Tottenham Hotspur: How Spurs' hierarchy are trying to transform club amid Premier League relegation battle

Despite Tottenham's Premier League survival on the final day, this will go down as probably their worst season in modern history.

Not only on the pitch have they struggled. Off the pitch, it has been a tumultuous year across the entire club, with fundamental changes from top to bottom.

No one at Spurs would deny that this inner turmoil has affected things on the pitch, but what has happened this season is the result of long-term decline beneath the gloss of their state-of-the-art stadium and training ground.

Decisions at football clubs rarely have immediate impact, and so those that have been made - or not made - over several years have resulted in where they are now; fighting relegation, financial difficulty, a severe disconnect with fans, and a poor reputation in the game.

However, likewise, the opposite is also true; while there have been obvious blunders this season (Igor Tudor being one), any positive shoots from the seeds of change sown by the hierarchy are unlikely to appear straight away.

What will not be obvious yet is that an internal transformation has begun at the behest of club owners the Lewis family and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, and they intend to see it through for the betterment of Tottenham's long-term future.