Tottenham Relegation Battle: Wayne Rooney Believes Spurs Are At Risk

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Wayne Rooney believes Tottenham are now part of the Premier League relegation fight after another defeat. Spurs lost 2-0 to Manchester United on Saturday, extending a seven-match winless league run. That sequence has dragged Thomas Frank's side towards the bottom group.

Spurs sit 15th with 29 points, six clear of West Ham in 18th, with the Europa League champions reviving their form. West Ham finished 17th last season, so Rooney views the current table as a warning sign for Tottenham.

You'd have to say they are [in a relegation battle] with their current form, he said on The Wayne Rooney Show, as quoted by BBC Sport. West Hamhave been in form,Nottingham Forestpick up results here and there. You can't think that they're not in a relegation battle where they are. I think they'll definitely be looking over their shoulders. I feel for Thomas Frank because he looks tired, he looks like he's aged 10 years. That's what thatTottenhamjob has done to him in a short period of time. I hope they stick with him because he's afantastic manager, but I think it's going be very difficult for them to do that.

Despite the slide, Opta's predictive model estimates only a 2.3% chance of Tottenham going down. The same projection gives Spurs a 14.3% likelihood of finishing in the top half, underlining mid-table as the most probable outcome.

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Saturday's match at Old Trafford highlighted current issues. Spurs managed just one shot on target. Captain Cristian Romero received a straight red card in the first half. The dismissal continued a pattern of disciplinary problems that has affected Tottenham's defensive stability.

Spurs are now on their third league sequence of at least seven games without a win since the start of last season. Before these runs, the club had not gone nine or more matches without victory since the stretch between May and October 2008.

Attention now turns to Tuesday, when Frank's team host an out-of-form Newcastle United. The fixture offers a chance to ease relegation concerns, but recent numbers, results and pressure around the Tottenham job mean scrutiny is likely to remain intense.