Trust February 2026 Newsletter

 

Managerial changes at Spurs and the very real risk of relegation

The Trust welcomed the decision to part ways with Thomas Frank. While his appointment initially appeared to be a positive step, it did not deliver the progress or results the Club urgently needs and decisive action was required. We now face another rebuild whilst we are fighting relegation.  This is a crucial moment for Tottenham Hotspur. Strong leadership is needed at every level of the Club to restore belief and direction for both the players and the supporters.

The Club’s statement that the Board concluded this morning that “a change at this point in the season is necessary” raises questions as to why this conclusion was only reached after closure of the January transfer window.

It is clear that not taking decisive action sooner and failing to strengthen in the January transfer window have contributed to our slide down the table and left the Club facing a very real risk of relegation. No manager can succeed without proper backing. Serious financial investment in the squad is essential, as it is plain to see the team is down to the bare bones.

We wish Igor Tudor well in his mission to save us from the drop, but early signs are not encouraging and merely serve to reinforce the dire underinvestment in the squad.

Long term, changing the manager alone won’t solve our problems; ambition, investment, and strong leadership must follow. We need a clear long-term plan built around attacking football that plays to our strengths, rebuilds confidence and helps unite the fanbase.

The next permanent appointment must bring stability, belief, and a clear footballing identity — and be backed by the resources needed to succeed.

The Club needs to show fans it has ambition and is serious about, first of all, getting out of the relegation battle, and then rebuilding the squad, winning trophies and competing for Champions League places on a regular basis and restoring Tottenham Hotspur to where it belongs.

2026-27 Ticket Pricing and Fill Our Home Find Our Voice (FOHFOV)

At the end of last year, the Trust launched its FOHFOV campaign to address the deteriorating atmosphere and the increasing number of empty seats at THS by opening access to younger fans through greater availability of junior and young adult concessions, cheaper cup tickets, and the earlier opening of Ticket Exchange.

At the same time, the consultation process for ticket pricing for the 2026-27 season kicked off with the Trust and the FAB collectively pressing for the Club to back the FSA’s proposal for a two-year ticket price proposal, alongside measures proposed through FOVFOH. This was the first consultation taking place under the new management, and after two further joint meetings of the Club and the Trust/FAB (a sharp contrast with the multiple meetings required the year before), agreement was reached on the following for next season:

• Season and matchday ticket prices to be frozen for next season.
• Junior concession tickets to be made available in all non-standing areas.
• The young adult age band is to be increased from 18-21 to 18-25, and tickets are to be made available across the stadium.
• Newcastle home to be recategorised from Cat A to Cat B.

These changes are very welcome and reflect meaningful engagement with fan groups and effective lobbying and representation from the Trust, the FAB, and supporters.

We continue to press for further changes to senior concessions. It is regrettable that positive changes to senior concession arrangements were limited to agreeing a one-out, one-in policy for new concession holders (rather than barring the entry of new senior concession holders). Proposals to reduce the senior discount from 50% to 25% over five years remain in place, meaning that current senior concession holders will see their ticket prices increase for the second season running. The Trust considers this a missed opportunity.

Further details on our reaction to the announcement on ticket pricing can be found here.

THST meeting with THFC executive leaders

On 3 February, members of the THST board met with a team from THFC, including Vinai Venkatesham, to discuss the team’s direction and strategy for the future.  In that meeting, we highlighted the concerns of many supporters (and our own!) about the poor results and the risk of relegation.  We also missed the opportunity to strengthen the team during the January transfer window.

A large part of the meeting was spent discussing our most recent Five Principles survey results, which you can read about here.

In the two weeks that followed the meeting, we were in dialogue with THFC regarding the minutes.  Whilst we agreed on the final minute to ensure we could publish on a timely basis, we made it clear to THFC that we would publish with commentary about the amendments we sought to include (and which ultimately were not possible to agree with THFC).  You can see the commentary that we published, along with a link to the agreed minute, here.

This generated significant press attention, including coverage from the BBC, Evening Standard, The Athletic, and The Times.  Some of this reporting may not have been as clear as it could have been about the fact that the minutes were agreed by the Trust on the basis that we would publish commentary at the same time.  However, the point remains that THST is the largest independent representative group of Spurs supporters and, as such, is an important barometer of supporter sentiment.  The entire THST Board recognises the duty owed to THST members to represent them and to be transparent about our communications with THFC.

Iftar at THFC

We’re pleased to offer one THST member the opportunity to attend a special Iftar event hosted by the Club’s Foundation at the Club and in collaboration with the Ramadan Tent Project.

As we are currently in the month of Ramadan — a sacred and significant time in the Islamic calendar marked by prayer, reflection, fasting, and community — this event will centre on Iftar, the meal eaten at sunset to break the daily fast. It will be an opportunity to come together and share this meaningful moment in a spirit of community and understanding.

