Dynasties to disarray

Only Tottenham can go from talk of dynasties to total disarray in the space of one afternoon.

The buzz around Mauricio Pochettino's new contract and his potential to create something special was placed back in its box - at least for the summer - as the "brave new world" became, well, "same old Spurs".

However rose-tinted your spectacles the nightmare at Newcastle has sadly soiled the back end of a season that held so much promise.

And it is a shame because it just has not been that sort of a season - the majority of it was a massively positive experience and reignited many people's passion for football and pride in the club.

But now the record books show no trace of a title race, no sign of a seismic shift in quality and no clue of the crest of a wave on which we were all carried away.

The cold hard facts just say Leicester 81, Arsenal 71, Tottenham 70.

In the end, the very cornerstones upon which we built our season proved our undoing.

Tottenham's young squad and resolute character were championed over the winter months but both came back to haunt us.

Poch admitted that, while his side bared their teeth too much in the Chelsea game, it was vital to show some grit and fight for a result.

Well, whether it was the lack of key faces thanks to ill-discipline (Mousa Dembele, Dele Alli) or the relative inexperience of our biggest names (Kane, Eriksen, Lamela) Spurs showed none of that grit in the final two games.

For most of the season we topped the stats for points won from losing positions. By the end we led the way in spurning leads as well.

Poch's reaction said it all. Usually so protective of his players, he fumed: “It wasn’t a tactical problem it was a mental problem.

"You need to give 100 per cent. We need to show more character.

“It’s my responsibility, I’m disappointed but it’s good information for decisions in the summer."

The implication is that 100 per cent was not reached and "summer decisions" might have played their last game in a Spurs shirt.

Pochettino, and the club in general, will have been hugely embarrassed that the pomp and bravado with which they rolled out the news of his contract extension was not backed up with a result on the final day.

Both experience and character go hand in hand. One trait breeds and nurtures the other. But one thing they both need to thrive is leadership and, on the pitch at least, that is lacking in the Spurs squad.

Fans will look towards the transfer window and insist we need another defensive mid or quality back up for Kane.

They are probably right, and you expect some new additions as Poch looks to follow through on his insistence he can build and sustain success.

But more important is the current crop also has to step up - because nobody took control against Newcastle or a season that has been spiralling since the West Brom match.

Skipper Hugo Lloris may well be one of our most accomplished and most capped players, as captain of the French national team, but his ability to raise spirits and pull the group together is questionable.

Especially given a recent tendency for daring short passes that pile the defence under unnecessary pressure. Yes, the keeper routinely gets Spurs out of trouble - but he has to stop getting us into it.

Christian Eriksen is the group's most intelligent footballer but at 24 years old it is time he takes the next step.

The playmaker floats in and out of games and in and out of form, one minute picking out an eye-of-the-needle pass, the next getting shoved off the ball too easily.

He should be dictating the play and stretching defences to the limits.

Erik Lamela had his best season by far and is Spurs' most naturally gifted footballer. He has added strength to his game, loves to get stuck in and has the tenacity to really pull the strings from midfield.

Yet for a player who is capable of hitting a Rabona into the top corner from 20 yards, it is very seldom we see him pull something spectacular out of the bag when it really matters.

Then there is Dembele, who is starting to look like the dominant midfield general we have all craved for generations - just as long as he is on the pitch.

His six-game ban for a spat with Chelsea's Diego Costa has backfired big time and you would think he could well now be on a final warning.

Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld are the two likely lads as far as future captaincy and raising morale goes. Both are capable of rallying the squad when things are not going our way but cannot do it all themselves.

Make no mistake, the players will be as devastated as the fans with getting thrashed on Tyneside and they will not be happy with a summer of goading.

But it has happened. There is nothing they can do about it. It is all experience, albeit a bad experience.

The trick now is showing enough character not to let it go to waste.