Ange Postecoglou had so few players available this week that he was close to making up the numbers in training.
And that, the Tottenham boss said, would not have been a pretty sight.
Spurs remain without eight stars through injury, while Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended for today’s visit of Newcastle. So having a virus work its way through the dressing room this week, to leave “a few” players touch and go this afternoon, has left Postecoglou, 59, with the temptation to tear his hair out
“I’d be no good bald, my wife would definitely leave me,” he said, doing his best to look beyond their run of ill-fortune. “I’ve never been this kind guy who is ‘woe is me’ and ‘can anything else go wrong.’ But it’s a hell of a challenge.
“These things go in cycles sometimes when you just feel like, ‘Oh my god, what else?’ Every time I get a message or an update, what else could possibly go wrong?
“But I really believe that all these things are just temporary. They’re a good test of character, they’re a good test of resolve, of resilience.
"I still think within that context that there is still opportunity for growth. We’ll get through it. I’ve got a really resilient group of players who are refusing to make excuses. They’re working as hard as anything, that’s all you can ask for.
“Eventually we’ll get over this. Who knows, they do go in cycles. There’s been times I’ve won things and I’ve thought ‘I don’t know how that happened’. The footballing gods were smiling on us. I don’t question it then, because I think we deserve the success, and I don’t question it now. It’s just where we’re at.”
Postecoglou refused to detail the exact number who have been affected by the illness and said their availability would be judged “hour by hour” before the visit of Eddie Howe’s in-form side.
The Australian, who also confirmed full back Destiny Udogie is facing six weeks out because of a hamstring tear sustained last weekend, reiterated that the Spurs hierarchy will do their best to bolster his squad this month.
"To get a deal done you need multiple parties to come to an agreement. There's so many moving parts to that. It's not just a matter of saying, 'This is the player I want, let's go get him.'
"You have got to think about the player, their representatives, the other club, then that club thinks about replacing that player and they have to go deal with another club.
"There's multiple moving parts, it's not an easy process, but all we can do is work as hard as we can to try and help the situation. That's what the club's doing. I can tell you the club is working as hard as it possibly can to get some help for the playing group. But not all of that is in our power."