Event details:

• Date: Friday 6 March
• Time: 16:30 – 19:30
• Location: East Level 3 (the Stadium)

If you are interested in attending, please email us, and we will draw one person to attend and let them know. Applications by 10 am on Thursday, 5th March

Quiz night

The famous THST quiz night will take place in May this year at the Antwerp Arms. We are still finalising dates, trying to avoid the latter stages of the Champions League (!) but will hopefully be able to confirm this very soon. As usual, the event will support our friends at Studio 306 Collective, so start to build your teams, and see if anyone can steal the crown from Mabsolutely Fabulous…

Meet the Spurs journalists fundraiser for cancer charities

Our third Meet the Spurs journalists event took place at The Sir Christopher Hatton Pub in the City on Monday, 9 February.  A packed audience of THST members relished the opportunity to gain insights from Spurs’ top journalists, at a time of huge uncertainty and anxiety for us all.  We are enormously grateful to:

• Michael Bridge from Sky
• Alasdair Gold from Football London
• Jay Harris from The Athletic
• Jack Pitt-Brooke from The Athletic and
• George Sessions from PA Sports (Press Association)

The journalists, who, in our opinion, are the creme de la creme, gave their time freely and talked openly and with insider knowledge on a wide range of Spurs-related questions.  They also talked about their personal desire to support Pancreatic and Prostate Cancer charities – because most of us know people directly affected by these devastating diseases.  They will be pleased to know that, including donations from the Trust, the two charities will each receive £1000.  Thank you to the Club for generously donating a signed First Team Shirt that we sold raffle tickets for.  For the Trust, these events honour our two former and much-loved Board members, Pete Haine and Kevin Fitzgerald, whose legacies live on through the Trust’s work.

The event was chaired by THST Board and FAB member Steve Cavalier, who, as always, brought his wit and wisdom to proceedings. When we all met a year ago, the club seemed to be at an impossibly low ebb. Shockingly, the situation this time was even worse. It’s difficult for Spurs fans to avoid feelings of desperation and despair; of anger and anxiety.  However, the evening gave everyone an opportunity to be together, to share and discuss our concerns, to have a chat, a few drinks and, perhaps surprisingly, lots of laughs along the way.

Questions were wide-ranging and included, amongst many others, areas such as:

• Whether the players still believed in Thomas Frank’s methods (this was before he was sacked) and whether the journalists did
• The ongoing injury crisis
• Social media and whether it is a true gauge of Spurs fan sentiment
• Success or otherwise of the recruitment strategy
• Understanding of who does what at Spurs within the off-field leadership
• Development of academy players, loans, and limited pathways into the first team
• Where it was predicted we might end the season
• The impact of ENIC / The Lewis Family and the Board

A huge thank you to Ali. Michael, George, Jay and Jack for making the evening such a success and for their support for the Trust throughout the year.  See you next year

FSA PL Network

A Trust representative participated in a meeting of the FSA PL Network, which brings together fan representatives from PL clubs to share experiences and coordinate campaigns.  The meeting received a presentation from GambleAware on the prevalence of betting companies in football (not restricted to traditional betting companies but also fan tokens, crypto and similar instruments). Supporter representatives were encouraged to use the GambleAware website for information and educational tools they could share with their members.

Fans also shared their experience of the operation of FABs.  The results are mixed, with some considering their FABs to be working well, while others felt their FABs met too infrequently or cited their FAB members being handpicked by their club hierarchy.

Discussion also took place on the consultation on the 2026-27 ticket prices.  For most clubs, this was at an early stage (the discussion took place before the THST/FAB agreement on a price freeze for next season), but it looks like more clubs will impose increases than not.

Finally, on the vexed issue of late fixture changes, the FSA has written to the TV companies highlighting the consequential problems for fans on booking transport or accommodation. Sky has agreed to meet with the FSA.

 

 VAR review

The FSA is gathering feedback on how effectively, or not, VAR is working.  While it is very hard to imagine a world in which the Premier League and PGMO remove VAR, it is helpful to have direct feedback on how fans feel about it.  It often feels to us as though Spurs don’t get the rub of the green and that consistency is lacking.  However you feel, make your views known here.

The White Hart Review

Members may be interested in a new online community that showcases long-form articles about Tottenham Hotspur – the club, the fans and the culture that sits around them. Positioned to sit separately from social media, the site publishes two articles per week written by Spurs fans for Spurs fans. As well as presenting articles from recognised Spurs authors, contributions are welcome from all supporters. You can view the site and subscribe to the community here. Maybe there is something that you’d like to submit an article on, too.

 

Bill Nicholson blue plaque

In July, the THST will be honoured to attend a blue plaque unveiling at the former home in Scarborough of Bill Nicholson.   Now an auction house, the once childhood home of our legendary double-winning manager will be honoured by the plaque in association with the local Council and several wonderful volunteers.  Look out for next month’s newsletter on how YOU can donate towards this wonderful event, and for more information, visit the official trust website and head to our forum!