talk about being wowed by a young Glenn Hoddle when they first started going to White Hart Lane regularly as teenagers during the 1977-78 season, the last campaign Spurs spent in the second division.

The playmaker turned 20 that season and, despite having featured regularly in Spurs' relegation year, his 12 league goals and majestic displays inspired the north London outfit to promotion at the first time of asking.

Maybe a year in the second tier could see a 'new Hoddle' really come of age?

The start of something new?

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Tottenham won back-to-back FA Cups in 1981 and 1982, shortly after returning to the English top flight at the first attempt

In the short term, Tottenham fans might just get to enjoy a league win - something that has not been seen in 2026.

Beyond that, perhaps it could prove a moment to reset and build for the future?

Spurs finished third in 1978 to return to the top flight at the first attempt and immediately signed World Cup winners Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles.

Within three years of promotion, the Argentine pair helped Tottenham to back-to-back FA Cup triumphs in 1981 and 1982, before the club lifted the Uefa Cup in 1984.

Indeed that first FA Cup success, Villa slaloming his way through a horde of hapless Manchester City defenders, marked the beginning of a decade in which the club reached six finals, enjoyed five top-four finishes and welcomed stars such as Chris Waddle, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker.

Tottenham supporters will not want to get relegated, of course, but history suggests there is light on the other side should the unthinkable soon become reality.