Harry Redknapp expects this season's Premier League relegation scrap to go down to the wire.
Spurs boss wary of relegation trapdoor
Harry Redknapp expects this season's Premier League relegation scrap to go down to the wire.
The battle to avoid the dreaded drop is as tight as ever, with only eight points separating West Ham in eighth from rock-bottom West Brom.
Redknapp's Tottenham are just one of the sides who find themselves embroiled in what promises to be an intriguing end to the 2008/09 campaign.
Spurs have accumulated 21 points from their 22 games so far, placing them among five teams currently on that tally.
No one at White Hart Lane is buying into the age old adage that the club is 'too good to go down', with Redknapp ready to give his all to ensure top-flight status is secured.
"Every club absolutely dreads the prospect of going down to the Championship. It has put the fear of God into everyone," he wrote in his column in
The Sun.
"The winners are going to be the supporters.
"For those of us ringside it is going to be a thrill-a-minute ride - 13 teams slugging it out right through until May. Buckle up!"
Repercussions
Redknapp believes the financial rewards which now accompany a place in the Premier League have made it imperative for clubs like Spurs to remain among England's elite.
"Most Premier League teams cannot afford to buy the players that will get them into the Champions League," he said.
"But no Premier League team can afford to be relegated anymore.
"Not that many years ago, in a perverse way, it was often a good thing for a team to go down.
"It would result in a major clearout, a clean sweep. Get rid of old players, those who were not bothered or past it.
"But whatever the cost of that, nothing comes at a higher price than relegation these days.
"It means the sack for the manager and for a lot of the staff behind the scenes. Going down has massive repercussions these days."
