RESPECT NEEDS TO BE EARNED

The measurements are now in. Officially, it takes just two bad Premier League results for Jose Mourinho to start taking things personally.

On September 18 he was magnanimous about the “joke” fixture scheduling with Europa League and EFL Cup games expected in the same week.

“The people who make these decisions they forgot about one English team – not Tottenham, it could be us, could be Wolves or Sheffield or another one,” he said of a pile-up that would have affected whoever finished in the last Europa League-qualifying spot.

But defeat to Everton and two points dropped late at Newcastle, and suddenly it is a conspiracy.

“The only feeling I am ready to share is that I don’t feel Tottenham is respected according to to what the club is,” he moaned. “No respect. I feel we deserve more respect.”

Respectfully, Tottenham’s real problem this season is that when Mourinho was brought in last year to get them in the top four, they only finished sixth.