Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will not jeopardise the club's future by chasing Champions League football year after year. Spurs have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, and with it the financial rewards.
However, Levy has told supporters not to get carried away, warning that it will be difficult to stay in the top four of the Premier League forever.
And the chairman has vowed to carry on running the club in the right way to ensure there is no danger of Spurs' Champions League dream turning into a nightmare.
"We deserve to be in the Champions League. Our history dictates that but it has taken us a long time to get back," the chairman said in The Guardian.
"I think it's a huge achievement for Harry [Redknapp], all his coaching staff and players and the fans as well. It's something special.
"I think we all want to stay there but we all have to be realistic. There are only four places in England and there are seven or eight clubs competing.
"There are probably two clubs you could say are guaranteed to be in that top four. You then have two places for six clubs. The odds are stacked against you.
"But what we won't do is jeopardise the club to challenge to be one of those two. You can't run the club on the basis of being in the Champions League."
Levy has backed Redknapp admirably in the transfer market but admits it will be difficult to keep on bringing in fresh faces.
He explained: "Often people say you just need an extra player. It doesn't work. It's about the team. I like to think it's important to run the club in the right way.
"It's not just about today; it's about the future generation of fans. You have to protect the club."
