Tottenham Fans' Poll: Would You Take Fourth Place Now?

At the beginning of the current Premier League season, everyone connected to Tottenham Hotspur would have snatched your hand off if you offered them fourth place in the league table, and the chance at another tilt at the Champions League that goes with it.

Fans, players, coaches and the media all touted Spurs as possible top-four challengers, but nothing more.

Fast forward to Christmas, and suddenly Tottenham are title contenders, riding on the coat-tails of the two Manchester clubs and are everyone's second favourite team.

Backed up by a thrilling footballing style and an entertaining manager, most neutral observers would have willingly watched Harry Redknapp's men defy the odds and claim top spot for the first time in over 50 years.

Eight weeks later, and the lilywhites find themselves looking over their shoulders at Liverpool, Newcastle, Chelsea and, most importantly, Arsenal in the race for Champions League football.

Following the hammering at The Emirates last Sunday, Tottenham's advantage in third place has been cut to seven points.

Still a considerable amount certainly, but, having looked likely to be going 13 points clear with a 2-goal lead 40 minutes into Sunday's game, Champions League football seemed as though it was almost within Tottenham's grasp.

Will the impact of one heavy defeat do lasting damage to their hopes? Can they recover from such a blow and regain the momentum that has taken them to this position? Or will the ever-shrinking gap between them and the chasing pack create doubt in the minds of Tottenham's squad?

10 points off the top, seemingly out of the title race and with a run of tough fixtures coming up against Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton and a resurgent Sunderland, it suddenly seems hard to see where Tottenham's next victory will come from.

While not wanting to overreact to what could yet only amount to one bad day at the office, Tottenham's rivals will be encouraged, not only by their own recent results, but also by the way in which Spurs wilted in the pressure cooker of the North London Derby.

Those teams will feel that Tottenham can be got at. Specifically Chelsea, against whom Spurs must still play away from home next month, must feel that if the right amount of pressure is applied, Redknapp's side could crumble again.

So Spurs fans, I say to you: In the face of this pressure, would you take fourth place now? Significant recent victories for Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool suggest that these former giants are ready to take their place in next season's Champions League, but there isn't room for everyone.

It isn't unreasonable to think that one or more of those teams could mount a serious challenge to Tottenham's Champions League dream, so would you be willing to accept the stresses of the two-legged play-off that comes with fourth, or do you still think third is Tottenham's for the taking?