'It must feel like being caught in purgatory'
New York Times chief football correspondent Rory Smith believes Tottenham are "a modern super club," and questions what big changes their fans actually want to see.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Smith said: "I think Spurs are in a tricky position as a club and as a fanbase - to an extent you could interpret the last 24 years as a success for Tottenham.
"A lot of clubs of that 'upper-middle class' in English football - Tottenham, Villa, Everton, West Ham - teams with big history, fan bases, they've been caught out by the transformational effect of the Premier League's money.
"Spurs haven't - they're part of the elite and that's because they've been run really judiciously - they've sold well and sometimes bought well. You can quibble about how well they've appointed managers over the years and they've certainly been too impatient at times.
"They've moved into an amazing new stadium, they've got this incredible commercial revenue, they've done all these things - they're a modern super club.
"They've been to a Champions League final, they were regulars in the Champions League - that feels like success."
Smith feels like Tottenham haven't been able to "take it on to the natural next step" and it is this that has caused most of the unrest for supporters.
"It must feel a little bit like being caught in purgatory," he said.
"They're 15th in the Premier League, which is difficult to believe, but this season is clearly unravelling at speed - but when you demand change from the board, I'm not quite sure what that change looks like.
"Do you want the club to be sold? Do you want to be owned by a nation state? Do you want to be at the mercy of some 'San Francisco finance bro?'
"It strikes me that what Spurs want and need more than anything is a change of culture - they look at a squad decimated by injuries in January and they put £30 - 40 million into it to get through to the end of the season rather than always trying to survive on a shoestring."
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