PAUL Ince insists Spurs’ players should bear the brunt of the blame for their dismal Premier League start and not palm the responsibility off onto former boss Juande Ramos.

The Spaniard paid the ultimate price for taking Tottenham to the bottom of the table, being replaced by Harry Redknapp, but Rovers boss Paul Ince believes the playing squad should “take a look at themselves.”

Ince’s Blackburn side travel to White Hart Lane tomorrow just one point and one place above Spurs, with both clubs in the relegation zone, and the Rovers manager pulled no punches about the Londoners’ below-par performances.

He said: “I think the players have to look at themselves because it is the same players that worked under Ramos. You get paid a fortune to go out and perform.

“I don’t care if you like the manager or you don’t like the manager, at the end of the day, the 11 players who go out on the pitch on a Saturday should perform for their team.

“They did not do that under Ramos so they have to look at themselves rather than Ramos. I can’t understand how they failed to perform week in and week out, especially when you are talking about real top class players.

“I don’t want to castigate the players but I just think with the players they have got and the money they have spent Spurs should not be near the bottom, it does not matter who is in charge.”

Rovers stopper Paul Robinson has become the latest of Ramos’ former players to criticise his White Hart Lane reign, but Ince insists the excuses wear thin.

While adamant his horrific luck with injuries this campaign has been the major factor in Rovers’ downfall, he is not so lenient on Spurs’ nightmare start.

He said: “Sometimes you don’t like the player you are playing with, we saw that with Coley and Sheringham at Manchester United, but they go out and play together because that is their job.

“The reason Spurs are where they are is because players have not performed when they should have performed. Maybe they didn’t like the managers ideas but so what? You have to get on with. Players might not like some of my training sessions but they still have to get the best out of it.

“Under Harry things have changed and they seem to be enjoying their football. They are scoring goals for fun so we are under no illusions it will be a tough game.

“Harry is always bubbling and always smiling and gives players that belief to go out and express themselves.”