Igor Tudor admits he has never heard the phrase “Spursy.” And you can be sure it does not fit with his mentality as he prepares for his latest managerial Red Adair mission.

It is some first game against Tottenham’sdeadly rivals. But he sees it as an opportunity. Incredibly, this will be the SEVENTH job that Tudor has taken mid-season to either get clubs into Europe or save them from relegation.

Tudor, 47, has never failed yet and he insisted he will “100 per cent” keep Tottenham up as he stressed they have enough quality and he will ensure they have enough heart and the right mindset.

That is why doing a “Spursy” - the football catchphrase for bottling it - has never entered his vocabulary. “Spursy? No, I’ve never heard of that,” he said.

“It’s about here and here (points to head and heart). It’s not about legs. It’s about head, it’s about brain, it’s about heart. That is what it’s about.”

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Tudor played for Croatia 55 times, played in the 1998 World Cup when they finished third and was Croatian Player of the Year in 2001 as well as winning the Serie A title with Juventus.

He is a commanding, imposing figure with his 6ft 4in frame and he has a menacing stare. He talks in good but rather blunt English with a strong Italian accent from his time there both as player and manager.

This is a manager who clearly will not suffer fools gladly. It is wrong to characterise him as a defensive coach even though he often favours playing three at the back.

But Tudor’s tactics for his first game may be decided by which players are available on Sunday because of the club’s crippling injury list.

But you suspect that there will have been some home truths, tough team talks and a bit of shock treatment from a manager with a reputation for being a hard task master. Tottenham are five points above the drop zone with 12 games left.

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“Until now, I saw interesting things. When I say mentality is most important, it’s a basic. Let’s say it like that. It’s a basic that you have these things,” said Tudor.

“But we need to add also other things otherwise it’s not enough. So let’s start with this. After, pass by pass, we’ll add more things. It’s not easy, but in life all the good things are not easy. If somebody wants to become something more, it’s never easy.

“This is the moment to react for each player and put themselves in the challenge to become something more.”

Tudor insisted he is not thinking about staying in the job long term. He is only focused on the here and now. He admits it is a “strange job” as he will not have time for anything other than work.

“This is a question I don’t need to answer. I come here not to visit the city, I have come here to make a job at a very difficult moment for this club,” said Tudor who is currently staying in a hotel.

“We work every day, like all coaches do. Every day. Focus on the work and live it 24/7. Even if you go to the restaurant or a museum, you are thinking about ‘how to make the team play better’. It’s a strange job.”

Tudor’s predecessor Thomas Frank allegedly annoyed the Spurs players by constantly talking about how good Arsenal were during his reign. The interim quickly changed the subject away from Mikel Arteta’s side this time.

And while he was adamant that Spurs will beat the drop, he also insisted he cannot afford to even think about the danger.

When asked if they will stay up, Tudor said: “100 per cent. 100 per cent. But I never think about that. When I coach, I never watch the table. It may sound strange. Okay, we play there. I don’t look.

“Of course, you think about everything. We are 24/7 so you think of everything. The problems: what can happen, what cannot happen. But the main goal is the process.

“I won't talk about Arsenal. Big respect for Arteta who made an amazing team, one of the best in the world with the style of play and amazing mentality in the team, with 11 players behind the ball, pressing from the back.

“So it is a big challenge for us. Maybe at the moment it is not the best one but you never know in football. These are all the things we can speak in the bar but we want to do all the right things against them and it is all about how to prepare this game.”

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