Tottenham have been ‘soft for 40 years’ and club DNA will hold them back, says Roy Keane

Keane and Redknapp have had more than one disagreement on air about the prospects of the north London club

Roy Keane remains unimpressed by Spurs’ fallibility (Sky Sports)

Roy Keane has derided the mindset and mental resilience of the Tottenham Hotspur squad, insisting the club have long been weak when it comes to pivotal moments of achieving success.

The former Manchester United captain recently had a heated debate with Jamie Redknapp ahead of a Spurs game, insisting that few of the current side would get into other top-four teams.

This time around it was a more wide-lens assessment Keane offered, suggesting that a long-standing weakness about the club prevented Tottenham from achieving genuine success.

“There is a softness in this Spurs team. They got to the Champions League final but they got beat in the final, it’s like being top of the league in November. The whole point of a final is to win the bloody thing,” Keane said on Sky Sports.

“Spurs [were soft] before [Jose] Mourinho, and when he leaves there’ll still be a softness. They’ve been soft the last 40 years.

“If a quarter-final is success, you can have your success. There’s always been a softness to them.”

With Redknapp offering the case for the defence for his former club once more, it was put to Keane that Spurs had fielded strong sides in the recent past under Mauricio Pochettino as well as under Mourinho - such as the big victory at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

Keane pointed out that it was the attack which excelled on that day against 10 men, and offered up a recent example of dropped points to back up his own feelings on the matter.

“They were 3-0 up to West Ham [before drawing 3-3], do you think that’s down to the manager? They’ve got experienced international players, are you telling me they can’t manage [that situation]?

“Leopards don’t change their spots, there’s a softness to Spurs and I think it’ll be here for the next 40 years at this club. I don’t know what they’ll change, I think it’s in their DNA.”

The former Sunderland manager acknowledged that the season run-in could prove “pivotal” for Mourinho at the club, but pointed out it was the same for many clubs including West Ham, Liverpool and Chelsea. With a Wembley date fast approaching, Spurs could end the season with silverware - but Keane doesn’t feel it will lead to long-term success due to the mentality of the club.

“They could win the league cup but this softness will always hold them back and it’s nothing to do with Mourinho.”