Ramos remains calm after Spurs latest defeat

Tottenham Hotspurs manager Juande Ramos does not believe his job is under threat despite a 2-0 away defeat to Portsmouth on Sunday, a result which means Spurs are now enduring their worst start to a season for 53 years.

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Juande Ramos: So far so bad.

Ramos insists he has the confidence of the Tottenham board but with four defeats and two draws from the opening six Premier League fixtures Spurs are bottom of the table and the fans are growing impatient.

Goals from Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch, both former Spurs players, gave Pompey a comfortable win at Fratton Park on Sunday where a lacklustre display from the Tottenham players drew howls of derision from the travelling supporters who chanted ''You don't know what you're doing'' at Ramos.

With just two points from a possible 18 Tottenham are in a worse position than they were at the same stage last season, a poor start which led to Martin Jol's sacking by an impatient Spurs board.

While Ramos remains phlegmatic about the club's current plight he has admitted that he senses the pressure is mounting, saying: ''My job does not depend on me. We have a board and a chairman who decide that sort of thing''.

Ramos, who won the Carling Cup with Spurs last season, bemoaned refereeing decisions which he feels are exacerbating the club's situation: ''Things are going against us and nobody is helping us. Everyone is quite upset about it.

''For example, we lost an appeal on a penalty here (at Fratton Park) and they got one in a similar incident. We went 1-0 down but could have equalised before they got their second. Against Wigan, too, critical decisions did not go our way.

Attempting to put a positive spin on the situation Ramos said: ''I feel I have the confidence of the board. We speak regularly and we are working together to resolve matters,'' said Ramos.

''There is another game on Thursday in a different competition and the players know they must recover quickly. Does it hurt when the fans say those things? No, it hurts only when we cannot win games.''

Defeat in the UEFA Cup against Wisla Krakow, when Spurs defend a narrow 2-1 first-leg lead in Poland, could leave Ramos under unbearable pressure.